Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 71880 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71880 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Elliott nodded. “That too. But like I said, we’ll talk to Mercier when he gets here.” He turned to Coach. “What we need your help with is transport. You think Hillcroft can secure our ride?”
“No problem,” Coach responded. “We still have some strings left to pull here.”
I furrowed my brow. “Do you? The last surveillance aircraft left in 2009.” It’d been a huge deal for my buddies stationed in Key West who’d been on the task force that’d received intel from Ecuador. A joint op with the Navy.
Coach cocked his head at me. “Just when I relax around you, you pop up with some obscure trivia. I didn’t say our strings were military.”
Oh. All right.
I noticed Reese observing me.
I cleared my throat and turned back to Elliott, who was looking at me too.
Why were they constantly surprised I knew some shit? I’d worked in drug interdiction for almost twenty years.
Elliott checked his watch before getting back on track. “Mercier, Mathis, and the Finlays should be here in three or so hours, so I propose we get some sleep till then. The Tenleys, we appreciate you comin’ with us.”
“Of course,” Reese said.
“Danny, Coach—we can probably use you better behind screens,” Elliott went on. “Go back to DC, rest up, count your gold, debrief Willow.”
“If you insist,” Coach yawned. “I’ll go make some calls.”
“I’ll see if I can reach Em,” Danny said.
Elliott wrapped things up. “Once we’ve talked to Mercier, we’ll know if we’re heading to Barcelona to stick around to wait for Gajero or if we’re going there to pursue Carillo in that area. It’s roughly two hours between Barcelona and Andorra la Vella, and speaking from experience, we wanna enter after dark when the border patrol agents don’t wanna bother with travelers.”
Bless European border security.
Three hours—I could work with that. If we were catching a ride through Coach and Hillcroft, chances were we could bring our weapons, and I needed to clean my rifle, both handguns, and—
“Joel, I need a word.” Elliott nodded toward the hallway.
“But I’m not done with him,” Coach protested. “I need popcorn and a live reenactment of how he and Crew killed three Blancos in a tunnel. And set the scene properly—what did it smell like down there, how dark was it, did they beg for mercy, und so weiter.”
I lifted my brows, kinda stuck. I just couldn’t sink into some comedy mind-set like they could. If we met up when life was good again, they wouldn’t recognize me.
“I’m sure Crew’s a more vivid storyteller,” I answered and rose to my feet. “Elliott could probably tell you, but…he’s slow as fuck these days. He got there when it was over.”
“Oh-ho!” Coach laughed and clapped his hands. Danny was highly entertained too.
“What the fresh fuck.” Elliott wasn’t laughing, though he wasn’t pissed either. For once. “You got a comfy ride in a truck to the estate—some of us had to crawl through the goddamn jungle.”
I shrugged and scratched my nose. “So even a crawl exerts you. Got it.”
Goddamn, I missed our banter. We hadn’t gotten to experience enough of it, just a few weeks, really. But we’d been naturals.
“Oh, go to hell.” Elliott waved me off and headed over to River with an outstretched hand. “Lemme steal your smokes for a minute. Coach finished mine.”
River chuckled and tossed him the pack. “Lighter’s inside. You can keep ’em. I don’t want Shay to get any ideas.”
“Aw, man.” Shay frowned.
“Emerson will be so proud,” Danny said.
“I think we should quit when we get home,” Shay said firmly. He turned his puppy-dog eyes on Reese. “Are you going to deny me this simple pleasure after being held hostage for weeks?”
Oof.
Reese’s jaw ticked with tension, and he pointed at the door for Elliott. “Get the fuck outta here with those cigarettes before I cave because I have zero willpower at the moment.”
“Maybe save a few.” River threw that out there, so he clearly had no willpower either.
Elliott chuckled and headed for the door. “I’ll do my best not to smoke all…fourteen of them.”
“Emerson is no longer proud,” Danny grumbled.
I left before another round of bantering could begin, and I followed Elliott out into the hallway, where we stuck our feet in our boots and stepped out on the stoop.
The sky was a little lighter, though it would be a while before the sun rose.
I let out a breath and sat down on the first step.
The air really was thinner up here.
Elliott sat down next to me and lit up a smoke for me too.
“Thanks.” I took a drag and exhaled skyward.
What were the odds of him admitting what he’d told me when I’d been fucking deaf?
“You gonna lay into me?” I had to ask.
He blew out some smoke and shook his head, then rested his arms on his knees. “No. To be honest, I don’t have a plan here. You’re a grown man, and maybe you don’t care what I think.”