Page 38 of Hendrix

“Watch and learn, boys,” I advised quietly, my alert gaze automatically sliding toward the bright lights streaming from the kitchen window. “He probably doesn’t even need us here. In fact, I’m shocked he even went in with Iceman. Usually, Break likes to work alone. Having a team around him is more of a hindrance than a help.”

“Jesus,” Picasso breathed. “They’re lunatics in the Wyoming chapter.”

I grinned, eyes still on the kitchen window. “That they are, Cass. That they are.”

We were interrupted by Breaker’s voice coming over the comms link.“Three men in the kitchen. Our target, his brother, and the cousin. Three other security located in separate areas. Eliminated the one guarding Anna’s door, and I’m about to disable another. Hang tight for a minute. Over.”

I tapped to open a comms link. “Check on Anna, brother.”

After a brief pause, his voice came back over the radio.“In her room, asleep. Seems okay.”

The sense of relief that swept through me was almost palpable. “Thanks, Breaker. Over,” I replied and closed comms.

Gambit looked at me and blinked. “What the fuck?”

Picasso sighed. “Is he gonna leave anyone for us?”

“We’re hiding in the fucking shrubbery while Breaker gets to take out the bad guys,” Gambit grumbled. “Feel like a spectator in an episode of the goddamned Breaker show.”

“We get the Lis brothers and their boss,” I reminded him. “And we agreed Breaker and Iceman would clear up the stragglers. We’ll go in as soon as the rest of the house is clear, so just hang fire and stick to the damned plan.”

“Sorry, boss,” Gambit muttered.

“We’ll get our action,” I assured him. “Just be patient. The second we deviate from what we discussed, we put the entire mission and Anna’s safety in jeopardy and that’s unacceptable. Got it?”

He jerked a nod. “Got it.”

Right on cue, Breaker’s voice came back over the comms.“Cleared. You can go in.”

Picasso’s eyes bugged out. “Does he wanna move to Virginia?”

“We’ve already got a VP.” Pulling out my weapon, I inspected it one last time and shoved it in my shoulder holster. “Ready?”

Both men pulled their weapons and nodded.

“Let’s fuckin’ move,” I ordered, my mind focusing on Anna and getting her safe. My gut ached with anticipation of getting to my woman. “Remember, we stick to the plan. If we go in half-cocked, it could be Anna who suffers the consequences.”

As desperate as I was to get inside, throw my girl over my shoulder, and get the fuck out of dodge, I was still a tactician. I was one of the best in the business. Throughout my career as a Ranger and a Scout, I’d traveled to the worst hellholes on Earth and had gone up against demons masquerading as humans. I came out unscathed every time, often when others didn’t.

If anyone could get Anna back, it was me. The only other man alive who had instincts comparable to mine was Breaker, and luckily, he was already in there doing his thing.

Slowly, I began to stalk toward the house, sensing my brothers at my six. Eyes narrowing, I stared with stone-cold focus at the light streaming from the kitchen. I pointed at the window and then to the ground, indicating we were to go low.

Stooping forward, I began to speed up until we hit the side of the building.

“Follow my lead,” I whispered before ducking under the kitchen window and shuffling toward the huge bi-folding doors leading out to the grounds.

The three of us stood still like statues with our backs flat against the red brick wall, listening to the steady thud of quiet music wafting from the kitchen. As I reached into my inside pocket to grab my knife, voices drifted out through the door, which had been left slightly open.

My chest jerked as a heavily Eastern European-accented voice drifted out into the quiet night air.

“I warned you against marrying her, Cousin. How many times did I tell you to get yourself a quiet, obedientPolskawho knows her place? Bitches like your Ania are good for the bedroom, but you can’t turn a whore into a wife. Let her believe you’ve agreed to the divorce, wait a few months, then find an excuse to take her toWarszawa,where I’ll arrange a tragic accident. Ourpolicjafriends won’t touch you there.”

My lungs began to burn.

“She’s under control, Filip,” a less accented but still unmistakably Polish voice replied. “I’ve got her in hand.”

“She’s a liability, Cousin. These American women are too independent. Unless you train them early and make them cow to you, there’s always a chance of betrayal, and now she’s asked for a divorce. What if she threatens to go to the FBI and tell them your business? We’ve already got the Feds breathing down our necks. We can’t risk it.”

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