Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 136425 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 682(@200wpm)___ 546(@250wpm)___ 455(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 136425 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 682(@200wpm)___ 546(@250wpm)___ 455(@300wpm)
A young man stepped up, a tablet in his hand. His fingers moved over the face of it. “Il est toujours dans le laboratoire. Ou du moins sa radio.”
His father was still in the labs. At least his radio was. That was what the younger man said in French.
Devi was in the labs. His mom was in the labs. “Is he alone in there with them?”
Huisman ignored him. “Va le chercher et amène-le ici avec la fille.”
Bring them. The man nodded to one of his fellow minions and they started walking toward the double doors. They swiped a key card and the doors opened.
He would need to get one of those. Of course it would be helpful to have hands.
Huisman stepped onto a raised dais and looked around at his assembled army and began to speak. “Today we take the first step in creating our new world. A world where you are no longer ground under the feet of people who don’t deserve to lead you, who ignore your needs and raise up people who should lick your boots.”
Women. He was pretty sure Huisman was talking about women. When Eve McKay had done a profile on him in the early days, she talked about how his whole life seemed to be defined by the trauma of watching his father be killed, but Zach wanted to take a long look at that man’s relationship with his mother. Huisman hated Big Tag, but he hated women more.
Which was why he had to find a way to save Devi. His father hated women, too. He wouldn’t put it past the asshole to hurt her in every way just so he could tell Zach he’d done it.
What had she already been through? Would he find her huddled in a corner trying to survive?
Then he heard the gunfire and realized she wasn’t in a corner at all.
Huisman was interrupted in the middle of his evil villain monologue. He frowned toward the double doors. Another volley of gunfire and then one of the men who’d left to bring Devi back staggered in, holding his chest and reaching for help before falling to the ground.
That was when he heard the thud of the chopper rapidly approaching.
There was genuine shock on Huisman’s face. “Occupe-toi de ça. Tuez-les tous.”
Take care of that. Kill them all.
Zach started to move because the hands had come off him, the soldiers doing their king’s will. From the open bays, Zach could see the help approaching. TJ, Lou, and Kenzie would have been dropped at the site where Tim was set up. Tasha was back at base since there were only so many seats on the helo, and they were bringing two more back if they got the job done.
He could see Kala Taggart standing on the landing skid, an AR-15 in her hands. She began to give her husband cover by peppering the bay with bullets.
Huisman grabbed Zach’s arm. “If you think this will save you, you’re wrong. I have plans in place for such a scenario. I will blow this whole base sky high and send those spores into the upper atmosphere and see what happens.”
Chaos erupted around them. “Guess Parker isn’t on your side after all.”
Huisman’s eyes narrowed as they moved to the double doors. “Not all is as it seems, Captain. As everyone here will learn.”
Huisman stopped, his shoulder jerking. Hit. He’d been hit. He dropped Zach’s hand and pulled out a small device. “If I’m going down, so is everyone. You might be protected with your Army vaccines, but I don’t think your girl has had one. And perhaps I’ve managed to change it enough that it will still kill you.”
He pressed the button.
Kala was on the ground, having jumped down as Cooper began to land. Big Tag came out behind her, and father and daughter started spraying the place with bullets.
Fuck. He had to get to the bombs.
“Huisman,” Kala shouted. “Let’s see who wins this time, asshole.”
Huisman actually scrambled back. He looked over to the table he’d set the bombs on. “This is far from over.”
Huisman raced through the doors.
Zach tried to get to him, to pull him back. The doors locked and then a signal began, a clanging sound that told anyone listening to it that the world was going to explode.
He turned and got his hands on the handle, but it was locked.
“Damn it.” Kala rushed up. “Did that fucker get away? You were supposed to stop him.”
“With what hands?” It looked like she and Big Tag had taken out a good deal of Huisman’s security team. “Where did the rest of them go? He had at least twenty guys.”
“They ran.” Big Tag was in all white, the arctic version of fatigues. The combat uniform looked good on him. Kala’s vibrant hair contrasted with the white of her uniform. She’d pulled off her balaclava when she moved through the bay. Likely because she wanted Huisman to know she was there. “It’s what happens when you hire mercenaries. Come here, Zach.”