Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 136425 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 682(@200wpm)___ 546(@250wpm)___ 455(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 136425 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 682(@200wpm)___ 546(@250wpm)___ 455(@300wpm)
Zach’s big body cold and still.
“I need to…” Shannon began.
Huisman held up a hand. “I need you to think about what you’re going to say next. If it’s anything beyond yes, sir, it’s ready we might have a problem. My patience only lasts so long. Your son is coming soon. My men are picking him up in the village below us. They can treat him with care or they can be careless with him. It’s up to you. I need him alive, but I don’t need him unharmed.”
Devi’s stomach threatened to turn. She’d spent her days mostly locked in this lab with her future mother-in-law. She’d only been allowed out to gather things Shannon needed or when they ate in the small dining hall. Then they were shadowed by guards. For the most part, they’d been left alone to work. There was a guard on the door, and they had to deal with Huisman’s creepy check-ins.
They’d been offered separate rooms to sleep in, but Shannon insisted on keeping them together. She didn’t even like sending Devi off to grab the parts she needed. Zach’s mom was watching over her like she was something precious.
Of course Devi had to protect her, too. Zach’s father was almost always around. Always watching Shannon with greedy eyes.
And now Zach was coming.
She knew deep down he wouldn’t be coming alone. Things were about to get complex.
“They’re ready. All you have to do is slide the canisters in. They’re wired to respond to the detonation and will release in an umbrella pattern that will give you maximum coverage.” Shannon’s arms crossed over her chest. “Why do you need my son? I told you I would do what you wanted.”
“Ah, but you didn’t do what I wanted,” Huisman said, facing off with her. “I wanted you to teach me how to make the bombs. I wanted you to document your process.”
“I couldn’t do that and get them done in time. You gave me a few days to basically invent a new system. The bomb itself wasn’t made to disperse biological weapons.” Shannon seemed fragile at first, but now Devi understood how strong the woman was. “I assume you’ll want more at some point.”
Huisman stared at her like he was trying to decide how the rest of this conversation was going to go. If Devi had learned one thing about this man, it was that he was mercurial. Cautious one moment. Utterly reckless the next. “You assume correctly, and that is the only reason I don’t kill you now. Well, that and I’m going to need leverage to get the captain to do my bidding.”
The reality hit Devi. This had been his plan all along. “You’re going to make him do it, aren’t you? You’re going to make him drop the bombs.”
“Well, I’m certainly not going to do it myself. I’m going to tie Captain Reed to the Chinese and implicate his boss, Ian Taggart, as well. It shouldn’t be too hard. His wife has Russian syndicate ties,” Huisman explained with a smirk. “Most of the materials you used in those bombs were brought to me by that same syndicate. You’ll find that mobsters don’t take the time to vet who’s paying them. They don’t care, but I do. There’s a clear trail. Tying him to the Chinese and making your uncle look like a double agent will be far trickier, but I think there are some people at the Agency who will believe anything to get Ian Taggart behind bars and out of their lives.”
She was horrified because she knew he was right. There were people in the Agency who would love to see her uncle fall. “Zach won’t do it.”
One shoulder shrugged. “Then he will watch you die in a horrible way.”
“If he has to choose between me and a million people, I assure you he’s going to choose the people,” Devi said and realized her mistake the moment she made it. She’d been so good at keeping her damn mouth shut, but she was starting to fray. Something would happen and it would happen soon.
Huisman turned on her like a predator scenting prey. “Then he will not be useful to me either, and I will still find a way to pin it on his dead body. Do I make myself clear? Miss Taggart, this is not a negotiation. If Captain Reed complies, you will be allowed to leave. He will be allowed to leave. I would honestly rather have him alive and on the run, but I can manage it. So if you care about him at all, you will cry prettily and convince him.”
She wouldn’t. She would try to save them both, but she wasn’t about to allow Zach to kill millions of people to save her own skin.
“He’ll do it.” Shannon moved between them. She did it a lot. She placed herself between Devi and whoever was coming at them. “I assure you my son will do anything to save his fiancée. He’ll get it done for you.”