Page 42 of The Prizes We Win
“And you,” he looks around Josephine at Enzo. “Please try not to be a total psycho for five minutes.”
“No promises.” Enzo laughs and Sebastian just raises an unamused brow. “Alright, alright. Scout’s honor.”
Sebastian looks up at Dante. The two of them have a silent conversation before Dante cocks his gun, slides it into his holster, and says, “I’ve got them.”
Seb nods and looks back at me. “Alright. Dante, on you.”
I take one last look at all of them before we pull our masks down. Dante pushes open the van door, and as we all move to follow him, Sebastian says, “I love you.”
“Love you,” we all say back. Even Dante.
Enzo follows Dante out of the van, then Josephine, then me. And as soon as I close it behind me, Dante’s deep voice echoes through the earpieces in all our ears. “Let’s move.”
27
Dante
As the four of us round the block, my eyes land on the Novikov house. “Seb. Street lights.”
“On it.” A second later, the streetlights on this block and the three surrounding go out. As we approach the side of the house that is backed up against the street, I do a quick scan, looking for the gate we know is on the fence. Since the main entrance is located on the beachfront side, this is the only way to access it from here.
Sebastian was easily able to access the blueprint for the house. The five of us spent all last night and this morning studying it, ensuring we know it like the back of our hands.
I take a few more steps knowing it should be right…here.
“Cameras,” I instruct Seb.
“Looping the feed now.”
“Gate.”
“Give me just a second.” I listen as I hear Sebastian typing feverishly at the computer as his system figures out the access code to the gate. We stand there waiting for a moment, and suddenly the light turns green just as Seb says, “Alright. Should be good.”
“Enzo,” I whisper.
Enzo draws his gun and moves through the gate first. Enzo breaks left toward the door that leads down into the basement, then Luca to the right in the direction of the stairs that lead to the upstairs balcony. I look behind me at Joe. “Hand on my back. Stay close to me.”
Joe draws her gun with one hand and places her other on the center of my back, making it easy to know that she’s close.
That she’s safe.
The two of us move around the pool and to the back patio door. I wait a moment, giving time for Enzo and Luca to get in their place. “Seb, front door locked?”
“Locked.”
“Alright, Everyone ready?”
“Ready,” Enzo answers.
“Ready,” repeats Luca.
“On my mark.” I focus on the feel of Joe’s hand on my back before counting down. “3… 2…” All four of us move into the house on one.
It takes me all of two steps into the door to know that something’s wrong. There’s no one here. The lights are on and I can hear the speakers blaring music, but nobody is here.
“Check in,” I say eagerly.
“There’s no one here,” Luca says as he makes his way across the house toward me.
