Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 149641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 748(@200wpm)___ 599(@250wpm)___ 499(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 149641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 748(@200wpm)___ 599(@250wpm)___ 499(@300wpm)
“I’ll call Robert and Ari,” Kenzie promised with a massive sigh of relief.
In moments she was alone with Tristan. She quickly brought him up to date on everything, including the video she’d received.
“I downloaded it on my laptop,” she explained as Tristan sat down at the desk she’d been using. The one closest to Ben, where he could look up and wink at her or gesture for her to join him, and then he would kiss her senseless.
Tris’s eyes were on the screen as he started the video. “Why not leave it on your phone?”
“Because I switched it with Kala’s a few minutes ago.” When she’d hugged her sister, she’d slipped her cell in Kala’s pocket and taken hers. They were on work cells for the time being, so they looked exactly the same. Same screen. Same passwords. Two different numbers, but they were programmed so they would look the same. It would take Kala time to figure out it wasn’t hers.
Hopefully long enough for what Kenzie was absolutely certain was coming.
It wasn’t merely Lou Huisman wanted. He wanted her sister, and she wasn’t about to allow it.
Tris hit a button and the video paused. “Shit, Kenz. You watched this? Who is the woman? The time stamp is a couple of weeks ago. Right after the Nepal mission. Do we know where Ben went?”
“Supposedly back to Toronto.” She was pleased with how even her voice was. She stared at that still shot. It showed Ben’s back as he worked over Deanna’s body, her legs wound around his waist. “Can you tell if it’s a fake? I don’t know what was on the picture Ben was upset about, but I know he wanted to see if it was AI.”
“AI is so good now,” Tris said, his hands on the keys. He pulled out his phone and connected the two systems. “I have some protocols that can tell quickly if it’s AI.” His eyes closed as he looked down at the screen. “Uhm, Kenz, I’m sorry. According to my software, it’s likely not AI. It’s not showing any markers.”
Something eased in her chest as she realized what was missing.
“You’re sure the time stamp is after Nepal?”
Tris nodded. “About a week.”
So where the hell had the wound gone? His back was perfectly smooth. “He took a little fire on his way out of the complex. There was a lot of confusion, and some of the mercenaries were firing at anything that moved. Ben took a bullet to his left shoulder, right above the scapula.” She pointed to where it should be onscreen. “It’s healed now, but there’s a visible scar.”
Tris stared like he was trying to figure something out. “Maybe it’s from earlier.”
“It’s a fake.” She was certain now, and more certain than ever that she was going to need to find a way out of here. “He’s got more advanced AI than we can imagine. Ben is an idiot who doesn’t love me, but he wouldn’t betray me like this, and he wouldn’t work for Huisman, which is what Huisman wants me to think. This is a play. It’s his go-to.”
“Chaos.”
Kenzie nodded. “He wants us chasing so many leads, dealing with so many problems, that we won’t notice when my sister slips away and goes wherever he’s going to tell her to go or he’ll hurt Lou.”
Tris paled. “What? Shit, that makes sense given what we know about him. You think Ben is a distraction.”
Kenzie sighed and let her brain go through all the scenarios. All the ones that made sense. This was all a plot and Ben fell for it because deep down he wanted to play this game with Huisman. He needed to win, so he was open to manipulation. Kenzie wanted Huisman dead, but she didn’t care who did it. She would happily go into hiding if that made things easier on whoever could take the fucker down. “I think he wants to humiliate Ben and wants him so wrapped up in trying to convince me this was all a lie that he doesn’t notice Kala slipping off to meet Huisman. If I’m right, this phone will get a text with explicit instructions on how to get Lou back.”
“But only if she trades herself,” Tris surmised and sat back. “Kenz, he’ll kill you.”
Like she hadn’t thought that one through. “He’ll think he’s already damaged me. I think he’ll go easier. He won’t want to kill me right away. He wants to break Lou. He’ll take me to the place where he has Lou since I’ll be used to get Lou to do what he wants. Pain won’t break her, and honestly, he needs her sharp to do what he wants. So what’s the quickest way to get her to comply?”
“Hurt someone she loves,” Tris agreed. “Why wouldn’t he go for… I was going to say TJ, but he’s being practical. He has to know he’s got one shot at this, and he wants Kala.”