“Copy,” Luca affirms.
Alexei gestures to the crates being offloaded. Jace nods once.
“Noah, say the word,” Luca hisses in my ear.
Fuck I wish I had more equipment. More time to prepare.
Jace steps closer to Alexei, and he claps a hand on Jace’s shoulder like they’ve been working together for years.
“This dude seems too at ease; it doesn’t feel right,” Felix says.
“No shit,” Kellan grunts.
“Get ready, no one fires unless I say so.” I feel the hairs on the back of my neck standing. Every nerve in my body is tense.
Because they’re right. Something feels off.
Alexei waves an operative over. Another man approaches with a duffle bag. Alexei opens it, showing its contents to Jace. Jace peers in, barely moving.He nods once, and the duffle is zipped. Jace holds up a sleek metal case, showing it to Alexei. Alexei nods, and Jace closes the case with a flourish.
What is Jace handing to Alexei? Why?
My heart stops.
Before Jace can move, I whisper.
“Luca, move.”
Luca moves forward like a ghost. I see Jace’s head move the smallest fraction, and I know he’s spotted him.
My chest is tight, instincts screaming—but it’s too late.
Alexei notices the shift. His gaze sweeps the shadows with sudden predatory alertness.
“Now!” The order tears from my throat.
Luca bursts from the shadows like he’s been launched from a cannon, his daggers flashing before it’s embedded in the shoulder of an operative, dropping him in one clean, violent movement.
Felix fires a shot from above, and a body goes down on the ramp.
Kellan takes another out before the man can unholster his weapon.
Chaos detonates across the dock.
Alexei’s operatives scatter, crates crash to the ground. Someone starts shouting commands in Russian. The air fills with muzzle flashes and panicked yelling.
Alexei lunges backward, grabbing the metal case, barking orders. Jace has a gun pulled but he’s not shooting.
Luca is a blur, slicing his way toward the dock’s center toward Jace. I shoot my own shots at anyone who gets too close to Luca.
“JACE!” Luca screams.
My eyes shoot back to Alexei, but before I can fire, Alexei is dragging Jace’s arm like they’re allies, and he’s protecting him. My brain short-circuits.
“NOAH!” Felix shouts in my ear. “They’re pulling him—what the fuck— they’re moving him behind cover!”
Alexei drags Jace behind a stack of crates as bullets ricochet around them. Jace lets him.
Heletshim.
