Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 97275 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97275 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
C-130s were not comfortable. They were made for expediency in transporting troops where they needed to go. This plane was not comfortable. The seats were shit, and you were lucky if you didn’t have a raging back ache by the time they dropped you off. The person beside you was so close that you touched from thigh to shoulder.
“Nice of you to show, Tremaine.” Layne said impatiently.
“This your new group, Core?” I asked as if I didn’t notice his impatience.
Layne Corey was a very good man. At five feet eleven inches, he wasn’t the biggest man around, but he was the most authoritative. He’s honorable to the core, but you didn’t fuck with him, his men, or his country, if you did, you would rethink it really fast. When I first started out in the army, I was assigned to Layne’s command. Over the course of six years, I watched and learned from him. Layne taught me everything I knew now about interrogating. About how to get anything out of anyone. I trusted the man with my life just as I did Sam, Gabe, Jack, James, or Elliott. Needless to say, if anyone else had called me and told me they needed my services, I would have declined. Layne calling me meant that it was something so extreme that they couldn’t take this to anyone else.
“No. I don’t have any more recruits to ruin. We’ll talk more when we get to The Sandbox. I have a new team over there; we’ll debrief, and then get you started on what we need you to do.”
I nodded, seeing as I knew from experience that he wouldn’t be telling me anymore. Leaning my head back, I let my eyes close, and I fell into a light doze. My mind wandered to Payton, and the night we spent together. Then I thought about how scared she looked as I left, and started thinking of the many things that could go wrong. I could die. She could die and I wouldn’t be able to get there in time. She could be hurt, or jumped on a dark street just as she was with that dick head ex-boyfriend of hers.
I stopped my brain on that thought. If I kept it up, I would be sporting an ulcer in no time. Except that my mind didn’t want to stop. It wanted to replay it over and over again. The altercation I had with Rory reiterated what I already knew about him. As soon as Payton told me the basics of the attack, I knew that Rory was a worthless little worm who didn’t deserve to live.
The night Payton told me about her attack, I visited Rory. I’d never intended to confront him, but I’d witnessed a fight with Rory and the new girlfriend, and felt it prudent to speak with him.
A young woman that looked to be in her early twenties came barreling out of the house, followed by a man that had on jeans and nothing else. From what I could decipher, she didn’t like being called by another woman’s name during sex. It would have been funny if the woman he was talking about hadn’t been Payton.
I waited until the woman peeled out with a screech of tires before making my approach. It took until I was three feet from the idiot before he noticed me. He startled like a frightened cat, and I let a chuckle escape before I reined it in.
“Can I help you?” Rory said like a whiny little child.
“So, you still have a thing for Payton?” I questioned.
“Who the fuck are you?” He asked.
I was tempted to say “Your worst nightmare” but refrained since it was so cliché. “I would be the man in Payton’s bed. I’m the one who calls Payton’s name when I come.”
It wasn’t really true, but he didn’t need to know that. I intended for it to be true, so the rest was just semantics.
His eyes had narrowed before he said, “You’re not her type.”
“So what is her type? You? So she likes wimpy boys who leave her to die instead of helping like a real man would?” I asked blandly.
“You don’t know jack shit. It’s none of your fucking business anyway.”
I felt anything but sedate though. I was hot. I wanted to pull this guy’s eyelids off, and make him eat them. My skills were about to come in handy. Taking one deep breath and holding it for six seconds, I blew it out slowly, and then started my interrogation.
Giving him the intensity of my eyes I replied, “That’s where you’re wrong, boy. So, why’d you do it?”
“Noneya.” He sneered.
Oh, how original.
The bullshit answers went on for nearly ten minutes before my patience was at an end. Something snapped inside me, and I reached out for his throat, wrapping one hand around it, and pushing him up against his front door. Rory looked shocked, but I don’t know why.
“Now, how about we get down to what really went on, and how about you not delay. I’m a little sick of your bullshit.” I said while giving his neck a tighter squeeze for emphasis.
“I t-thought she was with m-me. When I got back to the car and realized she wasn’t behind m-me, I went back.” He cried.
“So you went back, but you didn’t help her. You just stood by like a pussy and watched them beat the shit out of her?” I asked quietly.
“I called the cops.” He squeaked.
“You called the cops. How nice of you. You know, I really want to beat the ever-loving shit out of you right now, but I won’t. You’re a worthless piece of shit who doesn’t deserve to live. I hope you rot in hell. Stay away from Payton from now on. You better hope I never see your face again.” I said before smacking his head into the door for emphasis. I smashed him against the wall once more before letting his throat go. I was quite satisfied as I watched him slump to the floor, and then nod at me in understanding.