Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 144571 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 723(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 482(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 144571 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 723(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 482(@300wpm)
This had seemed so simple half a day ago, but now he had questions. He also had a part to play. “She’s not my mom, so no. My loyalty is to my brother. He’s the one who came and found me. And to her. My loyalty is always to Kala.”
“To that psychopath?” Lena asked the question with a roll of her eyes. “That’s what she is. She has sociopathic tendencies. All it would take for her to become a true monster is a loss. Do you have any idea what she’s capable of?”
He did. Love. She was capable of loving deeply, of sacrifice. She was capable of making him laugh and feel safe. She was capable of being anything she wanted to be. He wasn’t about to explain any of that to this woman who’d abused her trust so mightily. He was easily as angry with her as he was with Huisman. One tortured her body and the other her soul. Lena made her feel less, and he hated her for it. But he had to play a long game. “The heart wants what the heart wants.”
She sneered down at him. “Well, what your heart wants is currently being experimented on. Like the animal she is. Honestly, I hope Manny kills her. He’s treating her like some exotic animal he wants to tame, but she’s feral. She’ll always kill. Like her parents.”
Zach growled a low warning.
Cooper needed it because his instinct was to get to his feet and make a run for the house. She was in pain, and the idea of it nearly floored him.
He took a long breath, checking his emotions. Getting his ass shot wouldn’t help anyone at this point. But he could fuck around with Lena since now he knew the whole story. Big Tag had opened the files and let him read everything he had on the very dead Eli Nelson. “Like Charlotte took out your asshole father?”
Lena gasped and backhanded him, smacking him right across his jaw.
It tickled. Now if his baby had done it, she would have used her fist and he would be seeing stars. But Lena didn’t spend the same time in the gym.
Zach snorted. “You okay, brother?”
Cooper shrugged. “I’ll forego the tears. I find it interesting that the doctor here is more than willing to give up her career and likely her freedom to get revenge for a dude who knocked up her mom and left. You do understand those stories your mother told you were so you wouldn’t know what a shit stain your dad actually was. He was a traitor to his country.”
“At least I had a mother.” Lena seemed to want to take the mean-girl route.
“My mother is doing well, no thanks to you.” Cooper wasn’t about to back down now. If she wanted to slap him again, he could use the massage. Huisman needed to find more terrifying minions. “And the woman who gave birth to me cared enough to spare me what could have been a difficult childhood. My biological aunt cared enough to find the best family she could.”
When he thought about it, it didn’t seem like a cold, calculated move. It felt like a loving sacrifice.
And one he was deeply grateful for.
“Well, Mommy’s going to be in a world of hurt soon,” Lena said with obvious superiority. “And I’m giving up nothing. I’m taking my place in the new world order Dr. Huisman is going to bring about. I’m going to have a special position in the organization.”
“I bet you will,” Zach agreed. “He respects you.”
Cooper snorted. “Huisman hates women. He’ll use her and toss her on the garbage heap, likely as a corpse.”
“You know nothing,” Lena practically snarled.
His brother’s narrowed eyes spoke volumes about his irritation. “There’s a reason you’re usually behind the scenes. Dude, when we’re dealing with a delusional person who also has a bunch of armed guards at her side, we agree with everything they say. She wants to believe she’s going to be a queen? Here’s to your crown, girl. See. It’s simple. We both know Huisman’s killing her tonight because her usefulness is over. Can’t you give her a couple of good hours?”
Oh, his brother was a dick. Cooper liked this side of Zach. He looked back at Lena. “You’re going to look great in a crown.”
“My usefulness is not over,” she said with a huff.
Now he saw what his brother was trying to do. Sow discord. Take a page out of Huisman’s book and create chaos. “You were his insider at the Agency. Maybe not the only one, but you were his eyes and ears, at least in your department. You won’t be able to go back. You have to know we have video footage of you taking Devi Taggart. You missed a camera. We have a few in the trees on the walk up to the club.” He was lying, but it was a good idea he intended to bring up at the next meeting of the board of The Hideout. “It’s been sent to Drake Radcliffe, who’s probably already talked to his bosses.”