Tolly sends me that weird sideways English salute, then orders the Ronalds to accompany me as I head back up the path.
20
ERIK
Ispent the better part of the last hour coordinating with two of Tolly’s finest to rig every building on this island to blow. After sending them back to the boat to help Ant with the kids and innocent adults, I snuck into the main office and sent everything I could find to Ryder. From a logistics perspective, we’re lucky the island has only four guests, but Wimberley is mighty interested in following up with anyone who’s ever been here.
Even though I know the powers that be are just into confiscating the money and properties of these assholes, the actual operatives—Anders and Omar included—want blood as much as I do.
I’ve been running silent but paying attention to the comms the whole time. Hearing Ant manage his side of the op fills me with pride, not just because of the job well done but because of the fears he’s been confronting this whole time.
He is so fucking special, and whatever my concerns, I plan to make sure he knows it for a long time to come.
Now, however, is the time to fuck shit up.
When I spy Ant heading back up the path with Tolly’s guys, I tap my earbud. “I’ll be waiting for you at the top of the trail.”
“Looking forward to it, lover,” Ant says, and the two Ronalds chuff softly.
I knew he’d put the dress back on, but seeing him walk up the path in gingham and combat boots while applying lip gloss is a little bit of a mindfuck.
“Your pigtails are crooked,” I say, lightly pulling on one.
“I can wear them later if you’d like.”
“Shut up.”
He cracks up, and I brief our small team on what I’ve scoped out. The Ronalds aren’t new to this kind of op, which makes me wonder what the hell Tolly has been up to in the Caribbean.
“So you two will take on the people in the lounge-slash-pool area, and me and Pippi Longstocking here will take on villa number three. Sound good?”
Ant nails my hip with a sharp elbow, but the Ronalds are locked in.
Tolly’s posh voice comes on the line just as we’re about to go our separate ways. “Gentlemen, apologies. There’s one more pool boy—Maura says he’s new and feels awful they left him behind.”
Black Beard answers, “We have him.”
“Good man.”
With that, we break, and I take Ant off-path through the heavily treed area as the Ronalds go in on the pool area.
“Do you think we’ve accounted for everyone?” Ant asks, worry filling his eyes.
I nod. “I grabbed pics of the current roster along with everyone else. All the kids are accounted for, and with the pool boy, all the staff are now accounted for as well.”
Several minutes later, as we approach villa number three, the sound of silenced weapons filters across the line. There’s a scream and one of the Ronalds curses.
“We’ve got a runner, and he’s fast. Heading right toward you.”
Just then, a flop of blond hair appears through the trees, and an erudite man wearing flip-flops and expensive beach shorts runs in a cold panic up the carefully curated path winding through the colorful villas.
Ant reaches under his dress and produces two throwing knives.
Woosh. Woosh.
The man falls, one blade in his eye, the other in his neck. Quietly, Ant walks up to the man and removes his blades without comment. We pull him off the path and shove him under the porch of the nearest villa, right next to where one of the Ronalds rigged enough explosives to take down a Walmart.
After that, we quickly make our way to number three. Ant palms my stiletto as we hit the front porch, sending me a wink. I stand to the side as Ant knocks on the door.
