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)
“Well, we have a problem unless you memorized the… You know it,” Devi said with a sigh. “Do you know all of them?”
“All of the major ones,” Kala admitted. “The best way to get away from any bad guy is to break out before the fight ever starts. When the lock comes open, you’re going to run. To our left is a secret door that leads to tunnels. They’ll take you roughly half a mile from here, but I need you to be ready because there’s likely a guard on the other side. I’m hoping Zach is about to create some chaos and my team is going to swoop in. That should mean the guard leaves his post in an attempt to help his fellow guards, or the fucker flees when he realizes it’s going bad. Whatever happens, you keep running. My parents will find you.”
“I’m not leaving you here.”
Such a pain in her ass. “I can’t run, Dev. I can’t walk. The paralytic he gave me is strong, and I’ll probably be like this for at least another hour. We don’t have time. The guard could be back any second. Do it.”
“I’ll carry you out if I have to,” Devi muttered but got back to the task.
Kala looked to the monitors. She was starting to get some control over her extremities. She could wiggle her fingers and toes and keep her neck level. She hated this, hated feeling useless. How did she explain to Devi that being forced to sit here and watch her get hurt was far worse than having it happen to herself? How was she going to get her cousin to leave without her? “You know I think you’re a bitch, right? I don’t like you. I think you’re stupid and you’re the reason we’re here.”
“Not going to work.” Devi didn’t look back, merely knelt there, her fingers moving over and over the small base of the locking mechanism. “You love me. Though the stupid part I might agree with you over, and I’ll use the whole ‘you’re the reason we’re here’ against you for the rest of our lives. Other people might think you’re some heartless bitch, but I’m your cousin. I know exactly who you are, Kala Taggart.” She turned suddenly, and a smile was on her face. She looked so much like her mother, but that smile was all Theo Taggart. “Hey, now I don’t have to let you punch me in Female Fight Club. You already punched me. You punched my feelings.”
Damn it. Why had she listened to Lena? Lena had her believing the world was afraid of her, and no one was. It was kind of insulting but also true. And a problem. “You have to leave. Zach will have more options if he knows you got away.”
“Why is he here?” Devi asked.
“Because he loves you,” Kala replied.
“He does no…” Devi stopped. “I have it.”
Kala steeled herself. She could see the guard on the camera. He was moving through the kitchen, but he stopped to talk to another guard. Out in the foyer, Huisman seemed to be saying something to Lena. “Ease the pin under it and find the indentation. You need to push the pin inside and with enough force that the battery pack on the side slides out.”
“Can I pull the battery?” Devi asked.
“No. After thirty seconds the lock will shut down, and then you need the owner code. I’m counting on the fact that almost no one understands they have to change both codes. The lock code is easy to change. The battery and manufacturer reset code can be changed, but it takes some work. So we’re hoping whoever set this up isn’t as good as McKay-Taggart guys.”
“So I push this and have thirty seconds and I can’t actually see the keypad since it’s on the other side.” Devi neatly summed up the problem.
“Yes. You have to do it backward. I can visualize it. When the battery pack comes out, put your finger on the bottom row, center. That’s the zero. I’ll guide you through the rest, but you have to be careful. If you hit the wrong key, reset is bottom right, and we’ll try again. We might get three shots at this.”
“I’ll get it right,” Devi promised. There was a slight whirring sound. “I’m ready.”
Kala began telling her the code, though not in numbers but in key positions. All the while she watched the monitors.
That was when Lena threw her hands up and followed two guards who Huisman had just obviously given orders to.
Cooper’s eyes had flared. Zach had gone stiff. Something was wrong.
They were coming.
“I’m sorry,” Devi said. “I must have done something wrong. I reset the keypad.”
Kala began again, her mouth moving while her eyes watched the slow-rolling tragedy that was coming their way. Huisman was playing hardball, and that meant someone was going to be in pain or worse. He’d threatened to take Carys’s fingers off one by one the last time he had the team in this position.