Total pages in book: 148
Estimated words: 139606 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 698(@200wpm)___ 558(@250wpm)___ 465(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 139606 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 698(@200wpm)___ 558(@250wpm)___ 465(@300wpm)
He looked enough like Dare that if he didn’t show his face, the attendant shouldn’t question it.
She opened the door and allowed the man with the cart in.
He started to set up the elegant table, uncovering the well-presented meals for her approval.
“Dare, food’s here,” she called out.
“Be right there, babe.”
She checked her phone while the waiter was fussing over making everything perfect. It was odd because she didn’t have any bars. They hadn’t had trouble with the signal while she’d been here. “Babe, you might check your phone.”
It was likely nothing, but she couldn’t let it go. If they didn’t have signal then the CCTV cameras in the hall would be out, too. They were on a wireless network.
She forced a smile on her face as she signed the check and handed it back to the attendant. She’d been right. She didn’t want to eat. It had been a mistake to not order a bottle of wine. That held some appeal.
“Thank you so much,” she murmured, following the man to the door so she could lock them in. She would feel safer then. She would use the landline to call Tristan and figure out what was going on.
Zach would be pissed, but they were not touching that food. They were going to be on protein bars tonight. She wasn’t risking it. All it took was one domino to fall and they were screwed.
The attendant left and she turned, ready to deliver the bad news.
Zach stepped out of the bedroom, wearing nothing but a towel, his hands in the air. “I think it’s safe to say someone is jamming our signal. And they knew about the ceiling. Which I find interesting. Tell me something, Mike, what did you do with TJ because I know damn well he’s not involved in this.”
Her heart seized as she realized there was a man in all black behind Zach, holding a semiautomatic to his back. He had a mask over his face, but Zach had obviously figured out who he was.
“Where’s Dare Nash?”
Fuck and double fuck. She had to save this. She held her hands up. “He’s not here. What’s going on, Mike? You’re the operations sergeant for my cousin’s team, right? You do understand we’re on the same side.”
“How the fuck would I understand shit when no one cares about my rank because my last name isn’t Taggart,” the burly man said. “Do you know how it feels to have that dipshit sit in on briefings I should be in? And we’re not on the same side of this. Not in any way. Isn’t that right, boss?”
“Did I catch you in the act, Tash?”
Chet. She would know that self-satisfied tone anywhere. Damn it. She turned, her hands coming down.
“You finally giving Zach what he’s been begging for?” Chet moved in. Like his teammate he was dressed in all black, though he hadn’t bothered with a mask. “I did not think you were quite this much of a whore, baby. I should have known because you were always so hot in bed. I do miss that part. As to the TJ question, I sent that asshole home with the rest of the team. They think I kept Mike back because technically he’s the head of the team and we’re the ones who are going to have to explain what happened. So don’t think your cousin is coming to save you.”
“I think TJ has an accident coming in his future,” Mike proclaimed with a humorless laugh. “So sad, but it’s a dangerous job.”
“What the fuck are you doing, Chet?” Tasha asked.
“I’m saving my ass. You blew up this op, and my career was already on the line because your father’s been badmouthing me. My boss is all over me right now, and I know why.”
“Because you’re sloppy and you rely far too much on what you think is your charm and looks?” She was so done with Chet.
“Because your father wants me out. Well, guess what, sweetheart, there’s a faction at the Agency who wants him out,” Chet said, his voice a silky threat. “Taggart is old school, and there’s a new wave coming. He’s going to hold us all back, and I can’t have that happen. I think the old guy might think twice about his precious angels working for the Agency if his oldest gets herself killed.”
“Hey,” Zach began.
Oh, this was far more dangerous than she’d imagined. At first she’d kind of thought Chet was just preening. This was serious. “Zach, stop. Chet, killing me isn’t going to do anything but send my family after you. Do you want that? You think my father’s the problem, but you have no idea what my mother is capable of.”
“I’ve heard the stories. I don’t believe any of them,” Chet admitted. “Your mom is a nice piece of ass, but she’s not some killer. She’ll cry and start taking a shit ton of valium and beg her husband to save the daughters she has left, and that will be the end of this stupid fucking experiment. Without a team behind them, I suspect Cooper will go back to flying brass around in a helicopter and Tristan will burn out. We all know that fucker has a death wish. I will have solved all the problems, and I didn’t even have to marry you to do it.”