Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 128812 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 644(@200wpm)___ 515(@250wpm)___ 429(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128812 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 644(@200wpm)___ 515(@250wpm)___ 429(@300wpm)
"Also common," Zayne mutters as if he was hoping there would be something different about this group, only to be disappointed that they're like every other group of assholes he’s infiltrated in the past.
"Communication will be limited," Casper adds. "But we have ways of getting in touch with you guys if shit goes south."
"We've been working on getting this operation going," Hemlock says to Zayne. "But we'd love your input to ensure everything is as realistic as possible. Their paranoia alone is cause for concern, add in the suspected drug use, and we just have no room for fuckups."
"We have a house lined out for you guys," Kincaid says.
"When do we start?" I ask, trying to force myself to be more involved and feel better about taking the guys down than I can right now, given who I'll be working with.
"We have all the household stuff in the basement," Hemlock answers. "After we go through it and get it packed into the U-Haul, you guys will head out in the morning."
"We've gotten you as close as we could to the compound," Caspers says. "One thing about that is it takes you nearly an hour from here, and that could get a little hairy considering how easily you guys could be watched by members of the group. You have to stay in character at all times once contact has been made with them."
"We fully expect the house to be wired for microphones at a minimum," Hemlock says.
"When do you guys want to go through the props?" Zayne asks with a level of enthusiasm in his voice that would make most people question his mental health.
I know better. I always feel a rush of adrenaline when starting a new job, and this one is no different. Guns and drugs are horrible, don’t get me wrong. But hurting other people to advance yourself in life is one of the lowest things that someone can do to another person.
I'm ready to take down this group of assholes. Plus, the sooner we can get this done, the sooner I can get away from Zayne.
Chapter 5
Zayne
I don't have the same sense of purpose I usually do after leaving the meeting.
It's not that everyone wasn't welcoming, well, maybe except for that Nyx guy. He seems like the type that would slit your throat just to see if your blood looks different in the moonlight.
I'm just feeling a little off and can't pinpoint the reason.
Well, that isn't true. I know Frankie has everything to do with why I can't seem to get my mind in the right place for this new job. I don't know what I was expecting, but I also didn't think that far past me walking into the house and seeing his surprised face at my presence. I didn't take a minute to consider the fallout from joining Cerberus.
It's stupid of me, really, the idea that I could show up, turn around the next day, and get to work on the same team as him without it affecting me in any way.
My shower doesn't rejuvenate me the way it normally does, and by the time I towel off and get dressed, I'm once again thinking that maybe putting myself in front of that man just to get this reaction was possibly the dumbest thing I could've done.
My work is important to me on a visceral level, and now I'm hating my choices because of what they could mean for my work. My life and his will literally be on the line if I can't get my shit together.
I pull in a deep breath as I lean in to look at my reflection in the mirror, hating that I can't help but wonder what the man thinks when he sees my face. Years of hard work have left a faint roadmap of lines on my skin. Despite only being in my early thirties, I can't help but notice the speckle of gray hair at my temples. I feel exhausted, as if I've spent a lifetime fighting for my existence only to purposely put myself in another stressful situation.
I stand to my full height, drawing in a deep breath, and conclude that Frankie not wanting me here doesn't make my ability to help others any less. What I struggle with is knowing just how hard we'll both work on this mission, which increases the chance we’ll be paired together on another job.
I may not know who the man has become, but I spent enough time with him in our youth that I know he won't let whatever hatred he has for me get in the way of doing what he's supposed to do. And I'm too stubborn not to give a hundred and fifty percent to any job I take on.
"You got this," I tell my reflection before turning around and walking out of the bathroom.