Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 78534 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78534 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Oh my God. My stomach drops, knotting into a lump of tension. I knew Victor hated losing, but something like this? I'm just glad Anne and Bonnie aren’t here to worry about. They’ll be okay. I grip Tex's arm tightly, taking all the comfort I can from having him next to me.
"Jesus fuck," he rumbles.
"Is there any way to stop it?" Hellfire growls.
"Yes. It's why I'm risking a call, but you'll have to act fast. And it means breaking into Kane's estate before he realizes what you're up to."
Ghost snorts. "Assaulting what's basically a goddamn fortress doesn't seem realistic in so little time. There’s a reason we attacked him at his beach house."
"I know. And Jessica knows."
I'm so distracted by the sound of her voice that I'm caught off guard when she mentions me. "Me?" While everyone else is suddenly looking at me, I stare at the phone in confusion.
"There's no time to explain all of it, but I designed and coded the guidance system for that missile. It's why Kane came for me. But I put a backdoor in that missile control code. If someone gets close enough to send the right signal, it won't just abort the launch, but the missile will blow up. I was hoping for an opportunity to take out Kane with it. I have a remote in the lab keyed to the right sequence, but without a way to get out of here to get to the yacht, there's nothing I can do."
Mom's smart, I knew that, but this makes it sound like she's some kind of super hacker. No wonder Victor wanted her on his team. I guess it's too much to wish that Dad survived too.
"The lab's at the estate?" Riot asks.
"Kane likes to keep development close. Look, I have to go before they pinpoint my signal."
"We got no time to lose," Hellfire says. "Can you help us get in?"
"I can take out the alarm systems if you make a hole or two in the walls."
Skyhigh grins when she mentions that, like a kid given free reign at a self-serve ice cream shop. "Holes are my specialty. Be right back. Sinner, come help me carry!"
Mom continues, "I hate to say it, but the easiest way into the mansion itself is with Jessica. Her fingerprints should still be good for the scanners, and I can't access the system that controls that. The lab is in the locked down east wing of the mansion. You'll have to find your own way in there, where the remote is. And I am."
"In, out and done in a couple hours? Easy fucking peasy," Riot says dryly. "Fuck."
"I didn't say it would be easy. I’ll keep a presence on the security cameras. I should see you coming if I still have access. The faster you come, the more likely that is." Mom draws her breath as if to say more, then pauses. Then, "I have to go before they finish their traces. I'll hold out as long as I can. Jessica?"
"Mom?" My voice cracks.
"I love you. If I don’t make it out of here, I’m sorry."
Oh God. I was tense before, but now my chest goes painfully tight and the corners of my eyes are starting to burn. "Mom…"
The line goes dead as Skyhigh and Sinner return, carrying a couple of backpacks. Skyhigh hefts his happily. He might be the only one looking forward to this.
"Alright, no time to fucking lose!" Hellfire yells while I'm still staring at his phone. "We need volunteers to stick around, pass the word. If they are watching the compound we want it to look like we’ve just barely survived an attack. Ghost, pick your team for the assault on Kane. Everyone else, we want to tiptoe out of here like little church mice before we split up. Ghost’s team storms the estate, and the rest come with me to try and track down the yacht. I don’t know what we can do against a fucking missile, but it’s better than sitting around and waiting to roast marshmallows on what’s left of our side of the city. If we can rescue Cooper and Rebecca, fucking awesome, but the main priority is stopping Kane. Everything else is secondary. Are we clear?"
Ghost nods. "Skyhigh, round up three more guys. You're with me." Then he turns to us. "I don't wanna bring Jessica. It goes against every fiber of my fucking body."
"What?" I shake my head. "No, no, no! You heard her. You’ll need my fingers for the scanners."
"Technically I only need a finger. I'd rather have you ninety-eight percent safe than risk all of you," he growls back.
"Wha—wait. What are you suggesting?" I clench my hands into fists out of pure instinct.
Tex holds a hand up, stopping both of us. “Don’t be a smartass. Nobody’s cutting off fingers. We're bringing Jessica. It's not like she's safe here, if the whole neighborhood is going to be blown to hell."