Page 64 of The Only Reason (The Trident Trilogy 2)

Chapter Thirty-Two

Millie

Islamabad, Pakistan

2020

Mason and I are still snuggling silently in bed when a loud rap on the adjoining room door brings us out of our thoughts. The door opens a crack.

“Mase,” Bryce’s voice says quietly.

“You can come in,” Mason says without removing his arm from around me.

Bryce peeks his head in carefully. When he sees we’re decent, he opens the door farther. “Alex is whining that he needs to get to a golf game or something. He says he needs to get ready. I can tell him to shut the fuck up again if you want me to.”

“No. It’s fine,” Mason says, standing up and pulling me up with him.

Bryce steps aside and motions Alex through the door. Alex glares at Mason.

“I need to change, and I’m going to order breakfast for us,” Alex says, motioning to me. “Would you please go back to your room, Master Chief?”

“Naw, I’m good here,” Mason says, sitting on the couch.

“Millie and I both have appointments this morning. We need to get ready,” Alex says, pointing to the door.

“Knock yourself out. I won’t look.” Mason looks down at his phone.

Before Alex can say anything else, I grab my toiletry bag and a change of clothes. “I’ll go first,” I say as I head to the bathroom.

When I come out, Mason is gone, but the rooms’ adjoining door is still open. Alex is sitting at the table eating breakfast—newly changed into his golf clothes.

“Join me for breakfast,” he says, waving his hand over the top of the display of food.

“I’ll at least have some coffee,” I say, glancing quickly through the adjoining room’s doorway as I walk by. Mason is coming back through it. “Do you guys need some breakfast? It looks like Alex ordered enough for all of us.”

“We’re good. We’ll eat when he leaves.” Much to Alex’s annoyance, Mason sits back down on the couch in our room.

“Millie, come in here for a second.” I hear Ty’s voice booming from the other room. “My wife sent me pictures of my daughter’s birthday party. You have to see them.”

First of all, Ty doesn’t have a wife or a daughter. Second, if he did, he would never show me—or anyone—pictures of a kid’s birthday party. I look at Mason, but he’s focused on his phone like nothing unusual is happening. I’m guessing there’s something they want to show me without involving Alex.

“Aww, I want to see them,” I say with the appropriate amount of fake enthusiasm. Alex stares at me coldly as I walk into the other room.

I barely clear the threshold when Bryce pulls me behind the door. He grabs me under the arms and lifts me off the floor—one of his hands firmly covering my mouth. Butch grabs my left leg, shoving my skirt up as he slides a garter holster up to my thigh. He takes a .38 revolver out of his waistband and puts it in the holster. Bryce places me back on the ground gently.

Ty holds up five fingers. “Can you believe she’s only five? I know she looks a lot bigger, but she’s only five.”

I nod. I’m not sure why they’ve just force-armed me with a gun, but I’ve got it. Five rounds. “She really does look bigger. I can’t believe she’s only five. She’s adorable.”

I walk back into my room just as Alex is walking by the door. “You said your spa appointment is at ten? I’ll walk you down there on my way out.”

“I want to finish my coffee first. You can go without me.”

“I don’t mind waiting,” he says quickly.

I know he wants to talk to me alone, and he’s going to be persistent about it. “Okay. Give me a few minutes.”

He paces nervously by the door as I manage to get down a little food and two cups of coffee. I grab my bag.

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