Page 77 of Assassin's Game
I hadn’t realized I was grinning at the idea until Monty grunted a “What?”
I wiped the grin off my face, going for neutral. “What what?”
Monty rolled his eyes and turned back to the computer, but I swore his lips twitched like he found something funny. I couldn’t imagine what.
Maris came through the elevator doors next, having taken a few minutes to lag behind with Brooke. The flush of her skin told me how much she was enjoying the embrace of the Agozi family after being stuck with four soldier types who often didn’t appreciate the comforts of home and companionship as much as she did. What would it do to her when we were finished here? Would she want to stay when we left? If anyone could be trusted with her safety—and her cover identity—I felt sure it was Eli and his brothers, but the thought of her not with me…
Guilt did a slow crawl through me. The point wasn’t whether I needed Maris; it was what Maris needed. And if stability and a family made her happy, didn’t I have an obligation to offer her that.
I put the idea on the back burner as the brothers entered the basement. Levi’s skin was gray, his eyes tired as he moved toward the conference table, but his shoulders were squared, his lips firm. Determined, just like we were. It was time to take X out.
Levi gestured around the table, and we all took seats except for Eli, who crossed to the computer, probably to review the collected data. Levi didn’t wait.
“As I’m sure Nix has informed you, we’ve agreed to work as one team for this mission. She will act as my second in place of my brother.” Levi nodded toward Remi.
Titus frowned at the middle Agozi brother. “What’s your plan for security here?” he asked. I’d seen his gaze lingering on Brooke in the kitchen. We didn’t go into areas where there were children very often, but when we did… Well, let’s just say Titus was particularly jumpy around children. I didn’t know the whole story except to say I thought his nerves had to do with not being able to keep them safe. Children were fragile, unpredictable—in a war zone, that combo was deadly. And given X’s past actions, we couldn’t ignore the possibility that the mansion could in fact become a war zone.
Remi planted his elbows on the table and leaned forward. “We won’t be here,” Remi said, voice deep with tension. “We can’t risk it. We have a friend—”
“Bryant,” Levi said. “He was here earlier today.”
Remi nodded. “He’s good backup, thirty-year veteran cop. The two of us will take the women and Brooke to a bunker we established a long time ago. One entry/exit point, buried deep, already stocked. No one is getting in or out unless we allow it.”
Maris spoke from the end of the table. “I’d like to go with you if you’ll allow it, Remi. I’m an excellent shot—”
“And a damn good fighter,” I added. “But are you sure?” Maris didn’t go on ops, but she was nearby. She wouldn’t be if she went with Remi.
She met my eyes squarely. “I am. I can do more good helping to keep them safe.” Her gaze shifted to Remi again. “If you’ll have me.”
Remi didn’t hesitate. “It would be much appreciated.”
Maris relaxed as she leaned back in her chair. I scanned the table as my attention moved back to Levi and couldn’t miss the heightened tension sharpening Rhys’s face. He might not like Maris’s decision, but it was hers to make, not the rest of us. Mentally reminding myself to speak to him privately after the meeting, I tuned back in to the conversation.
“I’m thinking a two-prong approach might be the easiest,” Levi was saying. “Distract and flank.”
“Distract how?” Monty asked.
Levi stood tall at the end of the table, hands on his hips. “By offering myself as bait.”
Immediate tension filled the room, and I didn’t miss Eli’s chair turning so he could look at his brother.
Rather than dismissing the idea, I asked, keeping my voice neutral, “How do you mean?”
Levi focused on me. “We have Sullivan here, and tempted as I am, we’re not killing him.” His frown seemed disappointed at that. “I say we deliver the target to X. If he wants the man dead, let him do it.”
Silence reigned as we all digested the idea. “So”—I shifted forward in my seat—“you’d escort Sullivan in.”
“Correct.” Levi’s jaw ticked. “They’ll likely bring us straight to X. I’ll be stripped of any weapons the second I cross the threshold, but I don’t need weapons to take the bastard out.”
“They know that,” Rhys pointed out. “The man will be covered with guards before you get anywhere close.”
Levi bared his teeth. “Exactly. That’s where you come in.”
“They won’t leave the front door open just because you arrive,” I said.
“I have some thoughts on that,” Eli said. I looked over to see him leaning close to one of his screens, staring intently. “Just a sec.”
We waited while he fiddled with things on his computer I had no way of understanding, and then he grabbed a tablet from the desk and brought it over to us. “Fucking A, I think I have the perfect solution.”
