Page 72 of Explosive Vengeance

“Yep. Jewels, cash, and a couple of these little gems.” She pulled out the two flash drives, then swept the interior to make sure she hadn’t missed anything. “Sending you the files now,” she told Amber, and plugged the flash drives into a transmitter her evil genius sister had given her earlier.

As soon as she was done, she carefully checked the rest of the room while Chloe finished at the computer, making sure they’d found everything of use in here. “How are we doing on time?”

“Three minutes. Shut everything down and start exfil.”

Hell. Megan replaced the painting, checked the alignment, then headed for the door. Chloe finished shutting down the computer and joined her. “Coming out,” Chloe whispered, then quietly opened the door where the guys waited.

“Guys, you’re cutting it close,” Amber warned. “You’ve got forty-two seconds to get over that wall before the system is up and you set it off. Haul ass.”

Megan followed close behind Chloe as they rushed back to the side entrance, their rubber-soled boots quiet on the rug lining the hallway.

“Guard number two is headed downstairs,” Amber said.

“First guard’s outside on the east lawn,” Jesse added. “Better make it quick.”

The door squeaked when Chloe opened it. Everyone froze, checking behind them, then they stepped out, shut the door and raced for the wall.

“Seven. Six. Five,” Amber counted down.

Megan ran for the wall and jumped, catching the top of it. Strong hands boosted her up. She hopped off and landed in a crouch on the other side, drawing her weapon to scan while the others landed behind her. “Clear?” she murmured.

“Negative. Hold your positions,” Jesse answered.

Megan immediately shifted back into the shadows cast by the wall. “Sitrep.”

“Car approaching the south end of the driveway,” Jesse said.

Beside her, Chloe went completely rigid. “Is it Dubois?”

Hell. Megan automatically reached out to grab Chloe’s upper arm. “Stand down, Twitch.”

Chloe shook her hand off and eased forward a step, the predatory energy coming from her palpable. “Is. It. Dubois.”

“Stand by,” Jesse answered.

Heath intervened, grabbing her shoulder. “Chloe. No,” he said in a hard whisper.

Chloe didn’t move, her gaze trained on the driveway, every muscle drawn taut as she waited for word from Jesse.

Megan’s insides pulled tight. Shit. Despite the cadre’s attempts to curb it, Chloe was still impulsive. If it was Dubois and Chloe went after him, their plan was shot to hell. The entire team would be exposed, with Dubois’ security team hot on their trail.

Megan watched her friend closely as the tense seconds ticked past. If Chloe tried to pull this, it was up to Megan and the others to stop her. Her stomach muscles tightened, that familiar, hot burn starting up in the pit of her belly. She didn’t want to hurt Chloe, but if it came down to hurting her versus risking the safety of the entire team, Megan wouldn’t hesitate. She couldn’t.

“It’s Dubois’ wife,” Jesse reported finally. “Daughters in back, and a security guy driving.”

Chloe made a frustrated sound as Megan breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed. Crisis averted. “Let us know when it’s safe to move,” she told Jesse.

They watched the vehicle come up the driveway, the beam of its headlights cutting through the night. “Wonder why they’re arriving here at this time of night?” Megan murmured.

“Because Dubois’ got dirty work to do tomorrow, and he doesn’t want his precious family around to find out what he’s been hiding,” Chloe muttered, buried rage in her voice.

The car passed by, plunging them once again into darkness.

“You’re clear,” Jesse said.

They hurried back to the van, which Trinity had moved to a predetermined location. Everyone hopped in the back and Ty slammed the door shut behind them as Trinity started the engine. “Think you got what we need?” she asked.

“Let’s hope,” Megan replied, tugging off her mask.

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