Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 36597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
“How long do we have?”
“Long enough for you to get a couple more hours.”
“Are your club brothers watching everything still?”
He grinned. “Yeah. They think we need babysittin’.”
She shrugged. “Then maybe we should both get some sleep.” She’d never admit it but waking up to him holding her while she slept had been the most peaceful feeling she’d ever known.
Shadow glanced at his phone, shot off a quick text. When it dinged with the reply, he grinned. “Yeah, sugar. We can do that.”
He handed her her clothes, and she put them back on. All but her socks and shoes. Then he settled her with her head on his chest and pulled the sleeping bag over them. It wasn’t long before Millie drifted off. No nightmares.
Chapter Six
The house was thrumming with energy. Millie lay on her belly where they’d perched on the landing in the bushes above the place watching. It was packed with people. Whatever had taken place, there was now a full-scale party going on.
“What do you think?” Shadow asked her opinion when Millie knew it wasn’t in his nature to do so. He was a take-charge kind of man. As he’d proven to her earlier that day. The mere random thought of their earlier sex made her blush and had a goofy smile tugging at her lips. She cleared her throat and grunted before answering.
“Doesn’t change plan,” she said. “If anything, will be easier to get inside.”
“Oh, yeah? How you figure?” Shadow didn’t sound disbelieving or irritated with her assessment. Just genuinely curious.
“With as many people as there are in house now -- and there’s got to be a couple hundred -- no way everyone knows everyone. We stick to plan. Same entry point. Your guy confirms she’s still in same place, da?”
“Yeah. Says he sees her moving around, occasionally skirting the edge of the maze but never venturing far.”
“Good. Only problem I see is exit. There may be people at exit door, even though no one can enter that way. I don’t see Victor leaving door unguarded with so many people around.”
“What do you want to do?”
“Stick to plan. We can communicate while I’m inside, da?”
“Wouldn’t agree to this otherwise,” Shadow growled. His displeasure was evident, though she had no idea why.
“This is a bad idea,” he muttered. Then heaved a sigh. “Fine. I’d say that, if things went sideways, you were to immediately abort and retreat, but I’d just be pissin’ in the wind. Ain’t gonna promise you I won’t go in and drag your ass out with or without your sister, though.”
“You won’t,” she said confidently.
“Oh yeah? Try me.”
“You don’t have it in you to abandon someone vulnerable and innocent. Especially not a child.”
He muttered something she couldn’t hear clearly but she was certain wasn’t at all flattering. “Just get in there and do what needs doing. I’ve got you covered.”
“Never thought you didn’t.”
“Just get in and out as quickly as you can. I’d hate to have to engage this thing and get us all killed.”
“If is just normal party, most will flee at first sign of real trouble. Some will gravitate to fighting but not if they feel they are in danger.”
“Good point,” he said, surprising her. She’d have thought he’d argue with her. While Shadow was a really dominant guy, he took suggestions very well. Most men she knew didn’t. “If it gets too hot, I’ll launch a grenade on the southwest end of the house.” He pointed in the general direction of where he indicated. “According to the layout, it’s the farthest point from where Katya is being held. If that happens, I’ll concentrate on that section. You’ll have to give me constant updates, so I don’t unintentionally bring guards down on the two of you.”
“Understood.” She stood, rechecking her body. She had room for two sidearms in shoulder holsters. Even those were questionable. “At some point. I might have to ditch my weapons.”
“Place can’t be that cramped. How would they get to her?”
“By dismantling the maze on the exit end.”
“How do they feed her?”
“Unknown. There is hole in ceiling three stories up. My guess would be that way, but I can’t be sure.”
“Any way to just lift her up from there?”
She shook her head. “Room above it is where Giovanni says security command is. No way to take out that many people without raising all kinds of flags.”
“Figured. Just making sure.”
“We good?”
“As we’ll ever be.”
“I’ll keep in touch with you in the maze and will talk you through the procedures I’m doing on Katya. I’ll need you to keep me as up-to-date as you can on the situation outside the exit.”
“Understood. Venus is watching, too. She’ll be watching out for us as well.”
Millie just nodded. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that, but knew it was for the best. Actually, no. She felt better knowing her big sister was watching out. No matter how much Venus shot her down, made her doubt her own worth, Millie still looked up to her big sister. She was the one with all the training. She was the one working for an important global paramilitary organization. Millie was a scrappy little punk making her living in illegal street fights.