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)
Other than a couple of people making small-time drug deals on the periphery of the crowd, it seems all the attention is on the raging woman.
By the time I look back at her, she's in handcuffs and being escorted away.
The police were present when we arrived. I know they were only here for crowd control and in case shit went south, which wouldn't be unheard of in any group of people who are outraged about something.
They kept to themselves, spaced out in the parking lot, and didn't interfere until that woman started yelling. Now they're all coming closer to the police officer who is taking the woman away.
The crowd starts to vibrate, the energy emanating from them in waves, but nothing seems to be happening until one brave person throws an empty water bottle at a cop.
Then all hell breaks loose.
Trash flies, and so do curse words.
Each person's rage is fueled directly by the person standing beside them, and I know this shit is going south quickly.
I look over to find Zayne, but he's no longer standing where he has been since we arrived. Although I know I shouldn't, I frantically search the crowd for him, relieved when I see him standing farther back from the aggressive group.
I make my way to him, sidestepping several people rushing the cops.
"What the fuck do we do?" I snap the second I'm within hearing range.
"Nothing," he answers, nodding to his left. "They've got it under control."
I look in the direction he indicated and breathe a sigh of relief when I see a team of guys, decked out in SWAT gear, making their way into the crowd.
"We should probably leave," he says, turning in the direction we parked.
"I'm surprised no one has a gun," I mutter as I open the passenger door to the truck and climb inside.
"This is Tennessee," he says as he climbs behind the wheel. "Everyone has a gun. I guess no one in that group is dumb enough to use them today."
"Think we made any progress?" I ask as he cranks the truck, shifts it into gear, and drives out of the parking lot.
"I got some pamphlets," he mutters, looking a little disappointed in how things went today. "Had one guy tell me about another meeting."
"Did it seem like a recruitment?"
He shakes his head. "I doubt it, but maybe. Sometimes the bigger groups either recruit through smaller groups or they poach existing members of those smaller groups. I don't think it was a complete waste of time, but it definitely wasn't what I would consider a success either."
Frustration flows through me with every word he speaks.
This is only the second day of being undercover, and I think I'm already going a little insane. I don't know how I can handle months and months of this shit if that's how long this job is going to drag out.
I know my annoyance has a little to do with the type of people we're expected to be, but I'm also self-aware enough to know a lot of it has to do with constantly being around the man to my left.
Chapter 11
Zayne
I wake in a haze of confusion, unsure what time it is or even if it's night or day.
Groggy and feeling completely drained and as if I had been drugged, I sit on the edge of the bed, rubbing my hands over my face. A glance at the burner phone I've been given tells me I've been asleep for four hours, and as much as I needed the rest, it has left me feeling out of place and uncomfortable in my own skin.
Silence fills the air around me, and I don't know whether Zeus is in the house or if he has left. The man doesn't owe me an explanation of his comings and goings, but a certain level of unease settles inside me with not knowing if he's miles away or just in the other room.
I stand, my muscles and bones hurting more than they should at thirty-three, but I'm used to the discomfort.
Pretending to be someone so fundamentally different from who I actually am takes a toll on my body. I may have looked relaxed and at ease earlier today, but every muscle in my body was coiled tight, and the aftermath is always painful, as if I'd put my body through a rigorous workout with no cool-down. Being so aware of what is going on around me and then finally taking a breath when it's over is such an adrenaline dump that it brings on waves of exhaustion.
I'm really feeling it this evening, which isn't a good sign for how I'll feel when this job is over. We've only just begun, and I want to simply curl up in a ball and sleep for a week.
I stand and cross the room, opening the bedroom door, not knowing what I'm going to find.