Total pages in book: 144
Estimated words: 135382 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 677(@200wpm)___ 542(@250wpm)___ 451(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135382 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 677(@200wpm)___ 542(@250wpm)___ 451(@300wpm)
Taggart stopped, staring at Steph for a moment with those arctic eyes of his. Steph didn’t back down at all, but then she’d always had a death wish. Brody got ready to shift, to come between the two of them and let Taggart know that he couldn’t top his sub.
Then Taggart sighed. “All right, put like that it does seem a bit on the farfetched side. Score one for logic. Sorry, Doc. I’m used to being betrayed. It’s happened almost as many times as I’ve been nearly murdered. All right. We’ll assume Anya Shadrova is an innocent and needs to be saved.”
“Thank you,” Steph said with a sigh.
“You want us to save the Aussie, too, Lady SoftHeart?” Taggart asked with a wry smile on his face.
“Nope, you can rough him up all you like, but we need to get that thumb drive from him.” Steph turned and shook her head, walking toward the door. “I need to go check on Nate. The party was over an hour ago. The staff needs to go home.”
“They left thirty minutes ago,” O’Donnell explained. “It’s Avery and Charlotte in there now and they’re perfectly fine. Nate’s in good hands. If he’s not sleeping, then he’s being well taken care of. Now tell me how you’re doing. Do you need anything?”
He hated the rush of jealousy he felt. He watched how Steph squeezed Liam’s hand. He couldn’t help but step up and reply. “I’ll take care of her. You go and help Miles find Alfi so I can rearrange his innards. I’ll figure out where that thumb drive is.”
Steph held a hand up. “Before you guys do anything at all, I need to make one thing clear. Anya comes first. That’s the mission. Saving her comes before everything else.”
Was she high? Was she still in subspace because she had to be if she thought that was going to work.
“We’ll do everything we can,” Brody assured her. But that wasn’t his highest directive. She was, and he knew damn well it would be O’Donnell’s, too.
“She comes before me.” Steph looked between the two of them as if trying to figure out exactly what they were doing. Suspicion was plain on her face. “If we have to give me up to save her, we’re going to do it.”
“Of course,” O’Donnell replied. He reached for Steph’s hand. “You’re the client. We’re going to take your direction.”
Taggart’s eyes had gone wide but his expression shifted the minute Steph looked at him. “Of course. Like Li said. You’re the client. If you want to be dumb enough to martyr yourself, who am I to say nay? Can I get a check from you before your inevitable death?”
“Ian,” O’Donnell said between clenched teeth.
“Well, you said she was the client,” Taggart replied. “Clients usually pay.”
Brody ignored Taggart, but the men were onto something. Arguing with her would lead them absolutely nowhere, but he had to play it right. He couldn’t simply scream out that he would save her no matter what. She needed a softer touch.
And a shit ton of lies because there was zero chance that he was going to trade her for Anya.
“I’ll do everything in my power to make sure we get the outcome you need,” he promised. “I know what you want, Steph. You have to know I’ll try to keep you safe, too.”
She stared at him as though trying to figure out if she should argue or not.
He was saved when the door came open and Adam strode in. “Turn that computer on to the security cameras. I found our lost Aussie.”
Taggart had the screen up on the wall in front of them in a second. “He came here? Why would he come here?”
Steph gasped as the picture became clear. Brody stepped in front of her as though he could protect her from the men on the screen.
“I don’t think it was his choice,” Adam said.
No. It didn’t look like Alfi had a choice at all. He was on his knees in front of the gate, his hands held high. Two men stood behind him, their faces covered in dark tactical balaclavas. He could see rifles in their hands. It looked like a scene straight out of Afghanistan, but it was happening in front of Sanctum.
“All right then.” Taggart pulled out his mobile. “Boys, get ready for war.”
* * * *
Steph watched the monitor.
“That’s a lot of guns,” Avery said, leaning in. When the men had gone outside to confront the intruders, Avery and Charlotte had joined her so she wouldn’t be alone. Serena had stayed in the nursery, watching over sleeping children while Adam and Jake had taken up positions they claimed would allow them to watch over the situation.
Or in other words, they were in sniper positions. It made her shiver.
Avery was right. It was a lot of guns. Moments after the two men and Alfi had shown up in front of the gates, Shane and Declan had been standing on the other side. Four guns pointing at each other. Four chances for someone to die. Although it was certainly more than four chances since any of the bullets could do damage, and there would be plenty of bullets.