Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 146417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 732(@200wpm)___ 586(@250wpm)___ 488(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 146417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 732(@200wpm)___ 586(@250wpm)___ 488(@300wpm)
Charlotte wrapped her arms around her youngest child and sent Ian a death stare.
Seth stood beside his brother. “Dad will take care of it. I knew we should have talked to him.”
“Tasha’s been talking to Levi Green?” His gut clenched.
“She wanted to know more about her dad in the beginning,” Kenzie said through her tears. “It started about a year ago. She met him online playing this game we all play.”
“She didn’t want you to know because she thought you would be mad she was trying to find out about him—her dad.” Even Kala looked shaken now. She stared up at her dad. “She thought you would think she didn’t love you. We just wanted to protect our family.”
“Where would she take Kim?” There was no question in his mind that Kim was out there with Tasha, and that Levi had set it all up.
Was he already too late?
Kala finally started talking and Beck got ready. He was going to finish this. No matter what it took.
* * * *
Kim looked out over the water and had to admit, the kid had a point. It was a spectacular view. “It’s lovely.”
“It’s my favorite place out here. I like being in the boat, but the pier is my favorite.” Tasha’s long dark hair was up in a ponytail and she was dressed in cutoffs and a T-shirt, sneakers on her feet. “It’s usually peaceful here. Dad and Uncle Sean bought three lots so we would have some distance from the other houses. I love my family, but there’s not a lot of quiet. Kala’s quiet, but that’s usually a bad sign.”
She’d been surprised when Tasha had asked if she would help her grab some stuff from her dad’s boat. She’d explained that she wanted to take some of the younger kids fishing, and the equipment was still on the boat from the last time they’d gone out.
But it also gave her a chance to talk to the girl. She’d been awfully nice to Roman, but there was still a chill coming off her.
“I was hoping we could talk, Tasha.” They were standing within the shade of the trees. It was a bit of a hike to the lake from the house, but it was worth it for the view.
Tasha turned her way and her mouth firmed. “Yes, I think we should. I want to know why you hated my dad so much.”
She hadn’t expected that. “I don’t hate your dad. He’s sarcastic, but I actually think he’s pretty funny. I owe Ian a lot. Why would you think I hate your father?”
“I’m talking about Oleg Federov.”
Kim went still. “I didn’t hate him either. I didn’t know him very well. I only met him a couple of times. Who told you I hated him?”
“A friend of mine.”
“A friend from school? How long have you known this person?” She glanced around because she was starting to get the feeling that this was a setup.
This was starting to feel like something Levi would do.
But he was in custody. He wouldn’t survive long if Big Tag found out he’d catfished his daughter. It explained why Tasha had a problem with her. If Levi had been feeding Tasha a line of crap about how Kim had hurt her father, of course Tasha would hate her.
The teen’s shoulders straightened, and Kim wondered if Tasha knew where she’d gotten that stubborn stance. That stance was pure Ian Taggart going into general mode. “His name is Lev. He’s Russian. He’s the son of a man who used to work with my dad. He reached out to me online last year.”
Well, at least Levi remembered their training. Try to pick a name that’s easy to answer to when going undercover. “Sweetie, I know this is going to be hard for you to believe, but the kid you think you’re talking to is actually a CIA operative. His name is Levi Green.”
She shook her head. “No. He’s a kid. I’ve seen a picture of him, and I’ve talked to him on the phone. He speaks Russian. He’s not American.”
“He’s good at his job. He can fake a lot, and he does speak Russian. He speaks Russian and Mandarin. Most of the top operatives speak a couple of different languages.” This would also explain how Levi seemed to know the things he did. Tasha had been working at McKay-Taggart during the early weeks of summer. She was an observant kid, and she likely would have known something was going on with Beck. “Did he ask you to tell him if they found me?”
Tasha frowned. “He showed me documentation that you handed over Oleg Federov to Dr. Hope McDonald. He got it from his dad.”
“I never met Hope McDonald,” Kim said, trying to keep her tone calm. “But Levi Green once faked evidence that I did. I would never have turned anyone over to that monster. I’m so sorry he’s made you think I would. Let’s go talk to your dad—to Ian.”