Collapsing into the chair, he rubbed his thumb and middle finger across his eyebrows, hoping the pressure would stem the headache he could feel forming. Two small hands came down on his shoulders and kneaded the flesh and bone. The scent of jasmine wrapped aroundhim. Daleyza. All these years, and she’d never changed the scent she wore. It blanketed him, and he dropped his hand from his face to sit up in the chair and tilt his head back until it connected with her torso. She always knew when he was mired in negative thoughts and feelings, and just like in the past, her gentle touch gave him the strength to push through it.
In the background, God began to give orders. “Medusa, we’re going to need a speedboat. Find one, and find somewhere along the lakeshore where you can unload, as well as stash a military-grade truck that can hold bodies lying down. I want another military-grade truck at the ready, three miles out on the highway from the main gate.
“Demon. You’re getting wet tonight. I’m going to want you in the water as an extra set of eyes.”
“Fan-fecking-tastic. Just what I wanted. A case of hypothermia,” the man bitched. Still, he was already on his way to his bag, as he always brought dive gear and climbing gear. It was meant to be his cover story in case he was questioned about why he was in a particular country or area, but he’d needed it on more than one project in the past.
“Pack dry gear for the boat because eventually you’ll be needed for our injured men.”
“Got it.”
“Nemo, Gem. I want thermal blankets, a heater, anything you can scrounge up in that boat, ready in case someone goes in the drink or some other emergency. Also, medical kits, at least three stashed on board. Tonight, the two of you are going to ride with Medusa in the boat. You’ll be making your ingress from the cliffside.
“TB. I need you on the computer with Midas. Cerberus is running the drone, and Nova’s tracking all of you. I don’t want to pull her because the signal on Waters is going to be at its end soon, and we need that location pinpointed as tight as possible. That means I need both of you working on our mystery guy.”
“You got it. I’ve got a contact or two from my days as TheCollector I can check with. With most of his face covered, it’ll be a long shot, but it’s worth a try.”
“Do it. Loki? Gilgamesh? I need you two to put together a plan to get into those security towers and take out the guards. Three towers, that’s one for each of us. Then we’ll need a plan for taking out any opposition we meet along the way.
“Steel and Daleyza, you will be making entry from the bottom. I know we have no way of knowing where those tunnels lead exactly. Primary objective is to find a way to those oubliettes and get our people.”
“Are we sure Ka-Bar’s going to be there too?”
“One hundred percent? No. I’m guessing they brought both men here, though, figuring we’d have no way to track them.”
“And now that they’ve seen us,” Loki said, “they know we did.”
“Exactly. Time is running short. I hate to say it, but they could already be dead. Even if that’s the case, we are not leaving them behind for these jackals.”
“What can I do?” Daleyza asked.
“Work with Loki, Gilgamesh, and Steel on pathways out of the mission. Think about places where they could possibly have entrances to a cave system. They’d be in plain sight, places no one would think twice about. I want you to fill in the map with notes on where every door is that you can remember, every closet, every vent, anything that might have a hidden space behind it, under it, or through it.”
Steel reached behind him and laid a hand on hers, where it sat on his shoulder. He looked around at her.
He saw panic and uncertainty in her eyes. “It sounds like a lot. You can do it.”
“They could have hollowed out spaces, built new doors.”
He pulled her hand off his shoulder and kissed it. “Unlikely. I bet this property was owned by a member of the Salieri and converted into a stronghold a long time ago. Hollowing out those cliffs would have taken a long time, Daleyza. Long before your father took controlof the property. In fact, I’d bet he doesn’t even really own it. My guess is he’s a front for them.” He squeezed the hand he held. “I know you can figure it out.”
She let out a long exhale. “I’ll try.”
“Go.” He nodded his head toward the table where the maps and diagrams were spread out. “I’ll be there in a minute.”
He refrained from telling her the whole truth. While her father and brothers were still complicit in drug trafficking, they were clearly not members of the Salieri and, therefore, not truly on the inside. If they were, she would have been killed a long time ago rather than married off to one of Hector’s sons.
It also made sense, now, why his father had chosen him to marry Daleyza. They would have known that Steel never would have subscribed to the Salieri’s breeding practices. When Hector needed a marriage to solidify the loyalty of Daleyza’s family, Steel was the best choice. She had no clue how extra lucky she’d been. Marriage to one of his brothers wouldn’t have been a possible death sentence—it would have been assured.
As she walked over to Loki and Gilgamesh, he stayed seated in the chair, watching her. Did he do right by her?
“Never doubt your choices, Steel.”
He looked up to see God standing on the other side of the computer monitor and realized he must have asked his question out loud. He told his boss, “I’ve loved that woman from the moment I raised her veil at the altar. I did everything from that point on to shelter her from the cruelties of my family. Everything possible to protect her from their retribution. Now, here she is, embroiled in an even bigger disaster. One she should have no connection to.”
“It’s a good thing we didn’t have a bet running on it because, for once, you’re wrong. The two of you have been on this path from the very beginning. You’ve suffered greatly, but you’ll come out of it just fine. If there’s one thing I do know, it’s that.”
“And if I fail her again?”
