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“You scared of some poor little security dogs?” This time the teasing question came from Garrett over the earpiece.
“I’d rather not shoot a dog. It’s just doing its job.”
Garrett grunted. “True.”
“I’ve not seen any dogs on the security cameras, and they’ve got a wide view of the yard surrounding the house,” Quinn confirmed.
The damn dogs in Italy had been a learning moment, even if they were only playful, yappy bichon frises. Royce hadn’t spent a lot of time breaking into places, and he’d not given a lot of thought to dogs, but it was something he’d consider now. He knew he’d have to shoot his uncle and cousins, but it would suck to shoot a dog.
“Fine. Everyone check in.”
“Hayes, pool cabana. I see one through the west window. Looks like he’s on a steady circuit of the first floor. Not hitting the back room. Must be the master suite. Your uncle could be down for the night.”
“Larsen. Rear tree line. I’ve got one outside, back patio. Assault rifle in hand.”
“I’ve got the front. I—”
“Are you kidding me?” The question followed by the deep, throaty laugh sent a cold chill down Royce’s spine. He knew that voice. They all knew that voice. It was Rowe fucking Ward. Their boss.
Royce sucked in a harsh breath, his brain scrambling to think of something to say, something that could possibly save the jobs of Garrett, Sven, and Quinn. He didn’t give a shit if he was toast. He totally deserved to be canned for this, but not his friends. But before he could speak, a second voice chimed in.
“I’m disappointed, babe. I really thought you’d taught them better.”
Noah Keegan, his boyfriend and former Ranger, was with him.
“You’re doing this without code names?” Rowe continued, his question heavily laden with sarcasm and disgust. “These missions are all about the code names.”
“Rowe, are you at the office?” Royce asked.
“No. I’m about twenty yards to your left and above you.”
“Fuck,” he whispered. “Noah?”
“On the cabana roof above Garrett. Speaking of, Hayes, you need to take a step back and to your left, or that guard you’re watching is finally going to get his head out of his ass and spot you.”
“Dammit,” Garrett mumbled under his breath.
Not one of them had noticed Rowe and Noah moving into position behind them. The fucking Rangers were deathly silent, and likely the rushing wind masked any noises they had made.
“Rowe—” Royce started.
“Save it,” his boss growled. “We’re going to have a very long talk later about your decision-making process and trust. For now, Noah and I are your backup. We’ll cover your entrance and catch anyone trying to make a run for it. You do understand you have to take everyone out, right? You leave any of these criminals alive, and there will be payback.”
“I know,” Royce said. “I’ve made peace with that.”
“Just making sure you and everyone else is ready to take lives. Sven? Garrett? Are you both sure? Because this is game-changing.”
Both men responded that they were.
Royce’s gut twisted. They’d talked about the danger to his mother. They knew they had no choice, but it didn’t sit well with him. Making his friends kill.
“Quinn?” Rowe barked.
“Yeah…” Quinn paused and cleared his throat. “Yeah, boss.”
“Gidget is monitoring police bans for any call in the areas for shots. She’ll send up a warning, and she’s standing by to help if you have any issues with the security system.”
“Got it.”
Royce shook his head. All their efforts to try to sneak around Rowe were for nothing. They should have known that ex-Ranger would know what was happening. The man and his friends had already taken down a known crime boss in Cincinnati. Quinn had already made it clear that Rowe knew all about his family and his personal history. He had a feeling that Rowe had known before he did that Corbin Karras was in town.
“This is still your show, Royce. We’re following your lead,” Rowe added, his voice a little gentler.
“Let’s go get your mommy!” Noah added, and Royce pressed his lips tightly together to hold back his smile.
“Do it, Q!” Royce said, pushing to his feet.
There were two seconds of silence, and then Quinn’s excited voice filled his ear. “Security is down. Move now.”
That was the signal they’d agreed upon. Royce rushed across the dark yard toward the front door. He knew that Sven was approaching from the rear while Garrett was moving from the cabana toward the front door. All the fears that had weighed him down fell away. The worries about Marc and his mother and his friends disappeared. There was only the task in front of him. And right now, he only thought about getting across the yard and up the front steps to the porch while avoiding the patches of light thrown down from the windows.
Within a few yards of the steps, the door opened. Royce’s heart gave a little skip when one of the large men he’d seen earlier roaming the house stepped into the doorway. Royce slowed his pace and lifted his gun, but before he could take aim and squeeze the trigger, the man was spun around like a rag doll and dropped to the marble tile. The only sound was a loud thud from where he hit the floor.
