Page 35 of Rebel

It made me wonder why he hadn’t checked for that shit before now.For that matter, I should have asked him to the moment he said those fuckers had found her.

“Get your stuff to me, including your vehicle.I’ll sweep everything.See what I can find,” Shade said.

“Nobody’s saying run away forever,” I countered.“We’re talking tactical retreat.Live to fight smarter.”

Shade looked up from his laptop.“The Moretti family doesn’t usually get involved in personal vendettas.These guys must have something the family wants.”

“Or they’re offering something in return,” Ashes added, gaze thoughtful.

I tapped my fingers against my thigh, thinking.“Those two men from Rio’s unit -- they’ve got connections we don’t know about.Military.Maybe even higher-level government.The fact they’ve remained free after all the shit they’ve done says plenty.”

“They aren’t just random soldiers,” Rio said, her Georgia drawl thickening with emotion.“Denton -- his uncle runs some kind of security firm that contracts with three-letter agencies.But it never occurred to me he’d use that as a way to escape his fate.I should have.Rat bastard doesn’t exactly play fair.”

“Which means they’ve got resources.”I resumed pacing, my mind racing through scenarios like flipping pages in a book.“Surveillance.Tracking.Maybe that’s what they’re offering Moretti.Intelligence.”

“Weapons,” Rio muttered.“What if they’re leaking military secrets?”

“Like what?”I asked.

“Shipments.”Her lips thinned.“What if he knows when and where weapons are being moved?If he sold that, or traded it to the Morettis…”

Charming’s eyes met mine, and I saw the same realization dawn.That had to be it.And who knew what the hell kind of artillery we were talking about.

“Fucking hell.”Renegade pinched the bridge of his nose.“If they know about that --”

“Then what else have those assholes shared,” I finished.

Rio’s face flushed red.“So I brought a shitstorm down on all of you by staying.”

“No,” I said firmly.“They did.And they’re about to learn why that was their last mistake.”

I turned back to the map, my finger tracing roads and back alleys I knew blindfolded.“Shade, what’s their current position?”

He typed rapidly, flipping through camera feeds.“Three vehicles approaching from the east.SUVs, tinted windows.Standard wannabe tough-guy bullshit.”

“ETA?”

“Twenty minutes, tops.According to incoming messages on their phones, looks like they’re planning to come here.”

I locked eyes with Charming.“We need to move now.If we let them dictate the battlefield, we’re already losing.”

He nodded once, authority radiating from him like heat from a furnace.“She’s your girl.What’s the play, Rebel?”

I shook my head and pointed to Rio.“Let her take the lead.She needs this.”

* * *

Rio

Everyone turned to me.Some clubs might balk at a woman calling the shots, but the Devil’s Boneyard seemed to be different.Or at least, Rebel was.I’d been watching them since day one.Not just here at the clubhouse, but anytime I walked through the compound.Watching and listening.I’d picked up more about them than they probably realized.

“Azrael takes point on the diversion team,” I said.“Rebel said he knows how to create chaos without leaving evidence.Renegade, you lead the blocking team here.”I pointed to an intersection half a mile from the clubhouse.“Box them in, make it look like a traffic accident if civilians are around.”

“And the extraction?”Ashes asked.

“Rebel,” I said simply.“With Stripes as backup.I should be with the diversion team.I want those fuckers to see me.”

“That’s exactly what they want,” Rebel countered.“You’re the bait, remember?They see you, they call in whatever backup they’ve got waiting, and suddenly we’re outgunned and outmanned.”

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