Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 100853 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100853 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Before Hawk could make a move, Harvey erupted from his hiding place in the corner, gripping the handle of one of the shovels he’d taken from where it had leaned against the wall. As he sprinted across the garage, he cranked the shovel back and swung, the flat metal blade whacking Cole Haywood on the side of the head with a low thunk.
Haywood went down hard, landing on his back with a whoosh of breath. He rolled with a groan, lifting a hand to his head. Before he could sit up, Harvey skidded to a stop beside him and slammed the digging edge blade down on Cole’s neck, just below his chin. The blade went through skin and bone with a sickening crunch, Cole’s head twisting to the side as it separated from his neck, blood spilling out in a flood of red, his open eyes fixed on Ford as they slowly went dim. Harvey lifted the shovel in both hands and brought it down a second time, severing whatever was still holding the head on its neck.
I closed my eyes with a shriek, unable to erase the vision of Cole Haywood’s head rolling free of his body, ruby red blood pooling around him in the same shade as the numbers that flashed on his chest.
I didn’t think Cole would be a problem anymore, except—
“Is that fucking timer still going?” Hawk asked, striding into the room, stepping around Cole’s dismembered head to crouch beside his body. Hawk spread Haywood’s arms wide, revealing the numbers on his chest counting down: 3:36, 3:35—
“Fucking hell. Eli, get your ass in here,” Hawk said. “Harvey took care of Haywood, but the bomb is still live.”
I followed Hawk to where Ford stood, his eyes glued to the body of his former friend. Reaching his side, I slid my arms around his waist.
He held me tight, rubbing a hand over my back. “Did you see that?” he asked, his voice rough with emotion.
I nodded into his chest, swallowing hard.
“You okay?”
I shook my head, my forehead pressing into his shirt. “Are you?” I whispered.
“Don’t know yet,” he said.
Hawk looked up. “Paige, Ford, Harvey, get the fuck out of here.”
Before we could tell him we weren’t going anywhere, Eli sprinted in, skidding to a stop at Cole’s side and dropping to his knees. He scanned the device connected to Cole.
“Did he fucking go on the internet to figure out how to build this thing?” Eli muttered as he examined the device strapped around Cole’s torso. He dug in a side pocket of his cargo pants and pulled out a multi-tool. “Everybody say a prayer,” he said, leaning down with sharp pliers and cutting through one wire, then another.
I didn’t say a prayer, but I was holding my breath, my arms tight around Ford. As the second wire fell in half, the screen shut off, the numbers vanishing. I felt a hot tear streak down my cheek as I drew in a long breath.
The door from the Manor into the garage flew open, Griffen sprinting in. He came to an abrupt stop as Eli flicked out a blade on his multi-tool, cut the vest off Cole, holding it gingerly. “I’m going to take this into the field to finish disarming it, just in case.”
Hawk stood, pulled his phone out of his pocket, and tapped the screen. “West is on the way,” he said when he was done. He looked up to take in the rest of us. “None of you listen worth a shit. If I tell you to evacuate, you fucking evacuate.”
“You were still here,” Ford countered, his arm tight around my shoulders.
“It’s my job to be here,” Hawk snapped back.
“And you’re my brother-in-law,” Ford reminded him. “What am I supposed to tell Quinn if something happens to you?”
Hawk shook his head, muttering, “You’re all fucking crazy.”
“Kane has everyone on the way out,” Griffen said, standing on Ford’s other side as we all watched the pool of blood spread under Cole Haywood. “I wasn’t leaving you or my brother in here to deal with him.”
Ford, keeping his arm around my shoulder, turned to face Harvey, standing a few feet from Cole’s body, the bloody shovel still in his hands.
“Harvey,” Ford said, his voice sharp, cutting through Harvey’s daze, “keep your mouth shut about shooting Prentice.”
Harvey’s eyes flickered. He shook his head. “I owe it to you to tell the truth. I should have come clean a long time ago, should pay for killing him. It was wrong.”
“I don’t need you to come clean,” Ford said. “Tell West what you know about my mother and Paige’s father. Tell him what Prentice told you, but don’t tell West you shot him.”
“Ford, I can clear your name—” The shovel tumbled from Harvey’s hands to clatter on the concrete floor. “I can fix all of this—”