Everyone nods and files back toward their respective cars, except Matthias. He leans in close and whispers something angrily to Liam, who just laughs and nods his head at my husband like he’s a puppy rather than a giant wolf.
Shaking my head, I make my way back toward Liam’s SUV.
“Not you, Ava,” Liam hollers to me, jerking his thumb back at my burly Russian husband. “Change of plans. You’re going with him.”
“Da!” the twins exclaim at the same time.
“Don’t da me,” he scolds them. “He’s better equipped to keep her safe, and the two of them have some marital kinks to work through. Don’t you think?”
I curse under my breath. If he means that Matthias will ignore me the entire operation, then yeah, we’re working through so many kinks.
“He promised me he wouldn’t throw you in the trunk,” Liam adds, as if that small bit of information will help.
“Could still throw me in the water though,” I pout, grabbing my pack from Seamus’s hand. I shoot him a small smile before turning to where my husband and his entourage wait.
Shoot me now.
“Let’s go, Ava,” Matthias barks. “Time is ticking.”
Liam grins broadly down at me as I shoot him a glare, hoping it will melt his face off. No such luck. This is payback for our conversation about Marianne. I just know it.
“Coming, darling.” I smile sweetly at my husband, my voice drenched in saccharine as I make my way toward him. Vas barks a laugh.
“Let’s do this.” The jovial Russian claps his hands together in anticipation. Matthias simply grunts as he slides into the passenger seat of the vehicle, not bothering to open the back door for me first like he used to.
“In you go.” Vas winks at me as he holds open the door, allowing me to slide into the back seat.
“Everyone in position.” Mark’s voice crackles through the small radio that is mounted on the dash. “Keep everything in the shadows. You’ve got two large cargo trucks three clicks out from the north entrance.”
Luckily it’s one of our men on the gate.
We sit in silence. The tension in the car is stifling as we wait in the shadows for the trucks to pass through the gate. Once weknow where they are going, we can pursue. The plan is in place, set to near perfection.
Jake, our man on the gate, routinely checks their credentials while simultaneously sticking a small tracker on the side of one of the trucks. From there, we are able to triangulate their position and follow them in.
Mark’s infrared drone hovers above the small port, giving him a real-time feed of the area. He’s able to inform us of how many men are in the trucks, positions, and any surprises that might come up.
Easy as pie.
I hope.
“You’re staying in the car, Ava,” Matthias finally speaks, his tone grave as he slides the slide of his gun back to double-check there is one in the chamber. Vas does the same with his. “There is no reason to be out there where you could get hurt.”
I scoff. “Thanks for showing concern,” I sneer as I check my own gun. A decently sized Smith and Wesson 9mm. Perfect for me. “But you won’t be able to access the digitalized containers without me. I’m the one with the codes, and I’m not sharing.”
Matthias snorts derisively.
“Assuming he didn’t change the codes.”
I miss him calling me Red. OrKrasnyy.Fuck, I wish we could go back to that. To before the staunch silence and titanium walls he’s erected between us.
“By all means, Matthias,” I shoot back at him, gesturing toward the port. “Feel free to conduct this plan without me. Let me know how that goes.”
“We need her, boss.” Vas levels a hard gaze at hisPakhan. “You know that. Stop being so fucking stubborn.” A beat passes before he tacks on a respective if not somewhat sarcastic “sir.”
Matthias growls, the sound coming from low in his chest. It makes me shiver, an unwanted flush creeping up my neck, heat suffusing my cheeks.
Fucking body doesn’t seem to be getting the message that we aren’t on team asshole now. Traitor. But man, do I miss the sex.
