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)
“Faith and I will be waiting for the all clear,” Ten promised. “You give it and I’ll get her in as fast as I can.”
Faith Smith was with them? It was good that they were so prepared they’d brought along their own doctor.
Ian nodded and the door closed behind them.
His Pops handed him a Glock. “I don’t suppose I can get you to go with them?”
He wasn’t leaving his family to handle this alone. He might not care who killed her, but he was going to back them up. “Nope. But I do want a comm. I want to hear MaeBe’s voice.”
Ian and Sean seemed to try to communicate through a series of grunts and the narrowing of their eyes.
Theo sighed. “Guys, come on.”
“Dude, how do you think we managed to get in without a firefight? MaeBe is distracting her, and if we stay down here protecting Kyle’s tender feelings, she’s going to need more than Faith.” Erin never spared a dude’s feelings.
Kyle felt bile threaten as Erin’s words sank in.
“She’s here. She’s with Julia.” He had to say it out loud to understand that this was not a drill. This wasn’t some nightmare he would wake up from. “She’s the reason Julia didn’t notice the lights going off and on, the reason she didn’t protect her perimeter the way she should have. She’s not defending the house because she’s too busy torturing Mae.”
“It’s been roughly five minutes,” his stepdad said in what was probably supposed to be a soothing tone.
There was no soothing this. It was five minutes too long.
“Erin, you have a go. Theo, take her six. Proceed with all caution, and try to make as little noise as possible.” His uncle, like the others, wore a vest over his big chest. “You put that on before you run through the house like a maniac. She did this to make sure you and Kala came out of this alive. Do not make her sacrifice be in vain.”
His stepdad had opened the big bag they’d brought along and handed him a vest.
He had to stay calm. MaeBe needed that dark, ruthless side he’d been trying to quell.
But the dark, ruthless side loved her, too. Perhaps the only part of himself he needed to quash was the self-absorbed kid who was still so afraid he would make a mistake and lose everything he loved, the one who tried to control everything because he didn’t believe the world could be trusted.
The side of him that was flat wrong. He’d been given a wonderful family, and MaeBe was a freaking gift from the universe. All he had to do was put his trust in her, let her be his partner in all things.
“Tell Hutch to release the security cameras.” He had to be cool and smart. “We can do our recon through them. I don’t expect the rest of the group back for another hour or so. We need to take out her guards and then we go for her.”
His uncle touched his earpiece and relayed the instructions to Hutch.
Kyle took a deep breath as the cameras came back online and all his nightmares were made real.
* * * *
MaeBe hissed as she hit the floor in what looked like an interrogation room. The floors were sealed concrete—the better to easily mop up blood—and there was a chair complete with restraints for her arms and legs.
She needed to avoid that chair.
Her knees had flared with pain when the asshole guard had shoved her inside.
She welcomed the tears that came with that pain because she needed to appease Julia’s sadistic side. The more she cried, the less she would look like a threat.
It was easier now. Her emotions could flow, and she could tap into them.
Her emotions—love and joy and worry and even fear—they were a gift. They were tools for her to use in any way she needed. Being able to cry, to feel something beyond that awful numbness she’d felt for months and months, was a relief.
Although she got the feeling she was going to wish she was physically numb in a couple of minutes.
“What do you want me to do, boss?” The guard who’d shoved her around stood in the doorway as Julia made her way to the small closet. “I’d love to help you break her. I can’t believe she managed to kill Hank and Bill.”
“They were obviously morons. I’m going to assume you’re not.” Julia’s tone could have been made of ice. “The good news is you’ll get to split their pay. And I don’t need help breaking her. It’s going to be the fun part of my day. What I need you to do is go and ensure we don’t get extra company. I don’t know how much I believe a word she’s saying.”
“You think someone’s on the way?”