The thing about terrorists was that the ones sent out on buys like this weren’t the low-level brawlers, but the ones who handled the money. They had status within their organizations, and most of them were used to the finer things in life. Some were just arrogant enough to leave their rooms and expect to remain out of custody.
Which was why Alexei and the others were about to crash a poker game.
Liam was good at putting on a show. He’d done it with Jamie back in London the other year, and he did it now with an ease Alexei was vaguely jealous of. Liam approached the floor manager with a confident swagger that said he wouldn’t be denied his request.
And he wasn’t.
“We want a seat at your most exclusive table tonight. Money won’t be an issue,” Liam said with a friendly smile, looking more like a prince than a hardened soldier.
The manager took them all in with a glance, clearly aware of their identities. Alexei knew that information would be difficult to miss right now after a day where their faces had once again been splashed over the media.
“I can escort you to a game that is about to begin at the top of the hour?” the manager replied.
“Brilliant. Lead the way.”
The building they were in was one of the more exclusive ones in the resort. Only certain guests had access to what was on offer in this area. You needed to have a certain number of zeroes in your account or be the guest of someone who was that rich. Alexei knew they were rubbing elbows with wealthy, famous people whose day he was sure was about to be ruined, and not just because of a card game.
He didn’t think they’d have to worry about retaliation from civilians, but Alexei was still grateful Sean had his six. It freed him up to watch over Liam and Oliver. He knew Liam could take care of himself in a fight, but Oliver was a different story. Alexei didn’t know the agent’s capabilities, but he did know the man wasn’t weaponless. He could identify the faint imprint of hidden knives under clothing better than most people.
His own were tucked under his jacket sleeves, ready to use, along with the pistol holstered at the small of his back. Alexei always felt better with a gun in hand at times like this.
“Right this way,” the woman said as she palmed open the door she’d led them to one room over.
It slid open, revealing a room filled with cigar smoke, a newly begun card game, and a table filled with men on several countries’ Most Wanted lists.
Oliver grabbed the manager by the arm and yanked them both out of the doorway, pitching her out of the line of fire. She fell to her knees with a shriek but obeyed well enough when Oliver yelled at her to “Run!”
“Started the game without us. Poor form,” Liam said as he dove for cover in the hallway but not before tossing a bolt of electricity into the game room with one hand.
The crackling energy slammed into a man unholstering a gun from his hip. The weapon was never fully released as his entire body seized up from electrocution. He hit the floor with a heavy thud, unconscious despite how his body trembled from the shock.
The dealer screamed and tried to get out of the way by ducking under the table. She didn’t get far. One of the shooters grabbed her by her hair and hauled her back into the line of fire. She screamed louder, the terror in her voice making Alexei grind his teeth.
Sean ran into the room, and Alexei went with him. Rather than reach for his knives, Alexei reached for his pyrokinesis. Fire exploded around his free hand, a flickering, dangerous heat that he whipped through the air. Bullets ripped through their phased bodies and hit the wall behind them. He only hoped Liam and Oliver were staying clear of enemy fire.
Alexei controlled the flames so that rather than burn the room or furniture, it just burned bodies. Two of the fighters caught fire, the scent of charred skin cutting through the air as they screamed.
“We need them alive,” Sean snapped. He bent down and stole the pistol from the fighter Liam had knocked out, bringing it up with a steady arm.
Alexei scowled, making a fist. “Fine.”
As much as he wanted the bastards dead, the brass wanted them alive for questioning, and that was an order he would obey. Alexei tamped down the fire on the two men. What skin he could see on their hands and faces was burned an ugly red ringed by black, and their clothes had holes in areas. They’d dropped their weapons and were currently dropping to their knees, moaning in pain.
Alexei kept one eye on them. They weren’t much of a threat, but he’d seen supposedly dead people shoot others in the back before. He’d rather put a bullet in their chests, but Sean would be pissed if he did.
“You try burning me and I’ll pull the trigger,” the last man standing snarled. He held the card dealer in front of him as a human shield, one arm curled around her throat. His other hand held a gun to the crying woman’s skull as he edged toward the door.
“How far do you really think you’ll get by keeping her as a hostage?” Sean asked, drifting a little closer. Alexei was pulled along with him, the toe of his shined Oxford shoe dipping into the floor.
“You’re not going to let her die.”
They didn’t have working comms, but they’d all been faced with this situation before while in the field. Alexei wasn’t surprised when electricity crackled through the air like sheet lightning, hitting the man in the side before he could even blink.
Liam’s electrokinesis moved as fast as lightning, which was faster than the guy could pull the trigger. Sean let Alexei go and lunged for the woman, getting hands on her and phasing her to safety with half a second to spare. The man’s entire body seized up from Liam’s electrokinetic attack, and his finger reflexively tightened on the trigger.
The bullet shot through the back of the woman’s head before lodging itself in the high ceiling. Sean’s power meant she didn’t get her brains splattered everywhere, but the sound of the gun going off pitched her screams into the range that made Alexei wince and wish for head gear with sound dampeners.
The UMG had wanted to take the bastards in with minimal casualties. No one was dead, but when Alexei checked to make sure none of them were going to die within the next couple of minutes, he realized the faces weren’t who they’d been expecting to be at the card table.
