Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 63895 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 256(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63895 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 256(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
Roman felt an answer like that coming. Still, he didn’t think that Garret had made time out of his busy schedule to deliver bad news and ask him a couple of questions about his Eurotrip itinerary.
He glanced at the mirror before looking back at Garret. There was no doubt in his mind that they were being monitored. Maybe not listened to, but definitely watched.
“I appreciated the salt, by the way. Food here is so bland.”
Garret laughed at that. His smirk extended upward, his eyes narrowing. “Glad to help in whatever way I can. Like I said, it’ll be an uphill battle, but I enjoy a good fight.”
“Good, I’m glad. You seem like a fighter.”
“I am, but I have to admit that there’s many more sides to me. I also enjoy working out in the yard—gets me grounded. Particularly around one o’clock in the afternoon on Sundays. Something about being outside then, working the yard, it’s peaceful.”
There it was. What Roman had been waiting for. Another message, and an important one. He got a date, a time, and a place. The three crucial ingredients in any rescue mission. If it weren’t for that mirror, Roman would have jumped up and cheered, instead resorting to a small fist bump under the table.
“Right,” Roman said, smiling a little too wide. “That does sound peaceful.”
Chapter 8
Wyatt Hernandez
This wasn’t good. Wyatt’s anxiety spiked, his fear coming true. He’d already told the lawyer to pass on the message to Roman. Things were moving fast, too fast for a speed bump like this one. Theo was supposed to cooperate—he’d said as much in the initial emails he sent to Wyatt. Of course, he didn’t have all the details for the job back then, but still, Wyatt thought he’d hold true to his word.
“I know this is a huge ask,” Wyatt said, not making a move toward the open door. “And I know I may not be the best person to be asking it, but I’ve got no choice.”
“Why can’t you do it? You used to be just as good with code as I was.”
Wyatt shook his head. “No one was as good with code as you were. I wasn’t bad, but nowhere near as good as you.”
“How do you know I’m still in that world? I could have moved on to white-hat work.”
“Please,” Wyatt said, head tilted and eyebrow rising. “What would you do? Work as a programmer for some food-delivery app? No, I know you. You’d never leave the more lucrative jobs on the table.”
Theo chewed on his bottom lip. He still had a hand on the open door but was beginning to close it again.
“That’s why I’m offering you this job,” Wyatt pressed, sensing progress. “Please, it will change your life, saying yes to this.”
“I could use a change…” He rubbed at his forehead. “It’s been pretty lonely, if I’m being honest with you.” Wyatt took a second to look around, realizing there weren’t very many photos or artwork up on the wall. Everything looked expensive and intentionally placed, but there was no personalization of the space. No memories shared, no smiling first dates captured and framed.
Had Theo been alone this entire time?
“You said you’re with a crew?”
Wyatt nodded, returning his focus back to Theo. A curl of light brown hair fell down on his forehead, covering a faint scar from the time Theo was in a car accident.
“Are they up for a new member?”
Wyatt couldn’t hide the shock that slipped into his expression, his jaw dropping open and head reeling back. He managed to pull it back together, blinking a few times as if a flash grenade had just gone off in the room. He hadn’t been expecting that to be part of the deal. He only needed Theo’s help in opening the prison. Asking to join the Rainbow’s Seven? That had come out of left field, and Wyatt wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about that. He thought he’d found the perfect group of people to call a family, and now he was adding an ex-boyfriend to that same family?
Sounded very messy.
“I’m honestly not sure,” Wyatt answered. “It’s a tight crew. I’d have to ask.”
“It’s what I feel like my life has been missing, Wyatt. A connection. I’ve been staring at a computer screen for years, making bank but never making connections. Honest human connections.”
Had Theo really been alone all this time? Wyatt remembered him as being a social butterfly, bouncing between friends and always finding a good time with someone. He was the type of person who’d have his batteries recharged after a night out, unlike Wyatt, who needed his space to feel rested.
“What happened?” Wyatt asked, the question rising up to his lips before he could even think about it.
“Honestly?”
“Honestly.”
“You did.”
Wyatt—once again—found himself shocked. “Me?” he asked as if he’d heard Theo wrong.