Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 93984 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93984 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
Justin was silent. There was rock music playing softly in the background before he heard the rev of the car engine. “Is there a chance this is something else? Something not related to Iaso.”
Gabriel hesitated and rolled his eyes skyward, hating so many things at that moment while knowing he had to be honest with Justin if he was going to hold to their truce. If Justin was potentially in danger because of shit from his past, then the guy deserved to know it. “Yes. Maybe. I think the higher likelihood is that this is Iaso related.”
“Look, I’m not thrilled about this either, but my house is secure. It’s set up to be protected.”
“But—”
“It’s a hell of a lot harder to watch your fucking back if you’re in a separate location,” Justin snapped.
“I can watch my own back!”
“How the hell you gonna watch my back if you’re across town?”
Gabriel’s mouth shut sharply with a click of his teeth. The bastard fucking had him. It was true. Gabriel had promised to watch Justin’s back, and if this was Iaso related, if a professional was already on their tail, they needed to be even more careful.
“You’re with me. I’ll be there in seven minutes.” Justin said when Gabriel couldn’t reply. He ended the call, leaving Gabriel to growl at his phone. This was not what he wanted. He might have wanted to peel away some of Justin’s secrets and figure the man out, but he wasn’t excited about the prospect of sleeping in the same space with the man. Being in constant contact wasn’t great for his sanity.
Grabbing his roller bag, he winced as the handle bit into the stitches that laced the heel of his left hand. Careless. He needed to remember the damn injury. He quickly started piling clothes and his other belongings into the bag. All his things were tossed in various directions and hidden under fallen sheets. He didn’t want to leave anything behind, but there wasn’t much that could be tied directly to him. No identifying names or labels.
He’d learned to live like a ghost. He didn’t exist, and that was what kept him alive for so many years. If he couldn’t be found, couldn’t be tracked, he couldn’t be killed. Plus, it was just easier to be alone.
In the bathroom, he removed the ventilation grate to reveal the small bag of weapons he’d hidden there. The bag was untouched, no fingerprints in the fine powder he’d placed on it to reveal if someone had found it and then put it back. He collected the stray weapons he’d stashed around the room. Not one of them had been disturbed.
Whoever had searched the room had done a really poor job of it, reminding him greatly of the gang members they’d encountered the previous night. He had just placed the last item in the bag, when there was a loud knock at the door.
With his Glock held behind him, Gabriel peered through the peephole to find Justin standing on the other side, looking less than thrilled to be at the hotel. The man likely noticed how Gabriel’s head blocked the light from the peephole, because he suddenly grinned.
“Housekeeping. You want fresh towels?” he asked in a high-pitched voice. It vaguely reminded Gabriel of a movie he’d seen years ago, but his exhausted brain couldn’t pull it up. He unlocked the door and held it open for Justin. His partner smirked at him, but it died away the second he stepped fully into the room.
“Well, this is a fucking mess,” Justin muttered. “I’m beginning to think we’re the only professionals in this damn town.”
“That’s the way it looks,” Gabriel agreed. He walked back into the room and zipped up his roller bag. He would need to iron all of his clothes again when he got to Justin’s…assuming the assassin owned an iron and ironing board. He wasn’t hopeful. “Whoever searched the room didn’t find any of my hiding places as far as I can tell.”
Justin opened his mouth and promptly closed it again without saying a word. He shook his head. There was something more eating at him, but for some reason he didn’t want to say it out loud. At least not yet. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
Nodding, Gabriel shouldered his computer bag and then grabbed the roller bag, following behind Justin. This had not been part of his plan when he took this job. When Marilyn had contacted him about the contract, he’d known that it wouldn’t be a quick in and out, but he’d not anticipated these complications. He was not sloppy in his work, and Justin didn’t appear to be either, despite his loose and careless demeanor. Something else was happening here, and he didn’t like it.
They remained silent on the way to the garage and while loading his luggage into the trunk. It was only when they were on the road, gliding across the Ohio River toward northern Kentucky, that Justin finally spoke. The windows to his car were down, and the warm air ruffled through Gabriel’s hair. It was still humid from the afternoon’s heat, but there was a refreshing feel to it, like a lover’s embrace at the end of a long day.