Page 43 of Huntress

“We’ll take two trucks. One for your squad, one for ours,” Jeshua suggested. “Franklin’s going to be pissed. He’s probably already tucked himself into another bottle of brandy.”

“We’ll take three trucks, one for each team. Leave Franklin behind. I don’t have time to accommodate an alcoholic old man who’s too self-absorbed to take care of his wards,” Elsie said.

Franklin and his alcohol addiction were not her problem. She didn’t like it, though. Elsie’s instincts whispered that alcohol and a dismissive attitude weren’t what bothered her about Franklin.

Jeshua showed her where to find the trucks, and the access point to the loading bay that butted up to the supply warehouse. He trotted away to assemble his squad, leaving Elsie standing with the keys in her hand.

“He’s seriously going to trust you with all of this stuff?” Mutt asked with a slight tinge of awe in his voice.

“I outrank him.” She shrugged. “He’s probably relieved I haven’t arrested him and taken over the entire nest while I’m here.”

“Why haven’t you done it, if you’re so capable?” he asked. She cocked a half-smirk in his direction. He still hadn’t accepted that she wasn’t some inconsequential nobody.

“It’s easier to do this with their cooperation, willing or otherwise. If I arrest them, I’ll have to fight their squad every step of the way. I’m already dealing with resentment from my own people, and time is of the essence. I’ll deal with these old men and their crimes against humanity when we’ve finished what we came here to do,” she vowed.

With Grady’s supervision, supplies were selected and carefully loaded into the trucks. He surveyed everything one last time before giving the green light. He still had the spark of excitement in his eyes and a lightness in his step.

“Like a kid in a candy store. Careful not to drool on the explosives, Grady,” Elsie remarked, and Trenton snickered, tossing her a grin.

“We don’t get to play with these nearly often enough.” The geographer closed the hatch on the last truck.

“We don’t generally call it ‘playing’ around here,” Jeshua said tightly.

His squad had finally arrived as they were finishing up. She looked over her own squad, sitting on the backs of the trucks and awaiting orders.

“When you’ve seen the things we’ve seen, every excursion into the field is another chance to play.” She shrugged. “Marley and Trenton are with me.”

Marley looked as if she’d swallowed a glass of curdled milk. Too bad. This was the best configuration for the situation, and the healer would have to practice her professionalism, whether Mutt was along or not.

“Grady will collaborate with Talbot to ensure each site is set up properly before any detonations go off. We’re going to try collapsing as much of the tunnels as possible before blasting. It’ll hopefully buy us some time before the rats suspect what we’re up to,” Elsie explained.

“The rest of our squad will be together, the third team will consist of Jeshua’s squad. We must be consistent in our communication, I don’t want any surprises out there, understood?”

“Yup!” Perrie chirped, then the others gave confirmation in their own ways. Most nodded, but a few murmured replies.

“Jeshua, have your men familiarize themselves with my demon. He is a large, dark gray wolfhound in his demon form. If any harm comes to him, I will repay it in kind,” Elsie said to the elder hunter. There was a quick flash of something dark in his eyes, but he gave way easily enough.

The demon growled under his breath. If he’d been in his hound form, his hackles would have been raised and his teeth showing. Elsie gave him a stern look, warning him to behave. He stood perfectly still for their inspection, a glow entering his eyes.

After they finished, everyone loaded into the trucks and got on their way. Grady and Talbot were in a smaller, all-terrain vehicle that would make it easier and faster for them to move from one site to another. They took three deuces, allowing each team to move independently of one another.

“Why did you pick those two?” the demon asked when they were alone in the cab of the truck. Marley and Trenton had elected to sit in the back with the explosives rather than squeeze into the cab with him.

“I make teams based on who works best together in any given situation. Without Grady to keep Trisse’s PTSD under control during detonations, it’s best for him to work with Perrie and Steve. Perrie and Morgan work best together, so they’re generally a package deal,” she explained, easing the huge truck out of the garage and into the streets.

“It has nothing to do with forcing them to spend time with me?” he questioned, and Elsie snorted at him.

“You’re thinking way too much of yourself right now. If the situation allowed, we’d be with Morgan and Perrie. Do you really think I’m trying to cause extra tension in the middle of an operation? I have to do what’s best for my people, that’s it.”

She saw him relax a bit out of the corner of her eye. He’d hidden his emotions from her this time, but that reaction proved he’d been worried. The assumption that she’d go out of her way to make him uncomfortable grated on her nerves.

Marley and Trenton got into the back seat, and silence descended.

It took twenty minutes to reach their site. Grady and Talbot were the first ones out, immediately walking toward the entrance of the tunnel to start their inspection of the area. They had serious expressions on their faces, but even from inside the truck, Elsie caught the easy body language between them. She grinned and rolled her eyes. Grady had found himself a buddy to geek out with. Geographers.

“Everyone ready? The sooner we get these tunnels collapsed, the sooner we can get some shut-eye.” Elsie opened her door and jumped down. Capable of hauling up to five tons of cargo, the trucks were massive.

As she walked toward the geographers, Elsie was flanked on one side by Marley, with Trenton on the other, and for a moment everything felt normal. Then her demon joined them, haunting her from a few steps behind. Marley’s determined face faltered, and she fell out of step, dropping to the side and back, attempting to take the rear.