Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 67553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
“How did he get to Cayden, though?” Dima asked, brows creased. “Cayden has just as much, if not more, protection than you do.”
“Right place, right time?” I guessed. “I don’t know. I’ll ask him in a bit.”
“Okay then.” Milena leaned forward. “Tell us about Brecken.”
I felt my eyelid twitch. “Milena.”
“Come on,” she begged. “I like her a lot. I know that’s who it is.”
“I don’t think now’s the best time to bring someone into my life after what I just heard from Artur,” I admitted. “So it’s likely not going anywhere.”
“Or.” Dima crossed his arm over his much larger than it used to be chest. “This guy could target her. What’s his name, by the way?”
“Gabriel Stone,” I heard answered from the hallway. “And yes, he’s very much aware of her. Though, I don’t think, in any correlation to Shasha. He knew they were friends, and he thinks that if he can get her alone, then he’ll find out where his baby is.”
I glanced behind Dima to see Cayden coming into the room.
“Thanks for finding me,” he grumbled. “And now I have to go back home and clean house.”
“What happened?”
Cayden glanced at me, then looked away. “A fuck up on my part that I’ll be fixing as soon as I get home.” He paused. “The guy, Gabriel Stone, came to me hoping that I’d help him get to you. When I refused, he left. But not before saying he’d be leaving me an incentive package. I didn’t know what he meant until you called and said your men were missing. When I found out about the men, I went to investigate and found out I have a few rats that were willing to be bought. When I went about dealing with them, that’s when I let you know there were issues to be dealt with. As soon as I was off that phone call with you, two of my own guards assumed that I’d just warned you and decided to act then instead of their predetermined time with Stone. They stunned me and I woke up in that old cruise ship.”
“Awesome,” I drawled. “How many rats do you have, Cayden?”
His eyes went dark. “More than I should.”
“Are you staying the night?” he asked.
“No,” he said. “That’s all I have to share right now.” He paused. “But can I borrow a few guns?”
I nodded. “Find Alexi.”
Cayden left without a goodbye, leaving me with three very curious pairs of eyes staring at me.
“You helped her, and now you’re on some psychopath’s hit list?” Dima guessed.
“The guy’s a real piece of work,” I admitted. “We damn well know that he was responsible for running her down. I think, at first, he wasn’t aware that she wasn’t pregnant anymore. But eventually he found out after the autopsy. At least, I assume. He must’ve put two and two together with me living on this block and her missing a baby. It’s not like I keep it a secret on where I live.”
“Maybe you should have,” he grumbled.
“If they know where I live, they won’t come looking for y’all,” I pointed out. “He’ll just assume that we’re all together.”
“We’ll be on the same block soon,” Milena pointed out. “I mean, that is the point of all the stupidly secure houses you are building, correct?”
“Maybe I need to rethink having you so close,” I grumbled.
“Just put an electric fence around everything,” Dima drawled. “That’s how the Air Force keeps us in and everyone else out.”
Dima had joined the Air Force after he’d graduated from college with his bachelor’s degree in criminology and psychology. He’d been away at boot camp and then advanced training after that, for the last year and a half. We’d gone up to see him, but this was the first time he’d been home in all that time.
And he had gotten big, Milena was right.
He’d put on a lot of muscle, finally growing out of his young man body into his actual body that put him in ‘full grown man’ territory.
“You can’t put a fence around the lake.” I snorted. “But we will eventually have a gated subdivision type thing going on once all of the construction is finished.”
“What are you going to do about this man?” Nastya asked. “Catya is so happy with Cassius and Faina.”
Faina and Cassius had named their new charge Catya, after Polina’s mother.
“They’ll continue to be happy with her,” I said as I stood up. “As for the rest…I don’t know. But I’ll figure it out.”
“And the girl that you’re hiding?” Dima asked, eyes alight. “What are you going to do about her?”
I thought about that for a long moment before saying, “I’ll bring her to dinner Sunday night. Try not to ruin it for me, though. Maybe learn some manners between now and Sunday.”
There was snickering as I left, my destination a certain someone’s school.