Page 26 of Black and Brown

They made a sharp right instead of exiting through the door.

“Anchors and a Deus are on the ground. Your transport’s waiting in the alley.”

Mirage assessed the straight descent into the pitch dark below.

They were supposed to rappel down four hundred and fifty feet.

“Oh, you gotta be fuckin’ kidding me,” Mirage ground out, staring at Grace’s calm face.

“Authorities have been dispatched. Seven minutes to your location and closing.”

“This escape is a bit excessive, don’t you think? Where’s the goddamn fire?” Mirage snarled at Grace.

“Fifty-one seconds. Move,” Spectre stressed.

Grace’s lips tightened to a thin line as he gave Mirage a low growl, telling him to grow some balls and stop stalling.

With anger surging through him, Mirage did the same as Grace, snapping the locks of his vest together and clipping the descent control device to his harness.

He threw hundreds of feet of rope over the side and pulled his leather gloves out of his pockets.

He and Grace stood on the ledge of the building and, without another thought, leapt off the side, rappelling at a speed that made the floors of the skyscraper fly by in a blur.

Landing in sync, he and Grace rushed toward the flickering headlights of the SUV and slid into the back seat.

The same driver—minus the suspicious passenger they’d arrived with—burned rubber out of the alley, weaving through a maze of dark pathways, while he spoke into his watch.

“Browns are secured and mobile. Inbound to base. ETA forty-five minutes.”

“Clock is dead with four seconds remaining,” Spectre reported, a hint of triumph lacing his smooth voice. “Mission complete.”

Mirage pulled back his hood and let out a relieved breath.

A few blocks up, they passed a dozen speeding police cruisers, first responders, and ambulances with lights flashing and sirens screaming, alerting the city to beware.

Danger was loose and lurking.

Grace

Grace had said no more than ten words from the time they’d entered the restaurant, yet he and Mirage had executed the spontaneous mission using only their enhanced communication.

No words, just feelings and energy.

If he hadn’t been there himself to witness it, it would’ve been a story he believed impossible.

Every one of his advanced abilities had kicked into high gear the moment he put his earpiece in.

He’d been waiting for this day to come, the chance to do what the Ravens had summoned him for.

Grace remembered seeing the name David Berkowitz on the DEA’s most wanted drug lords list for the past four years.

The agency had made multiple arrests that had led to zero convictions because the kingpin had hundred-thousand-dollar lawyers at his beck and call.

It had felt good to put three slugs in him.

Grace hadn’t thought twice about the added bodyguard execution. He didn’t care.

He should’ve chosen to protect a better man.