Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 84322 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 422(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84322 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 422(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
“I want to meet them.”
He stood, taking her with him, and led her to the rear of the cabin.
Matias had assembled a six-person team for this operation. Seven, if he counted Romero, who remained in Colombia surrounded by his equipment. Matias had an elaborate computer lab built for the kid, complete with his own geek squad.
He reached the cabin’s lounge area, and six pairs of eyes greeted him, spreading a feeling of weightlessness in his chest. He’d been gone fifteen months, and he fucking missed these assholes.
As he opened his mouth to start the introductions, Lydia beat him to it.
“Matias.” She stretched out a hand toward the black-haired Colombian. “Thank you for the ride.”
Matias unfolded his hulking frame from the couch and rose to his full height. “It’s a pleasure, Lydia.” They shook hands, and Matias motioned at the others. “This is my wife, Camila, and her sister, Lucia. The token white guy is Tate.”
“I fucking hate this guy,” Tate said to Lydia. “If I weren’t in love with his sister-in-law, I would’ve snuffed him already.”
Lydia’s eyes widened, her lips parting in shock.
Cole smiled at the interaction. He didn’t know how much she’d retained from the other night when he walked her through the backgrounds and relationships of all his friends. But she knew their roles and connections to one another. No doubt she’d heard some terrifying rumors about Matias. His brutal, mafia-style code of respect made him the most feared cartel capo in Colombia. But when he wasn’t striking terror into the hearts of his enemies, he was annoyingly charming.
“Ignore them.” Kate climbed out of the adjacent seat and gripped Lydia’s hand, holding on for a long moment. “I’m Kate, the resident doctor-in-training. I’m just here to patch up any injuries.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Same. I’ll be honest. We’ve all been so curious about you. Cole’s not the most forthcoming guy, so to see him with you…” She cupped a hand around her mouth and stage-whispered, “with a woman, well, it’s a little tantalizing.”
Laughter rumbled through the cabin.
Lydia found his gaze, and he thought if she weren’t hurting so badly, she might’ve smiled.
“This is my husband, Tiago.” Kate flicked a finger behind her. “Don’t mind his death-glare. I promise his body-count has gone way down in the past two years. He’s almost rehabilitated.”
A smile slid across the lounging male’s face as he yanked her onto his lap and sank his teeth into her neck, making her yelp.
Tiago Badell, the once-notorious Venezuelan crime lord, had to put forth a lot of effort to integrate into their tight-knit family. His past with Lucia and Kate wasn’t pretty, and his demeanor radiated an air of cruelty that hadn’t diminished with time. But they trusted him. He wouldn’t be here if they didn’t.
“Here. Sit.” Camila gave up her seat and moved to Matias’ lap. “Hang out with us. Tell us about your brother.”
Lydia stiffened, and he touched her back, trailing a knuckle down her spine.
“You’re not ready. I get that,” Camila said softly. “I’m sorry we didn’t get to meet him.”
“You don’t have to talk at all.” Lucia pursed her lips. “Or you can tell us some of Cole’s dirty secrets in your Russian accent. We’ve known him for years but not the way you know him.” She winked.
“We’re done here.” Cole started to pull Lydia toward the front.
She pulled back and stepped toward the empty seat beside Camila. “Just a warning, I’m not the best company right now. But I’d like to hang out and get to know you guys.”
That was a good sign. Any sign of life was promising. He knew she faced a tough road ahead, and there would be days when the grief overwhelmed her. But he liked seeing her among his friends. He loved it, actually. The interaction would soothe her and drive home the fact that she wasn’t alone. She also needed to establish trust with them since they were all headed into an operation together.
In one week, they would fly back to Europe and visit the clubs where she’d seen the most Easter eggs. With any luck, her new dancing skills would lure the hacker into the open. Then this would all be over.
The nine-hour flight from Dublin to Missouri passed quickly, thanks to the nonstop conversation. He had a lot of catching up to do with his friends.
Lydia listened to their stories without comment, her intelligent eyes taking everything in. She wasn’t standoffish. She was fighting an inner battle, drowning beneath the gravity of the past twenty-four hours.
He watched her closely and caressed her constantly. Every touch she returned in kind, affirming her strength. She wasn’t shutting down. She was fighting through this.
It was after dark when they arrived at the lakehouse. He didn’t recognize the black Rolls-Royce Wraith in the driveway, but he knew it belonged to Trace Savoy. The man had a passion for expensive luxury cars.