Page 49 of Sicilian Savior

“This M203 grenade launcher is sick,” Knox said as he lifted up a gun with some kind of contraption on the bottom. “When is the last time you blew something up? Is it wrong I’m really hoping I get to blow something up?”

Marcus laughed. “It’s been a while. But we’re hoping not to blow things up, Knox. In a perfect world, we’re in and out unnoticed.”

Knox rolled his eyes, his huge biceps flexing as he lifted the sights of the gun to his eye. “Boring,” he drawled. “You and your ‘super stealth, don’t let anyone know we’re here’ mumbo jumbo. I like it better when we blow shit up.”

“You would,” Marcus answered, snatching the gun from Knox’s hand and setting back down in the pile.

Knox shrugged and plopped down on the couch beside me, draping his huge arm over my shoulder. “Don’t worry, Lucia. I’ll keep the blowing shit up to the bare minimum.”

Marcus arched an eyebrow. “We’re going for zero things blown up as the goal, Knox. Zero.”

“One?” He grinned sheepishly like a kid begging his mom for ice cream.

“Zero,” Marcus deadpanned.

Knox slumped back in defeat. “Boo city. You’re no fun, Dad.”

I still struggled to comprehend this lifestyle that they lived. The guns, planning, danger... it all seemed so effortless to them and unbelievable to me. But I guess after spending seven years of their lives hopping the globe together doing mission after mission, this had become as natural to them as if they’d worked construction jobs together. Just a team doing an honest day’s work.

“So, we’ve got weapons. We’ve got access. Piper is installed. We should be ready for tomorrow.”

Piper had done exactly as she’d promised and wiggled her way into a housekeeping position yesterday. I’d barely recognized her when she’d come down the stairs yesterday. Gone were her green eyes, replaced with soft brown ones. Her black hair was covered in a realistic wig giving her mocha, wavy locks the same shade as her eyes. With minimal makeup and a conservative outfit, she looked like a local Sicilian woman who would fit right in on a housekeeping crew. And the fact she spoke fluent Italian had made the entire ensemble completely believable.

A chameleon. That’s what Knox had called her, and he hadn’t been exaggerating. Paired with her charming attitude and the fake resume she’d thrown together, complete with Wes answering the phone as one of her references, she’d been hired on the spot.

“I’ve sent the layout of the compound to all of your phones along with the schedule Luca’s nanny keeps him on. Lucky for us, he rarely diverts from it, and he rarely interacts with Victor. Wakes up at eight, breakfast at eight-forty-five, homeschooling with his tutor from nine to three, then sports lessons from three to five. After five, he never leaves his room, always reading until he goes to bed at eight o’clock sharp.”

“He loves reading,” I whispered with a smile. “I love reading too, so I taught him from a young age to love books. He reads to get lost in another world, like me.”

“Pretty soon, you’ll be reading to him.” Knox kissed my cheek, his soft facial hair brushing across my skin.

“Let’s go over the plan again,” Marcus said.

Knox sat upright at attention, and Wes did the same.

“You there, Piper?” Marcus asked.

Her voice came in over the computer. “Yeah, I’m here, and I’m cleaning fucking toilets. Gross.”

“You’re helping us out. Just keep scrubbing.” Marcus stifled his smile.

“You know,” Piper said, “I’m already in here. Why don’t you let me just slip in and take Victor out today? I’m itching to end that motherfucker.”

“That’s not the plan, Piper,” Marcus warned.

“Oh, come on,” she pleaded. “I don’t have to make it an obvious hit. I can do something a little more obscure. As much as I’d love to watch him bleed out slowly, I could do something simple. Oh! Remember that time I took out that ambassador by knocking him out, then slipping that little needle between his toes and giving him an air embolus? What about something like that?”

“Piper,” Marcus droned.

“Oh! Wait! Does anyone still have the heart attack gun, or did we leave that behind when we left the team?” she asked, her voice lifting with excitement. “I haven’t taken that thing for a spin in a while. Let me at him. One shot, and he’ll be gone. I’ll grab the kid and go. Come on, Marcus. Let me kill this son of a bitch. You know how I feel about guys that mess with women and kids.”

“We no longer have the heart attack gun, Piper. It’s with the government, and even if we did, the plan stays,” Marcus answered.

“Fuck,” Piper growled. “Fine. I’ll keep scrubbing toilets, but if you change your mind, I can think of a thousand and one ways to take Victor out. Just say the word, and I’m on him. Maybe a little fall down the stairs and a broken neck?”

“Thanks, Piper. I’ll let you know.” Marcus chuckled. “So. Back to the plan. Piper will hideout after her shift ends tomorrow. She’ll be here.” He pointed to a layout of the property on the table.

“At sixteen hundred hours, we move to the perimeter here and here. Guards have doubled since Mario got killed yesterday, and Victor thinks it was a Vitali attack. He’s pretty skittish now, thinking they are planning something, so he’s doubled his security.”