Total pages in book: 154
Estimated words: 145091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
He didn’t have time. Luckily The Garden had protocols. He pulled the keycard he’d been given when he’d gotten here. “My name is Drake Radcliffe. This is about Mr. Knight’s other business.”
Her shoulders straightened immediately, and she ran his card without another word. She picked up the receiver to the hardline telephone and stated the proper code before hanging up. “He’ll meet you at the door, Mr. Radcliffe. Should I put the club in lockdown?”
Oh, he would bet she was either military or law enforcement of some kind since the words were said without a hint of panic. “I want to keep things quiet for now. Do you have a record of who’s left the building in the last two hours?”
She opened the laptop that was sitting on the front desk and started typing. “I’m showing a group left here forty minutes ago. I would need to get on the garage security system to find the names and the security cameras. Sorry. We keep that on a closed system in case we need to quickly get rid of files.”
Because The Garden had been raided before, and Knight would do what it took to prevent bad actors from harming his people. “I can run down there after I find Kyle.”
The door from the dungeon came open and Damon Knight walked through. He was in leather pants but the white T-shirt he had on let everyone familiar with the man know he wasn’t playing that evening. “Drake, I’m glad you’re here. We didn’t want to tell you too much over text because you weren’t on a secure line. The op is going down tonight.”
His gut tightened. “Where is Taylor? Tell me she isn’t with Brad.”
Knight’s brows came together. “Of course she is. He’s her handler. I overheard them briefly talking about how they were going to run logistics. Jax and Tucker went separately, but Taylor left in a car with Kyle and Brad.”
“I need a car. I need to get to that hotel as soon as possible, and I need to know the route they took.” Adrenaline was starting to pump through his body. He needed to get to her.
Knight pulled his cell and touched a number. “Yes, Nick. I need you to get to the hotel. You are? Excellent. I’ll be in contact soon.” He hung up. “Nick is already on his way, and Owen and Rebecca have been informed that this is going down tonight. They’ll stay out of their room.”
“Taylor called Nick and Owen?”
Knight’s head shook. “Nick told me Brad contacted him to let him know they were on the move and by the time Nick got in contact with Owen, Brad had called him as well.”
Why would Brad call them? Yes, they’d talked about bringing them all in, but why go to the trouble of sidelining Drake if he was going to turn around and tell a man who acted like Taylor’s uncle where they were going? Nick would protect Taylor. For that matter so would Kyle.
“What’s going through your head?” Knight asked, starting for the door again. He led Drake through and made a beeline for the exit that took them out to the garage. “It’s obvious something’s got you rattled. We were all surprised but we knew we wouldn’t be given much of a heads-up when it came time to go. It’s in The Consortium’s best interest to keep things quiet until they’re ready.”
Yes, he understood that rationale, but it was obvious to him that Brad had ensured he wouldn’t be around when the op went down. “I was meeting with my longtime tech. We had a side job to do while we were here. I needed a plausible reason to be in London in case anyone asked. That timeline got moved up this evening, and after a while I managed to get Lydia to confess that Brad was the one who asked her to distract me.”
Knight fished his key card out and got them through the door to the garage. “Please bring around the Benz, and I need to be equipped.”
The two guards who’d been standing at the desk moved to do Knight’s bidding.
“You think Brad is up to something?” Knight asked.
There was another scenario to consider. “Or Lydia is lying.”
Knight nodded as one of his guards handed him a shoulder holster. “Yes. She could be lying. Are you suspicious of Brad?”
Drake pulled his cell and quickly sent a text to Kyle.
Keep eyes on Brad.
“I haven’t been. He and I joined around the same time, though we came from two different places. I have to wonder if he doesn’t resent me for moving up easily because of my father.”
Knight secured the holster and checked his weapon before sliding it in and taking the jacket the guard offered. “I would assume he would want to make you look bad or himself to look good. That could be why he would cut you out. He could want a good op without you being able to claim any credit.”