Page 19 of Fight

“And you were using the cameras before? So they definitely work?” Rome double-checks.

Demelza nods, “Unless he’s found them in the last three days or so, then yes, they definitely work. I’ll show you how to use them and then let you do your thing. Just let me know if you need any help from us. We may be getting on, but we’re more capable than most.”

“I don’t think anyone had any doubt about that,” I reply with a smile and then add, “But you have been doing this alone for a long time now. You’ve just got your friends back. It's okay to take a rest and let us deal with the rest of it now.”

My grandmother smiles, “I know. Why do you think I’m not trying to be involved.”

I smile in response, “Well, I’m sure you’ll have plenty of things to do to get the town back to its former glory after we’ve taken out the trash for you.”

“Without a doubt, dear,” she replies as she opens the door to an extremely spacious and well-equipped security room, all of the cameras still running.

“Okay, so it’s pretty straightforward to work so long as you know how it works,” she starts as she then goes on to explain how it all works and how to get up the houses that we want to.

I have to admit that it becomes clear pretty damn quickly that I am going to understand none of what she’s trying to explain to us. Fortunately, judging from the look on Ace’s face, he understands completely, so instead of trying to listen and knowing I’m going to fail, I move so I’m standing in Rip’s arms, and he holds me closely as he rests his chin on the top of my head and drops a quick kiss on there as well.

It doesn’t take her long to explain, and then she tells us that she’s going to get a start on dinner and to yell very loud if we need her or get stuck.

Once she’s gone and Ace is sitting in what I’ve now dubbed the control seat, I ask him, “You understood that, right?”

Ace smirks, “Yeah, I understood it. I’ve actually studied a system like this before, so it's not completely new to me.”

“Thank fuck for that,” Mason mutters, and I smile, glad I’m not the only one struggling to understand how it works.

“Didn’t Malory want to be involved? Shouldn’t we go and get her?” I ask.

Rome shakes his head, “No, I caught her as she was heading upstairs when we first arrived back, and she said that she had to catch up on some studying for her final exam to become a teacher and just to tell her when we’re heading out to deal with it.”

“Fair enough,” I reply. “I admire that she’s managed to study to be a teacher while dealing with all of this shit as well.”

“Me too,” Mason replies. “Although I think that’s a good indication of just how much she wants out of this life and into a more normal one.”

“That seems to be the current theme at the moment, first Rylie and now Malory,” I say and then add, “and judging from how much my grandmother is willing to hand the reins over to us, she seems to be heading more into the normal lifestyle as well.”

“Yes, but it's more than understandable where your grandmother and Gerald are concerned. They aren’t getting any younger, and they’ve had one hell of a life so far. It's understandable that they’d want to retire, or at least retire to the point that they aren’t actively choosing to do jobs and are more just protecting what they have and their town.” Rip points out.

I hum in agreement, “I suppose I hadn’t thought of it that way.”

“Alright, guys, I’m in,” Ace mutters, and we all gather around him so that we can see the screen properly.

“He’s got guards on every entry point,” Rip frowns as we all study the screen.

“Although, he seems to be camped out in one room, and I say that because he literally has everything that he could possibly need in that room, and he’s got guards posted at the door,” Rome adds.

“So he’s gone into scared animal mode and has hunkered down,” I reply, “he’ll be unpredictable; we’re going to have to be careful.”

“We weren’t anyway?” Mase smirks.

I stick my tongue out at him, “You know what I mean.”

He smiles and pulls me in close, “Yes, I do.”

“At least we know exactly where he’s going to be. We’ve just got to clear the path to get to him,” Mal points out.

“True. It sounds like fun,” I smile.

“It does,” Rome agrees, wearing my favorite dangerous smile that makes me want to strip him right where he is before I can let my thoughts become actions; he adds, “You need to ring D and see if he can do that favor for you and if so when. There’s no point in us going to get him tonight if we’re then going to have to keep him somewhere here.”

“Rome’s right. I’d rather he wasn’t anywhere near us for any length of time, and if I’m being completely honest, he’s obviously not going to go anywhere. He’s practically barricaded himself in,” Mase adds.

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