Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 125037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Diego’s soft laughter was more in her mind than aloud, but it warmed her. She knew he didn’t laugh often, and she took it as a gift every time she heard it.
As they got closer, she could see that Wyatt’s wavy hair was extremely thick and unruly. It helped to give him an approachable appearance. He sent her a grin and gave her an old-fashioned bow.
“You don’ know how happy I am to meet you, ma’am,” he greeted before Diego could make the introductions.
Your friend Wyatt is quite charming.
He’s Cajun. Don’t fall for it. There’s nothing charming about that man.
She laughed aloud. She couldn’t help it. “Nice to meet you too. I’m Leila. Diego tells me your grandmother’s name is Grace. My little daughter is named Grace.”
His smile widened and actually reached his eyes. He definitely had charm. Diego’s arm tightened around her. He bent his head and brushed a kiss onto the top of her head.
“Nonny will love that,” Wyatt said. “Pepper and I have triplets and a set of twins. One of the twins is named Grace after Nonny. She’ll love having another child with her first name.”
“Five?” Leila was a little shocked. She had heard this before but hadn’t really processed the information. These men didn’t seem to be family men, yet they were.
“Five,” Wyatt admitted. “We both want a large family.” He indicated the man hanging just two steps back. “This is Trap Dawkins. He has twins as well.”
“Twins?” Her voice came out as a squeak. “There seems to be a theme. Does anyone have just single births?”
“Be very cautious how you answer,” Diego warned the other men. “We were discussing having children, and I don’t want her running for the woods.”
“We had twin sisters,” Rubin announced helpfully as he came up behind them.
Trap’s eyebrow went up. “Twins run in your family? And you’re enhanced? I’ll have to figure the odds.”
To Leila’s shock, he winked at her, indicating he was teasing Diego. This was the man they’d said was neurodivergent and would ignore her. Yet he had a sense of humor. The men were surprising her. Clearly, they were all trying to put her at ease.
Diego groaned. “Seriously, Rubin? You had to tell her that?” He kissed the top of her head again. “And you aren’t helping, Trap. Sweetheart, they’re in some kind of conspiracy. They probably rehearsed.”
“Are you saying there aren’t twins in your family?” She put a hopeful note in her voice.
“Well, yeah, there are.” Diego sounded reluctant to answer. “I can’t lie.”
Leila found herself laughing again. “I don’t know what to think about the twin thing.”
“Wyatt has triplets and twins,” Trap put in helpfully. “I’ve been considering conducting a study for a little while now, calculating the odds.” His voice had turned speculative.
Leila knew immediately that he was actually contemplating doing exactly what he said. He might have started out teasing his friend, but the subject caught his attention, and he was already calculating and analyzing.
“We just lost Trap,” Wyatt said as his friend turned away from them, back in the direction of the forest.
“He didn’t bring the lab with him, did he?” Rubin asked.
“I wouldn’t put it past him,” Wyatt said. He flashed Leila another grin. “He was polite for several minutes.”
He wasn’t apologizing for Trap. She could see that right away. Trap was accepted exactly as he was.
“He’s been doing a fast analysis of the men under Chariot’s command,” Wyatt continued, speaking directly to Diego. “Luther’s with Joe. They’ll be here any minute. We stopped off at Luther’s place to ask a few questions.”
“He answered you?” Diego asked.
“Luther wasn’t very forthcoming about his life when I first arrived with Bridget. My sister,” she clarified. “I asked all kinds of questions, but he didn’t answer.”
It seemed as though more and more men were arriving. That definitely boded ill for the easy recovery of her daughter. These men didn’t believe for a moment that Chariot would give her up or they wouldn’t have all come running. She tried not to show that she was becoming upset, but Diego seemed to be in her mind and caught her alarm.
What is it, sweetheart?
That voice of his was molten fire pouring into her mind, branding his name there. Filling all those places where she was terrified of having to leave him but so convinced she had no other choice.
You already know Chariot isn’t going to let me go, don’t you? That’s why so many have shown up.
The chances are very low that he’s going to listen to reason. We moved a satellite over his compound and are using it to catch any activity, such as his soldiers coming our way. We also have other ways of getting information. We’ll know if he’s sending another wave of soldiers to retrieve you.
Leila knew Diego was attempting to reassure her, but the news that his commanding officer and Luther were consulting together filled her with dread. Using a satellite cost millions of dollars. Millions. She couldn’t even conceive of the kind of money it would take to put a satellite in the air and move it where one wanted it to go. There had to be a protocol in place for moving satellites. Without a doubt they knew very powerful people, but she didn’t like the way the entire mess was shaping up.