Page 56 of Judgment Day

“Got it,” Exa confirmed.

This was the part of the plan that he hadn’t liked from the start. However, since they had so much ground to cover, they had no choice but to split up. It still didn’t sit well with him.

“Got it, Scar?” Arson asked.

Exa stared over at him.

Scar swallowed. “Got it.”

“Good,” Arson said. “Seven will activate the vapes in five, four, three, two, one. Vapes activated. Your one-minute wait starts now.”

Scar stared down at the watch Exa had given him. One minute flashed in red, then the countdown began. He glanced at Exa and found her staring at her watch also. In one minute, they would step into danger. In one minute, they would go their separate ways, and he wouldn’t be able to watch her back. This felt like the fastest one minute ever. With thirty seconds remaining on the clock, he called to Exa.

“Exa!”

She glanced over at him. “What’s wrong?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too, savage. Let’s fuck some shit up.”

That’s my girl.Her words caused a little of his worries to dissipate. The watch beeped. Scar stared down and saw the zeros flashing green. He looked up at Exa. She nodded, then began sprinting toward her side of the house. Scar forced himself forward and headed in the opposite direction of his heart.

As he neared the house's first floor, he didn’t see any guards. He raised his gun and stared upward, looking for the guards who should be on the second-floor terrace. He didn’t see them either.

“The guards outside the house are down,” Liam informed them. “I repeat, the guards on the house's terraces are down. I’ve got a visual on the guards inside. Four are playing cards on your side of the house in the kitchen, Scar. Exa, there’s two standing around on the other side of the entrance on your side of the house.”

“There are smoke bombs in the bags,” Skye told them. “That should handle both the kitchen guards and those near the entrance. But you can’t let them see or hear you place them inside. There’s a ten-second wait for the bombs to drop the guards. We don’t need them running around and alerting those on the top floor of your presence. Exa and Scar, we’re switching comms to singular mode now, so that Seven can direct Exa and Liam can direct Scar.”

“Got it,” Exa’s voice came over the comm line.

Scar exhaled. He hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath, waiting to hear her voice until she actually spoke.

“Got it,” Scar said. “Be safe, Exa,” he rushed to say before the lines were severed.

“You too, savage.”

Scar reached the north side of the house. Two guards were passed out in front of the door. He pulled the tranq gun Arson had given him from his holster and fired two darts into the men’s legs. That would keep them out for at least two hours. He heard a click, then Liam’s voice came over the line.

“Scar, I’ll tell you when to place the smoke bomb inside. I’ve checked out these Timeless smoke bombs. This kind doesn’t need to be tossed in. When I tell you to, ease the door open, place it on the floor, and then press the black button on top of it.

Scar stared down at the black button. “Got it,” he told Liam.

Standing with his back against the wall, Scar waited for Liam to tell him to open the door. He couldn’t help but wonder if Exa had made it inside. Or was she having problems? Did she need his help? They were supposed to let him know if she needed him. Since no one had said anything, it was safe to assume his woman was doing her job. He needed to do his.

“Now, Scar. Ease the door open now.”

Scar grabbed the doorknob carefully and twisted it. He eased the door open, hoping everything was still all good. With the two-second camera lag, it was hard to tell. He placed the smoke bomb on the floor against the wall, then pressed the button. He didn’t bother easing the door shut.

He used his foot to keep the door propped open and raised his weapon. His gun was trained on one of the guys seated around the table, the only one facing in his direction. Smoke billowed up from the bomb. It wasn’t like other bombs he’d used. This smoke traveled low, like fog over a lake.

By the time it reached the guards’ feet, one of them was already coughing. The one across from him swayed. The guy facing Scar dropped his cards and mumbled, “I think I’ve drank too much.” Within ten seconds, their heads had dropped to the table.

“The room is clear,” Liam told him.

Scar eased the door open with his foot, scanned the room, then stepped into the house. He resisted the urge to ask how Exa was. She had to be fine. There hadn’t been any shots fired yet. He needed to continue forward so he could meet up with her. He fired tranq darts into the four men to keep them out cold. Then, sticking close to the wall, Scar made his way to the other door.

“There’s no one on the other side of that door,” Liam told him.

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