Page 75 of Rise of the King (Checkmate 5)

15

GPS Trackers

Jay

“Okay.” Grabbing my hand, Soph turns it palm up and drops miniscule tracking devices in the center. It’s the middle of the night, and my neighbors are leaving for their road trip in a matter of hours. I have to move now, or I lose them and pray they come back safe. “Put one in the tire well. Somewhere they won’t find it. They’re magnetic, so it’ll adhere so long as you don’t try to attach it to a particularly dirty spot.”

“Okay.”

“Second one has to go inside the car if you want to hear them. Put it somewhere discreet but unobstructed.”

I laugh. “Roger that. Has to be hidden—but in plain sight.”

“Exactly. Just like us.” She flashes a flirty smile. “I’m in your ear, so listen to me if I screech mayday. If I say ‘move your ass,’ it means move your ass. He’s got surveillance on his yard, so–”

“Jericho.”

She stops and brings her eyes back to mine. “Huh?”

“‘Jericho’ means the world is burning down. It means I have to move. Only say ‘Jericho’ if it’s life or death.”

“Okay.” Curling my fingers back, she encloses the GPS devices in my closed fist. “I’m going to shut his surveillance down for a few minutes. If I don’t, you’ll be picked up before you even step up to the Buick. He’s a shoot first, ask questions later kinda guy, so don’t get shot by your brother. He’d feel bad.”

I laugh. “He’s set up on sensors, right?”

“Right. You get three minutes before he notices his tech is down, so get in and out. Move fast, then come straight home.”

“Okay.” I pull my ski mask low and smile. “I feel badass again. I’ve been a housewife for too long.”

“You’re an idiot.” She smacks my chest and steps onto her toes like a good little ballerina. Pressing her lips to mine, her long lashes flutter against my cheek and make my heart throb. “Go. Be quiet, be fast.”

“Okay.” I smack her ass and race away before she hits me back. With the GPS dots clasped in my hand, I dart to my front door and wait for her go.

Turning, she goes back to sit in front of her computer, taps at the keys the way she does, then looks up with a sly grin. “Go. Your timer starts now. Be careful.”

“Okay, see you soon. Love you.”

I race out the door before my words catch up with my brain. Soph’s face drains white, then I come to a screeching halt on the front steps for a beat. “Go,” she hisses into my ear. “Now. You have three minutes.”

“Soph…”

“I’m Ace right now. This is Ace and Hamilton,” she hisses. “Jay and Soph are for bed. Move!”

I glance across the street to the pitch-black house and swallow my nerves. We’ve been here for months, but I’ve yet to go over. He’s so close, so accessible, but at the same time, he’s not.

He’s too busy bonding with his new brother.

Dashing into the dark with the cold steel of my gun at my back and Kane’s blade in my hand, I duck low and sprint across the smooth road. There are no potholes on this suburban street, no trailers, no beat-up junker cars. This is the kind of street that families are created on. The kind that men aspire to have a home on.

Stopping at the side of the now restored Buick Super, I reach under the back wheel well and nod when the magnet of the first GPS dot clips into place. “One down. One to go.”

“Good,” Soph whispers. “I have eyes on you. One more.”

Staying low, I move toward the front passenger side and pull the metal rod from the back of my jeans. Pushing it between the window and doorframe, I glance back to the dark house and grit my teeth when I pull it up. The lock snicks free, and no alarms sound. “Opened.”

“Good. You’re still clear. Lights are out. They’re asleep inside. Get in and get it done.”

Cracking the door open, I pray the old car doesn’t squeak as I pull it open enough to slide in. Letting it close again, but not snick, I search the dark car and, against my will, allow myself to be impressed by the remodel of what was once a rotted car. It looks like it’s just come off the showroom floor.

---