Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 107557 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107557 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
“Don’t need shit from you.”
Wasn’t he a friendly fucker? “No problem, brother. Just trying to be helpful.”
“Ain’t your brother,” the man growled. “Get the fuck outta my way and away from my room.”
Rez threw his palms up. “Sorry, man, didn’t mean to intrude. Like I said, we were only trying to be helpful and make sure Wolf’s happy with our work so he hires us again.”
“Fuck off.” T-Bone shoved past them, forcing both Rez and Nox a step back to make room.
“Have a great day,” Rez called out to T-Bone’s retreating back and gave him a two-finger salute the prospect never saw.
Rez quickly texted Mullins. He’s on the move. See what he’s driving and the direction he heads.
Mullins texted back, On it.
“Now what?” Nox said.
“Now we go into that damn room to search it.” Rez tried the knob to only find it locked. No surprise. “Fuck.”
“I got a key,” Nox announced.
Rez spun around to face him. “What?”
Nox grinned. Actually fucking grinned! What the hell was happening?
“Be right back.” The man headed back to the room where they’d been working.
While he waited for Nox to get whatever “key” he mentioned, Rez texted Mullins again. We’re going to break into his room. Keep an eye out, will you?
The answering 10-4 came within seconds.
He texted Decker next. T-Bone left alone. We’re going to break into his room and check for signs of Sadie.
Keep me updated, came Decker’s response.
Will do.
Nox appeared next to him with a clean putty knife in hand.
“Ah, the old credit card trick.”
“Yeah, these are just regular knobs. Nothing secure like deadbolts, so this should be easy as shit. Watch my back.”
“Always,” Rez told him, standing in a spot where he’d block the view of what Nox was doing from anyone appearing in the hallway.
Rez glanced over his shoulder to watch Nox jimmy the putty knife between the door jamb and the door before he slid it down. A few more moves and the door opened.
“Hot damn,” Rez exclaimed softly. “You learn that in the Army, too?”
“Learned a lot of shit in the Army. Most of it not necessarily approved by command. Want me to stand watch while you search?”
“Yeah, brother, going to make this quick since I don’t want us busted.”
Nox’s eyebrows rose. “Didn’t T-Bone ask us to patch a hole in the wall?”
Rez snorted. “Let me know if anyone sees us and I’ll make sure to accidentally put my boot through the drywall to validate our story.”
Nox nodded and pulled his baseball cap lower, turning his back to the door.
Rez took a bolstering breath, unsure what he was going to find in the dark room that stunk like a full porta-potty on a hot summer day. What the fuck?
Rez swallowed, trying not to gag. “You want to search instead? I can stand watch.” He was hoping Nox hadn’t gotten a whiff yet.
His hope was quickly dashed when Nox responded, “Fuck that. I opened the door, you get the pleasure of searching.”
“For fuck’s sake,” he grumbled. He pulled in a deep breath, held it and stepped inside. The second Rez turned on the light, that held breath rushed from him. “What a fucking pigsty.”
“Don’t insult pigs like that. They’re intelligent and normally clean.”
“Unlike prospects, apparently.”
“Stop running your mouth and hurry up,” Nox whispered.
“Damn, dude. Sometimes I have important things to say.”
Nox grunted in response.
The floor was full of dirty laundry and stacked in one corner were bike parts. T-Bone had no “furniture” besides an inflatable mattress. And on that mattress was a pile of blankets Rez was afraid to touch.
However, he had no choice since there was a lump underneath it.
He had to make sure it wasn’t a body.
For fuck’s sake, please don’t be a fucking body.
If it was, whether it was Sloane’s sister or otherwise, they’d have to report it and most likely their cover would be blown.
He quickly did the sign of the cross, raised his eyes to the ceiling and prayed like hell it wasn’t Sadie. He didn’t want to be the one to break that news to Decker and Sloane.
And uncovering a decomposing body wasn’t on today’s bingo card.
He braced himself, and using only two fingers, he carefully lifted the tangle of filthy bedding. Only to find more dirty bedding and clothes under it.
Oh, thank fucking fuck. He sighed in relief, then regretted breathing.
Who lived in this type of squalor?
After another quick glance around to make sure he didn’t miss anything obvious, he rushed back out, shoving Nox out of the way so he could breathe air that wouldn’t make him retch. When he could manage it, he ordered Nox to close the door as he hauled ass down the corridor to the exit that led out back.
He stepped outside, turned his face up to the blinding sun, and inhaled deeply.
Nox was suddenly behind him. “You okay?”