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“Like they’ll go for that.” Gideon rolled his eyes.

“Trust me, I’ll insist.”

“I’ll go too,” Ryker said as he walked up.

“No, you won’t. There is no way that you’ll be believed.”

“Sure there is,” Ryker said casually. “I’m the asshole boss who heard about a chance to make some money. You know damn good and well that they won’t take any laborer seriously.”

“Which makes it all the better,” Gideon growled as he walked even further away from the group of men lined up for the toilet. “If they don’t take us seriously, then we’ll take them by surprise.”

“Do you have a gun?”

I hate it when he’s smug.

“You’re going with us,” Jase concurred.

9

Shit, shit, shit.

This is not going well.

By the time they’d got to the meeting place, the two of the Pakistani boy’s bodies were lying in a pool of blood. The third boy, Vova, was kneeling in front of the bodies. An American stood over him. The man had the point of a knife digging into the boy’s temple. The American was wearing combat gear, and it was easy to see the comm system he had around his neck.

“Welcome. Which one of you knows about the lights?”

Jase started talking in Arabic. “My friend here, he worked on the lighting on the Museum of the Future.”

“English,” the American shouted. “Don’t try to bullshit me. You look like an Indian. You can speak English. If not you, the other one. Shove him forward. Make him speak English.” He dug the knife into Vova’s temple. Blood ran down his cheek, dripping onto his shoulder.

“I speak English. I helped with the lights,” Gideon said. “What do you need to know?”

The American grinned. “Did you get that?” he asked the person on the other side of his mic.

Yep, they’d purchased communication equipment, just like our team had.

He nodded at whatever they said back to him.

Ryker stepped out of the shadows; he had a gun pointed at the American. “I’m with the two of them. Before you get any information, I want to be paid.”

“Yeah, sure, like that’s going to happen.”

He pulled back the hair of Vova so he could look into the kid’s wide, terrified eyes.

“Bye bye,” he laughed. Then he shoved the dagger deep into Vova’s temple. Jase watched in horror as the boy dropped to the ground. Goddammit, they’d sure played that wrong.

How could they have fucked that up so badly?!

“Now you’ve lost your leverage,” Ryker said calmly. “Come with me,” he said as he tapped Gideon and Jase’s shoulders.

They heard a vehicle roll up behind the American. It was decision time. They needed to find out what the Kraken were up to.

“Ryker,” Jase whispered.

“Agreed.” Was all Ryker said.

Good. We’re on the same wavelength. Jase wanted these motherfuckers dead.