Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 90099 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 450(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90099 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 450(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
“Do it quietly,” Cain said. “I don’t want a trail that can lead back to us.”
Her face was even, and her voice didn’t falter. “Got it. I’ll report back when the job’s done.”
“Wear your smartwatch so that we can track you,” Joss said.
She should tell Cain and Joss that Ilano was a vampire, but then they’d guess what Tim was. Vampires liked to work with their own kind. If they knew Tim was a dhampir, they’d guess the truth—that she was under his power, that he’d bitten her.
“Make me proud,” Cain said.
“Good luck, Maya,” Clelia said, her dark eyes compassionate.
The sun was high. Tim’s men would be looking for her. They may already be swarming the beach by the dive center. She stripped, took a quick shower, dressed in the black bodysuit she kept with her weapons, and tied her hair into a ponytail. Next, she strapped a SIG Pro semi-automatic pistol with a silencer onto her hip and a tactical flip knife onto her thigh. Infrared goggles went around her neck to help her spot laser beams that could set off alarms. She secured her smartwatch and lastly her sheepskin combat boots.
Before going downstairs, she activated a heat-tracking program to scan the area for humans, and infra-blue to check for vampires. So far, the jungle was clear from the iguana farm to the jetty. Just to be sure she was still on track, she waited for their Eye in the Sky to send the truck’s coordinates to the tablet as she ate an energy bar from her supplies. She didn’t have time for supper or breakfast, but this would see her through until the mission was over.
An hour later, she made her way downstairs, carefully checking the area for movement. The truck was parked at the jetty. Crates were being lifted from the back and carried inside the warehouse. Just like the previous time, there were four guards outside and more inside. They all wore black. She wondered if they were Tim or Ilano’s men as she watched through the cracks of the wooden wall.
When the truck left, three men jumped into the boat. This time, she wouldn’t have the luxury of sinking it from the ocean. Ilano would have satellites and most probably rockets in place, checking for other boats. This one, she’d have to do from the shore.
She crept along the outside of the building along the cover of the raised foundation that stood on wooden pillars. A short way from the shore, she stopped. She waited for the trawler to make its way down the warehouse dock channel and through the lifted roller doors. It was made to look like a tourist boat with the name Paradise Island Fishing Tours painted on the side. The boat moved through the port and picked up speed when it hit the open water. Maya let it go until the vessel became a distant dot. Then she closed her eyes and gathered her thoughts to manipulate the water, but before she could command it, a hand clamped around her upper arm.
Without missing a beat, Maya went into a defensive position. She brought the side of her hand down hard on the forearm that held her, and when the grip loosened, she grabbed the wrist and twisted. She flung her attacker down, bent his arm up to his shoulder, and kicked him in the back, aiming for a kidney. It was Victor. Damn, this was bad. Ilano knew her secret. Victor grunted as he went down. Holding onto his arm, she kicked him in the side, cracking a rib. Then she broke his nose when she slammed his face into the ground. She would’ve gotten a few punches in too if it wasn’t for the barrel of a gun that was pushed against her temple.
“Let him go, nice and slow,” Eduardo said.
She released Victor with a shove, pushing his face into the gravel.
“Lift your hands where I can see them.”
She raised her hands.
“Now drop the weapons.” When she reached for the clip of her holster, Eduardo pushed the Glock 17 in her face. “Slowly!”
She undid the clasps and pushed the straps over her shoulders, letting the holster fall to the ground.
“Knife too.”
When the flip knife fell with a soft thud on the ground, Eduardo kicked the weapons out of her reach. Victor scrambled to his feet, his arm hanging limply at his side. He pushed his good hand under his bleeding nose.
“She fucking broke my nose,” he said with a nasal voice. “I think the bitch cracked a rib. Almost broke my arm too. It’s dislocated.”
She was about to kick the Glock from Eduardo’s hand, but he slammed the shaft-end of the weapon into her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. She took a step back and managed to regain her balance. Before she could move again, Eduardo was aiming a dart gun at her.