Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77394 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77394 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
The room fell completely silent—eerily so, and I knew I’d fucked up. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to intrude, but I...”
“I told you to stay in the room,” Lawson interrupted.
“I know, but...” I could see that he was angry with me. They all were, but I didn’t let that stop me from saying, “Delgado will never let you get close to Luna. He’d kill her before he let that happen.”
Their fierce expressions slowly softened as my words sank in.
I hoped that meant they would listen when I said, “You have to let me go in there. I can take the bag I got from Jimmy’s and use it to buy my daughter back. Once I have her, you guys can come and do whatever it is you do.”
“Absolutely the fuck not.”
“But it’s the safest way,” I pushed. “You can’t just barge in there and start shooting. Luna is in there with him.”
“She’s got a point there,” Memphis interjected. “We got no idea where he’s put the kid, and without eyes on the inside, we have no way of finding out where she is.”
“But sending her in there doesn’t fix anything,”
“I don’t know. I think it might,” Shep disagreed. “She’s been there before, so she’ll know the lay of the land. We could put a camera on her. Then once she’s inside, we can see what we need to see and make a move from there.”
“And what if he gets the bag and kills her right there on the spot.”
I looked Lawson directly in the eye as I told him, “I’m willing to take that chance.”
“The hell you are!”
“Hold up. I might have an idea.” Shep turned to me and gave me a look, letting me know that he wasn’t going to say anything with me in the room. “Okay. I got it. I’ll go. I said what I had to say. Just, please, think about it.”
I started back down the hall, and I hadn’t gotten far when I heard Lawson call out, “Jenna!”
“I’m sorry.” I turned to face him. “I’m just so worried about Luna, and I just want her back.”
He didn’t respond.
Instead, he charged over to me and brought his hands up to my face, pulling my mouth to his. He kissed me for only a moment, but it was just enough to let me know that he was still on my side and there for me. And that was exactly what I needed.
Grim
I’d dealt with men like Delgado before. I knew the risks. We all did. Going up against a man like him could be catastrophic which was why we were searching for the path of least resistance. Deep down, I knew that path included Jenna, but the mere thought of putting her in harm's way had me tied up in knots. It was all I could do to keep my head in the game when I asked Shep, “So, what’s this idea of yours?”
“I know you weren’t keen on the idea, but we do like Jenna suggested and send her in with the bag. But deep inside it, we hide a device with somnolixir that can be discharged with a detonator.”
“What the fuck is somnon-whatever?”
“It’s a hypnotic that’s similar to what you’d find in basic anesthesia but doesn’t have the risks.”
“So, we’re gonna knock ‘em out?”
“Basically, but it keeps Delgado from having time to warn anyone that he’s under attack, and it keeps him alive for you. But there’s one problem.” Shep grimaced as he continued, “The radial distance of exposure isn’t exactly ideal.”
“In English, brother.”
“Once detonated, the gas will only reach about twenty to twenty-five feet, so it’s only gonna really affect those who are close to it.” Shep must’ve picked up on my unease and added, “But with the cameras, we can wait to detonate until she’s face to face with Delgado. Then, we can ensure that he gets exposed, and that could give us a real advantage.”
“He’s right.” Prez interjected. “We get her inside and let Shep’s contraption take out who it can, and we deal with the rest.”
“But Jenna’s gonna be knocked out right along with them.”
“Yeah, and all things considered, that might be for the best.”
Fuck.
I hated this.
I hated every fucking bit of it.
Luna was already in danger, and soon, Jenna would be, too. Normally, something like this wouldn’t phase me, but Luna and Jenna meant something to me. I didn’t mean for it to happen. But they’d wedged their way in and had me feeling things I no longer thought I could feel. Now, they felt like they were part of me. They were mine.
Both of them—in every way that mattered.
And I would do whatever it took to get them home safe and sound. I thought about everything Shep had said, and while I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of putting Jenna in harm’s way, I figured it was our best option. “If we do this, I want Seven on post and want him aimed and ready to take out the guards at the front and Goose doing the same at the back.”