Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 80660 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80660 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Not quite. “And you’ll naturally inform MI6 and SVR that you have the hard drive so they’re no longer hunting me.”
“Of course. You’ll understand if we leave you to handle the contract on your head.”
“Of course,” he replied, matching her tone while still managing to sneer.
“You have until ten.” She hung up and Soren collapsed onto a small sofa. He winced when the damn thing creaked under his weight. He held his breath, waiting for a sound, but there was only the beating of his heart in his ears.
Fuck. This was a mess.
What the hell was he supposed to do?
“I’m guessing that was Sheila,” Charlie’s low, rumbling voice crept across the room.
Soren jumped to his feet, instinctively reaching for a knife that wasn’t on him. He squinted at the dark shadows, finally making out the faint outline of Charlie’s broad shoulders as he stepped forward.
“What the fuck!” Soren snapped in a harsh whisper. “How the hell did you sneak past me?” Someone Charlie’s size couldn’t possibly move that quietly. And then his size was hard to miss.
“I didn’t. I was already sitting in this room when you came down the stairs.” He motioned behind him to the small bedroom that was off the study. “I just had to sit here quietly.”
“But—”
“Couldn’t sleep,” he admitted with a shrug. “I’m sure the security in this place is tight, but I don’t know it. And considering who our hosts are, I don’t feel comfortable asking them to share their secrets.”
“Good point,” Soren muttered and dropped onto the sofa.
“Sheila made you an offer?”
Soren could only grunt, his mind twisting around everything she’d said. It wasn’t a bad offer as offers went. Yes, there was ample opportunity for her to double-cross him, but it wasn’t necessarily in the CIA’s best interests to do so. There were plenty of freelancers who did black ops jobs for the Company. They could see him as a new valuable yet disposable asset.
Besides, he was willing to die for this if it meant keeping Alexei safe.
Charlie sank slowly onto the sofa with a groan. Soren had no clue how old Charlie was. The man’s hair had been gray for as long as he’d known him, but most of the time he moved like a man in his late twenties. He had no problem “keeping up with the kids” as he liked to put it. Soren wished he’d slow down a bit and simply enjoy life before it was all over.
Glancing over at Charlie, Soren swallowed a sigh. Maybe this was Charlie’s idea of enjoying life. It was too stressful for him. There needed to be blue water, sandy beaches, and hot twinks with sassy mouths. Or rather, one hot twink in particular.
“Are you actually considering it, or are you just playing her?” Charlie quietly asked.
“I have no idea.” Soren dropped his head into his hands, gripping his hair tightly in clenched fingers. “We got the money. It’s not like they’d do any good with it. But maybe they can do some good with the other information. I don’t know. If I give her the hard drive, no one gets hurt. Simple exchange. We all walk away.”
“You mean Alexei doesn’t get hurt,” Charlie corrected, but there was no malice or anger in his voice. Simply a statement of fact.
Indecision weighed on him like a concrete blanket pushing him toward the floor until he was sure it would crush him. “I can’t lose him, Charlie. Yes, we haven’t known each other a long time, but he’s so damn amazing. I’ve never been so happy. But if something goes wrong with my plan, if he gets hurt because of me, I can’t…I don’t think I can go on.”
“And how would Alexei feel if he knew you did this to protect him?”
Soren winced, cringing so hard that he’d drawn his shoulders in. Alexei would be fucking apocalyptic. The explosion of temper would be enormous. They’d be done. No do-overs. “He’d be pissed.”
Yeah, understatement of his life.
Charlie snorted softly. Apparently he’d seen enough of independent Alexei during the day to guess at how badly he’d react to Soren’s high-handed actions all in the name of keeping him safe.
His friend shifted on the sofa next to him and smacked him hard on the back of the head. Soren lurched forward and struggled to keep his seat as his brain rattled in his skull.
“What the hell,” Soren snapped, rubbing his head. He twisted to look at his old friend to find Charlie’s “You’re a fucking dumbass” look on his face.
“Since we walked in the door, all I’ve heard out of your mouth about this guy is how amazing he is. Smart and talented. He saved your life twice. Was that a fluke?”
“No,” Soren grumbled.
“You had me half believing this kid is destined to be the king of assassins in a few years.”