Page 81 of The Devil's Chaos

THIRTY-FOUR

HAVEN

“Your brother amped up the security firmware on his cameras, so Theo can only disable the cameras for five minutes at a time before they reset. Once you’re inside, you’ll need to move quickly before the whole compound knows what you’re doing,” Kai explained.

I nodded.

“If anything happens, text and we’ll come in and get you,” Archer said.

“If something happens, I’m as good as dead. There’s no use getting anyone else killed.”

Archer’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t argue. He knew I was right. This mission was a solo endeavor.

Kai’s brow furrowed. “Don’t talk like that. If things go south, we’ll find a way to get you out.”

“I will get Mila out safely,” I responded flatly, straightening my sparkly red dress. Sometimes, I had an air for dramatics, and Alex did say he wanted me to wear the red dress he liked. Why not wear it as I rescued Mila as a fuck you? If I was going to die tonight, at least I looked good.

“We’re not leaving you,” Kai echoed.

I appreciated his optimism, but we all knew the reality of the situation. Infiltrating my brother’s compound was a suicide mission. If I were caught, there would be no escape, no rescue. Just a swift bullet to the head, courtesy of my dear brother.

If I was lucky enough.

“I’ll be fine,” I lied, forcing a confident smile. “In and out, just like we planned.”

Theo handed me a small earpiece. “Keep this in at all times. We’ll be monitoring from outside the fence.”

I took the earpiece and nodded.

“We’ll be on comms the whole time. The moment you’re in trouble, we’ll know,” Kai watched me with an uneasy gaze.

I fitted the device into my ear and took a deep breath. “Just focus on your part of the plan,” I told him, fixing my hair as I headed to my car.

Archer and Theo stayed back, but Kai followed.

“Haven, be careful in there. Don’t take unnecessary risks.”

I met his gaze, a wry smile tugging at my lips. “You know me, always the cautious type.”

I slipped into my sleek black Lexus, the engine purring to life as I hit the ignition button. Kai lingered by the window, his expression tight with worry.

“I mean it, Haven. Don’t do anything reckless. Mila will likely have questions, but you don’t have time to answer them. You need to get out of there as fast as you can. We’ll be waiting at the edge of the compound on the hill. Follow the fence down until you see an opening. I—we’ll be waiting.”

I knew this might be the last time I saw him, and truthfully, there was so much I wanted to say to him. But there was no time. Instead, I reached out, my fingers grazing his cheek. “I’ll be back before you know it, with Mila safe and sound. Trust me.”

Kai leaned into my touch for a fleeting moment before stepping back, allowing me to pull away. As I sped off into thenight, I caught a glimpse of him in the rearview mirror, watching me go, his silhouette fading into the darkness.

The drive to the compound was short, the road winding through the darkness. I parked near the back, hoping not to alert anyone.

“I’m here,” I whispered, hoping they could hear me on the other end.

“Remember, you only have five minutes before the cameras reset. Make every second count,” Kai reminded me.

“I got it.”

Kai’s voice crackled in my ear. “Cameras going dark in three, two, one…”

The red lights on the cameras winked out.

---