Page 85 of Crimson Heart

37

They were cutting it close. Preparing for their mission to take out the three Leon werewolves had taken several hours and the entire Werewolf Alliance team to get their ambitious task rolling.

Byron sat on the passenger seat of a dark SUV that Jude and his men had procured, or rather borrowed without the owner’s consent. They were parked on the street where the Leons’ hotel was located. Austin, Mason, and Ransom sat in a similar SUV on the same street, their car parked on the opposite side, facing in the opposite direction. The rest of the team were posted at strategic points, ready to divert traffic to send the Leons to a spot in town that would make them sitting ducks.

He had to admit, Charlotte’s idea was beyond brilliant. He was proud of her. Considering the stress she was under, knowing what would happen to her if this mission failed, she’d shown strength and a cool head. Now it was up to him and Jude’s team to execute her plan.

“It’s time,” Jude said and punched in a number.

He put the call on speaker, so Byron’s phone, which was already on an open line with the rest of the team, could pick up the sound. It rang only once, before it was answered.

“Yes?”

It was Bruno Leon’s rough voice.

“This is Jude Beaumont.”

“Are you downstairs with Charlotte?”

“No. We’ve decided not to hand Charlotte over to you. There’s no deal.”

Bruno cursed. “You seem to have forgotten what I have on your mate.”

“I haven’t. Go ahead. Go to the police and give them the evidence you have. If you’re still in our territory by nightfall, we’re coming after you.”

Jude disconnected the call without a goodbye.

“Let’s see how long it takes them,” Austin said, his voice coming from Byron’s phone.

“Keep your eyes peeled on the hotel garage,” Jude advised.

Byron tugged on his outfit. Over a khaki uniform that they’d bought at an army surplus store, he wore a bulletproof vest protecting his vital organs. Jude, Austin, Mason, and Ransom were wearing the same clothes. Danielle had found premade fabric letters in a craft store. Charlotte had helped her affix them to the bulletproof vests, spelling out ICE, the acronym for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Not everyone had been able to get a helmet similar to the ones ICE agents wore, so he, Mason, and Ransom wore military-green baseball caps. Everyone had a neck bandana they would don just before getting out of the car. Their disguise was complete with wide, dark sunglasses, gloves, and the proper weapons.

Due to the time constraints they were under, they had to use different weapons: Jude, as well as Mason, were armed with standard-issue Glock 19s. Austin carried a SIG Sauer MPX machine gun, while Ransom and Byron carried Geissele Automatic AR-15 rifles. Byron preferred a rifle to a handgun because it felt more like a hunting rifle, which he was most familiar with. He tapped on the butt of his weapon.

Jude turned his head. “I hope you’re as good with this as you say you are.”

“Don’t worry, I know how to shoot.”

“Good, I’m counting on you. They’ll be armed, which will play into our hands. Aim for the heart. We don’t want them to get a chance to repair their wounds; we have to damage their organs so badly that they can’t heal quickly enough. Francisco and Wendell will do the rest.”

“Got it. It’s a shame we can’t use silver bullets to kill them with one shot,” Byron mused.

“It’s too risky. The medical examiner would detect that the bullets were silver. The Leon pack would find out about it, and then our cover would be blown, and this whole masquerade would be for nothing. So, go for the heart and the lungs. Austin, Ransom, Mason, got it?”

“Yep,” Austin replied through the phone. “We’ll disable them long enough.”

“Won’t it be too suspicious for all of us to open fire and keep shooting?” Ransom asked. “I mean, I hate ICE like the next guy, but not even they shoot more than three or four times at the same person.”

“That’s why I hope they’ll pull their guns first,” Jude explained.

“Let’s provoke them so they do,” Byron replied.

Suddenly, Jude pointed in the direction of the hotel garage. “There, a car.”

“Is it them?” Austin asked.

Byron zoomed in on them. “Yes, I recognize Hector on the passenger side.”