Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 71814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
“This plan is a little crazy, right?” Jae asked as he leaned over with his hands on his knees to catch his breath.
“So crazy it might work,” I pointed out, earning a faint laugh from him. “It’s a huge risk, but we have to do something big to take them down. Simple and careful won’t cut it.”
“I know. That makes sense,” Jae sighed as he straightened back up, his t-shirt sticking to his torso. “I’m a little nervous about Zoe being involved. I don’t want anything bad to happen to her.”
“The cartel should be afraid of her,” Garrett spoke up as he strode over to us with Gabe and Matty.
Gabe chuckled.
“Oh, yeah. You should’ve seen how she used to jump down our throats when she was pissed off.” He laughed.
I cracked a grin.
“She’s incredible. There’s just something about her. It’s almost… inspiring,” I admitted. It was hard to put my feelings into words, but she motivated me to be stronger. Fight harder. Love deeper.
“She’s always been a force to be reckoned with. She gets it from her mom,” Matty replied, awe gleaming in his eyes.
“And we need to fight as hard as her. We’re in this together,” Cohen pointed out. “This fight is the one that matters the most.”
We all nodded in agreement. Not only was it important to Zoe, but the end of the cartel meant that me and my brothers could take a proper breath again. We had been working overtime for months, risking our lives and exhausting ourselves.
“I hope she’s doing okay and actually resting today,” I murmured as I brushed the damp strands of my hair away from my forehead. We all needed a good night’s sleep.
“Zoe? Resting?” Matty chuckled. “She’s probably working on her story. She’s going to have one hell of one to share with the world.”
“But won’t she go back to North Carolina after all of this is over?” Jae frowned.
I didn’t even want to think about that, but we had to face reality eventually, right? We might as well rip off this bandage and deal with the possibility that we were going to lose her after this. We couldn’t ask her to give up her life in North Carolina and come back home.
“Probably,” Gabe sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck, sweat glistening on his forehead as the sun beat down on us. “I mean, I’m not the only one who wants her to stay, right? It’s been awesome having her around.”
Everyone nodded, a sense of anxiousness falling upon us. So many unspoken words. So much tension.
“We’ll have to cross that bridge when we get to it. We have to deal with the cartel first and finish her mom’s work,” Garrett pointed out. “It’s the best way to honor her memory. She gave us the last piece of the puzzle with her research.”
Agreement spread through our small group, shoulders squaring up and backs straightening. A plan had already been agreed upon by us, the police, and Zoe. In two days, it was go time, and we weren’t planning on losing.
Too much was on the line.
Despite the huge threat facing us, I felt a stir of pride in my chest as I watched everyone train and work out, preparing our bodies and minds for the fight ahead. Our crew had always been close, and there wasn’t anyone else I wanted to fight beside other than them.
I felt that bond now more than ever, and I knew that the unifying factor was Zoe. She brought us together in a way that was unfamiliar but exciting. The passion that she shared with each of us connected us all, and it was going to make us stronger in the face of danger.
We had more to fight for than ever before.
“In case things go to shit on Friday, it was great being on your team,” I told the guys with a bittersweet smile.
None of us were naive. There was a chance that we wouldn’t make it to the end of Friday, especially given how dangerous the cartel was known to be. They would kill us if they had the chance and storming their headquarters gave them plenty of chances.
“Hey, don’t say that, man,” Gabe replied, his cheeky demeanor disappearing in an instant as he gave me a nudge.
“Everyone will be fine if we just stick together,” Jae added as he placed his hand on my shoulder. “We can do this.”
I didn’t have any doubt that we could do this, but I wasn’t sure if everyone was going to make it out without getting hurt. Or worse. That was my biggest fear.
“I’ll kick any of your asses if you try to die on me,” Matty warned us as he pointed at us, inciting light laughter from everyone else. If anyone was going to lessen the tension after a heavy pause, it was him.