Page 121 of Hell and High Water

Infiltrating for info takes time.

Looks like I’ll have to go in covertly, use gadgets to get what I need.

Which means stopping at one of my garages first. Fuck.

Not enough time.

‘Gotta get moving, sorry,” I mutter, reaching for the doorknob.

“Like hell, you do!” Ora protests. “Snap the fuck out of it and hold on a minute!”

“You guys have plenty of strategizing to do here. I’ll just pop over to my dad’s place and I’ll be back by morning with some useful intel.”

“Useful intel, my ass! You're not going anywhere without us.” Ora crosses her arms menacingly. The effect is less than intimidating, but it gives me pause.

“Like, coming with me?”

“Yeah, you're gonna need a backup. Whether you like it or not.” Gavin’s arms bulging as he crosses them behind Ora is far more convincing. I can’t argue against the brick shithouse.

“I can’t ask you guys to put yourselves in that much danger for me,” I protest.

“You want to tell Mini that she can’t come? And don’t even bother arguing with me.” He thrusts a thumb toward Ora, then himself to drive the point home.

Before I know what’s happening, we’re in the jeep heading around town, taking one of the roundabout roads to skirt Marco’s patrols. A quick stop off at one of Gavin’s garages and one of my equipment stashes has us stocked and geared up to infiltrate a government level facility.

The guy knows his shit, to be sure, how to get around unseen.

Vantage points and strategy that I would have made up as I went along.

Can’t say I’m mad they came…

After a quick assessment of the guards, headcount, and rounds, we head toward the west wall. Years of sneaking in and out of my parents’ house taught me a dozen ways onto the property, and at least two of the entry points are unsupervised, completely unknown.

“Clear on the rear patrol. Go for breach,” Ora’s gravelly imitation of Gavin sounds off in my earpiece. “Grr.”

“Cut it out with the tactical talk. You’re going to make me laugh and blow my cover.” I snicker, pressing myself against the inside wall. “Gav, you got me covered?”

The only response I get is the clack of a sniper rifle chamber in my earpiece. Clack-clack.

“Message received.”

Sobering quickly, I scan my surroundings, spotting my first target. The jackass is taking a piss by the bushes near the guest house. Slipping up behind him, I’ve got him head locked and unconscious in a few seconds of minimal struggling.

“Ooh, I like a good choking every now and again…” A giggle in my ear makes me flinch.

“Shut up, Ora. You’re supposed to be watching for incoming guards, not watching me!” I hiss, dragging the body back into the shadows. “And choke yourself on your own time.”

“Roger that, Chicken Choker. You’re all clear.”

“The main house?”

“All lights on. Lots of bulky bodies moving around inside. They all look to be Marco’s men. No sign of King Dick Bag, though. Probably out kicking puppies and stealing from the elderly. Only one light is on in the upper guest house window, though. I say that’s your best bet.”

“Alright. I’ll check there first. Makes sense he’d lock my dad up somewhere out of sight. I’m going in.”

I leave it be that my dad might very well already be dead. It impacts me more than I thought it would. Mostly for my mom’s sake. For Shannon’s.

Scaling the drain pipe on the back of the guest house, I ease myself down onto the clay shingled roof, taking care not to dislodge one of the tiles. Plus, the last thing I need is to slip and fall.

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