Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 24538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 123(@200wpm)___ 98(@250wpm)___ 82(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 123(@200wpm)___ 98(@250wpm)___ 82(@300wpm)
I grinned, then gave her a deep, passionate kiss. “I have to go,” I muttered when I reluctantly tore my mouth from hers. “Be good.”
“Semper fortis, sailor.”
Damn, I loved her. “Always Courageous” was the unofficial Navy motto.
“Hooyah,” I murmured before giving her one last kiss and forcing myself to walk away.
I stared at the meadow below as Merrick took the helo into the air. I’d hiked nearly two miles from the cottage to the spot where he’d told me he’d land and pick me up.
“That kid better not have screwed us,” I yelled into my headset over the whomp whomp of the blades. I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at the morning sun peeking over the horizon. “Or his ass will be swimming with Davy Jones.”
After the hour-long flight, Merrick brought the helicopter down at a private airport, where Kade, Stirling, and Huntley were waiting for us.
“How reliable is this kid?” I asked as we all piled into an oversized black SUV.
Kade was driving, and he glanced over at me in the front passenger seat. “I’m pretty sure he did what he was told. The kid might be a junkie and an idiot, but he loves his sister and doesn’t want to see her hurt.” He was quiet as he turned onto the highway and headed south. Then he added, “Besides, he seems to think we’re handing him a ‘get out of being murdered free’ card. He jumped at the chance to save his ass. And Phoebe’s.”
“You explained to him that this comes with a price?” I asked, although I was confident they had. Unfortunately, the kid probably hadn’t heard everything they’d said after the part about us taking care of the man who wanted to kill him for stealing ten grand worth of cocaine.
“Yeah.”
“Punk forgot all about that part, right?”
Kade rolled his eyes. “If he even understood it. I don’t know if this kid had a brain before he fried it with drugs, but from what we’ve seen, he’s a few boats short of a fleet.”
Once they’d sobered up Paul, they’d explained the goatfuck he was in and made him an offer—get us in touch with Bartman and we’d take care of the problem. But he also had to agree to go to rehab. One of my choosing.
An old friend of mine was a former BUD/S instructor, and after his son died of an overdose, he decided to open a rehab center. But this place was like being sent to military school. He got the shit out of their systems, then showed them how to keep their minds and bodies in shape. He taught them discipline, pride, and how to rely on the right people to help you when you faltered. It wasn’t the right place for everyone, but his patients' relapse rate was amazingly low.
Then when Paul was out of rehab, he had to be tested for drugs every three months for three years. If he failed any one of those tests, we’d have his ass thrown in jail for dealing. Even if I had to plant that shit on him myself.
The only reason I was helping the guy was because Sage loved Phoebe and wouldn’t want to see her hurt. But I would not let that dumb fuck put Sage, Phoebe, or anyone else at risk again.
Kade turned the SUV into the parking lot of a free clinic and drove into one of the empty spaces. When he shut it off, we all exited the vehicle and headed toward the entrance.
“We’re having him tested for all kinds of shit,” Huntley informed me.
It was a smart move. Jacob—the owner of the rehab center—wouldn’t let Paul in the door if he was carrying anything that would harm the other patients.
But that didn’t explain why we were here. “Didn’t he give you the information on the meeting?”
Merrick shared a look with Kade before answering. “Bartman wanted proof that Paul would be there. Alone.”
“What the fuck?” I sputtered.
Stirling chimed in. “I know the plan was to go in Paul’s place, but Bartman is sending a goon to scout the situation before he’ll show up.”
“He wants to know Paul’s exact location. He’s covering his ass with a sniper,” I presumed.
“That’s our assumption as well,” Kade agreed.
“I told Sage we weren’t going to use Paul as bait.”
Merrick shrugged. “That’s why we didn’t tell you until now.”
“I don’t think she’s going to be really happy with that distinction,” I muttered.
“You want her safe. This is the way it's got to be,” he replied.
We were approaching the clinic entrance, so we stepped off to the side to finish our discussion. “Okay, so other than using Paul as a lure, how will this work?”
“I’ll go early and find a perch. I’ll spot his guy when he sets up.” Huntley had special training in Snipers and Advance Air Operations. No one was better to cover our sixes from above. “I’ll fire a warning shot at him before Bartman shows up. If he doesn’t back off, I’ll take him out. Once Bartman is dead, his second in command won’t give a shit what’s going down. These guys are only loyal until the payday stops. Then you can reason with the FNG.”