Total pages in book: 144
Estimated words: 135382 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 677(@200wpm)___ 542(@250wpm)___ 451(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135382 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 677(@200wpm)___ 542(@250wpm)___ 451(@300wpm)
She flipped through and this time the photo had been enhanced, the cabin bigger than before. It looked like the door was open, the inside of the cabin lost to the shadows.
She flipped again, the photo becoming grainier as the cabin came closer and closer.
And she realized what Ian Taggart had been talking about. What Liam hadn’t wanted her to see.
There was a shoe sticking out of the doorway. One tennis shoe. The photo was black and white, but she knew the shoe itself was pink. She’d seen it many times in real life. Anya wore them because she was one of the girliest girls Steph had ever met. Even her tennis shoes had a hint of glitter to them.
Now one lay on its side and she couldn’t see enough to discern whether it was still connected to its owner.
Nausea threatened.
“Damn it, I told you not to let her look at those things,” Liam cursed. “She didn’t need to see that.”
“She needs to take this seriously,” Ian shot back. “She needs to understand that she can’t run off like she used to. She has to protect herself and that means following orders. Next time around, there won’t be a crazy girl with coffee to defend her.”
Brody took the tablet out of her hand and stared at it himself. “I can’t tell if that’s just a shoe or a body. You think that’s one of your nurses?”
Steph nodded. “I’m pretty sure it is. I don’t suppose she’s napping in her open doorway, and she wouldn’t have left a shoe behind. How many others died?”
“We don’t know that she’s dead,” Charlotte began.
But the truth was there in her sympathetic eyes. Anya was probably gone and Steph had left her there. Alfi had convinced her that the boss would show up at any moment and kill her baby. She’d made a choice in that moment, one that might have cost Anya her life.
So much of that day was a horrific blur. She didn’t want to remember.
“How many others?” She forced the question from her mouth again. When had her tongue gotten so dry? It was hard to talk.
“I don’t know,” Li replied. “But I’m going to find out. I’ve got a call in to a friend who’s out that way. He’s in Liberia with his wife, but I’m sure he’ll help us out. I’ll have him make his way to the clinic and report back. He’ll also go into the village and make sure we can find your other nurse.”
“I don’t want a friend of yours to walk into something he can’t handle,” she insisted.
“There’s very little Tennessee Smith can’t handle,” Li promised. “I also called Fain a couple of hours ago. The Agency’s interested if there’s a new player in that region. It’s actually fairly stable, and that’s why Fain is a bit worried. He wants to check it out, too, but we need that information from you. I need you to remember everything you can.”
Ten Smith? She knew him. She liked his wife. Before she could protest, Brody was speaking.
“Not today she doesn’t. She needs to rest and settle in. She’s had a shock.”
“A couple of them,” Charlotte corrected.
Adam chuckled. “Yeah, she’s not the only one. Though I should remind everyone that I took the brunt of the Aussie finding out about the secret baby.”
She wished they wouldn’t joke. She had no idea how they could find anything at all funny at this point.
“I can handle it. Tell me what you want me to do. You want me under hypnosis? I can do it.” Her hands were shaking.
Brody stood up. “No. She’s not doing shit tonight except having a good meal and cuddling with our son and getting a few hours of sleep. We’ll make sure she does what she needs to do in the morning, and we’ll send Smith a report before he goes in. Can we stay at the club tonight?”
“I wish I could let you do that, but we already have guests there,” Ian explained. “The king and queen of Loa Mali also find themselves on the bad side of someone who wants to kill them. They’re in hiding, a fact I know the two of you will keep to yourselves. But I can’t put all my chicks in one basket. That’s a good way to get the whole client list murdered.”
She was incredibly tired. She wasn’t even willing to argue with Brody, but there was one thing she was determined to do. “I won’t stay with Avery. He knows where I am. He’s watching me. He could come and hurt her and Aidan and the baby Avery is carrying.”
Before Li could argue, Adam held up a hand. “Stay at our guesthouse. We’ve got a fence and security that’s about as tight as we can make it. Riley, Shane? You up for some night duty?”