I get my equipment together and pull it on. My wife is rappelling down the wall with her soldiers.
Catch steps beside me. “Give her time. She’ll come around.”
I sigh. “Not sure she will. We’ll be miserable forever together.”
“It took time for Bianca to come around, but she did.” He slaps my shoulder.
“My ears are on. I’ve got your six, cousin.”
“Thanks, Catch.”
He brought his weapons. The most important one is the sniper rifle. Catch is ready to do damage.
The second I’m on the ground in the alley, Miff walks toward me with a tablet in hand. “We have a problem, Nico.”
We’ve sharpened our strategy and embraced technology. A few weeks back, Miff ordered a tablet. Recently, he dedicated hours to mastering it, and now he handles it like an expert.
Serenity runs over and listens.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
Aleksandr’s men are blending in with civilians.
“Fucking assholes,” Serenity says.
“They’ll use them as shields,” he confirms.
“Did you bring the drones?”
Miff smiles. “Of course.”
“Gather around,” I tell our team.
They move closer.
I tap the earpiece. “Let’s go over the plan,” I say to those around the city waiting to move. “The Bratva wants to play dirty. Let’s do it.”
We can play dirtier. Miff’s fingers move across the tablet screen. The live drone footage loads on the screen. Tiny figures move along the sidewalks. Civilians. Families. Workers. Innocent people with no idea Aleksandr has turned their street into a human shield.
My jaw tightens. “We can’t hit them in daylight,” Serenity says.
I glance at her. She’s staring at the footage with murder in her eyes, but she’s right. “No,” I agree. Not like this.”
Her eyes cut to mine, surprised I didn’t push back. I point at the tablet. “He wants us angry. Wants us sloppy. Wants bodies in the street so police, feds, and cameras swarm us. He’s trying to make this look like we brought war to civilians.”
Angel curses under her breath. “Coward.”
“Yeah,” Kicks says. “But a smart coward.”
I hate that he’s right.
Catch’s voice sounds in my ear. “I’ve got movement on the rooftop across the street, two buildings down. Two men with long guns.”
“Hold your fire unless they aim at civilians.
“Copy,” Catch says.
Serenity steps closer to Miff, pointing at the screen. “Look at the pattern.”
