Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 110273 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 551(@200wpm)___ 441(@250wpm)___ 368(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110273 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 551(@200wpm)___ 441(@250wpm)___ 368(@300wpm)
Cyclone kept going. “I told them that they better watch what they say. If I heard one whisper they were being mean to my sister, I was going to sic my other sister on them. I told them even the FBI knew about your skills and gave you a wide berth.”
Okay. That was funny.
My mouth twitched. I heard a low chuckle from Matt.
Seraphina was gazing at her plate and her bottom lip was trembling.
I couldn’t take it.
I shoved back my chair, was around that table in a flash, and I had both my arms around my little siblings. They were sitting next to each other, but moved in with me, hugging me back.
Cyclone let go first, and I heard a little giggle from him.
Seraphina wound her other arm around my neck. She whispered into my neck, “I love you, Bailey.”
Oh. Damn.
I was gone. Blubbering.
A mess.
My bottom lip was the one trembling now.
I eased back and smoothed down her hair, smiling at her. “You are so beautiful and so kind and you have the best soul I think I have come across. Anything Quinn told you was wrong. If you need to fact check me, look at where she’s at right now. Not here. Not with her family. She did that, no one else. She is not the victim. She is not misunderstood. She hurt people, and because of that, she lost the two greatest things she’s ever done in her life. You two. What your aunt said is right. You can still love her. You know that, right? You can miss her. But she hurt people, and she needs to atone for that.”
Seraphina’s hands came up and gripped mine where they were resting on her shoulders. She squeezed them, saying gently, “I know.”
Good Lord.
I loved this little teenager.
Cyclone’s hand snuck into mine and pulled it from Seraphina’s shoulder. He squeezed. “After dinner tonight, can you help me with a computer project?”
“Of course.” I squeezed his hand back.
“I want to learn how to hack into my gym teacher’s emails. I want to get a pass so I can join the next robotics class, and it’s only offered during gym. It’s not fair.”
Matt said, “Maybe wait until you’re not at dinner with the adults to ask that, bud.”
“Why not?”
“Cyclone, your sister won’t be helping you with your computer project after dinner. You and me, we’ll be having a talk instead,” Peter said.
“That’s why,” said Matt.
Seraphina giggled. “You got in truh-bull. Truh-bull.”
She kept snickering, and it was contagious. Everyone was sporting a grin.
I think it was the best dinner I’d ever had.
There was only one person missing.
TWENTY-FIVE
Kash
I was back with my team, and over the last few weeks, we found the rest of Calhoun’s hidden locations. Bailey helped us find them a lot faster than we expected.
Safe houses. Warehouses. His or someone else’s that he used as his.
We destroyed them.
Each one was isolated and so off the grid that I didn’t know when Calhoun would find out about them, but it would take time. I wished I could be there when he was told.
Josh came to the back of our motel room, sitting on the bed beside my table. He let out a sigh, unclasping his holster and putting both his guns on the other side of my laptop. “Derek called. He said Victoria’s detoxed. Wanted to know what you wanted done with her?”
I hadn’t trusted Victoria, so I sent her off with two of my guys. Their orders were to find Robbie, who would get in touch with Ace, who had more friends with places that were completely off the grid. She went to one of those locations, and whoever Ace trusted was getting paid a lot of money to not only detox Victoria but also to deprogram her, since she’d been brainwashed. She’d been spewing pro-Calhoun sentiments when we had her at our first headquarters. Deprogramming was the way to go.
“Is she still pro-Calhoun?”
He grinned, stretching his neck so it cracked. “I don’t think she’s pro-Calhoun, but she’s still anti-you, if that’s what you’re asking.”
I lifted my arms up over my head, clasping them, stretching them. Sitting in the motel room for the last two days put knots in places I didn’t enjoy. “I can work with that. Is she showing remorse?”
“Over what?”
I dropped my arms, eyeing him. “Derek didn’t say anything about that?”
Josh shook his head. “Ace was the one who talked to Derek, said your ex was done and ready to be moved for whatever you wanted for her.”
I glanced at my phone. Bailey’s picture was there, smiling up at me.
Josh fell silent.
I shoved up from the chair, grabbing my own gun and sliding my phone into my pocket. Josh was watching my movements but kept quiet.
“Have we gotten word about my brother or what Calhoun is planning next?” I asked, while holstering my second gun.