Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 71852 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71852 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Clover smiled nervously. “I’m guessing he didn’t spank you?”
“He wouldn’t dare.”
“So did it all just go away after a while?”
“Time passed, and he’d barely talk to me, but in the end we had a long conversation, and I promised I wouldn’t stray from the plan again.”
Clover swallowed, watching Drake finish his cigarette. “But you are doing it again.”
Smoke shot from Drake’s nostrils as if he were a dragon preparing to charge, and he stubbed the cigarette out in a plant pot. “We’re family. He’ll understand.”
They walked toward the van in silence, but Clover’s head was full of messy thoughts that unwound, knotted, and went nowhere. Tank had given him so much love and stability, and here he was, about to drive off with Drake to do what he’d been specifically asked not to. He felt like a traitor. But if he refused to go or revealed Drake’s intentions to the others, that would have made him a traitor too.
He needed to make a choice that would do least damage to their relationship, and this time Drake needed him more than Tank.
“Do you want to stay after all?”
“No. I’m going with you. We are taking him down, and then dealing with the fallout together. I want to get this over with.” Clover hesitated but followed his impulse and pushed his hand into Drake’s hair before tugging him down for a kiss.
The sharp flavor of nicotine still lingered in Drake’s mouth, but when their bodies clashed together, arms slotting into place, all Clover could taste was sweetness.
Drake hummed and rested his forehead against Clover’s. “We’ll take him down. You and me. That’ll be enough.”
Clover opened the passenger door to the van slowly, because that one creaked a bit, but Drake was already getting in from the other side. Maybe he was feeling too confident after killing Jerry, but Clover had a hunch that everything would go according to plan tonight.
He took a deep breath and grabbed the safety belt, about to strap himself in for the ride. Tonight, they’d eliminate the danger once and for all. He’d be free.
“Where the hell are you going?” came from behind him, and he froze, letting go of the buckle and about to raise his arms in submission, but this wasn’t some secret assailant, a spy, or a cop hunting Jerry’s killer.
Behind them sat Boar.
“What are you doing here?” Clover whispered, turning around alongside Drake, who stared into the dark back of the van as if he’d just discovered vampires exist.
“Yes. What are you doing in my van?” he asked and switched on the small light on the ceiling. Its glow brought Boar’s face out of the shadows, his eyes slits.
“I have the spare key, since we didn’t take my car!”
Drake took a deep gulp of air, and he tightened his hold on the steering wheel. “That explains nothing!”
Boar scowled. “How is it that I’m the one who needs to explain himself? I couldn’t sleep, and I always calm down in a car, okay? No big deal. What’s your excuse?”
Clover rubbed his face and turned in the seat to see Boar better. “Why do you need to calm down?”
Boar rolled his eyes. “You’re changing the topic. And both of you are wearing kevlar.”
Drake growled. “Boar, my patience is limited tonight.”
“I was just nervous about everything with the Apollo guy, and what we did with Jerry today, and that we don’t really have a plan.”
“We’ve got a plan,” Clover said. “And we’re going to execute it tonight.”
Boar watched them in silence, his Adam’s apple working slowly. “Are you nuts? We know nothing, and this guy is some big player. Getting to him will be virtually impossible without preparation.”
Clover swallowed, but Drake was as confident as ever. “We’ll just shoot him at a distance if we can’t get close. It’s not a big deal.”
Clover nodded and followed up on that quickly. “Yes, exactly. We know where he is, and we’ve got a map of the zoo. It’s gonna be an in and out kind of thing.”
Instead of relaxing, Boar’s eyes only got wider. “What? That’s your plan? The other guys don’t know, do they? Tank would never agree to this.”
“That’s why he can’t know. Didn’t want to burden you with this either, but here we are,” Drake said in a low voice. “Now go to the rental, because we can’t go while you’re here.”
Boar’s eyes were wide as saucers. “You’re kidding. I won’t let you do this. Clover... come on! You must see this isn’t the way to go about things!”
Clover scrambled between the two seats and climbed all the way to the back of the van so that he could touch Boar. They would not have their mission thwarted because of this chance meeting.
“Boar, babe, you’ve got to understand how important this is. We end it tonight, and we can get on with our lives.”