Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 136425 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 682(@200wpm)___ 546(@250wpm)___ 455(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 136425 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 682(@200wpm)___ 546(@250wpm)___ 455(@300wpm)
She vowed she would do whatever it took to protect Zach’s mom.
Chapter Seventeen
“I don’t like this plan.” Big Tag paced the floor of the house they were renting on the outskirts of Kathmandu. “Or rather I don’t like this timeline.”
From the small windows Zach could see the mountains in the distance, including the one where Devi was being held. Where she’d been held for the last three days. Seventy-two hours where she might be tortured. He had no idea what she’d been forced to endure while they’d been moving things into place and waiting for Ben Parker to let them know he was going in.
Zach was done waiting. “I’m turning myself in, and I’ll do it whether the Canadians are ready or not. We honestly still have to think about what Huisman said. I find it interesting that they were so gung ho days ago they couldn’t wait for us, and now we’re twiddling our thumbs waiting for them.”
“Kenzie only got the key card a few hours ago,” Big Tag pointed out. “And Huisman set a time limit. You still have twenty-four hours before you turn yourself in.”
“Parker is being cautious.” Kala sat at the small dining room table, watching them with hooded eyes. “I know. I don’t like this feeling. I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt. I should be all Parker’s a traitor, but it doesn’t add up. I’ve worked with the man. He’s had several good shots at taking us out or handing us over, and he hasn’t. This is Huisman bullshit meant to divide us.”
“I tend to agree,” Big Tag said.
He didn’t know Parker the way Kala and Kenzie did. He wasn’t the operative in the field. He was the guy who moved in when it all went to hell and they needed someone to start blowing shit up.
Sitting on his hands was killing him.
“She looked good in the last video.” TJ stood in the doorway that led back to the bedrooms. Lou and Tristan and Tasha were set up in what they called command central. Tris had already gotten into part of Huisman’s security camera system.
They could see the workspaces but not his private residence, which was deep inside the mountain. They couldn’t see what was most likely his torture chambers.
Last night he sat up watching the monitors, waiting for any sign of her. He’d watched as she carried something from the loading docks back to the halls where there were no cameras to be hacked.
She’d been steady and calm, and beyond looking tired, there were no outward signs that she was being harmed.
But some scars were hidden.
“She’s acting,” Zach replied. “She’s staying calm so we don’t get freaked out. We won’t know what’s happened until we get her back.”
“Coop’s on it. He has to find a helo that will work at that elevation. He’s meeting a guy today who thinks he can get us one without Huisman finding out. The man has eyes everywhere,” Kala said with a sigh. Her twin was currently sleeping, having had a long night of flirting with Huisman’s guards so she could get a working key card to his inner office. “We checked and we’re all up to date on the anthrax vax.”
The military had taken care of the men. He, TJ, Cooper, and Tris had it as part of their military medical protocols.
“Yeah. I make sure all my puppies get their shots. And we’re all covered with Lou’s new trackers,” Big Tag announced.
“I put it in Tris’s ass myself,” Kala agreed. “Whiny man baby. Like it hurt. But we all have to understand that we don’t know what he’s managed to do to the anthrax. We know Dare’s dad’s company made it more easily inhalable and concentrated, but the bacteria itself was basically the same and should be covered by our current vaccines.”
“However, Huisman works in medical tech. We know he’s got some doctors in Disrupt who specialize in bacterial infections,” Big Tag continued with the bad news. “Who knows what they’ve managed to do.”
“We will once we get in there and Lou downloads everything she can get her hands on.” TJ moved to the table. “I’m going to shadow Lou. Cooper’s going in behind Zach. He’ll stay back until the team goes in, but he’ll have eyes on you.”
Zach was surprised. He’d expected TJ to fight to be there with him. “I thought you would do that.”
“Don’t need to. You love my sister. Cooper’s not going to let his brother die. So I can protect my girl. You need to understand there is no one else on earth I would leave this to, and that includes my parents. I love them, but it’s been a long time since they were in the field. And my uncle is old.”
All eyes moved to Big Tag, who simply shrugged. “I would argue but even I can hear my knees creak. And I’m pretty sure I know what sciatica is now. However, we need Coop to stay close to the helo. He’s the only one who can fly it. I’ll go in with Zach and try not to hold him back too much. TJ, you should understand I will absolutely tell your mother you think she’s too old.”