Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 125037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
“Did you see the number of soldiers they sent after me?” Leila asked. She poured into Diego’s mind. He doesn’t understand that they’ll do anything to keep Grace and me. Chariot made it clear through his men that I had to come back if I wanted to have Gracie in my life.
“Leila,” Rubin said, “I’ve been sharing space in my brother’s head since he was three. Maybe before that. I can hear every word you say.”
Leila’s green eyes blazed fire at Diego. “You could have said.”
“Babe, seriously? Rubin’s giving you the heads-up, but you would have figured it out soon enough. You weren’t paying attention.”
“That’s not an excuse or an explanation. I’m your partner. You don’t leave me hanging like that. It just makes me feel more vulnerable than I already do.”
He liked that she explained her emotions to him. He wasn’t a man to guess. He liked things clear and direct. He brought her knuckles to his mouth and brushed a kiss over them. “Understood. It won’t happen again.” He leaned over and brushed another kiss on the top of her head.
She flashed him a tentative smile. “I can see you’re never going to stay in trouble for long.”
“That will be a first,” Diego assured. He turned to Rubin. “You have a better idea to keep my family together?”
Rubin nodded. “I believe I do. Diplomacy sometimes works far better than violence, Diego. In this case, I think it would be best if we pursued that avenue first.”
“Diplomatic channels?” Diego echoed. “Seriously? When has that ever gotten us anywhere? The powers that be want to sweep our existence under the table.”
“True, they’d rather forget how we got the way we are. But they also know each team backs up the others. We stick together. If every general running a team, as well as our team leader, shows up and confronts Chariot and his people, do you think they’ll turn us down? They’ll see the underlying threat, and they won’t want any part of it.”
Diego turned the idea over and over in his mind. “My fear is they’ll stall before they’ll consent to see us, Rubin. We need to get Grace as soon as possible. For all we know, they could be enhancing her. I wouldn’t put it past them.”
“I think we can rely on Major General Tennessee Milton to ensure the meeting takes place immediately.”
“And Bridget, if Luther hasn’t been able to get her back from Whitney?”
“We cross one bridge at a time. Let’s secure little Grace and ensure no one can get to her. Once we know she’s safe, we can concentrate our efforts on finding Bridget. Leila is going to need a few days anyway to recover before she can safely go into action. We could try the diplomatic approach, at least set it in motion while she’s recovering,” Rubin suggested.
Diego turned his head to look straight into Leila’s eyes. He wasn’t making the decision for her. If she wanted to go after Grace the moment she was able, he would be right there with her. He wanted her to know that.
12
Diego wasn’t in the least surprised that Rubin waited several hours until Leila fell asleep before signaling him to go outside. There was no putting it off or getting around it: Diego knew he owed his brother explanations. He wasn’t looking forward to it though.
Rubin had spent the time unloading supplies from his truck and putting everything away neatly, as was their way. They were both used to keeping the cabin clean and neat. They preferred outdoors and open spaces. The cabin was on the small side, so in order to be comfortable, they’d learned to keep everything in its place.
Diego followed Rubin outside to one of their favorite spots. They had carved out two downed tree trunks years earlier, making comfortable seats so they could view the night sky. Stars were abundant when they were lucky and there was no fog. The building site for the cabin had been carefully selected to get the most sun for growing vegetables. The forest had often tried to reclaim the area, but they kept the trees and brush from growing too close. They were always cognizant of escape routes, but they wanted an unobstructed view.
Rubin was silent for a long time, looking up at the sky and the drifting clouds. Twice he cast a furtive glance at Diego but refrained from speaking. Diego had been reading Rubin all his life. Rubin had been his closest ally and his best friend. As much as Diego protected him, Rubin reciprocated. For many years, it had been the two of them against the rest of the world.
Diego was aware he’d hurt Rubin by not disclosing his ability as a psychic surgeon. Rubin would look at it as a matter of trust. It wasn’t that, and Diego had to find the right words to explain, even knowing Rubin would reject the explanation.