Page 83 of Harmless
After Torr, Santos, Devin and I decided on a plan, we went over it with the rest of the club for several hours, until night fell. We went over it from several angles, answered questions, and I had everyone repeat it back to me to make sure they understood.
Once everyone broke apart to get some sleep, I thought Carter might actually be proud of me. We had the main plan, the backup plan if shit went sideways, and then the backup plan for the backup plan. Everyone was in agreement and knew their positions. We knew the layout of the compound. There was no reason for this to not work.
Later, when thinking back to this moment, I would laugh at the thought of having any shred of confidence that this would go off without a hitch.
We were supposed to head out two hours before dawn, and I actually managed about three hours of sleep. Torr was already up and moving around when I woke, lighting his way with a small solar-powered lantern as he made coffee on the propane camping stove.
“Did you sleep at all?” I asked him, accepting a mug.
“Nah.”
I nudged him. “Something on your mind?”
“Everything. Like what could go wrong.”
“You’re starting to sound like me.”
“I’m kind of surprised you’re not more worried.” His eyes held mine over the rim of his coffee cup.
“Too tired to be worried,” I admitted, stifling a yawn. “Plus, we’ve talked this to death. I can see the map of the compound every time I close my eyes. Besides, I wouldn’t be a good president if I looked worried, right?”
“Well, you’re not the president right now. You’re Rori. My creep.” Torr pulled me forward with a warm palm on my nape, not stopping the momentum until his mouth crashed to mind. Just before I could sink into the kiss, he broke away. “Tell me what you’re really feeling.”
“I just…really want it to work.” My fingers drummed on the tin mug. “This is kind of the first test, you know? We’ll see how everyone works together. I’m glad, relieved actually, that it’s just a rescue mission, not an all-out assault.”
He nodded. “Me too. And I think we’re gonna learn a lot about the club after today.”
“Agreed.” I heaved out a sigh. “You ready to do this?”
“Ready on your orders, Pres.”
* * *
A small teamof us headed out on foot to the compound, which was roughly a mile away from the hill the club had parked on. The rest would hang back and wait for a flashlight signal to pick us up on the bikes. I left Val in charge of those hanging back. LJ, Torr, Santos, and Devin came with me. The ones I trusted most, although Devin was still questionable. The Ghost was fast and silent though, which was exactly what I needed.
Santos’ jaguar, Tezcatlipoca, also came with us. And I wasn’t about to tell the big cat no.
Our plan was to slip in undetected, grab Hudson, and get the hell out. Easy like Sunday morning, right?
Running down the hillside was easy enough. The valley below was a flat, open plain with no cover, so we sprinted across the landscape. All we could do was pray no one was awake and looking out their window to see six dark figures running toward the compound.
Tezca loped alongside me just as I thought that, his gait easy and relaxed.You are unseen, daughter. The night cloaks you.
I was breathing too hard to say thanks, but the shadowy jaguar was gone in the next moment anyway. He picked up speed, running ahead and disappearing into the darkness. The sense of feeling calm and reassured stayed with me though, and strengthened my legs and lungs on my run.
Finally, we made it to the outer bank of houses and stayed out of view of the windows to catch our breaths.
“This is the path up to the gazebo,” I said, gesturing around the corner. “The prisoner came out of the fifth house on the left. I say we check for Hudson there first. Santos and Devin will go in for him. The rest of us will look out and provide cover.”
“And if people wake up as we check the house?” Santos asked.
He knew the answer. We’d gone over this several times already. He was just confirming that my orders were the same.
“Silence them any way you can,” I answered. “Adults by any means necessary, but donotkill children.”
He nodded, understanding that we could not afford to be discovered. And my sweet, submissive man was prepared to step into the shoes of the Butcher to get the job done.
“Everyone else clear?” At their nods, I un-holstered my handgun. “Positions on three. One, two…three.”
