Page 54 of Invincible
“If you’re really lucky, I’ll load up on frijoles at lunch.”
“Knox!”
Dex stood leaning on the bar in the kitchen, watching them argue back and forth for several minutes before speaking.“Okay, I know this is a sibling rivalry thing, but I’m equally grossed out.”
Knox laughed, looking over at the FBI agent.
“She started it,” Knox said with a smirk.“Fine.What do we do until then, boss?”
“We go over our plan until we can recite it in our sleep,” Dex answered.
“Then you’d better bring the donuts over here,” Knox said.Picking up the box from the counter, Dex joined the siblings in the living room.
“So, from the top,” he started.
When he was satisfied they knew the plan as well as they were going to, Dex led them through a series of contingencies in the event something went wrong.He knew Knox could handle himself in extreme circumstances from the time they had spent together hunting and then trying to protect Thayer.
In the back of his mind, Dex also knew Tyler could take care of herself just fine too.Though he loved how strong she was, both inside and outside, he didn’t like the thought of not being there to protect her himself.The longer they were together, the stronger he felt that she had become his, and he protected what was his.
Greer sat next to Mia on the floor of the small space, hiding them from the rest of the container.She had on a dirty T-shirt one of the men had tossed in the cell, but she was still sporting her tiny booty shorts from the club.The remaining heel she wore had long since been discarded, leaving her barefoot.Her ankle wasn’t as swollen as before, but it was a nasty shade of deep purple.Mia had wrapped it as best as she could with the limited materials the men had given them.
Looking around their enclosure, she snorted with the realization that her aching ankle was the least of her problems.There were now two dozen of them in a space made to hold half as many.At least they had jugs of water, a waste bucket and a large box of protein bars.Although, if Greer never saw another protein bar in her lifetime, it would be too soon.How had Mia and the other women managed to gag these down day after day?
She knew that Tyler and her friends were looking for them, but she also knew how few leads they had to go on.The fact that they had been loaded into the container yesterday and were being driven somewhere, she assumed the docks, didn’t bode well.
Memphis had shown up briefly, looking more like death than usual.He quickly looked around where he could before shimmering away.Greer wasn’t sure if he actually shimmered, but it sounded cool.
Through no choice of her own, she had been thrown into the role of leader of this motley crew.She wasn’t sure if it was the fact she was a few years older or the fact she tried to stand up to the men that had abducted her.Whatever it was, they all turned to her for what to do.She just wished she had an answer for them.
At least she could look like she knew what she was doing.With a deep breath, she rocked onto her hands and knees.Working her way through the girls, she made sure everyone was drinking water, had something to eat, and generally provided comfort where she could.
She couldn’t fight the squeal that emanated from between her lips when they heard a loud grating noise on the side of their container.Greer was positive they were being loaded onto a ship by the gentle rocking feeling.
When they were finally set down and the hooks removed, she tried pounding on the walls to draw attention.Their captors were too smart for that, however, adding extra soundproofing to the inside of their space.
“Greer?”Crawling back toward Mia, she sat back down against the wall, taking the girl’s hand.“No one is coming for us, are they?”
“Shh, don’t say that.If I know my friends, they will do whatever it takes to bust us out.They’ll never give up.I know they’re out there right now working on a plan.”Pulling Mia into her arms, she held her until she felt they both were better.
“You know this isn’t their first rodeo,” she said.When Mia looked at her in confusion, she continued.“Yep, Memphis’s wife, Thayer, was kidnapped by a crazy man.If they found her, then they can find us.”Greer hoped she sounded more convinced than she felt.
Mia nodded with renewed conviction.Greer had really gotten to like the girl with the green in her hair.She had a tough streak that ran through her, telling Greer she was capable of pulling a well of strength from somewhere.
Mia had told her about the single dad who was struggling to raise her and how horrible she felt for causing him so much pain.Greer sent up a small prayer that she would get to tell him that in person soon.
