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)
Did she honestly know what she was doing? The first thing she had to do was love her friends and make this easy on them. She squeezed Bri and then leaned back so she could look her in the eyes. “Sweetie, it’s not his fault. He was trying to do his job, and it got away from him. I don’t think he meant to get so lost and hurt me, but sometimes we don’t have control over outside forces. I’m going to be okay. You’ll be okay, too, and even though I’m not with your brother anymore doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.”
“We’re more than friends.” Brianna brushed away her tears and stepped back. “And it was his fault. I love you for trying to protect him, but I’m not a kid anymore. I know when my brother screws up. I can be mad at him and still love him. He’s not only doing it to you. He’s locked me and our parents out. I feel like I’ve lost my brother, and I can’t lose you and Aidan, too.”
Her heart ached for her little sis. “You won’t. You can’t lose me, Bri. I’m always here for you. Why don’t you try talking to him? I’ve heard he’s around.”
Bri sighed. “Not tonight. I’m too tired. He should know if he doesn’t talk soon, I think Dad is going to do something. I saw our parents plotting tonight. There was a meeting, wasn’t there? Back at the MT building.”
“Yep,” Kala revealed. “And my dad wanted to call your parents in the same way he did Uncle Sean and Aunt Grace and Aidan’s parents. Guess who pulled the ‘I’m a professional’ card?”
Brianna groaned. “Well, it’s his fault now because he seems to have forgotten who our parents are. Mom is not the most patient woman, and she married two guys who would do anything for her. I’m supposed to go to their place for brunch tomorrow. I’ll see if I can mitigate the damage. Good night.”
Bri walked out.
“Now I kind of want to kill him myself,” Kala said with a huff.
She turned to her murderiest cousin. “Somehow I think him dying would make things worse.”
“Well, it wasn’t like he was trying to avoid it.” Kenzie’s eyes had widened. “I couldn’t believe he stood there while they were shooting. It’s a miracle all he got was a scratch.”
“Has he always been this reckless?” She realized what she’d asked and backed down. “Sorry. You can’t answer.”
The twins exchanged a look, and then Kenzie turned her way.
“He was known in Army intelligence for being super reliable. Like Tris was the guy who did his job and did it well. He was the dot all the I’s and cross the t’s guy. He was also passed over for Agency work because it was deemed he had too many close ties to really do the job.”
“They were looking at him pretty much from the time he joined the military,” Kala explained. “Because of who his fathers are.”
Jacob Dean and Adam Miles had been Special Forces at one point, but Carys knew it was what they’d done after they left the military that likely made the Agency interested in Tristan. After years at McKay-Taggart, they’d formed their own company along with some other brilliant minds. Miles-Dean, Weston, and Murdoch was known for cutting-edge facial recognition software every intelligence agency would like to get their hands on.
“From what I understand, the Agency discussed bringing him in early, but after consideration they decided he wasn’t morally gray enough,” Kala explained, winking her sister’s way. “We didn’t have the same problem. You should know something. Kenz and I are the only ones on the team the Agency actively recruited. Everyone else was brought in as backup. Cooper McKay would never have been considered if we hadn’t insisted on it. And neither would Tris.”
Carys was confused. “Why? I guess I don’t understand what you mean by morally gray. I get it in a romance novel hero sense, but not here. I mean everything you do, it’s to protect your country.”
“Of course,” Kenzie said.
“Eh,” came Kala’s reply. “I mean, sure. But it’s about how far we’re willing to go. The big bosses didn’t think Tris would be willing to go far enough.”
“Well, he showed them, didn’t he?” It hurt when she thought about it. This could have been avoided.
Or maybe he always would have changed.
“I tell you this because once he started working with my team, he signaled a willingness to work outside it as well,” Kala continued. “Tristan has some very specific skills.”
“He’s addicted to the Dark Web.” He always had been. Even as a kid she’d known how dangerous it could be.
“He’s an excellent hacker,” Kala corrected. “He’s good at putting things together and gathering intel. Turns out he’s good at tracking a signature.”