I jab a finger at my brother. “Shut the fuck up, Mace. And that includes when I do finally speak to her. You don’t go near her.”
“Worried I’ll cramp your style?”
Jake clears his throat. “It is the Russians were fighting, right?”
“Sorry, Jake,” I say. “From now on Mace is going to behave. You don’t need to play referee.”
“I think you’ll find playing referee is in my job description,” he says as we set off in the direction of the stable block. “You two are just the latest iteration. I cut my teeth trying to separate Ash and Hunter. And I didn’t always succeed.”
I fix my night vision goggles over my beanie. For now, the full moon provides enough light for us to pick our way through the dense woodland covering the outer edges of the estate. The stables are located at the edge of a steep ravine so it can only be approached from one side.
I don’t like that we’re heading in the opposite direction to where I need to be. It’s going to be another fifteen-minute hike to get to the mansion.
It would have been a missed opportunity if we didn’t plant a bug or two in the stables and guesthouse, but we’re eating away at time I’d rather spend with Quinn. I doubt I’ll be able to convince her to leave the estate, but if she insists on staying, I’m not going to move until she agrees to work with us. I can be stubborn too.
We’re ten minutes into our hike when my earpiece crackles. It’s Levi, the guy we left at the perimeter.
“There’s activity at the gate,” he says. “A truck has just been waved through. There are two heat sources in the vehicle. That’s all I have for now, but I’ll run the plates.”
Mace tilts his head towards me. “Eleven thirty is a little late for a social call.”
“Whoever they are,” adds Jake, “it’s going to make it more difficult to get Quinn’s attention without being seen.”
I’m tempted to change direction and go to her, but another argument with Mace will only slow us down.
“Let’s do what we have to do here,” I say, “and then we can reassess.”
“Agreed,” Mace says.
It’s annoying how pleased I am whenever one of my brothers agrees with a suggestion of mine. I might be the youngest and greenest, but I still have a voice. And despite the recent glitch as far as Quinn’s concerned, I have good reasoning skills. All I want is to be treated as an equal partner.
We’ve just reached the newly laid road that connects the stables to the main gates when Levi interrupts us again.
“Bad news, guys. The truck stopped briefly at the house, but no one got out. The female target came out and talked to them, then went back inside. The truck’s on the move again and it’s heading towards you. The plates are false.”
“Russians?” I ask my brother.
“No one else is going to be given access to the estate without some resistance,” Mace says. “We’re not getting into the stables tonight. We’ll keep out of sight and observe what our friends are up to.”
“I can take the west side of the stables, if you two stay closest to the guesthouse,” Jake suggests.
“Sure,” Mace agrees. “And Levi, keep the drone near the entrance in case we have more visitors.”
“Will do.”
Mace and I find a spot close to the treeson the east side that’s thick with undergrowth. As the rumble of an engine grows louder, I slide on my night vision goggles. The night is doused in a green glow that brightens to a painful white when the truck appears.
It’s no surprise when the two men getting out of the vehicle start speaking in Russian. They sweep the beams of their flashlights across the stable block before settling on the two-story guesthouse next to it. The fully-equipped living quarters to house Ilya’s men are on another level to the stalls intended to dehumanize their victims.
Mace unpacks his kit and points a long-range microphone towards our targets. His phone picks up the conversation and translates it into English.
“What are they saying?” I ask.
“They’re wondering if the place has been furnished,” Mace says, then pauses as the men continue their discussion. “One’s suggesting that if it isn’t, they could see if…” He winces. Whatever’s being said has made both men break into laughter. “If Barrett’s whore will keep them warm.”
My jaw aches with tension as we watch Ilya’s men disappear inside the living quarters. “What the hell was Barrett thinking when he left Quinn here? Whether she’s working for Barrett, Ilya or both, neither of them are protecting her.”
I wait for Mace to throw another insult, but he says nothing. Hopefully it’s becoming apparent how vulnerable Quinn will be if we don’t step in.
