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)
The Jones house had been quiet when they’d driven past, which was a good sign that the small family was fine. They’d arrived in time to save them, and with any luck, they’d be able to finish this job without the culprit taking another shot at them.
For now, they were left with trying to figure out what was wrong with the drug Iaso was desperate to keep hidden and who had ordered the hits on Weiss and Jones. Gabriel was really starting to miss the old days of someone handing him a target and him pulling the trigger. Those jobs were little fuss and a lot less headache.
Of course, those jobs were unlikely to put him in Justin Mallory’s path, and that was a horrible shame.
Heavy footsteps pounding up from the basement announced Justin’s return from his secret lair. Gabriel was dying to get a look at his security setup, but he knew there was no way in hell Justin was going to trust him with that information. Not that he blamed the man.
When Justin appeared in the kitchen, he gave a little start. His sharp eyes swept from Gabriel’s bare feet, up his loose black sleep pants, then across his bare chest to the wet hair. He returned to the glass of water in his hand and sneered.
“You need a better drink than that,” Justin announced. He moved over to the cabinet above the refrigerator and pulled out a full bottle of Jameson whiskey. He held up the bottle to Gabriel and stuck out his lower lip in a pseudo-pout. “Sorry, no vodka.”
“Well, no one ever accused you of being civilized,” Gabriel grumbled.
Justin gasped, pressing a hand to his chest. “I’ll have you know that Jameson is very civilized.”
Some hidden tension eased in Gabriel’s chest to see the playful side of Justin coming out. He’d been too quiet on the drive home from the cabin in the woods, and Gabriel couldn’t decide if it was the execution of the assassin or the threat to the young father and child that had Justin so shaken. Maybe it was a little bit of both.
It was with sad resignation that Gabriel realized Peter’s death didn’t bother him in the least. He’d executed far worse men in the world because it was his job. But the innocent father and his child, that was cold-blooded bullshit he wouldn’t stand for. It was bad enough those poor people had lost Kristen, but to have their own lives stolen simply out of fear that they suspected she’d been murdered was a step too far for him. Gabriel was looking forward to finding the person behind this tangled web and killing him or her slowly as they deserved.
“Get me a couple of tumblers out of the cabinet behind you,” Justin directed with a jerk of his head before he worked on opening the bottle of whiskey. Gabriel put aside his glass of water and snagged two crystal tumblers as directed. When he’d made dinner the other night, he’d noticed a light coating of dust on many things within the kitchen, but there was no dust on the tumblers.
He put them in front of Justin and watched as he carefully poured about a double shot for both of them and sealed the bottle again. Justin grabbed one glass and walked over to the chairs at the breakfast bar, while Gabriel stayed on the other side. The whiskey was good, with a nice burn that warmed his insides.
“How long have you been doing this?” Justin asked suddenly.
“Like all good boys, I started drinking when I was fourteen, but I didn’t get really accomplished at it until I was in my early twenties.”
Justin stared at him across the breakfast bar, giving him an unamused look. “And how old were you when you pulled the trigger for the first time?”
Gabriel took another sip of his whiskey, meeting Justin’s eyes over the rim of the glass. This was an oddly dark mood for the man. They’d been cautious about avoiding any questions that would have pried into their respective backgrounds. They each knew the other would tell a lie, but the fact that Justin was asking point-blank meant he expected honesty from Gabriel. And Gabriel was surprised that he really did want to tell the truth.
“Nineteen when I pulled a trigger and killed a man,” he said evenly. He set his glass down and held Justin’s gaze. “But sixteen when I killed a man for the first time. I…played in a bad neighborhood, and such things were common. But I joined the military when I was seventeen to avoid trouble with the law.”
Justin nodded and swallowed the last of his whiskey. He started to lean forward to grab the bottle, but Gabriel snatched it up. He poured another double into Justin’s glass and topped himself off. “What about you?” Gabriel prodded.