“That easy?” I was dumbfounded. What the hell kind of technology did they have?
Nixon flipped the screen around and pointed to a green dot. “The hand is still at the same location. There’s no way of knowing if Sergio is actually in the same location. The transmission from the watch wasn’t functioning properly, and we were unable to gain any useful information.”
I blew out an exhale between my cheeks. “Okay, so what are you saying?”
The room fell silent.
“No.” I shook my head violently. “No. I’ll go myself if I have to.”
Tex cursed under his breath. “Sergio wouldn’t want you to.”
“The hell he wouldn’t!” I yelled, though in my heart I knew there was truth to what Tex was saying. “I’m going after him.”
“Think about it.” Tex held up his hands. “We all go. We storm the compound, and he’s there… How many men do you think are holed up inside? At least twenty — maybe more. Say he’s not there, and it’s a trap. Petrov gets all our heads on a platter.”
My legs felt weak; I crumpled onto the couch and put my head in my hands. “We can’t just leave him.”
Mil walked over to me and leaned down. “Think logically about this, Andi. If you were in his position, what would you do?”
I lifted my head, my eyes blurring with tears. “Or you can think of it this way. If it was Tex in that house, what would you do?”
Mil’s nostrils flared. “Storm the freaking castle and get my man.”
“Right.” I stood. “Thanks, boys, but I think I’m going to go with my own plan. Firearms?”
Nobody moved.
“I said…” I yelled. “…firearms? At least arm me before I go marching off into enemy territory.”
Tex nodded at Nixon, but Nixon didn’t budge. He stared at me, hard, like he was trying to figure me out, like he couldn’t figure me out.
Tears filled my eyes. If there was a way to open up my chest and show him my heart, show him how desperately I needed Sergio, if only for a few short weeks before I left this earth, I would.
He nodded slowly then tilted his head. I followed him down a large hallway. We stopped at what I thought was the door to the garage; instead, he opened the door and then another immediately to his left. We went down a flight of stairs.
Lights flickered on.
Holy super-hero sanctuary, Batman.
Rifles lined one wall.
Nice rifles.
The kind you pay a lot of money for.
Knives, daggers, machetes — all hanging from the opposite wall.
Nixon pressed another button; another door opened. Right. Another door.
Inside that room were semi-automatic guns, tear gas, bullet proof vests, C-4, scuba equipment, and a few terrifying looking contraptions that reminded me of every single historical romance I’d read that had talked about medieval torture.
“I’d start with the tear gas.” He threw a few cans at me then pulled out a duffel bag. “…then the smoke.” He tossed something else into the bag. “Once the smoke clears and the fire alarms go off, the sprinkler system will be activated.” He sighed and grabbed two semi-automatics. “You’ll have five minutes, maybe six, before men start running to your location. You’ll either need to fight or create another diversion so you can search the house.”
“Or…” I reached for one of the guns. “…I kill all but one, torture him, then find out where Sergio is.”
“Too much time, Andi. You won’t make it.”
“Watch me.”
“Andi…” Nixon’s hand closed over the gun. “…this is a suicide mission. You get that, right? Chances of him coming out of there alive are next to zero. We don’t know how Petrov works. We’ve never been to his compound. Hell, we don’t even know if he’s there. This could all be for nothing.”
I jerked the gun away. “I have to try. Besides, I’m Russian. We live for zero odds. Makes the victory that much sweeter.”
Nixon smirked, dropping his head. “Shit, Trace is going to kill me.”
“Why?”
He grabbed a vest and put it over his head. “I’m his boss. I’m also his cousin. I go in with you, or you don’t go in at all.”
“The hell you will!”
He pushed me back, actually pushed me. “That’s right.” He nodded. “I have no issue with pushing you, punching you, shooting you. You’re my equal, and he’s my family. I go in, or we don’t go at all. Those are your options.”
“I could just dropkick your ass.”
“Sweetheart…” Nixon licked his lips, another smirk forming. “…I’d really like to see you try.”
I backed away then turned around, trying to trip him with the back of my leg. I was out of practice and already severely wounded, so it wasn’t surprising at all that he’d seen it coming a mile away. He gripped me by the ankle and flipped my entire body onto the ground then hovered over me; a gun pressed to my chin. “Keep wasting my time. See what I do. See how far I’ll go.”
I nodded; the tip of the gun was cold against my skin. “Fine, but we do it my way.”
“Not surprised, you’re shit at taking directions anyway.” He got off the ground and held out his hand. “Oh, and don’t tell the others. They’ll just follow. We go out the back, we take—”