“Da. But go over it in case I left anything out.”
Blue spoke up so everyone could hear. “Sparrow assigns more guards outside at night than he does in the daytime, so that works in our favor. I flew the entire outside perimeter and didn’t see any patrols. The snow is thin, so I looked for tracks. If he’s hiding an army, they’re either inside or at another location. Yesterday only three men were watching the property—one on the upper balcony, one by the gate, and one at the back door. The garage is close enough for them to see you, so you need to move quickly. The fireworks should cover any sound you make, but I’ll shift just in case. If they look your way, I’ll divert their attention.”
“Crapping on his head should work,” Wyatt quipped.
I peered over the seats at Blue. “And you’resureHunter’s in his room?”
“He was yesterday and slept in later than usual. I didn’t see Kira, so she might have been cooking. From what I noticed, he isn’t running around unsupervised. If he’s not in the room, he’s at her side. It’s still early, so she might be in there. If not…”
Viktor patted Gem’s hand to ease the worried look on her face. “Your job is to bring us the boy. If she is not with him and you go looking, they will find you. She might be in the kitchen preparing food, and it is too dangerous to risk going in there unless you have searched everywhere else for the boy. I made a promise to protect Kira, but she would want us to save Hunter.”
Gem nibbled on her fingernail. “I hope this isn’t an epic fail. I’ll do everything I can to get him out of there. Cross my heart.”
That last part she said directly to Shepherd.
“Are we doing this?” Wyatt glanced at us in his visor mirror. “My buddy set up the fireworks show southwest of the property, so that should steer the focus away from you. It’s vacant land, so no worries. The plane will arrive halfway through the show and continue circling the area afterward. It’s almost time.” He turned in his seat and winked at me. “Did you swallow enough of your boyfriend’s juice?”
“Ugh.” Blue shifted in her seat. “Open the door. Get me out of here.”
I clapped Wyatt’s shoulder and gave it a painful squeeze. “I had plenty to drink, thanks. Enough to crack a man’s skull.”
“Save it for the enemy, Hercules.” He gently removed my hand and rubbed his shoulder. “Once I give the signal to go, you’ll have one minute before the show begins. Set your Mage watch.”
I opened the door and stepped outside. A light dusting of snow covered some but not all of the ground. My frosty breath clouded the air in front of me as Claude climbed out of the back to join us.
Gem’s frosted hair tangled in front of her face as she tried tucking it behind her ears. “I wish I could tie up my hair, but Niko’s bands wouldn’t stay.”
“And I wish you could turn off those lights,” Claude remarked.
She bent over to stretch. “Me too. But they’re not as noticeable in the daytime.”
Viktor scanned a grove of trees in the direction of Keystone. The wind rattled dead leaves that clung to the branches above us. “Work fast. There is no time beyond what Wyatt gives you. Look out for each other, and protect the boy at all costs. Nothing must happen to the child.”
“Nothing,” Shepherd repeated through the open window. “Not a damn thing.”
I looked between Gem and Claude. “The property wall isn’t that hard to climb. I did it once, but I had to find the right spot.”
“Perhaps we should build those higher,” Viktor said, arms folded. “Iron instead of stone. They are relics of the past.”
Claude patted his shoulder. “It’s a good property line marker, but no gate or wall can keep someone out who wants in.”
“You should build a moat,” Wyatt said from inside the Jeep. “Don’t you think it’s weird that the person who bought this place tore down the house? Seems like it would be cheaper to renovate an existing house than start from scratch.”
“Maybe they’re Shifters and want the land,” Blue said. “Can we focus?”
I imagined the run in my head. I’d never been on this property, so I wasn’t certain of the distance. That meant we needed to haul ass. But as snow began falling, doubt filled my head.
“The snow will make it slippery.” Gem tested a patch of snow on the concrete with her sparkly shoes. “I’m so glad I didn’t wear my tall heels to the party. Can you imagine? I’d break my ankles trying to flash across this snow.”
My gaze darted between Claude and Gem. “Ready? Let’s do this.” I stepped off the driveway and onto the grass.
“Hey, Raven!” Wyatt called out.
I glanced back to see he’d crawled over Shepherd and was hanging out the driver’s window. “Yeah?”
“Make sure nothing happens to my car. That’s my baby in there.”
Shepherd started rolling up the window, which caused Wyatt to spring back. “Pardon me while I commit a crime.”
