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)
“Excellent.” Zach gave her an approving nod. “Then you’re halfway there. You have some good moves. Now the question is how prepared is Aidan?”
“I’ll take care of Aidan.” Tristan sat in his chair, his own bourbon in hand.
“No one needs to take care of me.” Was he now considered the softest one? “I know self-defense and all the same pressure points Carys does. I’m not exactly helpless. Also, I thought we were probably going to a safe house.”
“Told you I can’t send you because you promised Huisman you would be his pet resident,” Tris replied. “And it was recently pointed out to me that I don’t get to walk away for two and a half years and come back in and start barking orders. Carys, you want to do this?”
There was a part of Aidan praying she would tell him no and he was on his fucking own.
There was a bigger part praying she didn’t give up this chance. If she walked, he wasn’t sure they ever came together again. If they were together, they had a shot. If she said no, it would be too easy to let time go by, to come up with excuse after excuse why to put off trying again.
“I want to go,” Carys said, handing the glass Aidan’s way. “I need another.”
Something eased inside him. He would get his shot. He would get a chance to decide if they could work in this new world they found themselves in, the one where Tris was different but still so familiar.
And that meant starting to act like the man he wanted to be. He took the glass. She hadn’t listened to a thing he’d said all day. “Not if you’re going to play, you don’t. You’re right, baby. You’re tough. From what I can tell nothing’s broken and you won’t even bruise. So are we playing or should I get you another drink?”
Tristan’s lips curled up in a decadent smile. “You sound ready to play, partner. I think she wants it. I think her inner brat is begging for it. The fight with Kala was nothing but a warm-up.”
Carys sighed, and her eyes closed as she sat back. “It won’t mean anything. Not anything beyond I need a session and it would take forever to train a new top.”
“Sure, tell yourself that, baby,” Tris shot back.
Her eyes opened. “Just because I play with you tonight only means we’re sexually compatible, and I’m lazy when it comes to finding what I need. It doesn’t mean we’re together.”
“It’s exactly what it means if we’re running this op,” Tris said. “You’re with me through this op or this op doesn’t happen.”
“What?” Zach looked at Tris like this was completely new information to him.
Tristan sat back, his eyes still on Carys even though he was talking to Zach. “I’ve decided they’re more important than taking down Huisman. If she won’t let me close to her, I can’t protect her. Same with Aidan.”
“You can’t be serious.” The captain sat up straight, leaning over. “You know what’s at stake. You’ve always known. We have reason to believe someone got files out of the Tandy Medical Group the night the Canadians raided. Huisman knew what was there. I think it was him. He has the formula for the weaponized anthrax. If he finds the right delivery system…”
“Anthrax?” Aidan took a seat beside Carys. “No one mentioned bioweapons.”
Carys’s eyes had opened, and she was suddenly way more interested. “Yes, this is new information. What is Tandy Medical? Is it a pharmaceutical company?”
Zach stood and looked out over the lounge, waving at someone. It was mere seconds before Tasha walked up, her hand in her fiancé’s. Dare Nash had come in during the middle of the sparring match, sitting beside Tasha and wincing with the rest of them as the cousins had seemingly tried to take each other out.
He was being overly dramatic. When he looked at Carys he could see she wasn’t truly injured.
And she’d been kind of hot as she’d taken on a woman most men in the group would be wary of sparring with.
“Hey, Zach. We didn’t think you would join us until we head to Canada,” Tasha said.
Dare held out a hand, shaking Zach’s. “Good to see you again.”
Zach offered them the cozy love seat, switching to a padded table for himself. He looked way too big, but it held. “You should know we’ve got a contractor on this op.”
Tasha sat back. “Does his name rhyme with Shadam Giles?”
“Yep.” Tristan snorted slightly but he smiled, a genuine smile and not the fuck-the-world expression he’d seen on his best friend’s face so often in the last few years. “My father called in some favors. He’s pretty much done with me…how did he put it…fucking up my whole world, and he’s sick of waiting to bury me. Uncle Ian’s right. Papa is overly dramatic. Anyway, he’s coming in, and we should expect the olds to be super feisty. You know how they like to go at each other.”