Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 55220 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 221(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55220 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 221(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
“Yes,” she says, gathering our trash and sticking it in the backseat.
She says nothing else, and neither do I. The truth is, Jake was on a mission with Kurt when he died. They were close. He joined my team about the same time Kasey did. He was a good man, but I never shook the idea that he knew something about Kurt’s death and he didn’t tell us.
As if she’s read my mind, Ana says, “Could all of this be connected to Kurt’s death?”
Okay, she didn’t read my mind. Even if Kurt has a connection, this is ultimately about Kasey being dirty. The problem is she will do anything to avoid seeing his guilt, proven by the bullet I took to the gut and her willingness to look to Kurt before Kasey. “I'm not going to give you the answer you want, Ana.”
“Because you think my brother was dirty and all of this is about him.”
It’s not a question, so I don’t answer.
Silence rules for the rest of the drive.
Chapter Sixteen
LUCIFER
Darkness engulfs the vehicle, as does the rain pounding down on the windows with a force that takes me back to the night Kasey died. It was another rainy night, and we were in Egypt on a small airfield, transporting a princess under threat from one country to another. We’d intended to arrive a day early, meet with the family, and leave the next day, but bad weather and increasing danger to the princess had forced us to fly in, pick her royal highness up, and plan a rapid exit.
I believe that weather delay was ultimately why I found Kasey using me to run a second mission, working behind my back. It seemed that he was expected to do a transport to the States, and when he couldn’t get to the pickup location, the item was delivered to the small airstrip where we were about to depart. I’d just ensured the princess was inside the plane and comfortable when I’d done a headcount and realized Kasey and another man on our team, Trevor, were missing.
I draw a breath and relive what had come next as I have a thousand times in the last two years….
I exit the door to the jet to find the rain is now drizzling and there’s a black sedan sitting on the tarmac not far from the stairs where I now stand. Kasey is standing at the passenger door, his weapon is foolishly holstered while he leans over to speak to someone through an open window. The damn fool. The princess is a valuable commodity in these parts. He knows this. I scan for Trevor, but he’s out of sight, probably offering cover, which is no excuse for not communicating with me about the situation.
I use the walkie-talkie at my hip. “Jake, door. Cover me. Now.”
I don’t wait for his reply. Unease slices through me, an ominous blade that promises this situation is going nowhere good and fast. Hand on my weapon, I walk down the stairs, my legs eating away at the distance between myself and Kasey. I watch as Kasey accepts a small package from whoever he’s talking to, and that unease I’m feeling multiplies by ten. What the fuck is this? I’m a few steps from Kasey when he eases back and turns.
“What the hell is this?” I demand, stepping toe to toe with him.
“A necklace for Ana’s birthday.”
He’s full of shit. I step around him to the car window, which rolls up immediately. I turn back to Kasey, and the bastard punches me. I catch his arm before he can do it again. At this point, Jake’s figured out the car is a problem, and he and several of my men are surrounding the vehicle with guns aimed at our visitors. The doors fly open, and a cluster of way too many men for one car exit. I’m overwhelmed just long enough for Kasey to take off for the plane where the princess awaits.
I charge after him, the rain pounding down on us again, and by the time I catch up to him, he’s shot one of my men guarding the rear of the plane. My head is spinning. I can’t believe Kasey just shot one of our own. I grab him and turn him toward me, and we battle. He’s a good fighter, but he hasn’t seen the combat I have seen. He hasn’t lived to survive in the face of death the way I have lived to survive. At one point, I have him on the ground, and I’m on top of him, punching him.
“What the hell are you doing, Kasey?”
“I was bribed,” he says. “I had to pick up a package, or everyone I know dies.”
“Bullshit,” I grind out. “You shot one of our men.”
“Just let me up, and we’ll talk, man. Come on. We’re family.”