Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 76029 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76029 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
"He showed me a picture, but he didn't give it to me."
"Okay. I know your sister was in the picture, but can you think of anything else that might have been in the background?"
"Arty, thank fuck. Sip & Smoke cameras," Huck demanded as Arty put his messenger bag on the counter, pulling out his laptop, already slipping out of the real world, and into his head.
"On it," he agreed. "When?"
We all looked back at Joss.
"Last night. Just after ten. And, no. The background was black in the picture. There was hardly enough light to see Betty."
"Betty. That's a pretty name. Do you have a picture of Betty?" she asked.
"I, ah, yeah," Joss agreed, going into his pocket for his phone, swiping through to find one, and turning to show us a pretty strawberry blonde with eyes much like his and a smattering of freckles over her nose and cheeks.
"Do you have any idea where your sister was when she was taken?"
"Home," Joss said.
"Did your mom or dad see anything? Anyone?"
To that, Joss snorted. "If either of them were even around, they'd have been too busy shooting up or withdrawing to notice anything or anyone. They haven't even realized she's gone," he added, voice rough. "I'm all she has. She's counting on me."
"I know. I know she is," Shy said, reaching for his hand again, squeezing it tightly. "But you're not all she has now. She has all of us. Do you know who the Henchmen are?" she asked, waving toward us.
"Not really."
"They're arms dealers. They do this kind of thing for a living. Dangerous stuff like this," she clarified since, clearly, we weren't in the business of saving kidnapping victims. "You have a lot of help now. And that guy," she said, stopping short of adding something to the effect of That you used as a human shield, "he is a really good hacker. So he is looking up your work, and is going to try to find footage of these guys. Which will give us a lot more to go on. Once we get that, they are going to go there and get Betty back, okay?"
"Okay," Joss said, reaching up to rub at his eyes with the palms of his hands.
Shy looked over at me, giving me a shrug.
You did good, I mouthed to her, reaching out to give her shoulder a squeeze.
"I'm sorry, man," Joss said, looking over at Arty. "Really, I am," he added when Arty just kept typing away at his laptop.
"Don't take it personally," Huck said. "He gets lost in his job. He doesn't even know you're still here."
"I feel so useless," Joss admitted.
"I know that feeling," Shy commiserated. "But it is better to leave it in their hands. I mean, I was just a nail tech. And you're just a clerk. We have no idea what we are doing."
"That's true," Joss admitted.
"Shy, why don't you go on upstairs and get a bag packed for you and your sister?" Huck suggested, making Shy whip around.
"What? Why?"
"Because you have to go home with Teddy," Huck explained.
"No. No, I want to stay here."
"Here isn't safe right now," Huck tried to reason with her. "You'll have more protection at Teddy's place."
"Sass is already packing up the kids," Che told her, trying to encourage her to just fall into line about it. To be fair, it was something Harmon, Sass, and the kids had been given some time to get used to the sudden trips to one of Teddy's penthouses or estates. The kids thought of it as a fun adventure. The women liked the pampering that Teddy provided. It was practically a vacation for them. But Shy and Belle hadn't gotten a chance to learn that yet.
"We will be fine here. There is the gate. And the security system."
"Babe," I called, reaching for her hand, pulling her with me toward the front of the house again.
"I don't want to go," Shy insisted, chin lifting.
"I get that, babe, I do. But I'm asking you to go along with this. It's safer for you."
"We'll be fine here."
"Babe, I'm not going to be able to focus on the job if I am worried about you," I told her, not above using a little guilt. "And I don't want to put my brothers at risk because of that."
To that, she exhaled hard. "Low blow," she accused. "But I get it. And you're right. I'm being difficult."
"You're not being difficult. You're comfortable here. But, babe, let me tell you, Teddy's place is like a fucking presidential suite. I will have a hard time prying you out of there when this is done."
"I doubt that. But I will get things ready. Hopefully, Belle doesn't freak out about this."
"I'm sure she will understand when you tell her the situation."
"Or she is disassociating and staring at the wall, thinking about what that poor little girl could be going through."