The least Liam could do was not give himself a massive migraine and let the man bandage his ribs.
“Fine,” Liam said.“So, ‘Get in losers, we’re going shopping—’”
“Gonna fight!”Michael corrected.“Anyway, yes.They must be squished like sardines because there’s seven of them in that comms van and we’re a tight squeeze in this one.”
“Given their proximity,” Liam murmured, “I’m thinking Carl stopped to switch a few people into the SUV.”Probably thinking, like Hunter had, that they knew where the vehicle was and which way it was heading, and they needed to collect themselves before they kept going.
“Yup,” Michael said.His voice fell.“None of us are with our person.I mean, it don’t matter, but….”
Liam gave a small smile.“It matters,” he said.“But we’ll all fight for each other anyway.”
“Speaking of which,” Hunter murmured, and Liam had to close his eyes and breathe through Hunter’s ministrations.He was an able medic, but playing with the flap of skin just made everything hurt in living color.“You, sir, are a street fighter if I ever saw one.I mean, Chuck’s a freight train, Carl’s a brawler, but you’re a fucking menace.That was impressive.”
“Seconded,” Chuck said from the front.“Man, you’re a fucking danger.I feel like if we had Carl with us, we could take over small countries.”
Michael chuckled.“Carl would do fine—but he wouldn’t be around art, and that’s his favorite.”
“Better on the street than on comms,” Liam said grimly.He took a breath and then another, and Hunter put another strip of plaster across his ribs.“Will I live?”
“I wouldn’t get hit there if you can help it,” Hunter said.“Now there’s a beeping on the screen—it says Stirling.Put on the headset and mouse click the light.I think we can connect to the others now.”
“Bloody fantastic,” Liam said.“Could you get me a jumper or a tee or something?I’m freezing here, mate.”
“Can do.”
Liam worked the screen and put on the headset, and he was good to go.
“Liam?”Stirling said.“How you doing?Everybody okay?”
“We’ll live,” Liam told him.“Our earbuds are blown out, so good call on leaving Michael here and a headset.We’re apparently following everybody through the….”He glanced at Hunter.
“Greater Bohemian Mountain Range,” Hunter said.
“Greater Bohemian Mountain Range,” Liam echoed.“Do we have any idea how far we’re going?”
“Well, we figure past Ceský Krumlov,” Stirling said.“That’s a little town at the base of the mountains—it’s where Kadjic’s going to stop for petrol, probably.We need to hold back.We’re all gassed to go, everything was filled this morning.We figure Kadjic’s heading for his hideout, so this is our chance.You guys down with that?”
Liam wanted to say he goddamned was not, but as he glanced from Chuck, who was nodding, to Michael, who was doing the same, and Hunter, who gave him a grim nod, he realized that everybody here—everybody—had the same reasons to scream, “Stop this now!”But they weren’t letting go of the main objective.
“Everybody here is a go,” he said.“What’s the plan?”
“Well, first,” Stirling said, “we need to wait until Kadjic stops, and then Felix apparently has an idea.Something about the one thing Kadjic ever let drop about the place that Danny passed on to him.But we’ve got to see it first.”
“So, driving blindly through the mountains?”Liam asked.
“Julia’s at our wheel,” Stirling said, confirming Liam’s suspicions about people shifting in the vehicles.“Apparently she’s been taking lessons from Chuck.”
“God help you,” Liam said.“Ping us if anything springs up.”
“Will do.But hey, since you’re closer to town, could you do me a favor?Could you look up Tor’s comm and see how he’s doing?Everybody wants to know how the painting caper’s going, and he’s the last piece of the puzzle.”
“Will do.Let me ping him.Will get back to you.”
“Fair.Out.”
TOR WASnothappy with being left behind.But hewasokay, and as he told Liam, the caper had gone like a dream.
“I recorded the bit,” Tor said.“Marco came out of the kitchen to hold the camera—he’s very proud.They discovered the switch, and Marco made a fuss about the closet being opened.It was brilliant.”Tor dropped his voice.“I did spot a jeweled egg in there.I pocketed it in case there was a reason we took it.Do you know anything about that?”
