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)
“But the drug seems to have destroyed that part of his personality,” Walt explained. “So much of who we are is wrapped up in our memories, our past traumas, but there’s also a chemical and biological component. Think of it like this—Tucker got an evilectomy. I know that sounds stupid, but that part of him, the part with evil impulses, seems to be completely gone. He’s not the same man and I, for one, think that poisoning the others against him would be cruel. Those men are the only family he has.”
That was Walt in a nutshell. If Hope McDonald had been an evil genius, then Walt had taken all the good genes for himself. Brody put a hand on his shoulder. “So we keep telling him that we can’t corroborate de Vries’s story. Maybe after a while we can convince him it was all complete rubbish.”
“But I have to look into it.” Damon set the glass down. “I have to find out the truth. If we can find Tucker’s identity, it might lead to the others. But for now, we stay silent. Walt is right. The man we know as Tucker isn’t the same man de Vries described. And on that front, did you see that the stock was down for a certain firm out of Antwerp once Johann’s piece ran in the papers? Remind me to thank Mia for that.”
Mia Taggart was a journalist. She’d taken the thumb drive and found all of Johann’s notes and pieced together the story the man would have written had he lived. She’d also written a piece on the journalist himself that was making Johann famous for his bravery and compassion.
And it was also making the world a bit safer since the terrorist group wouldn’t be selling their diamonds so easily again.
Damon looked down at his watch. “Time’s up, mates. You ready to do this?”
Brody looked at Nick. “I think we’re both game.”
“I’ve been waiting for this all my life,” Nick agreed.
Brody picked up Nate. “You ready to get our girl, son?”
He followed Nick out, eager to be with his family.
* * * *
Later that night
Kayla Summers sighed and looked out at the dancing couples. The whole garden had been decked out with twinkle lights and flowers and candles. At the end of the wedding, confetti had been dropped from above making it look like it was raining flower petals.
It was so romantic it made her want to find a man and do what bridesmaids were supposed to do.
Damn it. She was all dressed up and ready to go. She was wearing heels and a push-up bra and she got nothing because everyone was either married or loony from mind-altering drugs.
Or Ezra Fain, who’d said he needed to talk to her earlier. It wasn’t that the CIA agent wasn’t superhot, it was just that he was someone she worked with and she was done sleeping with people she would have to see over and over again. Men were touchy things. When you slept with them for a while they got all needy and clingy.
Like the one who had his head in her lap, except she certainly hadn’t slept with Tucker. And the truth was she didn’t blame him for needing affection.
She was sitting on a bench near the tables where dinner had been served. It was odd to see The Garden used for such a normal function. Normally the beautiful indoor garden hosted play spaces where kink couples could get their freak on.
Except it really was normal since the truth was this ceremony had been about love and commitment and family, and the kink part was just something they did, too.
There’s no such thing as normal, my darling girl. And if there was, wouldn’t it be a boring thing to be?
Her dads. She’d been adopted by two men from California. They’d been the best parents she could have asked for. They’d always told her she was destined for great things. How would they feel if he knew her great things had been all about proving how much pain she could take? Her dads had a vision of her saving the country. They knew she’d worked for the Agency. They had no idea all the things she’d done, the terrible things that had been done to her.
“I think I should tell them.” Tucker was curled up on the bench, his head in her lap. “Robert knows, but he said it was up to me whether or not I say anything. I should tell them.”
“Tell them what? That some douchebag who had ties to terrorists figured out you were the weak link in the chain and tried to use you to get out of a rough situation?” She was toeing the line on this one. There was no way Tucker was the same man. Even if he was.