Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Oz nodded. “Yep. Seems they had a lead, but like always, Telos was one step ahead of them. The three cops who were working closest to his men were all found dead in their homes, along with their families. Happened last night. It’ll be released to the media soon enough.”
“And this friend of his wasn’t killed like the other family members?” I asked.
“She was with Calvin and other friends on a ski trip to Colorado. She was contacted and told to stay put until law enforcement got to her and put her in protective custody, but”—he shrugged—“he knows well enough that won’t guarantee her safety. He asked if we could keep her safe until Telos was found and this was over.”
I let out a short, hard laugh. “They aren’t gonna fucking find him. Ever.”
Oz nodded. “I know, but we have a connection. If we can talk to him, offer some trade-off for her to be left alone to live her life, then that’s her best chance.”
I stared at him. Had he lost his mind? Why were we helping some chick for a cousin we barely knew? We had our own problems. While Calvin was calling to ask us to take in his friend, he sure as shit hadn’t asked about Mom.
“Why do you care? This ain’t our problem.”
Oz’s gaze narrowed on me. “Calvin is our family. Mom’s family.”
“He’s not my fucking family,” I shot back.
“Yeah, he is. What is your problem?” Oz asked angrily.
I shot up from the chair, needing to get out of this room. I felt caged all of a sudden. That had been happening a lot lately. As if I couldn’t breathe. Like the walls were closing in.
“You’ve not even gone to Linc or Bane about this, and you’re promising shit,” I pointed out as I walked over to the window. “Last I checked, you can’t do something like this without approval.”
Oz didn’t say anything, so I spun back around and glared at him, not real sure why I was so fucking angry. The ball of fury had seemed to be showing up randomly and often. Burning inside me until I had to find an outlet before I exploded.
“I planned on going to speak to Linc,” he finally said, studying me. “But first I want to know why this has you so goddamn pissed off.”
I didn’t know.
“Where the fuck is she gonna stay?” I shot back at him.
Again, he didn’t respond, but his brows were drawn together in another frown.
“If they want her dead, then wherever she is has to be high security.” As if he didn’t know this. I just hated the silence. I also hated him staring at me like that. As if he could read my thoughts. Get in my head. Hell, if he could, then good fucking luck understanding it.
“This isn’t about helping Calvin or the girl,” Oz said. “This is about Mom. Was she not okay this morning?” The concern in his tone had an edge.
“No, she wasn’t okay,” I snapped. “She’s fucking dying!”
Staying in here was no longer possible. I needed more space. I had the urge to run, break into a sprint, and go until my legs couldn’t go anymore. Get the hell away from all of it.
I didn’t wait for him to respond, and if he did, I didn’t hear it as I bolted for the door.
Two
Elsie
Was there a description for this feeling? Numb yet not. Pain, horror, fear … and then a humming that drowned it out. Told me this wasn’t real. It was all just one awful nightmare. A cycle that kept repeating itself since I’d been woken up by a phone call, warning me to stay where I was. Not to show my face. That a security escort would be there to get me soon.
One that I hadn’t waited on. Instead, I’d listened to Calvin over the DEA my father had worked for. Had worked. Past tense.
I winced as the sharp pain hit my chest again, reminding me how I wasn’t numb.
“We land in the next ten minutes,” Calvin said, breaking into my thoughts.
I blinked and lifted my gaze from my hands clasped together tightly in my lap to see him watching me. I knew all his facial expressions. I could read him like a book. I’d spent most of my life memorizing every detail about my best friend. And right now, he was hurting for me, concerned, and determined. I believed he would keep me safe.
I trusted him over anyone else in the world … but then he was all I had left. The other two people I trusted …
I sucked in a breath as images I didn’t want to think about plagued me. I’d not seen any photos, but the officer who had called me—my father’s friend—he’d said they were murdered in their beds. I’d gone into shock at that moment and not asked more questions.