“They are seating us for dinner,” Pippa whispers.
“Lily Blackwell’s table will be close to the front, near Troy’s. Pippa, your table is middle back. Make sure you sit with your back to the front of the room,” Jules says. “Luna and Hudson, stay where you are.”
I take a deep breath. Jules is in there. Hudson is in there. They are in control. Nothing will happen. Pippa and Luna are capable. They can take care of themselves. Everything is okay. I repeat this in my mind a few times.
I fucking hate that I’m stuck in this van.
I begin to vibrate with unspent energy and frustration.
“You can’t go in there.” Eva is eyeing me.
I look at her, neither confirming nor denying my intent.
“He may be hiding in plain sight, Enz, but you don’t have that same luxury. You will ruin Pippa’s mission tonight. Right now, everything is fine.”
I know she’s right, but my blood is boiling. I want him fucking dead, and I’m spiraling. Has he been coming and going from his fortress-of-an-estate this whole time? Have we missed that? The fucker has no tech or cameras we can tap into. He may be living in the medieval fucking ages, but we have eyes all over that neighborhood. Have for years. How did we miss this?
I take a deep breath.
I can’t go in there.
I take a few more deep breaths. I focus on Pippa, finding her table, and keeping an eye on her.
Tonight is about her—she deserves to close this chapter.
I close my eyes.
“Can we get a clone on Junior’s phone or put a tracker on him?” I ask. “What do we have inside the building?” We’ve got to take advantage of this sighting. If I can’t be in there tonight, maybe I can use this as a chance to finally get tabs on this fucker.
Jules replies a few minutes later. “Great idea, Enz. I have the tech. I just don’t know who can plant it. Maybe someone on my team.”
“Jax,” Luna suggests.
“No.” Jules shuts it down.
“Tell him who it is—he’ll want to do it,” Luna pushes.
Eva and I look at each other. Is that a good idea? I don’t know this guy, but he’s hunting Sophie, and Junior is probably an important lead in his investigation.
Ultimately, Jules agrees with Luna and says she’ll get it handled.
Shit… After tonight we might be able to track Junior Volkov. Finally.
The waitstaff is serving steaming dinner plates and politicians and celebrities have been announced to give toasts. All celebrate our idiot president on his stupid ballroom, that no one asked for.
As the minutes tick by, I feel myself slightly relax. I focus on Pippa.
Eva and I spotted Lily Blackwell at her table. We see a man next to her who fits the description Hudson gave us and confirm Junior’s location. He has no line of sight to anyone on our team.
I zoom in on the image of Pippa’s table and I see that fucking date of hers with his arm around her chairback. “Tell your date to keep his hands to himself,” I mutter, not even realizing I’ve gone live on comms.
Hudson’s voice comes back instantly. “If he doesn’t, I may find myself escorting him out of the building.”
Eva snorts.
I crack a smile.
The tension eases a bit more.
