Total pages in book: 154
Estimated words: 145091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
It would be nice to have something to talk about besides her job.
She’d started to wonder if Sandra’s “choose the boy” advice wasn’t actually about choosing herself.
“What did you expect, brother?” Owen asked. “You’ve been gone damn near a decade. Damon brought in new people, and they needed a place to stay. Were they supposed to keep it pristine in case you ever bothered to show up again?”
The red-haired hottie had a Scottish accent and was married to her “target.” Well, The Consortium’s target.
“I was told he would never show up again. Tag promised me.” A tall, dark-haired man with an upper-crust British accent stood at the door that likely led inside the inner parts of the building.
Jax gave Damon Knight a sunny smile as he followed Tucker. “Hey, Damon. Man, it’s good to see you. Where’s Pen and the rest of the crew?”
“My wife is at our country home.” Damon strode forward. “The boys are out of school for the week so she’s taken them up north to visit. Her brother and his husband live up there. Robert and Ariel moved into a flat in Westminster after their second child was born. Brody and Steph recently moved back to Australia to take care of his mum. I’m afraid the days of us all living together over a large sex club are over. Does that make anyone else feel old?”
“I am perfectly happy with our flat. No one ever raids it,” Hayley admitted. “And we’re still here in Chelsea, so a trip to The Garden is a ten-minute walk and an expensive babysitter away. And so many things make me feel old.”
Nick pulled his wife close. “You are timeless, dushka.”
“I will say I’ve come full circle and I enjoy a few days in my old apartments,” Damon admitted. “It’s nice for about forty-eight hours, and then I miss my family. We should make this quick.”
Kyle was the last to walk in. He had a duffel over his shoulder and looked around the old-world style lobby. “I was told this place was cool. It looks a lot like where I just was. Was this place a brothel, too? I’m telling you, man, my dishwashing days are over.”
“Ah, he might not have the Taggart DNA, but I know he’s related to Ian because of the words that come out of his mouth,” Damon said with a sigh. “I assure you I have plenty of dishwashers when the kitchen is open on play nights. Otherwise, you’re on your own, and I expect you all to clean up after yourselves. I’m the father of two boys. Don’t make me dad you. I can do it. I’ve been told my overbearing-father game is strong. As to Tucker’s room, I think you’ll find we’ve got one of our bodyguards living in there. He’s a six-foot-seven-inch former SAS officer. If you want to evict him, you should feel free to try.”
“Hey, I used to sleep on spanking benches,” Tucker replied with a nod, his decision made. “I’m good wherever.”
Jax was staring down at his tablet. “Yeah, we can stay wherever, but I probably need to set up my system. Is the big office space still open?”
“Do you have something?” She’d talked to her contact two days before, explaining she would be in England when the conference started.
“I’ve been tracking her on the Dark Web,” Jax said, never looking up. “I have some contacts I want to check with, too.”
Owen stepped over to look down at the tablet. “Is this the woman who wants Rebecca’s research?”
“It’s not merely a woman. You can’t think of it like that.” She needed to manage Owen’s expectations. The Scot had once worked for McKay-Taggart and Knight, but he’d been out of the business for years now. “She’s a representative of a group that wants to either steal your wife’s research or put an end to it.”
“Why would they want that? She’s on the cusp of changing the way we deal with degenerative brain diseases,” Owen said, still looking at the tablet.
“You know why, babe.” Dr. Rebecca Walsh let the door close behind her. She wore a blue cardigan over a white dress with bright yellow polka dots. She looked sunny and happy. Not at all like a woman who spent her time staring into microscopes should.
Or maybe exactly the way she should. She’d been thinking a lot about the talk she’d had with Sandra and Kim, and she’d come to some conclusions. Her father had known one life, and deep down he hadn’t thought he could be anything but a spy, so he hadn’t changed his lifestyle even when he’d had a kid. He’d thought that was the only life he had to offer her.
She didn’t have to make the same choice. Her father had actively advised her to leave the Agency. He’d wanted her to have a life, to explore the world.