Total pages in book: 149
Estimated words: 140604 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 703(@200wpm)___ 562(@250wpm)___ 469(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 140604 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 703(@200wpm)___ 562(@250wpm)___ 469(@300wpm)
“With everything I have.” Garrett lowered his head slightly. “I will stay behind, Master. Please tell Olivia how much I love her.”
Keane’s heart felt like it might overflow. He put his hands on Garrett’s shoulders. “You’ll tell her yourself when we come out of there. We will need your kind and thoughtful care. Our sub is going to need a lot of tenderness.”
Taggart snorted.
Keane glared at him.
Taggart had the grace to look slightly embarrassed. “Sorry. I was thinking about the time when she was eight and she punched a boy twice her size because he bullied her little brother. I don’t associate her with tenderness. Also, Keane, I’m going to need a lot of intel on this. The kidnapping bracket is coming up soon, and I need to know how to bet. My niece wins if the main criteria is volume. Olivia is a dark horse, but she has an almost kidnapping from the bar and this one.”
Keane managed not to yell at the guy. He kept himself perfectly controlled. “I need you to get me ready. I’m walking to that door in three minutes whether or not I’m wearing all the tech crap you want me in.”
“Yeah, okay.” Taggart nodded and Keane found himself in between Landon and Tessa. They fitted him with a tiny earpiece and what they called a micro camera, which would send them a feed of what he saw. Or rather what his chest saw since it was pinned to his jacket. He was surprised. He wouldn’t be able to see it if he didn’t know it was there.
“Testing,” a voice said in his ear.
He nodded. “It’s working.”
Taggart came to stand in front of him. “You keep your cool. Tell them you managed to follow them. You didn’t go to the police. You just want Olivia. This is about information, right?”
“Yes. At least it is for Gladen,” Keane replied. “Jessica Fellows is another thing.”
“If they want information, they’ll hurt her,” Taggart pointed out. “Let them know she’ll talk faster if they hurt you.”
“What?” Garrett began.
But Taggart was right. “You would take the pain for her. That’s our job if it happens. We might both need your care.”
Garrett moved in and wrapped his arms around him. It was warm and loving and everything Keane needed.
“I will bring her back,” he whispered.
“Bring yourself back, too, Master,” Garrett said and then stepped away. He turned to Tessa. “What can I do?”
Tessa drew him away and he was left with Taggart.
“We will be no more than three to five minutes behind you,” Taggart said. “You say the word and we come immediately, but I would like to know what we’re dealing with and that someone in there is willing to throw their body over Olivia because we’ll come in hot.”
“I will.” He felt oddly calm. Like this was supposed to happen. The world seemed to fall away, and he turned and walked down the dirt path.
As he cleared the trees a small house came into sight. It was dilapidated, with shutters hanging off windows that had seen better days.
“Only one car,” he said quietly. “But it’s a large SUV.”
“Good,” Taggart said in his ear. “You’re doing great. Stay calm and we’ll get you and Olivia out of this. Do you see any cameras?”
He took a long breath and glanced around. “I don’t see any. I would be surprised if they have electricity out here. The place looks deserted.”
“Good,” Taggart said. “Go to the door. Be careful. They’re desperate.”
Keane practically ran. He wanted to see her. Needed to know she was okay. The steps squeaked and he worried the porch wouldn’t hold his weight, but it stayed steady. The door had peeling paint. He knocked and hoped the door didn’t fall apart.
An eerie silence followed.
And then he heard the floors inside creak and the door came open.
Jessica Fellows stood there, and she had a gun. She held a semiautomatic in her hand and pointed it straight at Keane’s head. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Keane.” Olivia’s voice drew him away from that gun. “Please. Please don’t hurt him.”
There was a man standing close to her, and he had a gun in his hand. Olivia was on her knees, and he would bet she hadn’t gotten there by herself. Rage warred with fear, but he pushed it down. She didn’t need that right now.
“How did you find us?” Gladen asked. “Get him in here.”
Olivia’s hands were behind her back. She couldn’t use them. She moved away from the gun, and Gladen didn’t seem to notice.
“Let her go.” Keane managed to make his voice tremble a bit. “I know where she put the information.”
Olivia’s expression turned panicked. “He doesn’t. He doesn’t know anything. I didn’t talk to anyone about it. I was trying to let my parents have some alone time. I was going to talk to my dad when they get back from their stay in Dallas. Keane doesn’t know.”