Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 84544 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 338(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84544 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 338(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
He climbed to his feet and took a few stumbling steps before gaining enough of his balance to run. He exploded out the front door into the warm summer sunlight. Athena was standing several meters away, bobbing on the balls of her feet as if she were trying to decide whether to keep running or to go back into the house.
“Kairo?” she demanded when she saw him.
“Coming!” He had to be coming. There was no way in hell the mercenary wasn’t going to escape too. Right?
Isidore shoved the terrifying thought aside and held up the key fob. “We need to find the car.” There were three cars and an SUV parked along the driveway in front of the house. The key just had to be one of them. Standing next to his sister, Isidore pressed the unlock button on the fob and then the lock button, trying to get one of the cars to flash its lights or to sound a horn. Something to indicate which car the keys belonged to.
“There! That one! The white one!” Athena shouted. Her fingers dug into his arm, pulling him in the direction of the white sedan that looked to be only a few years old. The perfect car to blend in with everything else on the road.
With his sister at his side, he hurried to the car and slid behind the wheel while Athena jumped into the back seat. Good. Kairo could jump into the front passenger seat and give him directions when he finally escaped.
He pushed the ignition button and the electric engine instantly woke up while the various displays flickered on. He glanced at the battery reading and breathed a sigh of relief—full charge. He pulled out of the parking spot and whipped the car around so that it was ready to barrel down the driveway the moment Kairo joined them.
But seconds ticked by and there was no Kairo. Anxiety coiled tighter and tighter in his stomach while he tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. He was still alive. He was safe. He would escape.
Unless they’d captured him…
“Vanko! Did you see Vanko at all?” Isidore asked suddenly. He lifted his eyes to peer at his sister in the rearview mirror.
She shook her head. “No, but I overheard them say that they needed to get me back in my room before he returned. I guess he went out for a meeting or to run an errand. I don’t know, but I don’t think he’s here.”
“Good,” Isidore said on a sigh. “Good.” He repeated it just to reassure himself. If Vanko had left, it meant that he’d likely taken a bodyguard or two with him. Fewer people to threaten Kairo.
So where was he?
He couldn’t wait another second. He had to go check on him. If Kairo was passed out and bleeding, there was no way Isidore was leaving him behind. The important thing was that Athena was out of the house and safe. She could still run down the mountain to the valley and get help from the police.
Grabbing the handle, he shoved open the door while twisting to look at his sister’s frightened face. “Get in the driver’s seat.”
She seized the driver’s headrest with both hands, her fingers tightly clenching in the material. “Where are you going?”
“I’m going for Kairo. If you see anyone else come out of the house that’s not me or him, I want you to drive out of here as fast as you can. Get the police.”
“But—”
“I’m serious, Athena. Do as I say. Let me protect you.”
She glared at him for a heartbeat before a sigh slipped out. “Idiot. Go.”
He jumped out of the car and he heard the door to the back seat open, but he didn’t move another step because his eyes were locked on the bloody man who was running toward them with a stern look as he clutched his stomach.
“What are you doing?” Kairo shouted. “Get in the car!”
Isidore started to climb inside, a wide grin on his face when Kairo waved one bloody hand at him. “No! You in the passenger seat. I’m driving!”
He was not about to argue. It was probably for the best. His relief had left him light-headed. Kairo was alive and he was free with them!
Tripping over his own feet, Isidore hurried around to the other side of the car and jumped into the passenger seat while Kairo slid behind the wheel.
“Are you hurt?” Athena demanded as he slammed his door shut. “You’re clutching your stomach.”
His eyes swept over the man. His face was definitely bruised, his bottom lip was split, and he was completely splattered with blood, but there was no way of telling if it was his blood or from the goons.
“No,” Kairo said in a clipped tone. “I managed to grab this on the way out the door.” He reached under his shirt and pulled out a squirming, chittering ferret. Athena squealed as he handed it over to her.