Chapter Four
Giana
Lightningeruptedaboveus,the flash of light illuminating the abandoned streets for a moment before plunging us back into darkness. Thunder cracked through the silent alley, the vibration shaking my bones as the chill from the rain seeped into my skin. The raincoat billowed around me as the frigid wind found its way beneath the thin layer, making me wish I’d bundled up. But style sometimes trumped dressing for the weather, especially when you had a point to prove.
I wrapped my arms around myself, a shiver wracking through my body as I tried to keep the autumn storm from chilling me to the bone. At least the weather was working in our favor today. It might not be comfortable, but it was keeping most of the town safe in their homes. The Barones planned to flood the streetswith their men, but with the storm raging overhead, they pulled most of their forces inside. Now the streets would run with rain rather than their blood. Not as symbolic, but at least we were less likely to be discovered before the grand entrance.
“Is Alpha team ready?” Kellan asked through his earpiece, huddling closer to me to try to share some of his warmth.
“We’re in position.” Nicholas’ voice rumbled through the radio, and I sighed a breath of relief, sinking back into Kellan’s embrace. They were set up in the alley to the right of the cathedral, waiting for the all clear to take out the guards patrolling the rear entrance. They’d then head up the stairs to the balconies to eliminate any remaining guards and set up their rifles.
“Bravo team?”
“We’re all set up,” Anthony, one of the snipers, said. Jerry and Susanne were more than happy to lend their shops as our base while they hopped on planes for the West Coast this morning.
“Charlie team?” Kellan continued his checks, wrapping an arm around my waist as anticipation thrummed between us. We were taking cover in the alley beside the hardware store, out of view from the four suited guards in front of the cathedral.
“Ready for your signal,” Spade said, and I swore I could make out his wink as he hid in the shadows across the street. He positioned himself in the alley to the left of the church with a few men, ready to silently eliminate the hired muscle stationed in front of the church.
The funeral was already in procession, so we had to time our move perfectly. It couldn’t be too soon, but if we waited too long, they might notice us.
“Alpha and Charlie teams, move on my mark. Bravo team, only shoot if necessary.” Stealth was the name of the game here, and although the sniper rifles might be hidden with thestorm raging above us, we couldn’t take that risk unless it was absolutely necessary.
Two men stood on either side of the stone steps leading up to the church, while two others guarded each side of the door. They had coats on over their black suits, but they weren’t waterproof. The guards muttered to each other, their shoulders hunched in on themselves as they tried to keep warm.
Spade already knew he had to get to the two by the doors before they could shout in warning. If anyone could do it, it was my unhinged lover. We were waiting for a moment when the Barone’s men were distracted, something Francine had the perfect idea for.
As if my thoughts had summoned her right on time, Francine’s ice cream truck came trundling down the road, the chime of the upbeat music cutting through the rumble of thunder in the distance. She stopped at the corner of the street beside the church, drawing the guards’ attention to the right.
One of the sentries by the door descended the steps to investigate.
“Go,” Kellan said into the headset, and a flurry of movement drew my gaze back to the stone church.
Spade jumped up the side of the steps, slamming his knife into one of the guards’ necks before quietly guiding him to the ground. He lunged over the other side, dispatching the guard who went to investigate the crackling music. By the time he was pulling his knife from the second one, the other Demons were finished with the two at the bottom of the stairs and pulling their lifeless forms into the alley. A trail of red followed them, blood pooling on the stone and streaming down them in rivulets guided by the rain. Spade helped with the other two men, and by the time all the bodies were hidden, the rain had already washed away the blood that had stained the stairs like the life ebbing from the guards’ crumpled bodies.
Francine pulled away from the curb and turned to head in the other direction, the cheery music almost chilling as it faded away in the stormy atmosphere.
“Alpha team clear,” Nicholas said as the four Demons with Spade took the guards’ places, their suits identical to the guards’ uniforms—a touch I helped with. “We took out the four positioned on the balconies, but there are four more men inside the doors.”
“We’ll take care of them,” I said, pulling a gun from my thigh strap and screwing on the silencer as Kellan pulled his comforting warmth away to do the same. “Just be ready when the doors open.”
“10-4,” Nicholas said, barely audible over the pounding rain. He must be getting into position.
“Ready?” Kellan grinned, violence sparkling in his usually placid sable eyes. It took a lot to spark this side of him, but I’d noticed the change ever since the fire. Something broke in him that night, and he wouldn’t be able to quell the fury burning in his veins until we took every one of them out.
“Always.” I beamed back at him.
Kellan pulled his mask from inside his jacket and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, guiding me out of the dreary alley. The full force of the rain came down on us in a deluge the moment we stepped out into the street, obscuring my sight as we raced to the front of the church. Frigid water spilled over my heels, making me wish I’d worn rain boots instead.
Spade caught us as we reached the steps and grasped my arm, helping me up the slippery stone stairs. I grinned at him over my shoulder, noticing he’d ditched his raincoat, but blood still clung to his platinum hair and splattered his handsome face.
He swiped a thumb through the droplets, still shining crimson despite the rain, and rubbed it on my cheek. “Soon both of us will be bathed in the blood of our enemies.”
That really shouldn’t make my heart flutter, but it did. He winked and put his hood up, giving me one last glimpse of his glittering amethyst eyes before he covered his face with his own dark mask. The neon Xs over his eyes and grotesque smile flashed in the lightning crackling above us, sending a giddy thrill up my spine.
“Let’s go, sugar.” His muffled voice echoed behind his mask, making the usual sweet pet name sound sinister with the voice changer.
“Let’s.” I readied my gun and nodded to Kellan, who also had his mask in place and his hood up, a blade flashing in his grip.
