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The sad truth was she would risk everything for him. “Iknow.”
Zach looked to Ian, his brow rising. Lou wondered if herealized how much like Ian he’d become over the time they’d worked together.“I’m going to recommend Lou’s plan.”
“I back Lou as well,” Tasha said.
“And me,” Kenzie agreed, giving her a thumbs-up.
“I don’t know why we have all this drama. I’m not going tolet my best friend die.” Kala sat back like it was no big deal. Just anotherday at the office. “She’ll be fine because I won’t let it be any other way.”
All eyes went to Cooper. He took a long breath. “Yeah, I’llback Lou.”
Big Tag looked his wife’s way.
“Lou is ready, and we have several advantages because weknow things our opponents don’t know,” Charlotte pointed out. “Lou is smart,and she won’t be in there for one second longer than we need to confirm that TJis there and how to attack the complex.”
Big Tag clapped his hands together. “All right. The decisionis made. Lou is going in. Zach, I want you to figure out who we send in as herkidnapper. We’re going to hope they don’t know this guy personally.”
“They don’t.” They’d caught another break here. “They foundhim on the Dark Web. I’m pretty sure they picked him because he was located inAustin, and it wouldn’t take him long to get to Dallas. He also said he hadaccess to a private plane and could get the target to Germany in forty-eighthours. They might have a picture of him, but he looks like every other whiteathletic dude in his twenties. He’s very basic. Blandly attractive.”
“So we’re sending Coop,” Kala quipped.
Coop groaned, but his lips curled up. “I’m extremelyattractive, thank you, but I will take her in. I’m roughly the same height andcoloring. He’s got a scar on his cheek. Kenz can fake that with makeup.”
“Shouldn’t we talk to Boomer?” Theo looked pale, like hecouldn’t stand the thought of sending one of the kids in.
But they weren’t kids anymore. “My father knows the risks Itook when I agreed to do this job. They are the same ones he took. My fatherdoes not ask me about my job because he is my father and not my boss. So no, wewill not be calling my dad because I am an adult who has passed all the testsand who is competent at her job.”
Erin chuckled. “Forgive my husband. He’s a lot like my son.He wants to protect everyone he cares about, even when they don’t need to beprotected.”
Theo ran a hand through his short, cropped hair. “I’m sorry.I know Lou is well trained. But I also know TJ will want to die if anythinghappens to her.”
She wasn’t sure about that, but she did feel for Theo. She’dkept herself calm, a bit cold, but seeing TJ’s dad so worried thawed her heart.She got up and walked to the man who’d been such a part of her teen years. Theohad been the fun dad, the one who took them to concerts and never made fun ofthe pop bands. He’d sang along with them all.
She walked up and put her arms around him. “I will bring himback. I promise.”
Theo hugged her tight. “You come back, too, Lou. You becareful and cautious and wait for the right time. We’ll be there. We won’t letyou down.”
They never had. Not once.
And she wouldn’t let them down. She would get TJ back andthen she would finally be able to move on with her life.
Chapter Three
There was movement outside the door, and TJ prepared himselffor pain.
The last…he wanted to say day, maybe day and a half…had beensurprisingly quiet. After they’d announced they were going to give him a reasonto talk, they’d chucked him in this windowless room and left him on his own.He’d passed out for an undetermined amount of time and when he’d woken, he’dmanaged to find the light switch. He’d been surprised when it worked, and moresurprised to find himself in what looked like a somewhat normal room. There wasan industrial-looking cot he’d been laid out on with sheets and a blanket. Thenightstand was bolted to the cold concrete floor. Not that he had anything toput on it. He had access to a toilet and rudimentary shower, though there wereno toiletries. That was it. No windows. No desk or table. Just a small,cell-like room with concrete walls and a solid-looking door.
He’d tried the door, of course, but the banging from theother side had let him know he wasn’t alone. There was a guard on the door atany point in time. They brought in bland food for him twice a day. MREs withtepid water, so they were even worse than well-done MREs, and weren’t thosewords he’d never thought he would put together.
Sometimes he blamed his Uncle Sean. He’d grown up around ahighly celebrated chef. It made it hard to get used to MREs.
God, what was happening to his mom? It was awful, but TJhoped and prayed they went after his mom because she had the best chance ofsurviving an attack. Devi or Lou… He didn’t know what he would do if that dooropened and they dragged him out and showed him his sister or Lou tied up andhelpless.
He didn’t know what they thought he knew. He had no ideawhat they were talking about.
He had nothing to trade for their lives.
What was he going to do if he had to watch his sister or Loudie?
