Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 84544 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 338(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84544 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 338(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
Charlie groaned and dropped his face into his hand while his elbow was balanced on the table.
“It’s a different world,” Kairo cackled.
“Yeah, yeah. I get that,” he muttered. He lifted his head and narrowed his eyes on Isidore. “Seventy-five and not a single person more. And we’re still going to need some help on this one. There just aren’t enough of us to monitor this many people.”
“I have a suggestion!” Alexei shouted, thrusting his hand in the air as if he were trying to get a teacher to call on him.
“No,” Charlie groaned.
“But I’m sure they’d love to join the fun.”
“Please no, I’m begging you. They scare me,” Charlie said, dropping his face into his hand again while Alexei cackled.
Isidore leaned over to Kairo and whispered, “I don’t understand. Who is he talking about?” He couldn’t imagine anyone scaring Charlie.
“His uncles. The assassins,” his lover explained.
Isidore leaned back and glanced around the table. The rest of the team looked uneasy, while Alexei was simply elated. “They’re good?”
“The best!” Alexei called out.
“But they can be…intimidating,” Kairo added.
“They were ranked among the top for years before they got married. They’ve only become more deadly as a team,” West filled in. The sniper shrugged. “I’m looking forward to meeting them at last. I want to know if the stories are true.”
Adding a pair of deadly assassins to the mix seemed like a frightening proposition. Isidore turned his attention to Alexei. “Do you think they’d help us?”
Alexei nodded. “Sure. I got a text from my Uncle Gabriel complaining that they were between jobs and that Uncle Justin was restless and irritating. If Justin gets too irritating, Gabriel starts using him for target practice. It’s safer if they’ve both got a job to focus on.”
That was more than he wanted to know about Alexei’s family.
But if they were going to help him deal with his family, he’d take it.
“Good,” Isidore exclaimed, trying to shove down the last of his nerves. “I can handle getting the party pulled together. I’ve got assistants who have done this dozens of times. Kairo can also help me get a copy of the plans for the house so we can work out cameras as well as the placement of the various teams. We should be ready to fly to Santorini in three days. That will give us enough time to get set up before the party decorators have to show up.”
Looking over at Athena’s worried gaze, Isidore found it easier to smile for her. “Don’t worry. We’ll get all the answers we need, and you’ll be able to return to your life. You’re not missing your first day of classes. I swear it.”
“Oh, Izzie.” She sighed. “The only thing that matters to me is you not getting hurt. College and my life can wait.”
A hand covered his and Isidore’s smile grew. He already recognized Kairo’s touch.
“Don’t worry. You’re not in this alone,” Kairo told her in a firm voice. “We’re going to protect both of you the entire time. Neither one of you is going to get hurt.”
No. They weren’t alone anymore.
17
KAIRO JONES
Kairo shuffled across the kitchen to stand in the doorway leading to the dining room with a mug of fresh coffee in his hand. A slow smile spread on his lips as he listened to Isidore making a suggestion about how to keep the various teams moving through the house on the day of the party.
He was in awe of his boyfriend.
From their very first meeting, Isidore had always portrayed himself as nothing more than a frivolous dilettante who sort of floated through life, traveling, performing charitable good deeds, and looking after his sister.
Since Charlie approved the plan for the house party, Isidore had become a force of nature. With one quick call, Kairo had blueprints of the massive, two-story mansion on Santorini and plans for the existing security system.
After they got Isidore a replacement phone and logged him into his account while still shielding his location, the man lived on the phone for the first day. He talked to countless assistants and executives, issuing sharp, confident, decisive orders. It was a side of him Kairo had never expected to see, and it was something of a turn-on.
Tomorrow, they would all be heading to Athens to fly out on the private jet Isidore had arranged and landing on Santorini with all their gear. They would have five full days in the house to themselves to hide cameras and microphones as well as conduct a variety of walk-throughs to plan for any potential problems. The team would also be scouting the neighboring towns on the island. Gabriel and Justin were scheduled to arrive a day after them, and the party team was supposed to arrive a day earlier to set up for the event.
“I’m thinking we’ll close off this set of rooms here, but leave the doors unlocked here, here, and here,” Isidore explained, pointing at the spaces on the blueprint. “These will be the easiest rooms to set up with microphones and cameras. Plus, there is only one way in or out if they attempt to make a quick escape.”