Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 88918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
In the distance, the report of gunfire sounded. One shot. Then three more in rapid succession.
It wasn’t the first time he’d heard that unnerving noise since he’d been here. He was already getting used to it.
“You should’ve stayed home.” He glanced back at Van, who stared blankly at his empty glass.
“I have an idea.” Van lifted his eyes, his smile clenched with straight white teeth. “Shut the fuck up.”
“I didn’t ask you to come.” Tate sure as shit didn’t want him here.
Forgiveness was one thing. Trusting Van to watch his back was a level of camaraderie they hadn’t reached.
Beside Van, Cole bent over a spread of maps and circled all the danger zones. There were a lot of fucking circles.
They’d left their IDs and personal phones in a locker at the airport. Didn’t bring photos of family members. No wedding ring on Van’s finger. No calling home to check in on loved ones. No connection whatsoever to their lives in Texas. These were Cole’s rules. In the event one of them was kidnapped.
Cole would only stay with them for a week. If something happened to Tate or Van after that, they were to give the kidnappers Cole’s number. He promised to handle any potential ransoms as painlessly as possible.
“Technically, every alley in Caracas is a kidnap alley. But this is the Kidnap Alley.” Cole circled another area on the map and looked up at Tate. “Give the window a rest and come here.”
“But—”
“She eats dinner with Badell every night and isn’t due back for another twenty minutes.”
With reluctance, Tate left his vigilance and crouched beside him.
“See how winding this road is?” Cole traced a snaking street on the map. “It’s a prime target for kidnappers. Lots of places for them to hide and trap motorists. And its proximity to the main motorway makes an easy escape.” He cast Tate a flinty glare. “Stay the fuck away from this road.”
“Got it.”
“I’m going to make this clearer, just in case you don’t.” He pulled a document out of his backpack and set it on the coffee table.
The letter header was stamped with a United States seal, and beneath it was a long list of first and last names. At least a hundred names. Maybe more.
“There’s a fuckton of competition in the Venezuelan kidnapping business. A lot of cops do it, too.” Cole tapped the paper. “These are just the kidnappers the U.S. government watches.”
A quick glance confirmed Tiago Badell was at the top of the list.
“Am I on any of those government watch lists?” Van arched a brow.
“I wouldn’t know.” Cole returned the document to his backpack.
“Bullshit.” Digging in his pocket, Van removed a toothpick and popped it between his teeth. “I looked you up. Know what I found? Nothing. Nada. You might be able to cover your electronic tracks, but no one is that good. Unless you work for an entity like the United States. So what is it? FBI? CIA? Some kind of secret government agency?”
Tate wanted to know those answers, too, but it was none of their business. “Van, don’t be a dick.”
“I work for myself.” Cole straightened, meeting the challenge in Van’s eyes.
“Guys in your line of work can’t be married or committed. Gives your enemies a target. Makes you weak.” Van lowered his gaze to the tattoo on Cole’s arm. “Is that why you lost the girl?”
“You don’t have to answer that.” Tate shot Van a warning look.
Cole slowly rose from the couch and paced to the window. With his back to the room, he gripped the window ledge and said quietly, “I gave up that job for the girl.”
And he lost her anyway. Tate felt bad for the guy and struggled for something to say to break up the thick silence. “I’m sorry, man.”
“I’m not.” Cole turned and rested his fingers in his front pockets. “She’s happy. Happier than I’ve ever seen her. There isn’t a single part of me that regrets that.” He shrugged. “It’s all I ever wanted for her.”
Taking the high road. Good for him. But what about his happiness?
Tate wasn’t in a position to preach. He’d walked into the innards of kidnapping hell to talk to a woman he’d never met. Why? Because he wanted to repay Camila for rescuing him? Wanted her to look at him the way she looked at Matias? Wanted to do something for her that Matias was unable to do? Yep. All those things. Fucked-up or not, his ego demanded it.
“I thought I loved Liv.”
The monotone declaration swung Tate’s head in Van’s direction, his eyebrows lifting in stunned silence. Van’s obsession with Liv hadn’t exactly been a secret, but it was in the past. No one discussed it. Especially not Van.
“Don’t look at me like that.” Van stretched his arms along the back of the couch, smiling at Tate. “You were there.”