Page 31 of Crimson Wrath

They came…they all came!

I don’t know if I want to kiss all their faces or rush over and chase them all out. I hadn’t planned for this. But one look at Carl’s face tells me that now is not the time to fight about this. A look in Anton’s direction shows me that he’s eyeing me strangely too.

“Relax, gents! The cavalry’s arrived.” Cody gives a casual wave, and I can practically smell the testosterone levels rise.

Oh, brother!

“Um…everyone,” I announce, moving from my quiet corner and suddenly aware that all eyes are upon me, “This is my team. Meet Jess, Cody, Carl, Tony, and Art.” I introduce them one by one. “They’ll be helping us tonight.” As they exchange wary glances with Anton’s men, the tension in the room ratchets up another notch. It’s a bizarre mix of personalities and skills, and I can only hope that we’ll be able to work together.

Please, God, let this work out.

Please!

“Great,” Luka mutters, eyeing Cody with disdain. “A bunch of little girls and children coming to our rescue.”

“Beats being stuck in the Stone Age,” Cody shoots back, smirking as he whips out his tablet, fingers flying across the screen. “Ever heard of Wi-Fi, Grandpa?”

“Blyad!The fuck you’re calling-?” Luka grinds to a halt as Anton interrupts him.

“Let’s get started.” Anton’s voice is a dark rumble, immediately drawing everyone’s attention. There’s a low-level grumble from the men, but they gather around without objection. Anton has positioned himself at the center of the wide table, maps and blueprints spread out over its surface.

A rough-hewn Russian has taken a spot beside Anton and starts updating us with details. “Here’s what we know,” he begins, then goes on to get everyone up to speed. He’s a little older than Anton, his hair more silvered. And he looks freaking deadly. Pale gray eyes flicker over the blueprints as he speaks. “Volkov has Nikolai at this construction site. We will need to get him from here.” He points at a spot on one of the maps.

“Just how sure you are of this, Ivan?” Anton asks.

The guy he just called Ivan shoots a look at Anton. “Hundred percent, boss. There is an underground chamber in there. That’s the place Volkov will be.”

“Great.” Cody rolls his eyes. “So, we just walk right in and grab him? Piece of cake.Not.”

“Watch your mouth, kid.” Luka glares at him, his hand clenching at his side.

“Cut it out!” My frustration boils over, silencing their bickering. “There’s work to do. Focus.”

“Scarlett’s right.” Carl steps forward, his gaze never leaving Anton. It’s laced with suspicion and more than a little animosity. “We need a plan.”

“And what the fuck kind of plan do you think you can offer,mochi perkhoti?” Luka sneers. There’s a smattering of laughter from the men around him, and Carl visibly bristles.

“What did you just say?” he snarls back at the smirking mobster. Art and Tony are suddenly behind him, looking like a pair of thugs.

“Yo, bozo! You wanna mess with my bruh, you gonna catch these hands. No cap!” Cody has drawn himself to his full puny height and is suddenly almost nose to nose with Luka, who looks like he’s about to reach for a gun.

“Jesus, will you stop already!” I shout. Cody and Carl aim a look at me. Anton lifts a hand, and Luka slinks back slightly.

“What the fuck is the boy saying?” Anton turns to me.

“I honestly have no idea. But I’m guessing it’s stupid as shit.” I shrug. “Cody, back off.” I glare at the kid, who gives a vaguely sheepish grin.

God, what’s he thinking?

They’d crush him like a bug.

I look back at Anton. “My team has the tech skills you need,” I say, my eyes darting between Carl and Anton. “And we know how to use them.” I sense Jess stepping up, and I move aside as she leans over the blueprints. The one cool head in the group, thank God.

“We can disable their alarms and surveillance systems, allowing your men to infiltrate the site quietly.” She taps several spots on the paper. “Here, here, and here.”

Anton slants a look at me, and I give him an encouraging smile. “Plus Cody can jam their cell phone signals and cut any other comms they may have,” I add. Cody smiles smugly.

“You can do this?” Anton doesn’t look convinced.

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