Chapter 30 | Anna
The next day, I spread out the contents of the file folder across the dining table. I’d been staring at the wealth of information for hours. Until my eyes were gritty.
Silas had said it wasn’t much. What did he consider much? Because this included locations of facilities, building floor plans, schematics, guard rotations, security systems—everything. And again, I was glad he was working with us.
“If Silas thought this wasn’t much information, I’m scared to know what he thinks is a lot,” I said.
Kincade sat across from me looking at the floor plan of the medical facility I’d been in at Bagras.
“This is the medical facility they had you in?” he asked.
“Yes. It smelled new. Like it had just been built. Everything was pristine.”
I sensed his simmering fury. Like he was ready to murder everyone inside with his bare hands and then torch the building.
Kinda liked that about him. Also, I’d help.
“I don’t think that should be the focus,” I said, pulling his attention back to me.
He looked up and for a split second, I saw his eyes were muted green. Yep. Murderous intent. Then they warmed back to their usual color. Like he pulled himself back. Funny how I noticed that more and more.
“You have another idea?” he asked.
“Yes.” I slid some papers aside and then pushed the one of the building I’d been obsessing over for the last half hour. “This one.”
It was a small research facility on the outskirts of Iskenderun. Not far from the castle ruins itself. Not the headquarters either as far as I could tell. I still hadn’t figured out where that was from all the information loaded in that folder.
He looked it over. I watched his gaze track the floor plan, pause on certain areas. His mind working.
“What about it?” he asked.
“I think that’s where we can get Vormund’s attention.”
His head snapped up. “How so?”
“He won’t come unless I give him a reason,” I said. “I want to give him one he can’t ignore.”
His first instinct was to say no, but he caught himself. I watched the emotion flicker over his face. I braced myself for his resistance, but instead he surprised me.
“Which is?”
“I’m his prize prototype. He wants me back for recalibration.” I paused, gave him a pointed look.
He considered my words. “So, what, you walk in there and hand yourself over?”
Clearly, he hated that idea.
“No, I walk in there, destroy some of his research, and leave a message to draw him out. We need him in the open. Exposed.”
“What kind of message?” he asked.
“The kind that says his prototype is hunting him now.”
He sat back in the chair, ran his hand over his eternally stubbled chin. Did the man even own a razor?
“No, I don’t,” he said, mouth twitching.
I blinked. “You heard that?”
“Yes.”
Ah, so he was testing me. Or he was testing himself. He’d been doing that more often—turning it off and on without warning. I never knew when he was listening.
Then I wondered how he managed to keep his face groomed like that forever. The mystery deepened. Obviously, questions living in my head that were totally unnecessary.
“So, while you’re fucking up his research, what am I doing?”
“You’re getting us in and out alive,” I said.
He studied the floor plan. “I need a schematic of the building. Security systems. Weak points.”
“Right here.” I slid the second paper toward him.
“You could have opened with that,” he said.
“I wanted to hook you first.”
“I suppose you have guard rotation, too?”
“Well, I don’t, but Silas does.” I pushed that toward him next.
He studied it a moment too long. Then nodded once.
When he was silent for longer than I liked, I said, “Well? Can it work?”
“We can make it work,” he said.
I liked where this was going. And since he wasn’t offering up a plan, and I’d been thinking about it, I plowed onward. “You go in first. Take out security. I follow, make noise, destroy the research.”
“And if they have Watchers?” he asked.
“Then I use what you taught me.” I sounded confident. Felt confident, too.
His jaw tightened. He wasn’t thrilled with this plan, but he didn’t argue.
“I’ll be fine,” I said.
“You better be,” he said. “What do we know about the security system?”
My heart fluttered for a fraction of a second.
“According to the notes, standard setup for a research facility trying to stay under the radar,” I said, pulling the security schematic closer. “Perimeter cameras, keycard access at main entrance, motion sensors in the hallways after hours. Nothing military-grade.”
“Guards?”
“Silas estimates three to four on night shift. One monitoring cameras, one at entrance, one or two roaming.” I traced the layout with my finger. “The security station is here. Central location, monitors all camera feeds.”
“Take that out first,” he said. “Blind them.”
“What about cutting the power?”
He shook his head. “Too obvious. Backup generator kicks in within thirty seconds, and they’ll know someone’s coming. Better to take the guard in the security station. Loop the feeds.”
“You can do that?” I asked.
“Try not to sound so surprised. I’ve done it before.” The corner of his mouth lifted. “A few hundred times.”
Right. Two thousand years of breaking into places.
“So, you go in first,” I said, working it out. “Service entrance here—” I tapped the rear of the building. “Less monitored. Take out the security station. Loop the feeds so I’m invisible.”
“Then you come in the same way. We move through together until we reach the research wing.” He studied the floor plan. “Server room is here. That’s your target. Destroy everything. Hard drives, backups, paper files if they have them.”
Paper files. Did anyone do that these days?
“How do you plan to destroy the data files?” he asked.
“Easy. Fire and fury, baby.”
He laughed.
And that was my intention. Light the match. Watch it burn. Leave a message for Vormund. Then out.
“When do we go?” I asked, already humming with anticipation.
“Tomorrow night. We move after dark.”
I liked it. Definitive.
“Good,” I said. “I’m ready.”
But his expression told me he wasn’t ready to watch me walk into the place as the weapon they forged.
Then I asked, “What about gear? We can’t walk in empty handed.”
“Already done,” he said. “Silas arranged a drop. We pick it up tonight, inventory tomorrow, and hit the facility tomorrow night.”
Which meant he’d already been thinking ahead of me. Also, he’d said we.
“You knew I was going to ask, didn’t you?” I said.
“I know you. I planned.”
I stared at him for half a second too long.
My throat tightened. I made a face like that wasn’t adorable.
“Silas sure is handy.”
I heard the burner phone in his pocket buzz. He checked it.
“Time to go.”
The dead drop was about an hour and half drive to some abandoned building not far off the highway.
Silas had sent coordinates—naturally. The drive was mostly silent.
I kept thinking about what was to come and how I’d handle myself.
He pulled off the main road and parked behind it out of view of passing cars.
Not that there were many this time of night.
“Stay here,” he said.
I didn’t argue. Once he was out of the car, he disappeared into the shadows for a long moment. The endless minutes ticked by until he reappeared with two black duffel bags. He threw them both in the trunk and then we were pulling back onto the highway headed back to the cabin.
I shifted in my seat.
“What if I can’t control it?”
I don’t know why this question came out, but there it was.
It was my worst fear coming to light. I wasn’t sure how it would work in a high-pressure situation.
Not that I hadn’t been in them before. But this was different.
This wasn’t facing down demons and high lords.
This was facing a different, more ruthless enemy.
This was tapping into something deep inside my head that I’d never put into real-life use.
“Do you think you’re not ready?” he asked.
“I think… I don’t know what to expect.”
Earlier, when planning, the confidence was there. But now… I wasn’t so sure. Like when I was so confident I could take on Sebastian without help. And look how that turned out.
He was quiet for a long moment. “You’ve already done it.”
“I have?”
“You’ve controlled it under pressure. We trained for that.”
“But that was different. That was you. This is strangers. Men who won’t hesitate to kill me.”
“Right. And you know what to expect before they do it.”
“I do?”
“Real threat. Real response. Remember the guard?” He did. His hands tightened on the wheel. “They’re trained to react a certain way. The programming will kick in if you let it. You can anticipate their moves better than you can anticipate me.”
I thought about that for a minute. I could. And it wasn’t so different.
“You do that,” he added, “that’s the strongest message you can send Vormund. He’ll know it’s you.”
“And then he’ll know I’m coming for him,” I said.
He glanced at me then, eyes catching the dashboard light. Gold and green. “And that’s the one that matters.”
I dragged in a careful breath. Nodded. Because I wanted that. I wanted him dead.
“You’re stronger than their wiring. You’ve proved it every day. Tomorrow night won’t be any different.”
I hoped he was right.
Silas provided us with weapons, tactical clothing, accelerant for the fire, and some tech we’d need to get in and get out.
The following day, I tried to rest, stay calm, and mentally prepare. This was nothing like I’d ever faced before.
By the time nightfall came, I dressed, knife at my belt. Wishing it was my own jade-handled dagger instead of this borrowed blade. When I emerged, he gave me an unreadable look. Jaw tight. Like he hated everything about this. Even so, he didn’t try to talk me out of it.
“If something happens—” I started.
“It won’t.”
“But if it does—” I stepped closer, rose on tiptoe and pressed a kiss against his cheek. “Thanks for not giving up on me.”
I started to step away, but his hand landed on mine. He pulled me back then kissed me. Reminding me of that kiss before I climbed the mountain in Meggido. It stole my breath.
“What was that for?” I asked, when we broke.
“Luck.”
Then we headed to the car in the dead of night. I was ready.
Vormund thought he’d made me into his masterpiece.
He was about to learn he’d made me into his executioner.