Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 59119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
I checked my watch. He should wake up within the hour.
Ryan and I made quick work of hauling our belongings inside, and we stashed everything in the kitchen, partly because we didn’t want Delgado to see exactly what we had, and partly to put more distance between him and the nearest gun. Or knife, for that matter.
One day, this kitchen was gonna be incredibly beautiful. It was rustic and very Italian countryside. Big kitchen island at the center, concrete like the house, with a wooden surface Coach might actually have restored already. Dusty, sure, but solid and treated. The kitchen had a large woodstove too, so I guessed I didn’t have to heat up MREs in the living room fireplace.
The long counter by the windows would be my bed, I decided right there.
I removed all sharp edges and hard materials from my duffel bag and turned it into a pillow.
“Yeah, get some rest,” Ryan said. “I’ll wake you up in two-three hours.”
Sounded good to me, but I wanted to get some stuff out of the way first. We hadn’t eaten in a long time, and I had chips, soda, and a couple energy bars. “Let’s make a list first.” I left him half the snacks on the island and brought the rest with me and jumped up to sit on the counter. “Realistically speaking, will we only be here a few days?”
We had to get Delgado to talk.
Ryan wiped some sweat off his forehead and sighed. “First of all, I have to meet up with Gray and Darius somewhere.”
I nodded. We had confiscated two laptops, two cell phones, and one tablet from Delgado’s house, and we didn’t dare open them out here. They could disclose our location. So when the guys woke up in a couple hours, Ryan was gonna make contact.
“That’s one day,” I said. To get the tech to them, for Ryan to drive back, and then… “We have to deliver the tech to Squeezy too, right?” She was located in northern Washington.
“No, to Ramirez,” Ryan responded. “He’s basically a milder version of Squeezy. He’ll be able to open them.”
That was good. At least Ramirez was in Europe.
“I’ll buy shit for a week,” he decided and pulled out his phone. “Hit me with whatever you can think of. Toilet paper—”
I chuckled. “You have your priorities in order.” I threw a handful of chips into my mouth.
“If I’m shitting in the woods, I want the good toilet paper.”
Amen. He wasn’t wrong.
“Get some cookware,” I suggested. Having a woodstove was a damn luxury I didn’t wanna waste. “Like, two pots and a skillet or something.”
He nodded and jotted it all down.
Then I just let my brain blurt crap out. “Water, batteries, some lanterns or candles, soap—”
“I might as well buy an electrical cooler,” he muttered. “Hook it up to a car battery, and we’re good to go.”
Not a bad idea.
“Food,” I said. “Don’t skimp out either.”
“I know how much men your age eat, Crew.”
“I wasn’t sure you remembered.”
He snorted.
I smiled.
Our nice bonding moment was over when we heard a groan coming from the living room.
Didn’t matter how fucking exhausted I was. I wanted to see if Delgado would say anything.
Ryan left the room first, and I followed with my soda and chips.
The early morning was a sticky combination of humid and chilly, but I had a feeling the house would turn into a sauna as the sun rose. Italy in the middle of summer…? I didn’t suppose Ryan could hook us up with AC.
I squatted down in front of Delgado and chewed on another mouthful of chips.
It was a slow wake-up.
He lolled his head from one side to the other, and he tried to move. Didn’t work, did it? He was still restrained behind his back, and the rope circled his chest as well as the loops of the zip ties and within the restraints of his handcuffs. We didn’t take any chances.
“Get some rest.” Ryan cleared his throat. “Dennis.”
I made a face and peered up at him. “In a minute.”
He remained standing next to me.
I didn’t look like a fucking Dennis. But yeah, that was the name Ramirez had chosen for my identity. Dennis O’Reilly, ecoterrorist and trust-fund baby. Elliott had helped me—and I had more than one route to go. Everything depended on Delgado’s personality. Dennis had to be charming and lovable but still operate on the wrong side of the law. He couldn’t pose a threat to Delgado either, hence choosing a field far away from drugs. Nor was Dennis part of the rescue team sent to bring Marisa, Blake, and… Well, I was here for Shay. He was my fellow ecoterrorist buddy in this scenario.
By being a rogue on my own, there’d be less pressure on Elliott and the other guys, ’cause we might need to let Delgado slip a message or two to Carillo—if he knew how to contact the man. We wanted information without sacrificing any truths about our own op.