Page 98 of Wrongfully Magicked
Aw, who knew his offer to murder me would melt my heart?
It’s the sweetest death threat I’ve ever received!
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
ANITA
Two hours later, the six of us are stuffed in a van parked a block away from my family’s estate. The space is so cramped that I’m sitting on both Stryker and Porter. Darby is hunched in front of an impressive array of computers, and Gwen is perched on a crate next to him with a slight grimace of distaste at being trapped in such a confining space so soon after her captivity.
We’re all staring at the schematics of the estate, while live feeds flash across the other monitors where Darby was able to tap into their security system.
“Stryker and Darby can scale the back fences here.” I point to a well-lit area in the backyard. “Thankfully, my mother is vain enough to want the aesthetics of her precious gardens to remain unaltered, so the bushes don’t get trimmed back the way they should. Vegetation obscures most of the camera angles. If you cling to the shadows, you should make it past without being detected.
“Unfortunately, since my family employs tech wizards, it’s better to risk detection than tamper with looping the feeds. Once we enter the system, it’s only a matter of time before our intrusion is detected.”
I glance at Gwen, then motion to the computers. “You’ll remain behind and monitor both teams. You’ll be in control of the command center.”
“I don’t see why I’m being left out of all the fun.” She crosses her arms and pouts, kicking at some of the cords that lie haphazardly throughout the truck like a jumble of coiled snakes. She’s so small that her feet don’t even touch the ground. Next to the guys, she looks like a child, with her thin frame and big eyes.
“Because my family has the place spelled so magic doesn’t work once a person enters the property.” I grimace at my family’s overblown, megalomaniac tendencies. “My family likes to feel important and more powerful than anyone else. Not to mention the spell gives them an advantage while everyone else remains vulnerable. Only full-blown wizards are able to circumvent the curses and break them, but it takes time.”
“Time they use to kill the threat,” Porter surmises with a grim expression.
I nod, glad they are finally starting to see how dangerous and unhinged my family can be when cornered and the measures they are willing to take to be on top.
“My family hasn’t invited many beastlings to the property, but my guess is the spells will repress your shift as well.” I glance at Stryker and Porter, since they’ll be the most affected. “Unless you’re extremely powerful, you’re stuck in whatever form you take when you enter.”
Gwen gulps, her arms dropping to her sides, and she leans toward the computer console. “Yeah, the command center works for me. I would be nothing but cannon fodder once I entered the property.”
Cassius and Soren sit near the backdoors. They don’t wait for orders, but immediately begin peeling weapons from the straps lining almost every inch of the van.
“The van is warded,” Darby says distractedly as he watches numbers and letters stream across the screen, his mind lost deep within the servers. “It should be invisible to most people. Only powerful magic users can even sense it. If anyone comes to investigate, they will be struck with a fear spell. They’ll be too scared to get closer than five feet and feel physical revulsion at the thought of entering.”
“Not to mention the industrial locks,” Porter says, not looking up from his gun as he slams the magazine home, racks the slide, then shoves it into his waistband at the small of his back. He pulls his shirt over it, then picks up the next gun.
All the guys do the same until they’re practically bristling with guns and knives.
Soren selects a few smaller knives, then grabs my foot and places one inside my sock. He tucks another one in my shoe. Stryker watches, then immediately chooses a few of the smaller throwing blades before braiding a couple in the messy strands of my hair. When he goes to shove one down my shirt, I snatch it from him and place it in my bra myself.
I don’t trust the guys to stay on track if my shirt comes off.
“Darby and Stryker will wait until we breach the front before infiltrating the garden. My parents will want all their guards out front as a show of force. You’ll be left with one or two guards at most.” I look up from getting my boobs sorted and find everyone in the van watching me.
I clear my throat, squashing my smile when their attention snaps to my face. I love the thrill that goes through me at their heated looks. Gwen flashes me a saucy wink, curling her fingers until they resemble fake claws, then gives a silent roar.
I nearly sputter on my laughter, but it has the desired effect, and I focus once again on the task at hand. “Avoid the guards if you can. While most of them are mages, they do keep a few feral beastlings on leashes. If you kill the guards, hiding the bodies will avoid setting off the alarms for a little while. The property covers a lot of acreage, and they won’t notice they are missing right away.”
When the guys nod at my instructions, my gut relaxes slightly.
Nothing can go wrong.
Porter is letting me take the lead since I’m the most familiar with the estate and security measures, but the responsibility for their lives weighs heavily on my soul. I’m determined to leave nothing to chance. “It’s been a while since I’ve been in residence, but they are arrogant enough that I doubt they bothered to update anything since I left.”
Stryker leans forward and feeds a belt through the loops of my jeans, showing me the knife hidden in the buckle before securing it. I give him a smile of thanks and continue with my nervous babble. “Once on the grounds, head for the gazebo. Under the bench is a passageway to the underground tunnels. If your sister is still alive, she’ll be down in the bunker. You’ll need to hack the code to enter.”
Darby threads his fingers together and flexes them. “Not a problem.”
Adrenaline leaves me feeling hyped up and a little nauseated.
