Page 91 of Scars Run Deep

I bet there wasn’t. “Those files were related to his security firm. This enemy clearly exists beyond that, nothing to do with his work.”

“So, it’s either related to his time in the military or it’s personal,” she mused aloud.

Personal? Interesting.

“What about Olivia?” Killian asked. “She knew all about them. That was obvious with her able to track them so quickly that she was there in time to snipe them and spare you all from a second-wave attack that night.”

While that wasn’t the truth, it would have to do as an explanation for them. I just couldn’t have them looking any deeper into it, so I said, “Olivia is in the wind. Given her background, if she doesn’t want to be found, she won’t be. Not even by me. I have my own resources looking into the Heretics. We’ll know more soon either way. In the meantime, we can’t allow them to throw us off course. Our immediate objective is to take down the dollhouse network.”

“Besides, we put down a shitload of them,” Jonah said. “They took a massive hit that night, it’s gotta put them out of commission for a while.”

“Hence, why we also need to stay on track and act ASAP,” I said.

“And that’s why you don’t want to follow the plans Revenant laid out for all ten sites?” Killian asked, returning to his calmer state during this discussion.

“We won’t be following any of his plans, as a precautionary measure,” I informed them. “We won’t be taking the sites in the order he’s laid out either.”

Not just in case the Heretics had intercepted more than the signal at Site A, but because of the man himself. Throwing him off-kilter and mixing things up, instead of following his predictable path was a must considering his threats during that meeting.

I snatched up my copy of the printouts, then angled them so they could see, gesturing to Sites K through to T. “We’ll work backward with these. We’ll split into two teams—me and Aurora, Jonah and Killian. Bryce will be Base Ops back here where we’ll use my office as a command center of sorts. He’ll also have four of his team members on standby for each of our teams should things go south and we require additional ground support. The goal, however, is to have as few bodies on the ground as possible. The more there are, the greater the risk of drawing attention to ourselves.”

“We’re going in like ghosts,” Jonah said.

I nodded. “Swift, efficient.”

“What about the guards at these sites?” Killian asked. “Take them in with us and turn them?”

I shook my head. “The risk is too high. My father has already gotten his hooks into them, so turning them will be next to impossible.”

“And too time-consuming, even if it could somehow be done,” Jonah pointed out.

“So, we’re talking murder?” Aurora asked. “There are between six and eight guards at each property. And these site doll trainers as well, sometimes two at a dollhouse, sometimes more, depending on the size and the number of victims housed.”

“That’s a lot of blood on our hands,” Killian stated, gesturing to Aurora with his eyes, flashing them at me.

“Another function of the partnerships. Jonah and I will deal with that aspect.”

“I’m not against doing it. These assholes have enslaved these victims in the most despicable of ways,” Aurora said, basically seething as she uttered the distasteful words.

“Even so,” I said. “Besides, I need your talents focused elsewhere.”

Before she could counter and we ended up wasted time getting into a detailed discussion about the justification of murder and hell knew what else, Jonah thankfully cut in, “So, we take two a night? Two sites?”

“Two every other night. Along the way, we’ll anonymously feed the Infidels false breadcrumbs to follow, having them believe that there are going to be strikes elsewhere, at the slaughterhouses, for instance, other facets of their enterprises.”

Jonah grinned. “I like it.”

“All right, let’s lay it out in detail. Afterward, I need to reach out to my contact and arrange transportation.”

“For the victims?” Aurora asked.

“Yes. He’ll send two transports for each of our teams, then the hostages will be treated and taken care of and kept off the Infidels’ radar going forward. They’ll be protected.”

“Good,” Killian said. “Good.”

Aurora reached out and stroked his hair, registering his personal connection to it all with his mom. “This will all end soon,” she promised him. “We’re so close. She’ll make it.”

He smiled and gave her hand a squeeze.

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