Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 110273 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 551(@200wpm)___ 441(@250wpm)___ 368(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110273 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 551(@200wpm)___ 441(@250wpm)___ 368(@300wpm)
His gaze searched mine, studying me, and then he nodded. His shoulders lowered, and he looked decidedly relieved. “Thank you.”
A dip of my head. “Yeah.” I blinked away a few more stray tears. They were sneaky little bastards. “I’m going to head to bed, if that’s okay?”
“Bailey.”
I got to the door, but paused.
He was still sitting there, his face seeming to have aged just from our exchange. Or maybe he wasn’t masking it anymore. “Whatever was said, Kash knows you’re still mourning. If that is something you’re worried about, you don’t need to. He’ll be back.”
Yes. But I’m not there for him now, and I should be.
I tried to give him a grin, but I know it didn’t reach my eyes. “Yeah.”
TWENTY-TWO
Kash
We’d just touched down in Aspen, Colorado, when Josh brought a phone to me. “Scott.”
I took it, continuing as we deplaned and got into the back of two SUVs. “Bailey?”
“She’s okay. Got drunk with Matt, but she’s at home, sleeping safely.” He hesitated a second. “She seemed sad.”
“Did she say that?”
“No. I was reading her body language. Peter had a talk with her, but what we could ascertain, it was about the aunt returning to the house.”
“Yeah.” I remembered now. “Peter’s doing that for the younger ones.” Everyone filed in. The little luggage we brought was a few bags, and they were stowed away. Josh got in next to me and we were off to the next location. “Were you calling to give an update on her?”
“No. Harden reached out. He said he has news you will want to hear about Bastian.”
I needed good news, and at this point, any news was good news. Calhoun had been quiet and I didn’t like that. “Have him call.”
“He said it was news that should be heard in person, and he’s unable to come to you this time.”
Meaning I had to go to him.
I mulled over that information. Harden had a reputation that once he said he was on your team, he was, until death or an event close to death would separate him from your side. When he locked in on a mission, it was for life. But the paranoid part of me, the part of me that knew my grandfather was an anal obsessive bastard, also set off alarms inside of me.
Josh must’ve been thinking the same. “We can reach out to your intel-gathering team. They have military backgrounds, too, and could act as backup if it was needed.”
“No.” They’d been my first call after my twin took off. I pulled them from working on my grandfather, looking for my brother. Harden was now my only in-field asset on Calhoun.
We were getting closer, and that was why we were in Aspen.
It was time to bring in one of his last assets that he thought he still had. Griogos Maragos had a home here.
The drive was an hour through the mountains.
We ended the call with Josh being responsible for setting up the meet. He was briefed on the reason we were in Aspen. And exactly one hour later we pulled up to a log cabin-esque house. Three stories. Every single window was lit up.
Josh took the house in as we parked. “Don’t think she was expecting us.”
I hid a grin, but then it was go time.
We got out and the guards took off.
They would sweep the perimeters, then the interior of the house.
The first wave approached the house.
The security system was dismantled.
The door was unlocked and we entered.
I was the fourth man inside.
We cleared the first floor together, moving as a team.
Two went upstairs.
I was with Josh as we went downstairs.
The second floor was cleared.
The guys went to the third floor right as Josh and I kicked in the last door of the basement.
Everything was cleared.
The living room. Bathrooms. Bedrooms. Closets.
Any door was opened, the room or whatever it led to was swept through.
We came back together on the main floor, and guns weren’t holstered but they were lowered.
Josh frowned. “Is she hiding?”
I looked at Derek. “Did you check the feeds?”
He already had his computer up and was typing. “Pulling it up now.” He clicked. Clicked. He frowned. Clicked some more, and his eyes lifted. “There’s a secret door behind the living room couch.”
We were in the living room.
As one person, we turned.
The couch was behind us.
Jasper and Josh moved to the couch, lifting it clear from the wall.
Derek put his computer down. All of our guns were raised again, and he approached the wall.
Jasper moved in from the right.
Josh from the left.
A small hatch was in the wall, and Derek took point right in front of Josh. He grabbed the latch and opened it, hurling himself and the small door to the side. Josh rounded, his gun drawn. Jasper bent down, sweeping the bottom. Josh the top. Neither saw anything. Both went inside.