“I see them.”
“Good. Put one in your ear. Left or right. Whichever you prefer.”
She struggles with it but manages. I’ve already pulled mine out of my front pocket and put it in at the last stoplight. I can already hear Blade barking orders.
“Can you hear Blade, Angel?”
“Yes, Sir.”
Blade speaks next. “Good. Eloise, do you recognize my voice?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Okay. There’s going to be a lot of talking on here. I’ll be talking to you from the office. But you’ll also hear from everyone else who will be at the study center. I want you to stay in the SUV at all times. The earpiece is a precaution in case one of us needs to talk to you.”
“Okay.”
I clear my throat. “It works the other way, too, angel. If something happens to scare you, let us know. The entire team will be able to hear you.”
“Okay.”
“Pick up the gun. Hold it in your lap.”
“She has a gun?” This voice is Mace’s.
“It’s not loaded,” I inform everyone.
“Ah, good thinking. No one else will know that,” Tank replies.
“Exactly,” I agree. I glance at Eloise. “You hold that in your hand. Don’t let go of it. In the event things don’t go as planned, you lift that in the air and make anyone who approaches you believe you can and will shoot them.”
She nods. “I will, Cannon.” Her voice is all business. She’s looking me in the eyes in the reflection. She understands the gravity of the situation.
“I’m almost there,” I tell the team.
“Good,” Blade says. “Ghost is in the parking lot already. He’s in the second row to the right of the entrance. Blue Accord. Twenty twelve.”
“Got it.” We keep several nondescript vehicles in the garage in case we ever need to blend in.
“Rachell, you in position?” Blade asks.
I flinch. “Rachell?”
“She’s in the building. She’ll come out with the rest of the students as if she’s exiting from classes. She’s wearing jeans and a navy hoodie. Tank is inside, too.”
This is new. Rachell never works outside the office. It’s not that she’s not qualified. The woman is as qualified to do field work as any man at Black Blade Protection. She’s former Army and trained to take down any man twice her size, but field work is not her thing. She’s got a damn important role staffing the front desk. Mostly because she can spot trouble from a mile away. Her professional look includes pencil skirts, blouses, and heels. It keeps anyone who comes in from recognizing potential danger.
“No one can see into the SUV,” I tell Eloise. “Look around as I pull into the lot. I’m going to hang back a few rows. I don’t want my black SUV to tip Larkin off.”
“Class gets out in five minutes,” Ghost announces. “I’m going to get out of my car and pretend to stretch my legs while waiting for someone. I have a camera under the bill of my baseball cap. I’ll casually glance around. See if anyone is also waiting in one of these cars.”
“The unfortunate part is that Larkin has to suspect someone might be on to him. He knows Eloise didn’t leave that cabin on her own,” Blade explains.
I growl. “He might also think someone unrelated to Eloise is surveilling him.”
“Also true,” Blade acknowledges. “He must have an enemy list a mile long, and Eloise has been missing for over six months. He’s going to be skittish, though. He overrode the feed in an effort to keep us from knowing he was after her, whether or not we actually exist.”
Blade is right. Larkin can’t be sure we’re on to him. He’s just guessing. Anyone could be watching him. “He could suspect any number of people installed that camera. He doesn’t want them to know he’s out of town.”
