CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
–MACSEN –
Lu is sitting across from me in the back of a van.She’s fully dressed for combat, and all I want to do is roar at the top of my lungs for this mission to end.Everything we discussed for the past two hours as we talked through this mission made sense, up to the point where we’re now about to barge into the Wilton mansion.
I know damn well she’s very capable of going on a killing spree on her own, but for fuck’s sake, that was before she was mine.More importantly, before we both knew she was pregnant.My fingers curl into fists at the thought of anything hurting her.Lu reaches out and covers my fist with her hand, making our gaze collide.
“Scoot,” Lu says and stands to worm herself between me and Elric.
Leaning close to my ear, she whispers, “I’ve done this many times over the past few years.I’ve been shot, stabbed, survived an explosion or two, and have stepped on an ice cube while barefoot.”She chuckles.“Spur of the moment thing where I needed to kill someone on a yacht.I think the last one was the worst.Seriously, close to stepping on a Lego, only slippery.”
A bark of laughter slips from me and I know she did it on purpose.
“It’s the new situation,” I admit.“We’re both skilled, but we haven’t worked together yet.I’m sure things will change once we’ve done this a few more times.”
Thorsten snorts.“Good luck with that.It still annoys me when Livi joins us, even though she’s a trained agent and currently in the van working on computer shit with Lenz.”
Lu bumps my shoulder and muses, “We’ll get used to it.”
“We’re here,” Jocko announces when the van comes to a stop.
“Two teams,” my prez states and chuckles.“Well, three if you count Luella as a team by herself.”
This is probably also why I’m anxious to go in without being with her.On the other hand, Lu has been very clear about her preference for working alone.We can’t afford fuck-ups and it’s why we agreed to her terms.
One thing is different than the all black outfit she usually wears.We all have a Kevlar vest with the Broken Deeds patch on it.Not only bulletproof, but also instant recognition in case we’re inside and round the corner to come face-to-face with friendly fire.
“Stay connected, stay alert.We have a visual of eight men inside the house.We don’t know if the two remaining Gideons are still inside the mansion, or if they and Dudley left.Capture if possible, kill if there’s no other option.”Thorsten smacks his hands together.“Let’s get this shit done so I can get back to my warm and willing woman.”
“Okay, yuck.Move so I can get out of here before you start talking about your dick and my sister,” Lu grumbles and moves past me.
A chuckle slips from me, and I follow her out of the van.It’s the middle of the night, but with a lot of cloud cover which makes it darker without the moon peeking through.I reach for Lu and place a hand on the back of her neck to pull her close and give her a quick kiss.
“Remember,” I murmur.“Kill first, ask questions later.”
She smiles against my lips.“I’m sure Thorsten phrased it a bit differently.Now, let me go because I’m also itching to get back to my warm and willing...”
“Woman,” I growl and smack her ass.“See you on the other side.”
“Right back at ya.”She winks and dashes away.
“Let’s go,” Jocko grunts.
Elric, Jocko, and Midas are with me.Thorsten, Falcon, and Mercer will take the other side.Lenz stays behind to coordinate the situation with Livi and Kenz.They keep an eye on cameras, communication, and everything else we need once we’re inside or if someone escapes.
Lu already went ahead because she’s going in through the back while we’ll take the left and right side of the mansion.We split up and fall silent.The only communication will be through our earpieces.We all have our weapons out and move forward as one.I’m in the front, Jocko has my back as we approach the mansion.
“Security is down,” Lenz states through our earpiece.“Lights go out in three, two.”
The whole mansion is plunged into darkness and it’s our cue to enter.I aim my gun with the silencer and fire off two rounds to disable the lock.We enter and movement from my left catches my attention.I aim my gun and squeeze the trigger.The guard goes down and I instantly hear a soft pop from my right, letting me know Jocko also popped off a round.
There are too many rooms and we each take one, kicking in the door and making sure it’s empty.Kicking a door open, I grunt as the air is ripped from my lungs.Taking a step back, I squeeze the trigger, but the gun is almost knocked out of my hands by a man kicking me.
