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)
Casper shakes his head. "High winds last night worked in our favor. Power goes out on the mountain all the time. The mile-wide radius we knocked out probably only pissed people off because their televisions weren't working, more than anything else. Thankfully, the diner didn't have a backup generator."
"Sound but no video?" Zeus asks.
"Time was limited," Hemlock replies. "If there's a mention in today's meeting of going back there, we can see about getting back in and adding video."
"That may be a good idea," I say. "A lot of these groups use places like that to launder their dirty money."
"Noted," Hemlock says. "We’ll have a team close by in case you guys need some help."
His words are a reminder of just how dangerous these folks can be. We can't assume the meeting will go the way we want. They could just as easily want us there to kill us and have the benefit of doing it on their own turf, rather than a double homicide in a house when they can't control the neighbors.
"We have a feeling that they may only want Zayne," Casper says.
Zeus shifts beside me on the sofa. I don't know if the idea of me possibly going in alone annoys him or if it would make him happy that there's a chance he can move on from this job and put some distance between us.
"Of course, the best outcome is both of you. Someone there who has your back is the best-case scenario," Hemlock adds.
"And if they refuse?" Zeus asks, and I do my best not to overanalyze his tone because he actually sounds annoyed at the idea of not working this job.
Hemlock pulls in a deep breath, blowing it out slowly before speaking. "I asked Kincaid what he wanted, and he said, although it's not ideal, one getting in is better than no one."
Zeus is simmering beside me, but I refuse to look directly at him. I hate how hard it is to see his features in the tiny video image tucked down to the left of the laptop screen. I wish I could see his face better to try and evaluate his emotions.
"I'll try to convince them we both need to go," Zeus says.
"Stick with the character you've been given, and I think it'll work out. They love hateful, angry bastards who are willing to fuck shit up just because they can," Hemlock adds.
Knowing that he isn't happy about the idea of me going in alone calms a lot of shit that’s been swirling around inside of me. I know better than to think he wants to spend time with me, but at least not liking the idea of me dying is better progress than I thought we'd make since arriving in Tennessee.
"We don't know when your next update will be," Casper says. "They could tell you to fuck off within two minutes, or they could demand you go to their compound and give up your entire life. It's all up in the air. We do have the truck wired for sound, but we can't guarantee that they're not going to have you get in one of their vehicles at The Garage and take you to a different location."
"We'll have someone from the team follow you if there's going to be a secondary location involved," Hemlock assures us.
"Their known drug use means it could go either way. Their paranoia could have them moving quicker than we can predict, but at the same time, it could have them more skittish and volatile. We just don't know how it's going to go," Casper says with a loud sigh.
"We anticipate a pat down," Hemlock continues. "So we can't wire you. The phones you have look like burners, but they have tech in them to track you."
"But they could be taken," I mutter because I've experienced it before.
"What about trackers in our shoes or something?" Zeus asks.
My heart starts to race. I hadn't gotten undressed after our day yesterday, and I spent more time than I'd like to admit standing outside Zeus's door last night after I told him about his dad, contemplating whether I should knock or just leave him the hell alone. Knowing there's a chance Casper could know what I was doing makes me a little antsy.
"We fully expect them to scan your entire person," Casper answers. "Your phones would ping even if they didn't have trackers, so that's not a red flag. Your shoes pinging wouldn't be good."
The breath of relief that rushes past my lips is loud enough that I feel Zeus shift his gaze to the side of my face.
"Any questions?" Hemlock asks.
"Only about a million," Zeus mutters.
"Any we can answer right now without knowing how this meeting is going to go?" Hemlock asks.
"No," Zeus answers before standing.
"Be safe. Make good choices. You're no good to us dead," Hemlock says. "Good luck."