Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 133213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 666(@200wpm)___ 533(@250wpm)___ 444(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 666(@200wpm)___ 533(@250wpm)___ 444(@300wpm)
Aidan had to hope so. “My question is why would they take Kala and Zach? I would think they would be more trouble than they’re worth.”
The logical side of his brain went where his heart didn’t want to go. Kala would be trouble. Zach would be trouble. Should they have searched the hotel more thoroughly? Would they have found bodies?
Cooper strode down the stairs. He’d changed out of PJ pants and into black fatigues and a black T-shirt, a tactical vest covering his chest, and he was loaded up. He carried an AR-15, and Aidan counted at least three handguns and two knives.
“Yo, Rambo. Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” Big Tag asked, staring at Cooper like he could force the other man to do his will.
Kenzie got a good look at Coop and nodded. “One of us has it right. I’ll go with you. Give me a sec to get changed.”
Charlotte sighed. “Yes, because running around Canada dressed for war is going to make everything easier. Kenzie, you’re not going anywhere.”
“I’m not running around,” Cooper promised. “I know exactly where I’m going.”
A brow rose over Big Tag’s eyes. “Do you? Have you carefully considered all the places Huisman could take them and logically narrowed it to one or two buildings? Did you get a listing of all the properties Huisman owns so you could deduce which one would be the easiest to store four prisoners in?”
“If they’re prisoners.” Tasha sat beside Lou, her hands in knots on her lap. She said out loud what they were all truly afraid of. “I don’t understand why they need Kala and Zach.”
“We don’t know they have Kala.” TJ was ever the optimist. Like Cooper, he’d dressed in tactical wear and looked ready for anything. Though he hadn’t strapped on an armory yet. “She could be following them. Same for Zach. You said you left him with Tristan.”
“Yes, in the suite where there wasn’t any place to go,” Tasha argued.
“The CCTVs went out before we could see anything. I have no idea if Zach was still with Tristan or if he maybe hid somewhere and followed them,” Lou replied. “Kala could have done the same.”
Charlotte shook her head. “Kala would have called in. She would have found a way. Same with Zach. We need to go back to the hotel…”
“She’s not dead,” Kenzie shouted. Her strawberry hair shook, making her look slightly wild. “She’s not fucking dead. I would feel it if my sister was dead.”
Charlotte moved in, wrapping her arms around her daughter. “Of course you would.”
But her gaze went to Ian, worry plain there.
“You guys can stand around here trying futilely to get the trackers back online,” Cooper began. “They’re not working and won’t. Why the fuck do we even have them? Anyway, feel free to sit on your hands. I’m going to go blow up the Huisman Foundation. Then I’ll move on to his house and any other place I think he might be hiding until he gives me back my…our people.”
Big Tag’s head fell back on a groan. “Fuck me.”
TJ stood, moving Cooper’s way. “I understand the impulse, man, but the minute you start blowing shit up, we all get taken into custody.”
“That’s easy for you to say since Lou is sitting right there safe and sound,” Coop shot back.
Lou turned his way. “Kala wouldn’t want you to get arrested. She would want you to play this smart. They didn’t leave bodies for us to find which means that wasn’t the message they were sending us.”
“We haven’t gotten the message yet,” Big Tag pointed out.
“Or they’re not going to send a message at all,” Cooper shot back. “They’re going to leave us here because they don’t care. Huisman wants to know who the bombmaker is. He’s figured out Tristan is The Jester, and he took Carys and Kala so he would have leverage to make him talk.”
“Then why take Zach?” Tasha asked. “And how would he know Carys would be in the bar when she was? She wasn’t supposed to be, you know. This whole plan doesn’t make sense.”
“He had control of the CCTVs.” Kenzie seemed to have calmed down. She leaned against her mom. “According to the report Phoebe sent, he paid the manager of the hotel, which is why they were short staffed. He sent home anyone who might have interfered. We have to think Huisman intended to take Carys and Aidan at some point. When they separated, he decided it was easier to take them out individually.”
“He would have to drug Kala.” Coop set the AR-15 on the table.
“I know we think she’s invincible, but I assure you she can be overwhelmed,” Big Tag said. “What I don’t understand is why go when Tasha and Zach got there? You’re adding in two variables when you don’t need to. I understand waiting until later. If I’d been planning I would have gone in at say three in the morning, overwhelmed the group while they were likely sleeping, and take out the four of them. The way Huisman did this, they had to deal with six instead of four.”