Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 56278 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56278 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
“You know how I reminded Wade that profiling is what I do for a living? Well, Quin can say the same thing, but he’s been on this earth far longer than I have. In short, it’s close to impossible to keep secrets.”
I made a noise and checked the rearview. “Except, I did it most of my life. It took a kidnapping for shit to come out into the open.”
“Kayden, we always knew something was wrong,” he pointed out. “Just because we waited for a long time to intervene with unconventional methods…? Think about it. How often did Quinlan ask you what was wrong—or remind you that you could always talk to him?”
Okay. Fine. Valid point. Wade had said something similar.
“All right, what about every damn Christmas?” I pressed. The light turned green again, and I was done with my two laps around the block. “I always surprised him with the best gifts.”
He found that funny. “If he wanted to spoil the surprise, he would’ve succeeded.” Something happened in the background; I heard Wade being irritated and claiming what we were discussing was “utterly irrelevant.” Chris cleared his throat. “But you know what—that’s irrelevant. Quin’s on his way. Nothing changes for you. I just wanted to let you know.”
“Okay,” I said. “I have an important question, though. When this is over, can we eat pancakes at the diner?”
“Are you seriously asking me that, Kayden?” he grated out. “Of-fucking-course we will.”
I laughed.
“You two are fucking hopeless,” Wade said in the background.
I couldn’t stop laughing!
“You shoulda seen it comin’,” Chris drawled. “It’s the risk of dating one of your brothers. Chances are they act similar.”
“Oh my God, stop,” I guffawed. My stomach couldn’t handle the workout. I had to focus here!
You’re home. This is the rest of your life. Laughing. Working. Being part of the Winters family properly. Hillcroft. DC.
My last chuckle left me in an exhale, and I couldn’t describe the feeling of fulfillment. This was what I wanted. And me finally being with the love of my life didn’t mean we couldn’t still have this family dynamic where he was the older, wiser brother who shook his head in amusement at Chris and me.
I grinned to myself, and we wrapped up the convo.
Dad being on his way, and soon finding out about Wade and me, wasn’t going to kill my vibe. I’d force him to accept us. He had to be happy so we could have a family lunch at Silver Diner.
Right between the blue F-150 and the silver Camry.
I killed the engine and let out a breath.
Go-time.
Not wanting to overthink anything, I climbed out of the car and just focused on doing my job. I could ask questions about the hows and whens later. All I had to do was fiddle with my phone and pretend I was waiting for my brother.
I used my phone as a prop right away, because it was the only way I could feel natural about walking aimlessly in the middle of a parking lot. The area wasn’t very big, but cars could drive through to exit the premises.
When I heard the faint beeping sound again, I was more prepared.
“Status update,” Chris stated. “We have eyes on all three targets. They’ll likely strike fast because they want to avoid having me on the scene. Try to put away your phone, in case that’s what’s stopping them.”
Roger.
I rolled my shoulders and hoped I pulled off the look of aloof and unassuming, and I pocketed my phone and peered up at the sky briefly. No rain yet, thankfully. But it was in the air. It was cold too.
In the corner of my eye, I spotted a red van with the logo of some plumbing business out of Fairfax. Someone opened the back doors, and I immediately wondered if that was one of the kidnappers.
Don’t get scared. You’re surrounded by operators.
I heard the beep again.
“You’re about to hear commotion. It’s okay to look up and act confused, like you don’t know where the noise is coming from.”
I exhaled. This was what it meant to trust Chris, to trust what they were doing. Both Wade and I could use the reminder. We should’ve known that Chris was going to give us exactly the information we needed when we needed it.
Sure enough, I heard a quick groan and a grunt maybe some twenty feet away, and I glanced up and spun around. There. A man was swiftly yanking another guy between two cars and into the F-150.
Holy crap. Did that mean one down and two to go?
Before I knew it, I heard quick steps. Like one or two people running, their boots hitting the asphalt rapidly, so I turned around again. This time, two men shoved another guy into the red van I’d noticed earlier. The doors slammed shut, and what I guessed was an operator returned behind the wheel and tore out of the parking space. The F-150 followed, both vehicles disappearing into traffic.