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)
He thanked god every day for this woman. “I promise I’ll be back as soon as I can. I’m heading to the airport. Rob got me on a flight to London. I’ll stay at The Garden tonight and then fly down with him tomorrow morning. Beck and Theo are picking up Jax and Tucker and meeting us in Malta. I’m not sure if we’re extracting her or merely doing some surveillance.”
It didn’t matter. He would go when his brothers called. They might be spread across the globe, but they were still a family. Once a year they got together and had a reunion—usually at The Garden, but they’d all gone out to Colorado one year and had a lovely time catching up. This wouldn’t be a fun reunion. This would be the chance they’d been waiting for—the chance to pay back the man who’d helped them all those years ago. None of them survived without the help of Beckett Kent.
“I assure you there’s zero chance Beck leaves without her.” She looked up at him, her eyes getting that steely, stubborn look he shouldn’t find so sexy. “Do not let Levi Green get the jump on you.”
“I promise. And I promise I’ll take the fucker out if I get the chance.” He kissed her and wished they had more time. “I’ve got to make the train if I’m going to get to the airport. I’m so sorry, love.”
She stepped back and slipped out of the white coat she wore at work. “I’ll drive you. I can take the afternoon off.” She grabbed her purse and keys. “Now tell me everything.”
He followed her out of the office, already missing his children.
But there was an energy to his step he couldn’t deny. He’d missed this, too.
“All right, love. According to Rob, she’s been living in this fort,” he began as they made their way to the parking lot.
* * * *
London, England
Robert hung up the phone and tossed it on the bed. It had been a hell of a night, and it wasn’t over yet. Owen had gotten in, and they flew out to Malta in the morning where he’d already found a base of operations close to Fort Saint Angelo, and a secondary site where they would be comfortable staying while they were on the island. But they needed more than that. “Believe it or not I got us a helicopter if we need it. I don’t think we will, but it’s there. Turns out the king of Loa Mali had a meeting in Italy on the second wave of his green energy project and he bought one because he doesn’t like rentals. He’s sending it our way. The rich are really different.”
Ariel sat in the middle of the big bed they shared. For years it had been just the two of them, and they’d been content to be everyone’s favorite aunt and uncle. And then their princess had come along. “They are, love. Come to bed. Owen’s already asleep. He called home and now he’s snoring away. You’ve got an early flight.”
“I wonder if we shouldn’t have gone tonight.”
“The apartments aren’t available until tomorrow afternoon. You’ve been legendary today. You put this whole op together in a few hours. You have a house, an apartment, equipment, a helicopter.”
“And a boat.” They were right on the water, after all. He wanted the team to have every chance they could to do this right.
She wore a white silk gown that came down to mid-thigh, showing off those gorgeous legs of hers. She’d already put up her hair for the night, wrapping it in silk. It left the lovely graceful line of her neck on display. “You did good work. Now come to bed and make love to me while the beast is sleeping.”
He shook his head. “She’s a princess.”
Ariel’s lips turned up as she moved off the bed and came to stand next to him. “She’s a raging beast when she wants to be. Just like her mother.”
She still took his breath away. He let his hands find her hips and brought her close. “You’re a queen, baby. I’m the lucky pauper who managed to catch your eye.” He leaned over and brushed their lips together. “I’m still so fucking crazy about you.”
Her arms drifted up to his shoulders. “Back at you, love. You have no idea how much I wish I could go with you.”
The funny thing was they’d both stepped back from the field in the last few years. He’d taken on the role of Damon’s logistics lead, and Ariel was on maternity leave but she planned to go back to her job as a profiler and therapist working with McKay-Taggart and Knight, and occasionally Scotland Yard. “I don’t think taking our princess on this particular op is what I meant when I said I was eager to start our adventures. I was thinking more along the lines of walks in the park, maybe Disney World one day. Definitely not into the line of fire.”