Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 82187 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82187 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Behind God, Day leaned on the edge of the table, eyes sharp as he scanned over his team. Wes did his best not to make eye contact.
“If we tip Mercer off, we’ll lose everything.” God lifted a slim stack of papers in his right hand. “I was able to get Judge Cremja to grant us a sneak-and-peek warrant.”
“My favorite,” Steele gritted.
Wes had heard Steele was called Ghost when he was in the Marines, so what he’d just confessed made sense.
“We go in quiet, stay undetected.” God nodded toward Free. “I need photos, layout of the apartments, where the weights being cut, materials, where the cash is stored, and how much muscle I’m dealing with.”
Free nodded all while continuing to glide his fingertips over his tablet.
“When we’ve got what we need, we can come back with a SWAT warrant.”
Syn took over. “Wes, Law, this is where you two show off.”
Wes popped his lighter shut.
“I want something loud and natural…not lethal, enough to distract but not be considered suspect. Got it?”
Wes gave him a thumbs up.
“Give me fire and smoke that mimics a typical mishap in a meth lab. Just enough to make them scurry and panic, but not think they’re being infiltrated.”
“We can give you that, no problem,” Law said from beside them.
“Perfect.”
“Syn, get the raid prep done,” God said, slinging on his knee-length leather trench as he headed toward the doors. “All right, I’ve got a meeting with the chief at two. Day, we can grab a quick bite before we head over.”
Day sat down at his desk. “I’m not hungry. You go ahead. I’ve got a few things to finish up, I’ll meet you at City Hall.”
God stared at his partner for a few uncomfortable seconds before mumbling something under his breath and walking away.
The office was quiet until Day left ten minutes after God.
Something seemed off with them for the last few weeks, but Wes didn’t know them well enough to understand or even care.
Syn and Ro gathered their things to leave as well. “I suggest you guys get some lunch because you’ve got a long day of prep ahead.”
It felt as if his life was now reduced to training, going home, working past midnight, then falling face first into bed, waking at the ass-crack of dawn, and doing it all over again.
“Come on, Law. You can help Tech and me bring back some pizzas and wings,” Free said, tucking his tablet into his messenger bag and slinging it across his body.
“Cool.” Law stepped in front of Wes and swiped his Zippo from his hand.
He walked toward the door, spinning the Zippo, before he lit the flame and replicated the same trick Wes had just done. The fire twisted gracefully around his fingers before he snapped the lid shut, turning and walking backwards, he tossed it back to him.
Wes caught it with practiced ease as their eyes locked.
Seconds passed.
Wes clenched his jaw as Law gave him a slow wink before he trailed behind the sexy nerds.
“Okay.” Ruxs chuckled, rolling his chair toward Wes. “What the fuck?”
Green joined his partner, a sleazy grin on his ruggedly fine face. “Yeah, that’s not just old friends’ energy. That’s like…friends to enemies to hate-sex to…fill in the blank for us, Wes.”
“Yeah, man. What’s the real story with you two, not the fabricated one that Hollywood spun?” Michaels asked, closing the file he’d been reading.
Wes shrugged. “We grew up together.”
Green nodded with exaggeration. “And...”
Wes sat quietly for a few moments but couldn’t stop the slight smile that formed when he thought of him and Law as kids.
“I first met that asshole when I was twelve. I caught him smoking in an alley near my house. He wasn’t inhaling. He was more so watching the smoke as if he were mesmerized by it, blowing fucking smoke rings and shit.”
Wes shook his head.
“And I must’ve scared him when I asked where he got the stogie because he threw the cigar behind him, looking nervous. I’d snagged a half-full bottle of whisky from my stepdad to make a Molotov cocktail, so while Law stood there staring, I lit the rag and slammed the bottle onto the cigar.”
Green leaned back, laughing.
“Yep, that shit exploded louder than I’d anticipated. It lit the whole side of the dumpster on fire, and we took off.” Wes chuckled. “We ran into his building, not stopping until we were on the roof, staring down at the fire and smoke until the fire department came and put it out.”
Wes flipped his Zippo cap up and down.
“I guess you can say the rest is history. After that day, we were inseparable. We grew up on the southside. It was rough, and we protected each other. We both had moms who worked too much to make ends meet. Law’s mom had a steady rotation of shitty boyfriends, and I had an asshole stepdad. We vowed to get the hell outta Atlanta one day. And we both ended up with scholarships to Georgia IT. We were so good, we had no doubt we’d make it in the movie industry.”