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Dagor shrugged. "She also knows what I'm capable of and trusts me to bring her friend home."
As the two kept talking, Negal turned to Sylvia, who was sitting next to him. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"
"I thought that it might be a little scary for a civilian to join a military mission."
She smiled. "This is not my first, nor will it be my last operation. Kian tried to convince me to join the Guardian force and do this full time, but the truth is that there aren't enough missions like this, and I would be wasting my time and sweating through training. I prefer to be an outside consultant, so to speak. He can call on me whenever my talent is needed, but I'm free to do whatever I want with the rest of my time."
"Makes sense," Negal agreed.
It was difficult to keep talking over the noise of the engine and the rush of the waves, and they soon gave up, riding the rest of the way in silence. When the lifeboat hit the sand, Negal and the other males jumped out and hauled the boat to the shore with Sylvia sitting inside it like a queen.
"Thank you." She took his offered hand and stepped out of the lifeboat onto dry sand. "I appreciate not getting wet."
He smiled. "I promised Roni to take care of you."
"This is becoming familiar," Dagor said as they dragged the boats further up until they reached greenery that could act as camouflage.
Unlike the other time, when they had taken a second lifeboat just for appearances, this time the two lifeboats were full of personnel. Not everyone was going to storm the cartel boss's stronghold, though. Most would remain behind as backup in case Doomers were encountered. Given their experience in Acapulco, it seemed that the Brotherhood had close ties to the drug cartels, so it wasn't such a stretch to think that they could be found in Modana's compound.
"Okay, people." Max lifted his hand to get their attention. "Break up into groups of three to five members. Your weapons need to stay hidden in your backpacks. To anyone sighting you, you need to look like backpackers."
They had gone over all of that before boarding the lifeboats, and the clan's disguise expert had done her best to make them look human. Negal wore a bandana around his head, and his jeans were torn and frayed in places. The backpack he was carrying was made from a large potato sack that he had attached straps to, and the machine gun inside was padded by a blanket, so its shape wasn't evident.
Eva had painted a five-o'clock shadow on him and added a large birthmark on his upper left cheek. It might fool people from afar, but not up close. Dagor and Aru had received similar treatment, and so had the other Guardians. There hadn't been much time, so only the bare minimum was done to make them appear more human and less perfect, but hopefully, it would be good enough to fool those watching the feed from the surveillance cameras.
Aru adjusted his earpiece. "Are the three of us on our own?"
Max shook his head. "Kalugal and Dalhu are with you. You worked well together in Acapulco. You are the spear team."
Aru adjusted the straps of his makeshift backpack. "I thought that the plan was for Kalugal to be behind us with another team."
"There was a change of plans." Max tapped his earpiece. "They are still working on the details."
"I just hope the boss and his helicopter are on the premises," Negal said. "I would hate to go to all this trouble for nothing." Especially since they could have sailed ahead and intercepted the yacht.
Max touched his earpiece. "Roni says that the compound has more than one helicopter. If the boss is not there, we can commandeer the other one."
"What if both are gone?" Negal asked.
Max repeated the question to Roni.
"He says that's not likely. Andrew got back to Kian with the information the government has collected on the Modana brothers. One of them is always on the premises, and it's safe to assume that whoever stays behind has a helicopter on standby at his disposal."
51
MARGO
It had taken Jasmine a long time to finally agree to go exploring, which in a way was a blessing. Margo's mind was clearer now, the fog of the drug slowly lifting.
Jasmine was still struggling though, unsteady on her feet, so Margo took her hand and led her to the door. Stepping outside, they found themselves in the lower deck corridor of the yacht.
It didn't look like much, but as they ascended a simple staircase to the next deck, the decor changed drastically, and the contrast to the cramped space they had been confined in made it clear that they had been put in the crew quarters.
This deck was super luxurious, with sleek lines and minimalist decor dominating the space. High-gloss surfaces and metallic accents reflected the light, and the walls were covered with modern art pieces in bold colors. Some were abstract, others depicted faces or objects, and each was signed by the artist.
"It pays to be a drug lord," Margo murmured. "The art alone must be worth a fortune."
