Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 79749 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79749 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
I let my eyes roam over the images on the screen, but it's no surprise that I don't recognize any of them. When I worked with Ivan Reese, I was at the house because he was always at the house. I can't swear that these locations weren't connected to him before Damien took over.
"We're looking through literally decades of travel plans and information. Blackbridge is working through some locations up north," Hemlock continues. "Neither team has found anything that indicates Eli Gaines has been on the property. We have no further proof that Damien has taken other children. It's very possible that the driver, Samuel, was lying in order to save his own neck."
The crack of knuckles makes my eyes dart to Nyx who looks like he's readying himself to take the man out.
"Is he here?" I ask, growing pissed at the chance that a man who could compromise everything might be in the house. The urgency to go to Aspen to make sure she's safe has me literally on the edge of my seat, ready to stand.
"He's still in Massachusetts being monitored," Hemlock assures me. "After the tracker was found in Aspen, we located a similar one embedded in the back of Samuel's neck. Damien hasn't sent a team for him yet. We're prepared if he does."
"What happens if Gaines goes back to one of the places we've already searched?"
"I don't know that he'd do that," Hemlock says. "But we have people in place, monitoring all the other locations."
"That's spreading us a little thin, isn't it?" Ace asks.
"That's why we've called in some reinforcements," Hemlock says, and the conference room doors open as if we're watching some theatrical show.
I look back and see several men I recognize from the day I burned the case with Nathan Adair to get Brielle Adair out of his clutches.
Cerberus New Mexico, and from the looks of it, it's damn near everyone on that team.
Kincaid, president of that chapter, enters the room, shaking hands with Hemlock.
Relief gathers inside of me at the sight of them. I'm fully confident in their ability to get to the bottom of all this shit and find my son. I know each and every one of them will do all they can to make that happen.
There's also that kinship, the brotherhood of being a Marine, that eases something inside of me.
A condition of being a member of the Cerberus team has always been time spent in the Marine Corps. Kincaid didn't require that of us here in Tennessee, but Ace, Hemlock, and myself are Marines. It's very possible that others are as well, but I haven't had the chance to get close enough to any of them in order to find out.
"Do I need to order cots?" Casper asks, his hands hovering over his keyboard, ready to make the call if he needs to.
"We're going to spread out into the other houses on the property," Kincaid says. "This is your home."
"You're always welcome here," Hemlock says.
"Thank you, brother," Kincaid says with a quick smile. "But it's best for the newest guests here if we aren't all piled in one spot."
He's talking about Cora, Ace's woman, who recently came and who has suffered through some heartbreaking shit. He's possibly including Aspen as well.
"I have two teams with me now that will get started first thing in the morning, and my other team is already in the field working," Kincaid explains before looking back at Casper. "Max and Wren will coordinate all the tech stuff with you."
Casper dips his head in understanding, but his attention is diverted as he looks from his computer screen to Hemlock.
"Deacon Black, sir," he says.
Hemlock narrows his eyes at him, and I know it has more to do with the sir than anything else. The man reluctantly took the leadership role over this chapter in Tennessee, and he's less than impressed with the way Casper refers to him.
Casper swallows as Hemlock pulls his phone from his pocket, and I know the IT tech doesn't mean any disrespect. He'll learn, eventually. I just hope it happens before Hemlock punches the guy in the throat.
"Hey," Hemlock says when he answers the phone. I dart my eyes to Kincaid, wondering if it bothers the man that he seems to be here to assist even though it was his hard work that created Cerberus in the first place.
Silence swarms around the room while we all wait for the news and my gut twists when Hemlock lifts his eyes to me before he speaks again.
"You're absolutely sure it's not him?"
My skin grows icy cold as I stand, walking toward Hemlock, ready to rip the fucking phone from his hand.
He holds up a hand. I know the conversation he's having is about my son, and I'll be damned if I'm going to stand here idle while horrific news is being dished out.