Page 13 of Lethal Vengeance
She points to one of the buildings and asks Sterling to delete the other two. “The two girls are in the annex adjacent to this building. Getting to them will be tough, but not impossible for a crew of five. There are two guards who rotate shifts. One leaves twice a day to get food. He’s usually gone for about forty-five minutes, which gives us the best window for a rescue.”
Silence falls on the room when she finishes.
“Is this information based on your own surveillance or another source?” Zane asks, brows lowered while he assesses her.
“The information came directly from Armando Morales,” she admits. “But I fully intend to complete my own reconnaissance to make sure the information is accurate. He’s been known to leave out a few pertinent details.” Her green eyes dart nervously from Zane to the rest of us.
“The only reason he would give you the information is because he wants to handle this outside the organization,” Zane states softly. “Is that correct?”
“Yes,” she answers. “If we’re caught, he’ll deny all knowledge of the mission.”
“So, we’re to do his dirty work?” Raider interjects. “I vote no. Let him clean up his own messes.”
I nod, agreeing with Raider on this one.
Zane doesn’t say anything, but I can tell he’s debating the wisdom of moving forward.
Sterling is locked on the schematics, surveying the building from different angles and measuring the distances between two points. “It’s doable. The annex is isolated and less secure than the rest of the building. We might even be able to tap into nearby tunnels built for the sewage system. I’ll have to check and see how far they run.” He relays the information quietly, but we know this means he’s in favor of the mission.
Quinn stills. “You don’t want Armando to clean up his own mess,” she states firmly. “Mistakes are eliminated. Period. If you can’t continue with the mission, I understand. I’ll hire another group.” She takes a deep breath and raises her chin.
“Why are you doing this job?” Zane questions, watching every expression on her face.
“He asked me to do the job and promised me a very lucrative and important position as a reward,” she replies, all emotion suddenly wiped from her voice. “After the death of his brother, he became reclusive. It’s been hard to get noticed. For a year, I’ve taken every job he offered, hoping for this result. I’ll do this job, with or without you.”
There it is… the darkness I’ve witnessed more than a few times during the two weeks I’ve had her under surveillance. Eyes flat, voice hollow, it’s like she’s wearing a mask, but underneath it, the darkness churns.
Her adamant reply is revealing. This is a pivotal moment for her. Whatever event or demon has driven her to this point has her firmly in its grip. Quitting isn’t an option.
My eyes dart to the others. We’ve all been there, so we understand the risk she poses. It’s an incredibly dangerous time to be around her. Do we take the chance things will go smoothly and she won’t sell us out to reach her goals?
“We need a couple of hours to weigh the pros and cons based on the additional information,” Zane informs her, striding to the door. “Why don’t you come back around noon, and we’ll have an answer for you?”
She gives a firm nod, as if she knew this would happen, and leaves.
* * *
When the door clicks shut,Zane rubs a hand over his shaved head and heaves a big sigh. Usually, he’s quick to call the shots, but with so many pieces of the puzzle missing, and the surrounding circumstances, he’s spinning.
“She’s determined to complete this job. And whether we do it or not, I don’t believe she’ll let those girls die,” I say. The throbbing in my leg pushes me to grab a seat on the couch. “I’m not sure we should get involved. It’s personal for her, which means it’s dangerous for us. Beyond the usual mission surprises, we face her turning against us to achieve her goals.”
“When is it not dangerous?” Raider interjects, to my surprise. “Could you really leave her to face this on her own?”
I hunch my shoulders, knowing he isn’t talking about the rescue, but the path of destruction she’s chosen. “A second ago, you were against the mission.”
“That was before,” he replies softly. When he turns to me, the past is in his eyes—full of battles, hard fought, barely won, and not easily forgotten. “I had my brother to help me. She doesn’t seem to have anyone.”
Mine had been fought alone. And he’s right… I’d have done anything to have one person by my side. Unwilling to admit it, I turn to Zane and Sterling.
“I had my stepfather,” Sterling reminds me. “And later, Zane. Is this really any more dangerous than trusting other strangers on a mission? We do what we’ve always done—put the rescue first and figure out the rest along the way. From what I can tell, she’s being more honest than I would expect, given the circumstances.” His analytical mind distills it down to the facts rather neatly, but emotion is a factor, whether he likes it or not.
“Slick’s right,” he mutters, calling Sterling by the nickname he gave him when they met. “We don’t always know the motives behind the rescues. We’ve been here before. If we follow the usual protocol, our priority is rescuing the girls. Once that’s done, we can reevaluate Quinn and our position. Fair?”
We all nod our agreement, but the uneasiness is apparent in the tight set of our shoulders.
7
QUINN
