Elestine waved a hand. “I had a twelve-year-old boy once. I know what they’re like.” She glanced through the doorway Alastair had left through. “I wish he were still easy to understand.”
Cass tapped her watch. “If Beni’s all set, we’d better be off.”
Scarlett took a deep breath. “Yes, let’s be off.”
Elestine took Scarlett’s hand. “You’re sure I can’t convince you to stay?”
“Thank you, but no,” she said, squeezing her hand. “I’ve got to do this.”
Scarlett chugged an energy drink as Cass drove the speedboat to the Prince’s Street Dock to pick up the rest of the crew. She was on the precipice of risking everything, but for now, she was just riding on a boat, drinking a fizzy drink. Living in the moment would get her through this evening.
At the docks, Scarlett spotted Mace and Brixton, the hydra and the dire wolf she’d seen in the boxing ring months ago.Mace was so huge it was impossible to miss him. Brixton, short and lean but no less tough, looked the same as ever. Their soul lights zoomed around them, bringing Scarlett a small amount of comfort as she glimpsed the little lights.
They each nodded in greeting as they stepped into the speedboat’s enclosed cabin. They were followed by two men of average height and weight: one dark-skinned with a shaved head, and the other pale and freckled with auburn hair. These two didn’t have soul lights. All four were dressed in all black, just like Cass and Scarlett.
“Good evening, gents,” said Cass from the driver’s seat as they pulled away from the dock. In the enclosed cabin her voice was easy enough to hear over the boat’s engine. “Masks and earpieces in the box on the floor. Did you all bring your guns?”
Sounds of affirmation came from all the men. Scarlett didn’t have a gun, but she knew Cass did. She had her under strict orders to stay by her side.
“Great. Hope for the best and plan for the worst, right?” Cass sounded cheerful, not at all like she was about to do something extremely risky. “Heads-up, I’m masking us from view now.”
A shimmer passed over them, and every light on the boat darkened. Unless they ran right into someone, no one would be able to spot them coming or going. Most importantly, they wouldn’t be caught on surveillance cameras. It was why they’d waited for nightfall instead of beginning earlier in the evening. The delay meant they had a time crunch, but the stealth Cass’s power lent them made it worth it.
Mace picked up the box and took a mask and an earpiece before passing it on to Brixton.
“Quick intros,” called Cass as she drove. “Code names, please. I’m Cobra for tonight. Team lead and driver, and I’m a nocturna, in case any of you were too thick to notice.”
Mace cracked a smile. “I’m Ace. Hydra shifter, muscle, andmiscellaneous.”
Scarlett waved to the four men. “I’m Crimson. Financier and tech communications. I’m a vox. Thanks for coming tonight.”
The man with the shaved head gave her a small smile. “We all know who you are. Thanks for the job. I’m Rex. Reconnaissance and chemistry.” He patted the black bag he’d brought on board.
“Lock,” said the man with the auburn hair. “Recon, and as the name implies, I pick locks.”
“Brix,” said Brixton as he cracked his knuckles. “Dire-wolf shifter. Muscle and miscellaneous.”
“Now that we’re all friends, here’s the schedule,” barked Cass. “We’re hitting two locations, and we need to be quick. The Golden Gala finishes in ninety minutes, and every minute we linger increases our odds of getting caught. We’re using a fake warrant on any staff at the Federsin residence, and Lock will be getting us into the Goldenrod headquarters. We’ve had our tech support arrange for the phone lines and security cameras in Goldie HQ to go down when we arrive, so the alarm system won’t be able to call out when we trigger it. Any questions?”
Everyone was silent.
“Good,” said Cass. “Also, we’re aiming for no fatalities tonight. Disarm as needed, but try not to kill anyone.”
Scarlett’s heart hammered in her chest. She looked around, but the statement fazed no one. No one except her.
Their first stop was the Federsin home.
Cass parked the boat in a narrow canal near the enormous home on the Sapphire Canal. She killed the engine and swiveled in her chair to face them. “Right. Let’s do the damn thing. Rex, Lock, you have your badges?”
They’d discussed using Cass’s powers to get into the Federsin home unseen but decided that doors opening of their own accord were more likely to cause trouble with the staff than pretending to be the Soleil Bureau.
Rex pulled a badge out of his pocket and flashed it to the group. It looked as real as any Soleil Bureau badge Scarlett had ever seen.
How many fake badges are out there?
Given she needed Rex’s help, she wasn’t in a place to question what else he did with that badge, but she’d be asking Cass about it when everything calmed down. Casshadassured her the men were trustworthy, and that was enough for tonight. They were doing the right thing, trying to expose these people.
“Masks and earpieces on, please,” said Cass.
