Breaking Point (Troubleshooters, #9) QUOTES

21 " The difference between dead and not dead had never been so hard to see. It was the slimmest of lines. Possible to cross at any given moment. "

― Suzanne Brockmann , Breaking Point (Troubleshooters, #9)

22 " The very first picture that came up on the camera’s little view screen was of him.
What did that mean that she’d kept this picture of him?
Was it because she still cared?
Or had she saved it as a warning? Like, “Never forget how completely screwed up your relationship was with this loser . . .”
It wasn’t a particularly good picture. In fact, it was pretty embarrassing.
Sitting up in his bed, Max was in his room at Sheffield. It was the photo Gina had taken the day after he’d arrived there. He looked like crap warmed over after his very first physical therapy session, and he was glowering into the camera because he goddamn didn’t want his picture taken. "

― Suzanne Brockmann , Breaking Point (Troubleshooters, #9)

23 " We’re supposed to be sharing our memories of Dave Jones. I never met him, so I’m not much help, but you did. What was he like?”
Jones glanced at Molly. “Well. He was . . . tall.”
“Tall,” Gina shot Molly a look, too. Except hers was loaded with Can you believe this idiot?
“Very tall,” Jones told her. “Taller than me.” He stood up. “I really must go.”
He handed Molly his mug, making sure their fingers touched, albeit too briefly, then thank-you-ed and good-evening-ed his way out of the tent.
Molly didn’t wait for his footsteps to fade away before turning to Gina. “Are you all right?”
“Are you all right?” Gina countered, sotto voce. “Brother, could this guy be any more clueless? You wanted to talk about Jones and . . . Best he can manage is he’s tall? And did he really think I was interested in whether the fourth seat or the fifth seat behind the bus driver had more of its original pudding?”
Molly covered her smile with her hand. That had been excessive. “Some people talk when they’re nervous,” she suggested. And some people talked when they wanted to make sure other people wouldn’t talk. "

― Suzanne Brockmann , Breaking Point (Troubleshooters, #9)

24 " Gina flopped back on her cot, arm up over her eyes. “Oh, my God, Molly, what am I going to do? The fact that he came here tonight at all is . . . He’s clearly interested, but that’s probably just because he thinks I’m a total perv.”
“Whoa,” Molly said. “Wait. You lost me there.”
Gina sat up, a mix of earnestness, horror, and amusement on her pretty face. “I didn’t tell you this, but after I first spoke to Lucy’s sister—we were in the shower tent so no one would see us—I let her leave first and then I waited, like, a minute, thinking we shouldn’t be seen leaving the tent together. And before I go, he came in.”
He. “Leslie Pollard?” Molly clarified.
Gina nodded. “I freaked out when I saw him coming, and it’s stupid, I know, but I hid. And I should have just waited until I heard the shower go on, but God, maybe he wouldn’t have pulled the curtain, because he obviously thought he was in there alone . . .”
Molly started to laugh. “Oh my.”
“Yeah,” Gina said. “Oh my. So I decide to run for it, only he’s not in one of the changing booths, he’s over by the bench, you know?”
Molly nodded. The bench in the main part of the room.
“In only his underwear,” Gina finished, with a roll of her eyes. “Oh, my God.”
“Really? Molly asked. Apparently Jones was taking his change of identity very seriously. He hated wearing underwear of any kind, but obviously he thought it wouldn’t be in character for Leslie Pollard to go commando. “Boxers or briefs?”
Gina gave her a look, but she was starting to laugh now, too, thank goodness. “Briefs. Very brief briefs.” She covered her mouth with her hands. “Oh, my God, Molly, he was . . . I think he showers at noon because he knows no one else will be in there, so he can, you know, have an intimate visit with Mr. Hand.”
Oh, dear.
“And now I know, and he knows I know, and he also probably thinks I lurk in the men’s shower,” Gina continued. “And the fact that he actually came to tea tonight, instead of hiding from me, in his tent, forever, means . . . something awful, don’t you think? Did I mention he has, like, an incredible body?”
Molly shook her head. Oh dear. “No.”
“Yes,” Gina said just a little too grimly, considering the topic. “Who would’ve guessed that underneath those awful shirts he’s a total god? And maybe that’s what’s freaking out the most.”
“You mean because . . . you’re attracted to him?” Molly asked.
“No!” Gina said. “God! Because I’m not. I felt nothing. I’m standing there and he’s . . . You know how I said he reminds me of Hugh Grant?”
Molly nodded, too relieved to speak.
“Well, I got the wrong Hugh. This guy is built like Hugh Jackman. And beneath the hats and sunblock and glasses, he’s actually got cheekbones and a jaw line, too. I’m talking total hottie. And, yes, I can definitely appreciate that on one level, but . . .” She glanced over at the desk, at her digital camera. She’d gotten it out of her trunk earlier today.
Which, Molly had learned, meant that she’d spent more time this afternoon looking at her saved pictures.
Which included at least a few of Max.
Molly’s relief over not having to deal with the complications of Gina having a crush on Leslie felt a whole lot less good. She wished someone would just go ahead and steal Gina’s camera already. Maybe that would help her move on. "

― Suzanne Brockmann , Breaking Point (Troubleshooters, #9)

25 " Considering they were on the passenger manifest for a Lufthansa flight into Hamburg—not to mention the fact that Soldano is a priest and God really doesn’t like it when priests lie—Holy shit!” Jules stared out the car window as a bus roared past with both Adam and Robin’s face on the side—part of a giant advertisement for the movie American Hero. Der Amerikanische Held. Ab Donnerstag. Manche Kriege fuhrst Du in Dir-- which had to be a translation of the movie’s tag line, The War is Within. “Jesus!”
“What?”
“Nothing,” Jules said. “Sorry.” He’d thought he’d be safe here, that Hollywood movies about World War II wouldn’t be particularly well received in Germany.
Color him on very deep shade of wrong. "

― Suzanne Brockmann , Breaking Point (Troubleshooters, #9)

26 " Some of the ideas were silly, thanks to Molly, who, despite being upset with Jones, was still trying to keep the mood upbeat.
They had boxes and boxes of copy paper. They could make thousands of paper airplanes with the message, “Help!” written on them and fly them out the windows.
Could they try to blast their way out of the tunnel? Maybe dig an alternative route to the surface? It seemed like a long shot, worth going back in there and taking a look at the construction—which Jones had done only to come back out, thumbs down.
Two of them could create a diversion, while the other to took the Impala and crashed their way out of the garage.
At which point the Impala—and everyone in it—would be hit by hundreds of bullets.
That one—along with taking their chances with the far fewer number of soldiers lying in wait at the end of the escape tunnel—went into the bad idea file.
Molly had thought that they could sing karaoke. Emilio had a Best of Whitney Houston karaoke CD. Their renditions of I Will Always Love you, she insisted, would cause the troops to break rank and run away screaming.
Except the karaoke machine was powered by electricity, which they were trying to use only for the computer and the security monitors, considering—at the time—that the generator was almost out of gasoline.
Yeah, that was why it was a silly idea.
It did, however, generate a lot of desperately needed laughter. "

― Suzanne Brockmann , Breaking Point (Troubleshooters, #9)

27 " Can I tell you a funny story?” Gina asked. She didn’t wait for him to say yes or no. “It’s about, well . . . You know the whole age-issue thing?”
“The age-issue thing,” Max repeated. “Are you sure this is a funny story?”
“Does it still bother you?” she asked. “Being a little bit older than me? And it’s more funny weird than funny ha-ha.”
“Twenty years isn’t exactly ‘a little bit,’” he said.
“Tell that to a paleontologist,” she countered.
Okay, he’d give her that one. “Just tell me the story.”
“Once upon a time, when Jones first came to Kenya,” Gina said, “I didn’t know who he was. Molly didn’t tell me, and he came to our tent for tea, and . . . Maybe this isn’t even a funny weird story. Maybe it’s more of an ‘I’m an asshole’ story, because I immediately jumped to the conclusion that he was there because he was all hot for me. It never occurred to me—it never even crossed my narrow little mind—that he might’ve been crushing on Molly. And she’s only maybe ten years older than he is. I remember sitting there after I figured it out, and thinking, shoot. People do make assumptions based on age. Max wasn’t just being crazy.” She smiled at him. “Or at least not crazier than usual. I guess . . . I just wanted to apologize for mocking you all those times.”
“It’s okay,” Max said. “I just keep reminding myself that love doesn’t always stop to do the math.” He looked at her. “I’m trying to talk myself into that. How’d I sound? Convincing?”
“That was pretty good.” They sat in silence for a moment, then Gina spoke again. “Maybe I could get a T-shirt that says, ‘I’m not his daughter, I’m his wife.’”
Max nodded as he laughed. “Yet still you mock me. "

― Suzanne Brockmann , Breaking Point (Troubleshooters, #9)

28 " Knock-knock.” Gina poked her head in the door.
“Come on in,” Jones said. “We’ve got all our clothes on for a change. Oh, wait, it’s you who gets it on in the—”
“Okay,” Gina said. “Am I ever going to live this down?”
“Eventually,” Molly said. “But Max singing you old Elvis songs over the walkie-talkie? Honey, that’s going to be impossible to kill.”
“I think it’s sweet,” Jones told her.
“The singing or the kitchen tabling?” she asked.
“Both,” he said. “Seriously, Gina. He’s all right. "

― Suzanne Brockmann , Breaking Point (Troubleshooters, #9)

29 " Max was shaking his head. "Careers are going to be made, based on what happens over the next few days," he pointed out.

Jules just looked at him for several long seconds. "That might be truly the most offensive thing you've ever said to me. "

― Suzanne Brockmann , Breaking Point (Troubleshooters, #9)