We didn’t say anything else until we pulled onto the street where Cian’s mom lived. It was quiet, her house one of the biggest ones in the area, a long winding driveway leading up to a stately manor complete with white columns and pretty flower beds.
Blake drove past, not slowing down or showing any sign of acknowledgment that this was the house.
“Three guys in the garden, two on the roof, and one across the street. There’s also cameras everywhere.”
I gaped at him, wondering when he’d even looked at the house. His gaze had been on the street in front of us the whole time.
“Right. So how do we get in?”
He parked two streets away and turned the motor off. “We aren’t going to get in at all. I’m going inside while you stay in the car.”
“Are you insane? This is at least a two-person job. How are you going to get through the keypad on the front door? What are you going to do when you find your daughter and have to carry her? You need someone to have your back.”
He shifted in his seat, his dull eyes catching mine. “If I take you in there with me, Gunner is going to gut me alive.”
Wasn’t that the truth. But going in by himself was suicide. I couldn’t let him do it.
“Do you have another gun?”
He bent down, getting things out from underneath his seat. “You’re not going.”
Knowing I had to do this or he’d be walking into an early grave, taking his daughter with him, I got out of the car before he could protest. “I’m either going with you, or I’ll scream so loud you’ll never make it within sight of the house.”
Pressing his lips together, he closed his door and met me on the other side, holding out a small handgun. “Don’t make me regret this.”
I grinned at him while checking the gun clip. He shook his head as if he couldn’t believe he just agreed to this. “Stay behind me at all times. That’s nonnegotiable.”
I jogged down the road after him. “Got it.”
When we got close to the house, we slowed down. “I have to take care of the guy across the street. Stay here and pretend to tie your shoe. Do not go ahead without me.”
Grumbling about wasting precious time, I did as I was told. I’d barely undone my shoelace and retied it again when Blake was back. “Smile and let’s keep walking. They’ll be able to see us as soon as we round the corner.”
He didn’t stop, and I rushed to catch up with him. I just hoped I looked as casual as Blake did sauntering down the sidewalk. I kept my gaze down, knowing I’d just stare otherwise.
“We have no way of disabling the cameras, so as soon as I take out the guys outside, you need to open the door.” He handed me a small kit for the door and veered off to the side.
“Got it.”
There were security screens on all the windows, so the door was our best bet. I walked up to the house, smiling and waving at the guards like I was on a pageant runway.
One of them came up as soon as I made it to the gate.
“Are you lost?”
“I’m here to see Meabh.”
“She didn’t mention anyone coming around today.”
I twirled my hair around my finger, looking at him from under my lashes. “I’m an old friend. She’d love to see me.”
Instead of responding, the guard dropped like a sack of potatoes, and Blake appeared from behind the bushes. He opened the gate so I could slip through, and we rushed up the driveway.
Unfortunately for us, the front door not only had a keypad but also a camera and no handle. Guess we’d have to do this the old-fashioned way.
I confidently strode up the steps and waved Blake away. “I got this.”
He reluctantly fell back and out of sight of the cameras as I lifted my hand and knocked. It didn’t take long for the door to open and a guard to appear.
