Total pages in book: 165
Estimated words: 154925 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 775(@200wpm)___ 620(@250wpm)___ 516(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 154925 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 775(@200wpm)___ 620(@250wpm)___ 516(@300wpm)
If he could keep Hutch from losing his shit.
He walked toward the conference room, but Hutch was already walking out.
“I’m going to…” Hutch began.
Kyle held up a fist, a sign to anyone who’d spent the amount of time they had in the military that it was time for quiet.
Hutch’s expression went tight, and his hand went to the small of his back.
Boomer seemed to have gotten the message, too. He was suddenly beside Hutch, and he had a gun in his hand.
“Where is my wife?” Hutch breathed the question. “I track her smart watch and her heartrate spiked about three minutes ago. I was about to go down to find her.”
He knew exactly why Hutch tracked Noelle. She had been attacked once and while Hutch had chilled about how vulnerable she could be physically, he still felt the need to watch over her. Conversely, he happened to know Noelle could track Hutch, too.
The women seemed to be starting to understand that something was going wrong. Maddie and Taylor were staring out at him, Taylor saying something to Drake that had him on his feet.
Kyle glanced back, and MaeBe was still on the phone. “Julia called, and she claims she’s got Noelle.”
Hutch paled. “She’s in the parking garage. At least her watch is. I have to go to her.”
He understood. “I know this is the most unfair, hypocritical thing I’ve ever said to you, but I need you to stay calm. First, we need to know how many assholes we’re working with. Can you pull up the parking garage cameras?”
Hutch took a deep breath and seemed to get himself under control. “Of course. You have to understand that I’m going to kill any fucker who puts his hands on her.”
But not completely under control. “I’d like to keep at least one of the fuckers alive so we can question him.”
Julia would be more dangerous when she learned this plot of hers hadn’t worked.
“What’s happening?” Drake asked quietly.
Hutch had his cell out, pulling up what they needed to see. “The guard’s at the desk. The second guard might be doing rounds or they might have taken him out. I’m not showing… Fuck me. The guard let them in. They wouldn’t be able to sneak in without an alarm going off. There’s not a note in the log that they let someone in after hours. It would be there unless they didn’t want me to know. She’s got someone on the inside.”
“I assure you she found some way to force them to help her.” He knew exactly how Julia worked. He’d watched her do it and ignored the way her methods raked against his conscience because he’d told himself American lives were worth more than his morality. Then he’d realized she didn’t give a shit about any life but her own.
“Noelle’s being held in the parking garage.” MaeBe was cool and collected as she walked up. “I’m supposed to go down to the second level using the west elevators. Hutch, do you have eyes on Noelle?”
“I’m looking.” Hutch was working his way through the security cameras.
“Wouldn’t she take out the cams?” Deke had Maddie’s hand in his. “That would be the first thing I would do.”
“That would have immediately set off an alarm,” Hutch replied. “So would anyone taking over the cameras or piggybacking on them. I have that set up for the whole building.”
“But if she’s got one of those two guards, they can tell her whatever she wants to know,” Drake continued. “And they can’t know that Hutch gets an alert when internal doors are opened after hours. They don’t understand how paranoid Big Tag is.”
MaeBe redid her ponytail and set her gun on the table. “It’s Carl. I’m sure of it. His son recently got into a clinical trial that he shouldn’t have been able to get into. It was full. He called it a miracle, but now I know what it likely was. The pharmaceutical company is on a list of suspected Consortium members. Don’t blame him. His son was dying.”
“And I’m sure my sister told him she would only need a favor down the line.” Drake sounded bitter.
He knew exactly what had happened. “This is one of her reactionary, poorly thought out plans. MaeBe pissed her off earlier, and Julia wants to punish her.”
“She wants her father’s files,” MaeBe replied. “And you. I’m not going to risk Noelle. I’m going down. You come up with a plan that’s not poorly thought out.” She went on her toes and brushed her lips against his. “Think fast, babe.”
“Wait, you’re not…”
MaeBe shook her head as she walked toward the front of the office. “This is who I am, Kyle. Take me or leave me. I’m never going to leave a friend hanging when I can stop it. And if they take me into custody, then Julia better be ready for me to bust out.” She opened the door. “But I suspect you guys aren’t going to let that happen.”