Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 60309 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 302(@200wpm)___ 241(@250wpm)___ 201(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60309 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 302(@200wpm)___ 241(@250wpm)___ 201(@300wpm)
She’s just in my head. A recent memory—one that I don’t want to fade.
“Make-Believe,” I mutter in the cold. And I wonder if that’s her and me.
PART THREE
DECEMBER 2038
SEVEN
RESCUE MISSION
DECEMBER 2038
AFTER CHAPTER 25 IN SINFUL LIKE US
We listened to "Tiptoe" by Imagine Dragons while writing this scene.
Character List:
Maximoff Hale - 23
Charlie Cobalt - 21
Sullivan Meadows - 20
Bodyguards:
Farrow Keene - 28 Omega (Current Client: Maximoff Hale)
Tony Ramella - 28 Epsilon (Current Client: Jane Cobalt)
Akara Kutsuwon - 27 Omega Lead (Current Client: Sullivan Meadows)
MAXIMOFF HALE
JANIE HAS BEEN GONE for over five damn hours. She should be back from grocery shopping by now.
I get that she’s with her boyfriend, but there’s no way she’d risk exposing the twin switch to spend more time with Thatcher. Not today.
It’s December 18th—Akara’s birthday, which we all planned to celebrate tonight. Thatcher and Jane wouldn’t miss that.
And Jesus, all I have to do is glance outside to know a colossal blizzard has blown into the Scottish Highlands. It looks like Iceman is having a one-on-one fight with Storm. The chances of a car stalling or spinning out are high.
Janie is my best friend. My other half. And I’m not leaving her and her boyfriend stranded out in the freezing cold over night.
I spread gear out in the large foyer: hiking packs, headlamps, extra batteries, water bottles, CamelBaks, a ton of dry extra clothes (especially for Jane), a first-aid kit, waterproof matches, and more. I brought all of this stuff to Scotland for recreational hiking—not for a rescue mission.
While I roll fleece pants and place them in my pack, I tell Charlie, “You can join me.”
He’s been slumping back on the last few steps of the winding carpeted staircase. Just watching me pack for what could be a two-day hike. I have no clue how far away Thatcher and Jane are, but I’ve been preparing for the worst. Triple-checking that I have enough extra supplies for a long, taxing duration.
Charlie props his head with a finger to his temple. “I’m staying here.”
I stuff a water bottle inside. “I want you to come, if you want to, and I know Jane would too.” That’s his sister, and I really don’t want Charlie to feel like this is a solo-thing. Like I’m taking over and pushing him out.
He locks eyes with me. “I’ll slow you down.”
I’m crouched, switchblade in my hand, and I glance at his right leg, the one that has been causing him pain in the cold. “If your leg hurts—”
“It’s not just my leg,” Charlie cuts me off and cocks his head. “Even before my surgery, I wouldn’t be able to keep up with you in these conditions. There’s no point in trailing three or four hours behind you.”
I can’t offer to stay back just to let him be the one to rescue his sister. This isn’t a competition to me. “Jane would appreciate it if she saw that you joined." I know she'd love seeing Charlie there.
“I’m not hiking in pain for twelve-plus hours for her appreciation.” His eyes carry more emotion. He looks more like his age, like my younger cousin who needs me to part seas and move mountains. “You have to find her.” He pauses to add, "Please."
“I will,” I say strongly, confident that I have the ability to bring them back here. I’m finding Jane and Thatcher—there is no other option.
Charlie slouches back against the stairs.
I pack Jane’s boots in the main compartment. She left them here to dry, and she’ll need them if we have to hike back together.
After a few minutes, Joana, Luna, Beckett, and Sulli gather on the staircase too. I zip up two packs, and Sulli is the only one adamant about coming along.
I toss her a headlamp. “You’ll need to wear more clothes under your jacket and pants.”
She catches the headlamp. “I’ll go get changed—don’t fucking leave without me.” Sulli stands quickly and rushes halfway up the stairs.
“Wait, Sul,” Akara calls out.
She freezes as all the bodyguards enter the foyer. They’ve been having a conversation in the kitchen, out of earshot, about hiking to find Thatcher and Jane.
Akara explains, “It’s better if we both stay back.”
“Why?” She frowns.
“Yeah, why?” Tony Ramella questions. “We should all be going.”
“We’ve just talked about this,” Akara snaps at him.
Christ, security drama has been even worse than my family’s drama lately. It takes another five minutes, but I think we all start to realize that SFO doesn’t want Tony to join, for whatever reason.
He only stops complaining when Akara cements that it’s just me and Farrow going, and he emphasizes that Farrow is a doctor. Which Tony isn’t.
It puts me on edge. I always thought Farrow would be coming along as my bodyguard. To know that Jane and Thatcher might need him because he’s a doctor…
We have to leave now.
I sheath my hunting knife on my ankle. “I already packed your bag,” I tell Farrow while he laces his boots next to me. I motion to the second zipped-up hiking pack.