Page 96 of Bravo

“Unless no one was watching the cameras,” Lani interjects. When we all look at her, she shrugs. “I don’t know why you’re staring at me like that. We all grew up playing army.”

“He used the explosion to mask the drop because he knew you wouldn’t let Kennedy out of that house—for fear either one of our employees or a firefighter would recognize and turn her in.”

“Well, joke’s on him because I too can pull surveillance photos.” Tucker sets one on the counter before us.

I lean in to study it. “What’s this?” A massive house sits on the top of a hill. It’s surrounded by brick walls and iron gates as well as a scattering of security guards crawling the grounds. Thegate blocks off entering from the road, and from what I can see, there are no visible weak points.

He crosses his arms. “A surveillance image of the senator’s home in Southern California.”

“How did you get this?” I ask.

“Nowhere legal. It’s better you don’t know,” Tucker replies.

Dylan leans in and studies it. “This is his home? It’s a compound.”

“It’s well protected,” Tucker agrees.

“But?” I ask, knowing that Tucker has the innate ability to see what others miss.

“I found a hole.” He grins at me.

“Where?”

“Here.” He points to the back wall and, more specifically, a grate just outside of it.

“What is that?”

“Dude has a pond on his property. There’s a gap between the bottom of the brick wall and the top of the water. It’s not huge but large enough that we should be able to get in undetected. It’s getting back out that will be the problem since I doubt we’ll be able to use the same entrance.”

“What if she’s not there?” Riley questions. When we all glance back at him, he pushes off the counter. “We could go in there, guns blazing, and she’s not even there.”

“She is,” I say, studying the photograph.

“How do you know that?”

“I feel it,” I reply. “Before he kills her, he’s going to want to check that the information on that thumb drive isn’t corrupted. With how well protected that is, my guess is the key is there, too. It wouldn’t make sense to keep them in two separate places when he thinks he has everything he’s wanted.”

“Everything we need, right there, in one place,” Dylan says, studying the photograph. “We’ve taken on bigger enemies.Larger compounds. The place we pulled Silas out of in South Africa comes to mind.”

That was a dangerous mission, but somehow, this feels worse. Likely because it’s not a Navy SEAL on the inside to offer assistance but someone who is unarmed and untrained.

“Not stateside,” Riley says. “And not without the authorities backing us.”

“This will be a totally rogue mission. We have no proof without that key.” I look around at my brothers. “So if any of you want to sit this out on the off chance we get caught, I don’t blame you.”

They all look at each other then turn to me.

“You’re kidding, right?” Elliot shakes his head.

“Aren’t you supposed to be the wisest given that you’re the oldest?” Dylan clicks his tongue. “You know we won’t let you walk in there alone.”

“We’d storm the very gates of hell with you, brother,” Riley adds.

I take a deep breath, feeling overwhelmed and completely supported all at the same time. “Then let’s gear up. We’ve got a plane to catch.”

God, please let me be right. Please let her be there. And please keep her safe until we arrive.

CHAPTER 33

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