Page 104 of Desperate Victory

Three teams, each team with someone that Andrea knew.

I blew out a breath. “That’s smart.”

“Thank you,” he said easily.

“He’s modest too,” Milo added.

Ezra let out a hysterical little snort and even Adam snickered. Laughter swam up from under all the noise and I had to bite my lip as I started to chuckle. The sound cracked some of the ice surrounding me, bringing the world closer.

The tectonic shift helped. Closing my eyes, I drank in their nearness and focused on my breathing. With every inhale, I pulled in calm and exhaled my stress.

My system wasn’t really listening to me. Despite it seeming to take a century, we were finally there. The slowing of the vehicle had me sitting forward. Milo’s hand tightened on mine.

“I’ll go with Adam,” Milo said. “You take care of Mayhem.” He locked gazes with Bodhi. The two seemed to be in a wordless conversation but they also resolved it swiftly.

“Done.”

Milo looked at me. “Mayhem…”

“I’ll stay with Bodhi,” I told him. “I promise.”

“Thank you.”

Then the car stopped and Kellan glanced over his shoulder. “We’re gathering here…”

By here, he meant not far from the drive leading to the school. It was cold, dark, and there weren’t a lot of streetlights. The area seemed to be trapped in time where old cobblestone roads intersected with freshly paved areas. There were buildings that dated back to the previous century, but just a half a block up, was a corner store and it looked far more modern.

“This area is being gentrified, more or less,” Margareta said. She’d arrived right behind us and slipped out to join me as I studied our surroundings. “The academy is located on five acres above. I believe it has more land attached, but I’m waiting for more information from my people.”

“How many ways in?”

The Vandals had arrived and they were talking strategy with Bodhi and Milo. Adam was within arm’s reach. Ezra split the difference, partially with the guys but also closer to Adam and me in case we needed him. I didn’t think I could love these men more.

“Three,” Margareta said and she held her phone over for me to see the screen. A map appeared with the local area highlighted.

The school was in the center. There were routes stretching away from it in three different directions. The fourth butted up against the river.

The red ticks were where her people were setting up, including where we were standing right now. The roads—driveways—leaving the property were all direct. At least according to the map.

“If they have a boat—that could be a problem.”

“I have people watching the river. Dimitri has a good group here,” Margareta assured me. “We will find your sister, Lainey.”

Like the guys before, she sounded so confident, I wanted to believe her.

Bodhi appeared next to me. “We’re going,” he told me. “You and I are going over land. They’re giving us a fifteen minute head start.”

“Coat,” Margareta said briskly as she stripped off the jacket she was wearing. “Are you armed?”

I had my baton, my taser, and my knife. “I have enough and I have Bodhi.”

She glanced from me to him. “I won’t ask if you’re armed.”

“Thanks,” he said. “I appreciate the confidence. Let’s go, Buttercup.”

The use of that nickname in front of everyone made me splutter even as I tugged the coat on. “Right behind you, Trouble.”

“Next to me,” he said, cupping my elbow. He set the pace, but he didn’t lengthen his stride. I wasn’t having to take two steps for each one he did. The dark around us seemed to close in as we left the puddle of light around the cars.

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