“That’s what I thought.” Olivia blew each of us a kiss before turning back toward the elevator with a victorious grin.
“Come on, boys,” she called over her shoulder. “We’ve got work to do.”
The elevator doors slid shut behind her, and Calix stared at them for a full second before groaning dramatically and dragging both hands down his face.
I rubbed a hand over my mouth slowly.
“…Our mate is terrifying.”
***
I slid the tablet into the center of the kitchen island while the others gathered around it.
Calix leaned against the counter beside Olivia, one hand braced near her hip while Riot sat perfectly still across from them, pale eyes already fixed on the glowing map.
“This is the aerial view of the hangar.”
My fingers expanded the image across the screen. Surveillance shots appeared, one after another, showing trucks, cargo crates, and guards moving in patterns.
“We’ve had eyes on it since we got the location from Manshu.” I zoomed toward the loading dock where movement crowded the screen. “There’s been a significant increase in activity over the last week.”
I looked toward Riot.
She nodded once immediately. “Large shipments.” Her finger tapped the screen near the runway. “Mostly cargo being loaded into one plane.”
Her eyes shifted toward Calix. “Flight path currently traces toward Bulgaria, though I doubt that’s the final stop.”
Calix’s jaw tightened slightly.
“I already sent the information to Ezra.” Riot absentmindedly flipped a strand of pale hair over her shoulder. “She’ll follow the international trail.”
“Good.” Calix rubbed his thumb along his lower lip while staring at the map. “If this spreads outside Syndicate territory, we’re going to need outside cooperation.”
His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “Do we even know who controls that area?”
Riot tilted her head slightly, thinking. “Possibly Ryker Baros.”
Olivia’s attention sharpened immediately at the unfamiliar name.
“But leadership outside the States doesn’t function like ours,” Riot continued calmly. “Power structures are smaller. Less centralized. Outside the major cities, most territories govern independently. Rural regions especially.”
Calix blew out a long breath through his nose. “Cool. Sounds like Ezra’s expertise.” The corner of Riot’s mouth twitched so faintly most people would’ve missed it.
“Our parents will help once they return,” she added before pointing toward another area on the screen, returning to theissue at hand. “Avoid this section completely. That’s where most of the cargo transfers happen.” She pulled a tiny black notebook from inside her jacket.
Olivia blinked at it like she hadn’t expected the living embodiment of death to carry something so painfully old-fashioned.
Without looking up, Riot flipped through the pages while speaking. “Guard rotation changes at dusk. Mostly vampires.”
She turned the page and continued. “One hooded individual appears to oversee movement.” Her observant eyes skimmed her notes. “Never leaves the building. Rarely exposes himself.”
Calix’s expression darkened immediately.
Riot turned another page. “I circled the perimeter and found structural weakness in the back left corner.” She finally looked up. “You could breach there.”
Her gaze shifted between the three of us. “But you’ll need a distraction.” She snapped the notebook shut.
“My recommendation…” She paused for anyone to interject, but we were all quiet. This was her job most of the time; we just made the weapons.
