“There are a lot of cameras and potential foot traffic in commercial areas. Even down by the port. Even at night. It would be hard for him to get in and out unseen. He’s gonna want privacy.”
“That’s true. He’s got to keep up his choir boy appearance,” Nico muttered.
“Well, that leaves us with twelve houses that are close enough for Jason to visit often but also have enough distance to give him privacy,” Calliope said.
“Twelve?” Nico gave a groan of frustration. “How do we choose? If we choose wrong, Amy could be dead.”
“Hang on,” Calliope said. “Let…me look at…something,” she said, distracted as she typed furiously. “Ah-ha!” she cried. “Lucky for you, it appears only one of those twelve places is currently sitting empty. The others all show renters.”
“Can you—” Jericho started.
“Sent,” she said, cutting him off. “Don’t try to be cowboys. Be safe.”
Nico looked at Jericho as he disconnected the call. “We’re going tonight, right?”
Jericho didn’t answer right away.
“The smarter play is to go in the morning,” Freckles said, his tone implying that they would most likelynotbe doing the smarter thing.
“But we have the element of surprise tonight,” Mal said. “Jason still thinks we suspect Frankie, and Frankie said he had no plans to tell him otherwise. If we wait too long, we might be too late.”
Jericho nodded, scrubbing his hands over his face just like Mal had. “I know. I know, you’re right.” To Freckles, he said, “Call your brothers. See if one or two are available just to keep watch in case things go south. If not, we’ll wing it.”
“We?” Freckles asked, mouth a flat line of disapproval.
“Well, I’m not sending them in alone, and one of us has to stay here with the littles. Do you want to go kill bad guys or stay home curled up in bed where the only emergency you’re likely to face is one of the bathroom variety?” Jericho asked, giving his husband a knowing look.
Freckles deflated. “Yeah, fine. Whatever.” He poked Jericho in the chest. “Don’t you dare get hurt.”
“Aw, you worried about me, Freckles?” he teased, pressing a kiss to his cheek.
Freckles pulled back, giving Jericho a saccharine sweet smile. “If you die, I’m gonna marry Kendra and let the kids call her Mom.”
Jericho’s mouth fell open. Freckles’ expression grew smug, but only until Jericho leaned in close. Nico flushed as he heard him whisper, “We’ll see how tough you are when it’s just the two of us later.”
Freckles’ eyes went all hazy. Jericho kissed his slack lips, then jerked to his feet. “Let’s get this show on the road. I want to be home to have breakfast with my boys.”
Nico’s gaze floated to Mal, who was looking at him like he was reading his mind. Like he knew just how badly Nico wanted what Jericho and Freckles had. Maybe he did. Mal always seemed to know him better than he knew himself. He’d seen past all Nico’s bullshit and posturing. He’d easily hurdled all of his defenses.
Mal gave him a small smile that Nico easily returned. Was he allowed to have this? Was he allowed to be happy? Could he trust that life wouldn’t pull the rug out from under him just because he didn’t have all the answers?
The address Calliope sent was approximately thirty minutes from the penthouse. They’d taken Freckles’ “mom” car as a precaution. Jericho’s restored Bronco was too distinctive. It would stand out, even on the street, especially in the upper-middle class neighborhood where this property resided.
Mal’s heartbeat thudded heavy behind his ribs, his mind swirling with every conceivable outcome. There was no guarantee this house wasthehouse or that any house wasthehouse. There was no guarantee Amy was alive. His stomach soured. He really didn’t want to have to tell Casey that her mother was dead.
Mal had relinquished his claim on the passenger seat—one always determined by age—after a pointed look from Jericho. Mal knew he wanted to talk to Nico about the conversation he’d had in the Uber with his mom. It had only been a few hours, but it felt like a lifetime ago. So much had happened in the last twenty-four hours. Mal let them have their privacy, choosing tospend his quiet time running through every conceivable way this plan might play out.
Would Jason be there when they arrived? Was Amy locked away in some attic or basement or some other hard-to-access location? Would the three of them be enough to get Amy out safely? Was it overkill? Jason was a psychopath but he was just one man. They had the element of surprise.
Fuck. Except, this wasn’t just a mission to dispatch Jason. They had to rescue Amyandbring Jason back to the Red Lotus Clan if they were to honor their agreement. They had to return Amy, too. Why had they agreed to that? They would give her back to Casey only to tell her that they still weren’t safe?
If she was even still alive. He needed her to be alive. How did the Mulvaneys do this every day? Life was so much easier when it was just a hit. Get in, take out the target, get out. Easy. They could control all the variables. Who? Where? When? There was never any collateral damage. No real surprises.
But this was a rescue mission, probably not Jericho’s first, but certainly Mal’s. Possibly Nico’s. A last minute rescue mission at that. They didn’t know what or who they’d find when they got there. The element of surprise went both ways. They had August and Adam coming in to act as backup. They had the most experience with this kind of thing. But they were still at least twenty minutes away.
Did they have that kind of time?
Nico was right. This whole investigation and recovery thing wasn’t for them. He wanted to get back to his old life. Maybe he should just go work for Thomas. Killing those who preyed on the weak and vulnerable was cathartic. It paid better, too. If he went to work for Thomas, he could still teach dance. Would Nico be okay with that?
