Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 90685 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90685 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
“You look like you’re about to fall asleep,” I say to him. “Why don’t you go to bed. I’ll be in there soon. Saint, show Dylan where we can sleep.”
I like Saint. He’s always one to follow orders without talking back. Dylan goes without a fight as well, so he must be even more exhausted than I thought.
As soon as they disappear down the hallway, Iris turns to me.
“You have a plan, don’t you? That’s why you sent your boyfriend to bed.”
The usual argument that Dylan is not my boyfriend doesn’t even try to pass my lips. “Not so much a plan as much as a base to work off, thanks to Saint.”
“Okay, so what’s first?”
“We get Domino on the line.” I get my phone, placing it on the coffee table in front of us and switching it to speaker when I hit Call. As soon as it clicks over, I talk before he gets the chance. “You at home or the office?”
“Home. You find a place to stay yet?”
“Yeah,” Iris says. “Daddy has come to stay with his favorite.”
I point at him. “You’re not allowed to call me Daddy.”
“But Rodriguez can?”
Domino cuts off my retort. “Really? Iris? Out of all your employees, you chose to go stay with Iris?”
“He owed me a favor, and I didn’t want to put the others out. I’m considerate like that.”
Iris glares at me.
Saint returns, squeezing Iris’s shoulder affectionately as he passes to take his seat again.
I sometimes worry that bending my no-fraternization rules for them wasn’t the smart thing to do because it could put the entire team at risk while on missions, but I only have to see them together to know how bonded they are. If I told them to choose between Mike Bravo or each other, there’s no doubt in my mind I’d lose them as employees, and Iris is one of my best. Smart mouth and all. And Saint, he’s proving his worth more and more every day.
“Trav has a plan,” Iris says.
“A sort of plan. How soon can you get everyone over here?” I ask Domino.
“How urgent is it?” Domino yawns. “I can call everyone in right now.”
I check the time. It’s getting late. “No, first thing works. We should all get some rest because it might be a while before we’ll get another chance for some shut-eye once everything is in motion.”
“Done,” Domino says. “See you all at the ass crack of dawn.”
He ends the call, but Iris is having none of that rest talk.
“I can get started on logistics. What do you want to do?” He’s always eager to get into the action.
I grin. “We give them what they want.”
Saint and Iris glance at each other in confusion. “We what?” Saint asks.
“We can use their bug to our advantage. With any luck, this doesn’t go much deeper than it already is, but a special agent in charge at the DEA is already deeper than I like.” I realize the last few words of my sentence a little too late. “Iris, don’t even think about doing a ‘that’s what he said’ joke.”
Iris mimes locking his lips.
“The sac is in too deep,” Saint mutters.
“You’re a bad influence,” I say to Iris.
“I think you have that wrong. I’m an excellent influence. Saint no longer has army ass thanks to me.”
“Do I want to know what army ass is?”
Saint chuckles. “Being so uptight the stick up your ass doesn’t even fit anymore. According to Iris, I had that for years until we got together. I argue it was more the near-death experience that changed everything, but, you know, I have to pick my battles.”
“Okay, let’s all get some rest, and we’ll start bright and early in the morning.” I stand.
Princess is on her dog bed, and she lifts her head when I walk by her, so I pat her head and say good night to her.
When I get to Iris’s guest bedroom, Dylan’s not asleep like I was hoping. He’s sitting on the edge of the bed, with dark circles under his eyes. He looks so tired, so defeated, so I do the only thing I can think to do to get him to go to sleep.
I strip down to my boxers, pull back the covers on the bed, and urge him to join me.
Dylan doesn’t bother getting undressed. He just curls into my side with his head on my shoulder, and I hold him until he drifts off.
Shit is about to get real because I’m done running from Walker. It feels like he’s been one step ahead this whole time. I’m used to being the predator, not the prey.
Running has been a necessity to keep Dylan safe, but now they’re bugging my house and coming after me on my property. Lines have been crossed, and I will fucking end everyone involved.