34. Imry
34
IMRY
Haze is quiet for the rest of the flight. Oakley asks nonstop questions. I have a feeling these have been brewing for a long time. He doesn’t seem overly upset about it. Shocked at first, but it didn’t take him long to settle in with the idea.
He knew. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say Loren’s told him a lot more than he should have.
In a way, I might have been easing Haze into it too. I shouldn’t have mentioned the contracts at all. I might not have had there been a way to hide my dread over Avory and Ellory walking into a viper’s den unarmed.
But there wasn’t. There isn’t. I fear for them every single day that I can’t speak to them. That I can’t hear their voices and know that they’re safe. I purposefully haven’t been listening or watching the feeds because I’d obsess over it and never walk away. I’d be useless until they left the island.
I know myself. My two/thirds brothers are two/thirds of my soul.
Haze’s silence makes me apprehensive. It makes me afraid that I’ve revealed too much for him to think about, and he’s not going to be able to accept this.
I’m afraid of losing what we’ve been building together.
The plane lands and there’s a large SUV waiting for us. The men at the hangar load the luggage into the back, into the specially built compartment that sits below the seats, designed for luggage just this size. Haze and Oakley get in the vehicle as I finish up with the plane.
“We’ll be back before midnight,” I tell the man.
He nods. “Very well, Mr. Van Doren. We’ll be waiting.”
I give him a single nod and head for the driver’s side door, pulling it open. What I really need is not to drive right now. I need to be able to study the coordinates and surroundings that Voss sent me.
Haze and Oakley are looking at me. Watching. Waiting. I chew the inside of my lip. “Give me your phone,” I tell Haze.
His frown deepens. My heart thunders as I wait to see if he’s going to respond positively. I let out a whoosh of air when he shifts in his seat and digs his phone from his pocket. Using his thumb, he unlocks it and hands it to me.
This means he trusts me, right? It means we’re going to be okay?
I tap through his phone before I find the navigation app and enter the coordinates Voss sent me. “I need you to drive,” I tell him as I lean into the car and stick his phone in the cradle. He doesn’t move for a minute, but then he releases the seatbelt and pushes open the door.
Taking a breath, I head around the car to take the passenger seat. I meet his eyes as I approach him, shifting my path so I can move around him. His hand catches my arm and for a second, we stand still and stare at each other.
His hand raises, and his fingers touch my cheek softly. Almost a ghostly touch. He leans in and kisses me. I’m so relieved that I throw myself into the kiss far more aggressively than we have time for.
This results in Haze smiling against my lips. He lets me go, his head shaking slightly, but it’s the small smile that makes my heart flutter in my chest. He kisses my forehead and continues to walk by.
I’m not sure what it means.
We climb back into the SUV and Haze begins driving. I text Voss to tell him we’ll be there in about forty minutes. “Obey the traffic laws on an almost obsessive level,” I tell Haze. “We need no reason to be pulled over and delayed.”
“Especially with weapons hidden in the trunk,” Oakley says from the back.
I don’t bother to assure him they’d likely not be found. The vehicles we use for contracts are designed to be generic upon first inspection. If you know how to get into it, you’ll find the hidden goods.
While Haze drives, I pull up the map and study the area we’re going to. The buildings surrounding the one where he suspects Lorissa is being held. Those around it.
It looks like an abandoned area. Satellite shows that many of the windows and doors in the neighborhood are boarded up. I’m going to guess that they’re not actually abandoned but used for illegal activity.
I scope out where I’ll direct Haze to park. Somewhere hidden but easily accessible. There’s an alley a few blocks down and while it’ll take ten minutes or so to get to Voss as we wind through the alleys, I think that’s probably the best option. That means our car will be undisturbed. Out of the way and less likely to be stumbled upon.
Voss pinpointed exactly where he’s waiting, so next I search around that area for somewhere to hide Oakley and Haze. I’d feel better keeping them at my side the entire time, but they’re woefully untrained and I’m afraid they’ll be a hindrance to themselves and us. The chances of them being hurt will be much higher if I bring them straight to the sleeping bear.
There are a couple spots I think will work. I won’t know for sure until we get there and see the area in person.
Last, I examine the building on all sides, looking for exits and where there likely might be security. Voss’ texts said he’s taken out most of the security. The only reason he’s waiting for me is that he’s incredibly outnumbered and murder isn’t exactly where he’s concentrated a lot of his efforts over the years.
He’s technical. I’m application. Not necessarily as a first choice, but someone had to keep Loren on the path we send him on with minimal straying. That person turned out to be me. I’ve learned a lot over the years. I know what I’m doing.
Voss can take out someone one-on-one easily enough. He’d probably succeed at taking out two people if necessary. However, he says that there are at least a dozen men inside holding Lorissa. She’s made a name for herself in the city and as far as the mafia goes, it’s not a good reputation to have.
Arguably, he could have gotten back up from other members of the crew. But I get it. You need to be able to trust someone implicitly at your back. I’m not sure I’d have been comfortable asking any members of the crew in this situation, either. Not when I’m about to walk into a slaughterhouse and there’s a very important life on the line, should we fail.
When I’ve studied the maps and information Voss sent me as exhaustively as I can, I pick my head up and let my eyes adjust to looking at something other than my screen. The sky is dark. There’s still a lot of traffic as we drive along the outskirts of the city. A look at Haze’s phone says we’re twenty minutes out.
I turn my attention out the window and lean my head back against the headrest as I watch the world go by. The car is silent. Nothing but road noise and the occasional alert from Haze’s navigation app.
I’m startled when Haze’s hand lands on my leg. Without looking at him, I cover it with mine, holding it tightly. He twists his wrist and links our fingers together.
Deciding that must be a good sign, I take a chance and peek at him. He glances my way, holds my stare for just a second, and returns his attention to the road.
“Are we okay?” I ask. The words sound childish. I hate them.
Haze nods. It’s that kind where he’s not entirely committed to the answer.
“Do you want to stop seeing me when we get home?”
He frowns, eyes moving to mine for a moment. My heart races when he brings my hand up and presses his lips to the back of it. “No,” he answers. “I don’t want to be a part of this in the future. I don’t even want to know about the contracts.”
“Okay,” I readily agree. That’s easy. He’s not supposed to know about them, anyway.
“That doesn’t mean that you can’t talk to me if you’re worried about your brothers. I just don’t want to know what the contracts entail. I’d like to pretend that they’re…” His voice trails off.
You can’t un-know what you’ve learned, though. Not this kind of information.
“I’m sorry,” I say.
He sighs. “I know. I would have kicked up a fuss if you tried to leave me home or on the plane, especially since you were determined to take Oakley.”
“I promised to keep him close the entire time Loren’s away. I can’t break that trust,” I explain.
“I know,” he repeats. “I get it. Regardless, I wasn’t going to like the situation, no matter the options given.”
“You probably weren’t,” I agree.
“So what’s the plan when we get there?” Oakley asks, popping his head between the two seats in the front.
“We’re going to park in a hidden alley, get kitted up, and head through a maze of alleys until we reach Voss and the building where Lorissa is being held. From there, I’m going to determine whether it’s safest for you to join us inside or if I can station you outside somewhere.” I look at Haze, squeezing his hand tightly when I ask, “Have either of you shot a weapon before?”
“I can shoot a water gun,” Oakley says.
Haze rolls his eyes, glaring into the rearview mirror. “This isn’t a game, Oakley,” Haze chastises.
“Sorry. I’m afraid for my husband now and for where we’re going. Apparently, I hide that behind poor attempts at humor.”
Haze sighs. “We haven’t shot weapons,” he tells me.
Yeah. I figured as much. “Then I’m going to give you a very brief introduction.” I adjust in my seat so I can see them both. “I understand that this isn’t something you’re going to want to do, but you know how in mobster movies the bad guys won’t hesitate to kill anyone they come upon?”
Both men nod.
“This is just like that. It’s a real thing. They will not hesitate to kill you. That’s their entire job. Don’t give them the chance to do so.”
“That means we need to kill them first,” Oakley says quietly.
“Again, I’m going to attempt to keep you from that eventuality, but yes. In a choice between killing someone else or dying, choose to live,” I insist.
Haze swallows. He doesn’t answer. Not even with a nod. His focus stays on the road ahead.
I pull him off the navigation and into the maze of alleyways until we’re where I think we’ll be safe. We’re hidden in deep shadows. All the openings of the buildings around us are boarded up. We’re hidden behind a mountain of pallets.
The guys follow me as we climb out. I pop the trunk and then lift the floor to pull forward the bag of gear, handing each of them a jumpsuit and stepping into mine. I show them how to pull the rubber boot coverings over their shoes and part way up their calves. I choose to give them beanies instead of helmets because it’s March in the northeast. I’m sure their adrenaline will keep them fairly warm.
They do, however, wear Kevlar vests. These are specifically engineered by Van Doren Technologies to be super lightweight but better than those the police departments use. I get to work stuffing their pockets of ammo cartridges, knives, and other useful gear. I strap knives of different sizes on their body in convenient places for different positions they might find themselves in.
Then they get gloves and are handed their weapons. I go through how to change the cartridges. How to aim and shoot. Where the safety is and how it works. Both men watch and listen with rapt focus.
When I’m finished with them, I gear myself up and shut the trunk.
“You can take your phones, but they need to be on silent. Not vibrate, but silent. Do not pull them out; the lights will give you away. Only in an emergency are you to use them,” I instruct, watching as they turn their phones to silent.
“What’s an emergency?” Oakley asks. “I feel like this entire thing is an emergency.”
I nod. That’s fair. “You’ll know when it’s an emergency. And if it comes to that, you’re to call my father or Myro only . Okay?”
Haze and Oakley nod.
“Let’s go.”
Oakley turns for the mouth of the alley and takes a few steps. Before Haze can follow, I grip his wrist and turn him to me. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I brought you into this. Maybe I should have left you on the plane.”
“Not a chance. In the same way you’re stressing about your brothers, not knowing what’s happening to them, that’s exactly how I’d be on the plane.”
I nod. “Then… I’m just sorry I got you tied up in this. Please don’t hate me.”
He rests his forehead against mine. “I don’t hate you.”
“I love you and I can’t lose you,” I counter and hear his sudden inhale. “So you better live, Haze. Understand me? Listen to what I say and respond immediately. Don’t hesitate. Don’t question. Understand?”
Haze’s eyes are wide, but I don’t think he heard anything after ‘ I love you .’ If I had more time to think this through, I might have said something a little different. There isn’t time for that.
“Understand?” I urge.
“Yes,” he says. “Imry?—”
I shake my head and place my hand over his heart. “We need to get to Voss.”
With that, we head out of the alley. I keep them behind me. Almost as soon as we turn a corner, there’s someone with a machine gun wandering the alleyway. I push Oakley and Haze backward and we wait within the shadows as this man moseys his way down the street.
“Stay here,” I whisper and slink out.
There’s a reason we prefer blades. They’re silent. There’s no click of warning. There’s no taking the time to aim. I don’t have to be at a distance, and I can assure their death with a single blow.
Which I do. I get right up behind this man and, using the spiked end of my tactical axe, I drive it into the back of his neck.
He makes a choked gurgle. His body seems to hover for a second. Then he slumps to the ground. I set my axe down and drag him into the shadows before returning to Haze and Oakley.
“One more thing. Be absolutely silent. Don’t speak unless you have to. Stay close.”
Both men nod.
I’m not sure if I’m more afraid of Oakley getting hurt and facing Loren or of Haze becoming traumatized and leaving me. Both feel like an equally dooming future.