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)
So that was his play. He was going to be charming again. Well, it had worked once, so it wasn’t a bad plan. It wouldn’t work again, but he probably had a low opinion of her IQ and instincts.
“I don’t consider it wasted. I spent that time on an important mission that now I have to walk away from because your ego can’t handle stepping aside and letting me do my job.” She stood, sick to death at what she might have to do. “Kim, I know you agreed to work another couple of days, but I think I’m done here.”
Kim’s eyes had gone wide. “I think you should at least wait until Big Tag gets here. If you’re walking away, you have to bring everyone up to speed on the op. We can’t do anything if you’re unwilling to even talk to the team you’re handing this off to.”
“I will answer any questions Mr. Taggart has.” Didn’t she get some time to think? Obviously not. Drake was here and all of her power was gone. She was supposed to be the head of this op, but naturally some man had walked in and decided he knew more than she did, had more of a stake than she did.
Was she willing to walk away?
“Why don’t we take a walk and talk about this?” Kim offered.
It was an excellent idea. Kim was the voice of reason, but she didn’t want reason right now. She’d worked herself up to start this mission, and now it was falling apart around her.
“Or she could sit down with me and we could talk this out.” Drake poured himself a cup of coffee. “If we’re going to work together, we should probably talk like adults.”
She didn’t like the accusation that she hadn’t been an adult up to this point, but perhaps it was time to talk to him. “Fine. You should talk fast.”
She strode out of the dining room and into the hall, Drake hard on her heels.
“I did not come here to step on your toes, Taylor. And I’m truly sorry about your father. I was going off what Brad told me at the time. We seem to have both misunderstood the situation.”
“Yes, I can see this is my fault, too.” Asshole.
“I didn’t mean it like that.” He moved quickly to get in front of her, stopping her before she made it to the stairs. “I meant you’re under the assumption that our relationship was about gathering intel, and nothing could be further from the truth.”
“Did you know my father was under investigation? When you went into the comms room the day after you got to the safe house, did anyone mention my father?” She was sure they had since her initial interrogators had told her they hadn’t gotten any real information out of Drake. She’d heard them talking. But she suspected Drake wouldn’t tell her the truth.
He went silent for a moment, and his head hung slightly, a weary expression. He glanced down the hallway and then gently gripped her elbow, guiding her into the room to her left. He opened the door and ushered her inside. “Yeah. They mentioned it. My tech always has her ear to the ground, and she gives me every piece of information she can. It’s what makes her valuable. But that doesn’t mean I act on every rumor or bit of intelligence she gives me.”
The lights sputtered on, a soft blue coating the room. He’d found one of the playrooms, of course. This one was done in greens and blues, with soft surfaces all around and a gilded cage in the center that would likely hold several naughty subs. They could be held there for various infractions or held there before they were “auctioned” off for the night. All in all, it looked like a fun place to play.
Drake didn’t look around. All of his attention was on her. “After you told me you were planning on getting out, I didn’t consider you as any kind of a threat.”
It was nice to know he could be honest about some things. “And my father?”
“You are not your father,” he said quietly. “You weren’t then and you aren’t now.”
“No, I’m not, but I assure you I am every inch his daughter.” She’d been planning on proving it to everyone.
“Do you honestly think he would want you involved in something this dangerous?” Drake asked, his tone going gentle. “Do you think he would want to put you in this position?”
Her father had taught her how to work tech for him when she was twelve. “I think he prepared me for the world he lived in. Are you going to tell me I’m incompetent now?”
The blue from the lights above shaded his expression. What would he look like walking through this space in leathers?