Romanov led him into a study, and Aiden stopped just inside the door to take in the room. It was masculine in the extreme, all dark wood and cool colors, with a fireplace that matched the rest of the house completely. There were also shelves and shelves of books, though he didn’t move close enough to pick up the individual titles.
“If you’re done with your perusal…”
“Tell me.” He moved to the desk—very similar to the one in his office—and looked at a map of the docks that Romanov had laid out. There were two spots marked on nearly opposite ends of the docks. “What’s this?”
“I have my people surveying the area for Mae andherpeople.” He pointed to first one location and then the other. “Mae has been to both in the last hour and she’s got a perimeter in place for both. It’s impossible to know which location contains your fiancée, and it’s likely that as soon as we attack one, there are safeguards in place to kill Charlie before we can get to her.”
Aiden fought against the fear trying to take control, but he could only hold it off for so long. There had been toomany close calls lately. Fate wasn’t kind, and it was only a matter of time before he arrived too late.
Not this time. Not with Charlie.
He couldn’t think about what pain she might be facing while they delayed. His grip on the edge of the desk went white-knuckled. “We have to hit both spots at the same time, and we have to do it stealthily.”
“Agreed.”
A man poked his head into the room and nodded.
“Thank you, Mikhail.” Romanov sighed. “James Halloran has arrived.”
Sure enough, the big blond strode into the room a few seconds later. There weren’t any men with him, but he wouldn’t have come alone any more than Aiden.I would have if Mark wasn’t on top of things.Aiden pushed that thought away. “We have a problem.”
They quickly outlined the issue to James, who cursed. “How much open ground is there around the warehouses?”
“Too much.” Romanov circled a finger around the southern one. “And Alethea owns the surrounding buildings, effectively removing the ability to get a clear shot.”
So snipers were out. They could theoretically work their way through any sentries in the buildings, but it would take time that they didn’t have, and if one of the Eldridge guards got out a call for help, it would ruin everything.
Aiden could feel the seconds ticking down. If Mae had visited both warehouses, it meant she was trying to confuse the trail—and she hadn’t been at Charlie nonstop for the last hour and a half. He had to hold on to that knowledge, because if he thought too closely about what she was going through—and whose fault it was—he’d drive himself mad.
“Then stealth is out to some extent.” Aiden looked up atRomanov, his fear for Charlie threatening to get the best of him. Was he content to play “Who Has the Biggest Dick?” when her life was on the line?No fucking way.“What do you suggest?”
To Dmitri’s credit, he didn’t gloat. “If they follow the same schedule they have for the last eighteen months, their guards will change shifts at three. If we attack in the midst of that, it will confuse things and give us the chance we need in order to succeed without undue casualties.”
Without Charlie being killed.
Aiden looked at his watch, feeling sick. “That’s two hours from now.”
“Yes, it is.” There was no sympathy on the man’s face. “Can your woman hold up for that long without breaking?”
She could. Heknewshe could. But that didn’t mean he wanted her to have to. Charlie had been to hell and back because of the man in front of him, and now Romanov was telling him that she’d have to do it again. He couldn’t blame the Russian this time. The only person who’d put her firmly in the path of danger was Aiden himself.
He stared at the map. “What do you think our odds are if we attack now?”
“Perhaps fifty-fifty. If we wait until the shift change, I would increase that to seventy-five–twenty-five.”
He didn’t like either of those odds, but he wasn’t going to be happy with odds that weren’t 100 percent in favor of her getting out of that warehouse safely. “We’re not leaving her in there.”
“You’re risking a significant amount.”
“Yes. I am.” She was being hurt right this goddamn second. If he’d left her in that little bar two weeks ago, she’d be safe right now. It was his fault she had a target painted onher back, and he wasn’t going to leave her to bear the burden of it. “We’ll get her out. Now. I’ll take my men here.” He pointed to the north warehouse. Aiden was pretty damn sure that was the same one where he and Charlie had gone to play poker last week. “Halloran, you will hit this one.” He moved his hand to the south building. “Romanov, you will split your men between us.”
“We’ll talk about your giving me orders another time.”
Yeah, just like they’d talk about Romanov’s determination to make Keira his wife another time. Aiden looked up and met his gaze directly. “Tonight, we’re allies. This isn’t the timeline we’d set up, but it will serve the same purpose. Once the Eldridge threat is eliminated, we’ll get back to politicking and that other bullshit.”
“Indeed.” Romanov moved to a cabinet built into the center of the shelves and pulled out a bottle of vodka and three tumblers. “I know you Irish with your unrefined palates enjoy your whiskey, but you’ll have to make do with vodka tonight.”
“Now isn’t the time to be drinking.”
