Chapter 8
Reid
Mace and I crawl through the opening Jake cuts in the perimeter fence. My brother has deactivated the sensors that are meant to detect intruders, and for now, the night is still. It’s just the three of us going in, and we have another of our men nearby to operate a drone with heat sensors.
We’d pulled together a plan in a matter of days, needing to make our move before Ilya’s men arrive. There are two disgruntled guards from the local security firm on duty at the entrance gates, and so far this evening, neither has left the guardhouse.
“I’m going to head straight to the mansion,” I say, checking the gun in my holster that I don’t expect I’ll need.
Clad all in black, Mace could easily fade into the night if the whites of his eyes weren’t shining with anger.
“The hell you are. We’re a team, and we’re sticking to the plan.
We scope out the stables before paying a visit to your girlfriend.
She isn’t going anywhere, Reid,” he says.
“Unless she’s planning on doing some bed hopping with the gardener tonight. ”
I jab a finger at my brother. “Shut the fuck up, Mace. And that includes when I do finally speak to her. You don’t go near her.”
“Worried I’ll cramp your style?”
Jake clears his throat. “It is the Russians were fighting, right?”
“Sorry, Jake,” I say. “From now on Mace is going to behave. You don’t need to play referee.”
“I think you’ll find playing referee is in my job description,” he says as we set off in the direction of the stable block. “You two are just the latest iteration. I cut my teeth trying to separate Ash and Hunter. And I didn’t always succeed.”
I fix my night vision goggles over my beanie. For now, the full moon provides enough light for us to pick our way through the dense woodland covering the outer edges of the estate. The stables are located at the edge of a steep ravine so it can only be approached from one side.
I don’t like that we’re heading in the opposite direction to where I need to be. It’s going to be another fifteen-minute hike to get to the mansion.
It would have been a missed opportunity if we didn’t plant a bug or two in the stables and guesthouse, but we’re eating away at time I’d rather spend with Quinn.
I doubt I’ll be able to convince her to leave the estate, but if she insists on staying, I’m not going to move until she agrees to work with us. I can be stubborn too.
We’re ten minutes into our hike when my earpiece crackles. It’s Levi, the guy we left at the perimeter.
“There’s activity at the gate,” he says. “A truck has just been waved through. There are two heat sources in the vehicle. That’s all I have for now, but I’ll run the plates.”
Mace tilts his head towards me. “Eleven thirty is a little late for a social call.”
“Whoever they are,” adds Jake, “it’s going to make it more difficult to get Quinn’s attention without being seen.”
I’m tempted to change direction and go to her, but another argument with Mace will only slow us down.
“Let’s do what we have to do here,” I say, “and then we can reassess.”
“Agreed,” Mace says.
It’s annoying how pleased I am whenever one of my brothers agrees with a suggestion of mine. I might be the youngest and greenest, but I still have a voice. And despite the recent glitch as far as Quinn’s concerned, I have good reasoning skills. All I want is to be treated as an equal partner.
We’ve just reached the newly laid road that connects the stables to the main gates when Levi interrupts us again.
“Bad news, guys. The truck stopped briefly at the house, but no one got out. The female target came out and talked to them, then went back inside. The truck’s on the move again and it’s heading towards you. The plates are false.”
“Russians?” I ask my brother.
“No one else is going to be given access to the estate without some resistance,” Mace says. “We’re not getting into the stables tonight. We’ll keep out of sight and observe what our friends are up to.”
“I can take the west side of the stables, if you two stay closest to the guesthouse,” Jake suggests.
“Sure,” Mace agrees. “And Levi, keep the drone near the entrance in case we have more visitors.”
“Will do.”
Mace and I find a spot close to the trees on the east side that’s thick with undergrowth. As the rumble of an engine grows louder, I slide on my night vision goggles. The night is doused in a green glow that brightens to a painful white when the truck appears.
It’s no surprise when the two men getting out of the vehicle start speaking in Russian.
They sweep the beams of their flashlights across the stable block before settling on the two-story guesthouse next to it.
The fully-equipped living quarters to house Ilya’s men are on another level to the stalls intended to dehumanize their victims.
Mace unpacks his kit and points a long-range microphone towards our targets. His phone picks up the conversation and translates it into English.
“What are they saying?” I ask.
“They’re wondering if the place has been furnished,” Mace says, then pauses as the men continue their discussion. “One’s suggesting that if it isn’t, they could see if…” He winces. Whatever’s being said has made both men break into laughter. “If Barrett’s whore will keep them warm.”
My jaw aches with tension as we watch Ilya’s men disappear inside the living quarters. “What the hell was Barrett thinking when he left Quinn here? Whether she’s working for Barrett, Ilya or both, neither of them are protecting her.”
I wait for Mace to throw another insult, but he says nothing. Hopefully it’s becoming apparent how vulnerable Quinn will be if we don’t step in.
“There’s more activity,” Levi announces. “The female has just left the house on foot. She’s carrying a flashlight and judging by her speed, I’d say she’s running.”
“In what direction?” I ask. I will Quinn to head for the main gates, but running away isn’t her style.
“She’s cutting across the woodland, heading straight for you.”
“Keep your eyes on her,” Mace tells him.
I take my cell phone from my pocket. “Send me the feed from the drone, Mace.”
He knows immediately what I’m planning. “Reid, we’re not separating.”
“Then you’re going to have to leave Jake here alone, because I’m going after Quinn. Either I run around the woods completely blind, or you can help me track her movements.”
Mace snatches my phone as he issues fresh instructions. “Jake, circle towards me and we’ll regroup,” he says. “Levi, keep following Quinn, but zoom out so we can track Reid’s marker when he's close. He’s going to intercept her.”
“Thanks,” I say when my brother hands me back my phone.
“When you get to her, keep your weapon drawn,” Mace says. “Until we have irrefutable proof that she isn’t a Russian asset, through recruitment or coercion, you can’t let your guard down. Promise me, Reid.”
I unholster my Glock. “I’ll keep my gun in my hand at all times.”
It’s an easy enough promise to make, but pulling the trigger would be an entirely different proposition.
Quinn’s pulled a gun on me enough times to know that she wouldn’t shoot me either.
I’m just glad Mace doesn’t know she held my dick at gunpoint the last time we met, or he wouldn’t be so keen to let me go.
Not that he is keen. But he lets me go and I set off at a sprint.
My strides are longer than Quinn’s and I have the benefit of night vision, so I’m confident I can stop her before she gets anywhere near the stables. I stay close to the road and eventually my marker shows up on the drone’s feed. I fix my location relative to Quinn’s and adjust my trajectory.
Twigs snap underfoot and branches tug at my jacket. The bulletproof vest stops my chest expanding as much as I’d like, but I don’t care if I run out of breath. Nothing will stop me reaching Quinn.
Unfortunately, I’m so determined to keep running that I don’t check the drone feed nearly enough.
“Reid, you’ve overshot the target,” Levi says. “You need to head north.”
“Fuck,” I mutter as I gasp for breath. Quinn’s closer to the stables now. Not near enough to be of concern yet, but…
“The Russians are on the move,” Mace says. “They’re complaining about having to go out on patrol when the site isn’t active yet. Reid, you’re going to have to find Quinn fast. We’ll tail Ilya’s men, but the last thing we need is a confrontation. We don’t want Ilya finding out we’ve been here.”
“Understood,” I say as adrenaline floods my veins. Considering what they wanted to do to Quinn earlier, if they catch her spying, they’ll show no mercy. She’s running straight into danger.
It kills me to slow, but I can’t risk missing her again. I keep checking my phone and my heart is in my throat when two new heat sources show up on screen. The Russians have separated and Quinn is on a collision course with one of them.
My lungs burn as I crash through the undergrowth until I finally spot the sweep of Quinn’s flashlight.
She isn’t moving as fast as I am, but she isn’t exactly strolling through the woods either.
I shove my phone into my pocket and wipe my clammy hands on my sleeve so I can hold my gun firmly.
Quinn must hear my approach because she spins in my direction.
She has both arms out in front of her, taking aim with her flashlight and the gun I’m intimately familiar with.
A beam of light sweeps over my body. I raise my hands but I keep advancing.
Unfortunately, she can now see I’m armed, and because I’m wearing my night vision goggles, I don’t know if she’s worked out it’s me.
What’s more, I can’t shout and identify myself because that’s going to alert the Russians. Quinn takes aim at my head.
Fuck.
If I stop in my tracks, there’s a chance she won’t shoot. But while she’s trying to figure out who I am, one of the Russians could be advancing on us. He’ll see the flashlight. If he hasn’t already.