“Jak and Lea, in position.” A woman’s voice in my ear almost made me jump. Luk’s eyes turned to me, and I shrugged.
“Blade and Sab in position,” a male voice responded, and I figured it had to be Blade.
I liked that my uncle had an even number of women to men in the lead group, which Istvan never did. Hanna and I were the only girls in our class in HDF. Most were raised to be wives of powerful men. It seemed Kaptain played more favoritism between fae and human than between sexes. Except for Tracker, the rest of the squad was at least half fae.
“Track and Ava in position.” Ava’s voice crackled in my ear.
“Luk and X moving in,” Luk muttered next to me, his voice echoing through my earpiece.
“Four guards just stopped in front of platform one.” Tracker’s voice spoke as Luk and I strolled through what used to be shopping stores to the train platform. This place used to be a hub of transportation; now only six platforms were being used. All the shops were boarded up, and only a few carts with coffee and bakery items were sprinkled around. Once a symbol of its beauty, the decaying art nouveau-style building was another thing on the endangered list.
“No guards are at platform six,” the voice I now knew as Lea’s muttered through the earpiece.
“Still says it’s arriving on six,” Blade spoke, his Polish accent thick.
“Stand by,” Tracker ordered. It was clear he was the alpha of the group.
My gaze went to platform one, my mind taking in every detail around it. Next to the platform was an arched doorway leading through an old waiting room and then outside to the street. Guards paced inside the doorway.
“Can people exit there?” I flicked my chin. Luk’s gaze slid casually over to where I was indicating.
“No, all exits except the main one are blocked off to civilians, so they can check everyone going in and out.”
“But not for a prime minister wanting to get cargo off as fast and subtle as he can?” My eyebrows arched up.
“Attention! Train arriving for Budapest on platform six.” A man’s voice boomed over the station’s speaker. Passengers immediately headed for that area, but something in my gut told me I was right.
“It’s coming on platform one.”
“But they just said?—”
“I’m telling you it’s coming in at platform one.” I looked into Luk’s eyes, the impliedtrust meexpression stretched over my features.
Luk glanced over to the platform, biting down on his lip. I knew he was taking in how the train carriage could line up with the double doors, how easy it would be for them to wheel whatever they wanted off the carriage and into a waiting cart or car outside the exit.
“Trust me,” I said, his eyes holding mine. I could see the struggle in him. He had no reason to trust me.
Inhaling and exhaling, he muttered into the com, “Tracker, get everyone in position for platform one.”
“What? No. The announcer said six,” Tracker snapped back.
“Trust me.” Luk gritted his teeth. “Platform one.”
“Are you sure? If you’re wrong, this whole mission was for nothing,” Tracker replied gruffly.
Luk’s blue eyes met mine, his head dipping. “I’m sure.”
Luk and I moved through the space. It was busy, but not as much as I hoped. The shield of people was better to hide among. I spotted a train coming up the track right before they split off into the six separate lanes.
My stomach twisted with nerves.Please be right, please be right.
The loud squealing of metal rang out as the train switched tracks. I held my breath. And then it curved, coming up track one. My heart rapped in my chest, my shoulders lowering with relief.
“Looks like you were right.” Luk winked at me, lacing his fingers with mine, making us look like a couple. We strolled toward the platform, where two guards stood at the front of the track. You couldn’t pass them without a ticket.
While Luk showed them our tickets, my gaze wandered down the platform, spotting guards propping open the double doors on the side, four moving through with a cart, as three train guards hopped from the train, heading for the last carriage.
It was exactly as I figured, confirming to me what was likely being smuggled in the cargo. The night I was captured and sent to Halálház, when I found the pills, the train had been heading here.
