“And one pretty bird,” Lex murmured, noting the helicopter waiting on a helo pad in the yard.
For a long, silent moment, they all studied and memorized the camera placements.
“Drone deployed,” Corey announced, using his phone to both fly it and view its progress.
“That thing is crazy small,” Lex said. They watched it soar straight up and practically disappear.
“Kinda like your dick,” Chaz commented with a smirk.
Lex snorted. “Hardly.”
“I’ve got it down to the size of a bottle cap,” Corey informed them with a triumphant grin.
“Yeah, I was being generous, Battle,” Chaz teased. “You’re more like—what? A thimble?”
Lex flipped him off.
“That’s because you’re a fucking rockstar, Cor,” Wes said. Then he let out a low curse. “This fucker’s got a tight system. I’m not sure I’m going to be able to loop the footage.”
“We can’t wait any longer.” Jayson shifted from one booted foot to the other, itching to get moving. Way too impatient. Nerves rubbing raw.
“Jay’s right.” Brand pressed his comms unit into his ear, and the others followed suit. “Time to do this.”
With a relieved nod, Jayson grabbed his backpack, slung it onto his shoulders, and turned toward Ferrante’s compound. “Let’s go.”
“See you soon,” Wes said.
The trek wasn’t long, but the hot desert sun made a sweat break out on Jayson’s brow. Good thing they all kept themselves in good shape. It didn’t take long before they spotted the high concrete walls of Ferrante’s desert fortress. The drone had reached it already and Corey flew it around, getting a closer look.
“We need to neutralize the two perimeter guards circling the exterior of the wall,” Corey stated. “Less to worry about when we make our escape.”
“Roger that,” Chaz grunted, looking down at Corey’s screen.
They continued forward, moving in fast.
“Fucking interior cams are not going down without a fight,” Wes reported in their comms. “But I’ve managed to disable the exterior cam in the Yucca tree and at the side entrance, so no one will see you coming in that way.”
“Roger. Thanks, Murph.” Brand stopped, lifting a hand, and they all paused. “Madden and I will take down the perimeter guards. Jay, Cor and Battle, make your way to the western wall and set up the rope. We’ll meet you there and climb over together.”
Everyone nodded and they began walking forward again when Corey jerked to a halt. “Hold up!” he whispered.
“What’s going on?” Jayson asked.
Corey frowned down at his screen. “I think…” He hit a button then lifted his phone for the others to see. “I just rewound it. Check this out.”
Everyone hovered around Corey and looked down at the phone. One of Ferrante’s men walked across the rear yard then bent over and lifted what looked like a trap door in the middle of the damn sand. He began to descend what seemed to be stairs, letting the concealed door close behind him, disappearing underground.
“What the—” Lex murmured.
“It must be a bunker,” Brand surmised. “Cor, fly the drone closer.”
“On it.” Corey flew it right up to the hidden hatch, buzzing in a slow circle above it.
“That’s where we need to go,” Jayson said, voice firm. Everything in him screamed that Sabrina was down in that fucking hole. And she needed him. Desperately.
Brand shook his head. “You can’t sneak into a bunker when there’s only one way in and out.”
“Plan B?” Jayson asked, his hand tightening on his backpack strap, enough explosives stashed in the bag to blow those fuckers to the moon and back.
