Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 36987 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 185(@200wpm)___ 148(@250wpm)___ 123(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36987 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 185(@200wpm)___ 148(@250wpm)___ 123(@300wpm)
Which was the end of poor Brad. He rushed over to his son, picked him up and wrapped him in his arms, crying as he hugged him.
“It’s okay, Dad,” he soothed his father, his arms around his neck. “We’re all fine now.”
Toby looked at Kurt. “I was afraid those guys were gonna kill the dogs, but then George came and everything was fine.”
“And you’re not worried it could happen again?”
He shook his head. “Not anymore. George said in the car on our way here that his friend would take care of any more bad guys, and you and Mom said that maybe we would have a bodyguard, but if George’s friend is going to take care of the bad guys, do we need more strangers in our house?”
A valid question.
Thomasin glanced at me. “I don’t know. Do we? I mean, we talked about having help before we stopped to see your friends at the airport.”
True. “You know, I don’t know the answer to that yet. We’ll have to see who’s left over once Isaak is done.”
“Isaak is a cool name,” Toby imparted. “But it doesn’t sound scary.”
I nodded.
“George, have you killed a lot of people?” Dennis wanted to know.
“I have. In combat. Not like I did yesterday.”
“Is it different when you’re being a soldier?”
“It is,” I told him solemnly. “I do what I do to defend my country and people who can’t defend themselves.”
“Do you only save Americans?” Toby asked me.
“No. My team and I just recently saved a Polish reporter.”
“Oh, I know where Poland is.”
“Oh yeah? That’s good. How about China?”
He nodded.
“What about Belarus?”
His brows furrowed. “No. Can you show me on a map?”
“I can. Go check the bookshelves under the stairs,” I directed him. “I think there might be an atlas over there.”
“An atlas is a book of maps, right?”
“That’s right.”
Toby left to find the atlas, and Dennis walked over and took a seat next to me, leaning on my bicep, which was starting to turn into a habit with him.
“I hope your friend takes care of the bad people so we don’t have to have a bodyguard. I wouldn’t want someone to get hurt because of me.”
“I feel the same way, buddy.”
“I don’t want you and Uncle Kurt to go home.”
“How come?”
“Because you take care of all of us, and Uncle Kurt brings his dogs and your cat and makes me midnight snacks we don’t tell Mom about.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Thomasin asked her son.
“Midnight snacks are the best, Mom, and Uncle Kurt makes great s’mores.”
“S’mores,” she said, glaring at Kurt.
“Oh, come on, like you don’t like a midnight treat every now and then.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said, sounding guilty as hell.
I was starting to enjoy being around family. “I can’t wait to meet your mother next time I come,” I told Brad.
If looks could kill, I’d be a very dead man.
Everyone had gone up at midnight but me. I took that time to call Chris on the satellite phone.
“I know it’s nine in the morning here,” Chris groused, “but I’m on my way to mass, you heathen.”
“How can you go to church?”
“For absolution,” he explained.
“I think that’s a bit hypocritical.”
“When you’re my age, kid, we’ll talk about it.”
I had no idea what that meant.
“Why are we talking, Hunt?”
“I haven’t heard anything.”
“That’s because things got slightly complicated.”
“As in…?”
“Turns out, Vladek is related to Isaak.”
“Oh shit.”
“I know, right? Crazy.”
“So what does that mean?”
“It means Isaak had to get permission from one of his uncles or something—I wasn’t really listening—before he could put a bullet in the guy.”
“Did you ever think that maybe he doesn’t want to kill one of his cousins or whatever to help me and my family?”
“Sorry?”
“Did it occur to you that maybe he doesn’t want to kill someone in his family just to protect mine?”
“I don’t think I heard you.”
“Are you going deaf, old man? I said that my family might not be as—oh shit,” I groaned, realizing suddenly what he was doing.
“Your family? Is that what you said?”
“Why are you doing this to me?”
“Because, Hunt, you actually used the word. I thought I was gonna pass out.”
“Could you not be you for just a second?”
He chuckled. “Listen, Isaak couldn’t give a shit about who’s sharing his DNA—it doesn’t matter to him. Those bridges went down in a fire years ago. He has a set number of people he cares about, which includes me, Jared and Jing, Darius, and Rahm Doud, of all people.”
I’d read Rahm Doud’s dossier years ago. He too was a scary man.
“I fuckin’ hate Doud,” Chris muttered.
This was news.
“But see, Isaak likes him, which is why I can’t put a bullet in that fucker.”
I chuckled. “Aren’t you walking into church?”
“Don’t concern yourself with what I’m doing. I’m just telling you why all this took a minute longer than it should’ve.”