Page 39 of Jester

ANGEL EYES

An hour after sunset, Primrose loses its power. The fire department and every cop in the area rush to the fire engulfing the power lines on the south side of town.

Earlier, before the power went out, the estate’s daytime hired guns went into town to find solace with the bottle. Some of them eventually head over to the fire, along with many of the locals. The event is probably the most fun anyone in Primrose has had in a while.

The mansion we’re hitting relies on the local power. Our inside man promised to sabotage the backup generators.

As the eight of us leave the RVs and walk in the dark toward the estate’s outer fence, Dire keeps watch with our drones overhead. Using our earpieces, she offers updates on the security team’s movements. When she says we’re clear, we use a blowtorch to burn a hole in the fence.

Not long after losing power, the nighttime hired thugs leave the mansion and fan out over the property.

When five men stumble upon my team—Ghost, Rave, and Riot—we end them without resistance.

Zack Reinhart has no reason to believe tonight is his last on earth. His team didn’t do drills today to keep them sharp. The only person on his staff to truly know this is coming is on our side.

Until we drop the three security goons, I’m not a hundred percent sure our inside guy is on the up-and-up. There was a very real possibility we were walking into an ambush.

For months, Reinhart’s butler fed us information. Theo claimed to be one of the people who helped Giselle escape. However, I never understood why he just didn’t anonymously rat out his bosses if he was that repulsed by their vile lifestyles.

But maybe having the Black Gold Four dead is better than getting them locked up. Cops swarming this town might lead to the butler and other “good” employees taking the rap, too. Or the Black Gold Four might kill those employees to keep them from testifying. Theo made it sound like walking away wasn’t an option.

Overlord worried about trusting the butler. Though I pretended to have a good feeling about the guy, I really just wanted to get the job done. During the entire ride down to Texas, I pictured the millions of ways the hunt could go wrong.

My fears disappear once the three goons are on the ground. They weren’t tipped off by the butler. There’s no ambush waiting. That doesn’t leave us in the clear. Our plan can still hit roadblocks. But my dread eases, leaving me in hunting mode.

With the power out on this cloudy night, I can only see thanks to my night-vision goggles. The land is mostly barren around the property. We’re exposed until we reach a line of manicured trees along the estate’s inner yard. Crouched behind a retaining wall, I send a message to Thorn’s team coming up from the east side.

Ghost, Rave, and Riot kneel when I do. My hunky biker and I are like a well-oiled machine after a year of hunting together. I also work well with the sisters.

The second team reaches cover nearby. Thorn leads Puppet, Neon, and Vegas with the younger guys mimicking his every movement. When we left the RVs, I couldn’t tell one guy from another with their faces all painted and black caps hiding their hair. The sisters are also interchangeable in this getup.

Gripping the DPMS DA-15 rifle in my hands, I embrace my hunter mode and lose all sentimentality. A cold determination washes over me as I lift from my kneeling position and begin moving past the bushes.

As Thorn leads his team toward the east entrance, Dire warns of movement at the west side of the mansion. Two men head in our direction.

Kneeling next to a bush, I line up my rifle for the approaching targets. I’d prefer to kill them all outside. Once we’re in the mansion, we’ll be dealing with victims, civilians, and tight spaces.

I drop the asshole on the right. Ghost kills the jackass on the left. The quick snaps of gunshots startle the dogs in the nearby detached kennels. Besides the barking, the night is silent.

Moving with my team, I stop at the door where the two security assholes appeared. I wait for Dire to give us the green light to enter. The drones fly silently overhead, searching for movement.

The butler left several doors unlocked. Once Dire gives us the okay to move inside, I enter the mansion to find a security room. The camera feeds have gone dark. With the security system down, the hired guns likely requested for their buddies in town to come help out.

Knowing we might have company soon, I leave Rave and Riot to guard this spot as Ghost and I move deeper into the house.

The security room opens to a long hallway. Ghost and I clear each room we pass. These barracks belong to the security crew, meaning anyone we find is a target.

Thorn and his group enter through the staff’s barracks. The butler said none of his people would give us trouble. However, in his messages, he warned two of the “Dolls” wouldn’t be willing to turn against their training or masters. He claimed he would “incapacitate” the two young women, but he wasn’t able to handle the armed security. That’d be on us.

The mansion would be a maze without Theo’s provided map. I’ve memorized every room, hallway, and blind spot.

We nearly run into a security asshole when he turns a corner on this way back to the barracks. As he lifts his weapon, Ghost slaps it downward. A shot goes off before I put a bullet in the guy’s head. Ghost keeps the body from making a racket on its way down. But the shot might have been enough to alert the entire house.

Once I warn Thorn how things could get dicey, Ghost and I move more quickly. Room after room is cleared. A security guy’s boots squeak on the hardwood, warning us to his arrival. We get him before he even realizes anyone is around. This guy dies silently.

I inform Thorn how we’re down to two security assholes. Ghost and I hurry through the staff kitchen toward the main hall. A minute later, Thorn responds to say he finished off another security guy. He follows up with how a hostile Doll dressed like a jock just stumbled upon them.

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