Page 74 of Little Fury

I hear Matt snort out a laugh. Caden looks at Ben, shaking his head.“The kid will learn some manners. It’s just going to take Matt and me a little time to drill them into him,”he informs me.

“I’m what?”Ben asks, only listening to half the conversation as he types away.“OK, so I have all the cameras at Mr. Rossi’s house linked to my system. No one will even know you’re there. I looked into the guy who he has working for him in the cyber area of his criminal empire, and he’s shit. So, we're good.”

“Perfect. As long as he’s shit,”I repeat his words to him.

Food is delivered just as Marcus comes out of the bedroom, all sleep-tousled hair and grey sweats.“Guys, this is Marcus.”

Caden makes his way over and offers Marcus his hand, and both men shake.“Nice to finally meet you. Ava has mentioned you a lot. I’m Caden. The kid is Ben, and the grumpy fucker over there is Matt.”

Ben waves, not bothering to look up, and Matt nods at him from his spot at the table.

“Hungry?” I ask Marcus.

“I am,”he answers. A sleepy smile spreads over his face.

We all sit down and start to eat, and I make it 47 seconds before I turn the music on.“Space Oddity”by Bowie drowns out the eating noises. Marcus laughs at me, shaking his head and kisses me on the cheek.

“OK, so it will be perfect if we are in place and ready for 8 p.m. tonight. He will just be getting home from his dinner. The housekeeper and cook will both be gone home for the night.” Ben lets us know, obviously not having heard the conversation. Caden and Matt shake their heads at the kid and return to eating.

“The cook and Housekeeper won’t interfere or care even if they were there. They will probably want to come to work forus, Ava. They were my mom’s and stayed for her and me for all these years.”Marcus adds.

“Sounds good to me. You did promise me a cook,”I remind him

“I did,”he says, grinning at me.

After eating, we review everything again, ensuring everyone knows what they’re doing. Essentially, Ben will turn off the cameras and open the front gate for Marcus and me to walk through—or drive.

We arrive before 8 to watch the house. The cook and housekeeper leave for the night just as Ben predicted. Marcus and I sit in the truck quietly for the next hour or so, talking about nothing important. Caden and Matt are in Matt's car, parked a few houses in the other direction. Ben chose the spot because he liked the reception of signals from the house.

A little before 8:30, we see Enzo’s car approaching the house. His driver punches in the gate code and heads up the driveway. Enzo and his bodyguard, Hank head into the house. We wait another half hour before we move.

According to Ben, Enzo and his bodyguard are the only ones in the house. Hanks's room is on the first floor, and he will need to be dealt with quietly so we don’t alert the man of the house. Ben confirms that Enzo has retired to his area for the night. The entire left side of the second floor is his. His office, bedroom, bathroom and walk-in closet are all located there, making it easy for us to find him even without Ben telling us he’s in the office.

I look over at Marcus.“Ready?”

“Yeah.”

We drive up to the gate and see it flash green and open.“That kid's not bad,”Marcus says.

“Yeah, I like him. He’s smart, and Parker hand-picked him, so… "We stop in front of the house and get out, not fully closing the car doors.

“The gate or sounds of the truck didn’t alert anyone,”Ben tells me over my earpiece.

“Great, now get the front door.”

“Yes, Boss.”Then I hear the deadbolt disengage.“Your wish is my command, Boss Lady.”

“Ben, if you keep calling me that, I will have to reconsider your employment with me.” I hear Marcus chuckle.

“Yeah, kid. Ava loves her name. Her parents named her after her great-grandmother,”Marcus tells Ben with a smile.

I look at Marcus, wait for his nod, and then open the door. The house is silent except for a grandfather clock in the entranceway.

That’s such a cliché. Of course, this asshole has a grandfather clock.

Marcus takes the lead; I follow along, staying out of his way. I’m only here because Marcus wants me here. He doesn’t need me here to do this. He could have done this all on his own.

We reach Hank’s door. I step to the side and put my hand on the doorknob. I wait for his nod again and open it. Marcus steps into the room, and Hank doesn’t even get a chance to make a noise before Marcus shoots him in the head. I cock my head to the side, looking at Hank.“Have I met him before?”I ask Marcus quietly.

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