Page 102 of Depths of Destruction
Axel crosses his arms. "Did Julieta and Vanessa tell you what they know?"
"No. They refused, but Vanessa insisted she wasn't stepping foot in a communist country and warned both Julieta and Naomi not to, either."
"Penelope thinks both the United States and Britain are involved in this. Their abductions all connect."
Hairs on my arm stand up. "How?"
"She knows stuff. Panama—"
"Axel, clean your hands. We need to go," Tinker calls out.
"We'll talk later." Axel says.
"Okay." I follow him into the kitchen.
"Lock the house up while we are gone," Tinker instructs.
"Will do. What room am I in? I need to shower." I ask.
"Pick one. Vanessa and Julieta changed all the bedding this morning."
Axel washes his hands. "Wish us luck."
"Where are you going?" Penelope asks.
He pats me on the back. "More cleanup. I'll be back."
"Be careful." She scrunches her eyebrows and a line forms between them.
"Don't worry. It's a typical day in the life of cleaning up after our fearless leader." He winks at her.
"Ha ha. Funny," I grumble.
"Give Penelope your gun while you shower."
I stare at Axel.
A cocky yet proud smile crosses his face. "She knows how to use it. Better safe than sorry while you're upstairs."
I turn to her. "You know how to shoot?"
"I was stationed in the Panama Canal. The first day I got there, I got mugged. It's not anything like England. I learned quickly and carried."
"Okay, then. You're officially on gun duty while I'm showering."
I should show Naomi how to use it.
The guys leave, and I make sure the doors and windows are all locked. I go back into the kitchen and hand Penelope my weapon. "I need to shower. Are you familiar with this type of Glock?"
"Yep." She flips the safety back and forth and smiles at me. "All set."
Jeez. She isn't kidding. She's super comfortable with it.
Zoe comes into the kitchen from the outside door. "Let's make some dinner. It'll be nice to have something besides snake."
"Snake?" Naomi asks.
"Yep. Dirk has a thing for snakes."
