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)
Was his mom right about Lydia? Lydia did sometimes seem to take too much of an interest in his life. He’d kind of thought she was just nosy and bored, and it was hard for people who worked for the Agency to find friends, so she hung on to him because he was safe to talk to.
He glanced down at his phone again. He wanted to call Taylor and order her to go to one of the dungeon’s privacy rooms and touch herself, to pretend it was his hand sliding under her panties and stroking her clit.
She was probably working, but didn’t she deserve a break? He could imagine what she would say to Brad. She did not have a lot of fucks to give, and he kind of loved that about her. She would tell Brad her top had called and she needed to go masturbate so he didn’t get spanky on her when he finally came home.
Home? He was home—at least in the academic sense of the word, but he was starting to think home was wherever that woman was.
Suddenly it was important to get to her. He’d spent days without her, and every second of it he’d felt his aloneness with the exception of the times he’d been able to talk to her. He’d gone over thirty years without being so aware of his singularity in the universe.
Except that one day in the park with the girl who was growing up the way he had. It had been the first time he’d actually longed for a friend.
“You look like you could use a drink.”
He stopped as a feminine hand slid a drink in front of him.
Whiskey sour with a single maraschino cherry because they deserved some sweet to go with the sour.
It was what she’d made for him after most missions. After a while she’d made them for Kyle, too. It was one way she’d made them feel like they were a family.
Fuck.
“Hello, Julia.”
His heart threatened to seize as she moved around him, her own drink in hand. She settled into the seat his mother had been sitting in. She wore a chic sheath dress, killer heels, and another woman’s face.
“Hey, baby brother. How is Mom doing?” Julia’s long blonde hair was in a neat bun on her head, and her green eyes were now covered by blue contacts. She looked like Jane Adams—the woman whose life she’d taken over as cover.
“Well, Mom is freaked out because someone called her. I thought you were looking for money, but you couldn’t find me, could you? That stunt was all about getting me right here so we could have this conversation.” And he’d fallen for it. “You know you could have called.”
“So you could ping me around the world and I would have no idea where you are? Besides, maybe I missed my little brother.” She took a sip of her drink. “It was a good bet that Mom would call her precious baby boy and you would trot right back home because you’re the good son. She always comes to her club, so I knew you’d show up here eventually. Tell me, did Lydia do the work on the cover-up? She’s not as good as she thinks, you know. She’s one of those mediocre loyalists the Agency loves so much.”
“I’ll let her know you like her work.” He wasn’t about to tell his sister someone else had done that work. It was far better to let her underestimate his team.
Julia frowned his way. “You can drink it. It’s not poisoned, you know.”
He glanced down at his drink. “Well, you’ve been known to lie, so I think I’ll pass.”
She groaned, a frustrated sound he remembered from his childhood. “I’m not trying to kill you, Drake. You’re my brother. I felt bad about calling Mom but Dad changed his number, and I got the feeling you wouldn’t meet with me.”
“Oh, I would have met with you.”
“Yes, with a lot of guns, I suspect.” She sat back, considering him. “You were in LA, weren’t you? You worked with Kayla Summers and blew up that asshole’s satellite, didn’t you? I didn’t see you. You’re very good, brother.”
It had been a way to distract the bad guy so the rest of the group could find where Julia had taken MaeBe and Maddie. He’d enjoyed his work that night. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Did you have something to do with Nolan Byrne and his company tanking? Which member of your group wanted him gone?”
Her eyes rolled. “Sure you weren’t involved. You’ve never even heard of that op. The Agency doesn’t work on American soil. I’ve heard that one before. Fine. I do understand you not being willing to give me any information.”
He had some questions of his own. “Was Dr. Blumenthall the last of the doctors who knew who you were? I assume that you got close to Byrne so you could gain access to the doctor.”