The kitchen went quiet as all eyes focused on her.
Elvis chuckled as he licked a drop of coffee from the rim of his cup. “You know the King made himself worth finding as well. He said he didn’t go looking for what he wanted to happen, but made it so they would want to come to him. You’ve done that here.”
“Sometimes it’s better to have them come after you than you go after them,” Blaze said, leaning back in his chair, dropping his arms in his lap. “As Dane always says, sometimes the difference between a controlled situation and a complete catastrophe is simple preparation and sticking to the plan.”
Elvis gave a curt nod. “We did it right. We controlled the where and how, and even tried to control the when by posting your itinerary on the fake company’s website. Leon will be somewhere waiting for you to make an appearance. We get you in and out in less than an hour. You do what we tell you, and everything should go as planned.”
Delaney held his gaze, then gave a slow bob of her head. “Agreed.”
“And you’re sure I can’t talk you out of this?” Donovan asked.
Delaney shook her head. “It’s time to cut the head off the snake.”
He nodded. “Well, I’m here until this is over.”
She cocked a brow. “I thought the marshals pulled away from me when I came out of hiding.”
He simply stared at her. “They did. I didn’t.”
She stared at the man for another moment and then smiled, her eyes pricking with tears Elvis knew she wouldn’t let fall. “Thank you.”
The marshal merely nodded.
“I’ll have the cameras repositioned within the hour,” Blaze said, already sitting up in his chair and pulling the laptop closer. Then he looked at Elvis, a pointed look on his face. “Dane also texted. He says he’s got your back.”
Elvis cocked a brow, then smiled. “Good to know.”
He then took another sip of his coffee as he glanced back out at the courtyard, watching the morning light find the top of the brick wall. He took the smooth, simple light as a good omen for the day. He knew that with Leon doing a drive-by of the place, the trap had teeth now, and the only question was whether they could control what bit down on it.
An hour later, they arrived at the address on Bay Street, just the three of them, as Elvis left Blaze back at the safe house to watch the monitors and feed him updates through the earpiece he wore. He had put Delaney in a bulletproof vest under her clothes as a precaution, making her wear a jacket so it wouldn’t be noticeable. Donovan and he had them on under their shirts as well.
He glanced over at Delaney in the passenger seat. “We’ll slip out of the SUV and make our way to the front door. Not slow, but not fast either. It needs to look natural. I want him to make his move out here. There are enough cameras, hopefully, to deter him from doing anything too stupid.”
“And if we get inside before he appears?” she asked.
He sighed. “Then we’ll move to Plan B, but let’s hope we get the first one.”
The marshal leaned forward from the backseat. “And if we see him before he makes his move?”
“He needs to move first, or we have nothing to hold him on,” Elvis said. “So, if we see him, just pretend you don’t recognize him. However, he’s stupid enough to think he has us surprised, and that’ll help us.”
Donovan nodded. “I’ll follow, hanging to the back a few feet.”
“Sounds good.” Elvis then looked at Delaney. “You ready?”
“Hell no, but…” She sighed. “Let’s just get this over with.”
He smiled at her, reaching out and taking her hand in his, giving her a reassuring squeeze. “You got this.”
As they slid out of the SUV, the morning had settled into that particular Savannah stillness, the warm air carrying salt and something floral, while the oaks held their Spanish moss motionless in the absence of wind. They were halfway to the building, still on the cobblestoned sidewalk when Elvis heard the vehicles drawing near. Two of them came from the south end of Bay Street, moving at the unhurried pace of men who didn’t believe they needed to hurry.
He reached out and took Delaney’s elbow in his grip. “Stay close and don’t look at them.”
Donovan had already shifted, moving a half-step to his left so he could monitor the sightlines. They were twenty feet from the building’s front entrance, and the walk ahead of them held that quietness that only lasted until it didn’t.
Elvis chanced a quick glance over his shoulder. The vehicles had stopped at the curb, and Leon stormed out of the lead car, more determination etched on his features.
Elvis saw him clearly for the first time without glass or camera between them. Behind Leon, two men stepped out of a second vehicle, and a third emerged from Leon’s vehicle, moving to flank wide as they approached. That told Elvis everything he needed to know about how this had been planned. He could see bulges under their jackets, where he was sure they had their weapons.
