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Twenty-Six
Max waitedfor Abby to leave the room to strap on the Kevlar brought by Nico and Farrell. Max’s Kevlar had always been government-issued, requiring its return after he left the military. It felt surreal to don it in his living room, far from the sound of military-grade rifles popping on every base he’d been assigned to inAfghanistan.
“Don’t forget this,” Carlos said, handing him a ski mask from a bag full of equipment that included carabiners, loops of cable, and several sets of wheels — everything they would need to connect to the zip-line hanging from the Drew to theTangier.
Max took the mask and attached it to his belt. He wasn’t sure where Abby had gone, but she wasn’t in the kitchen, which meant she’d probably gone upstairs or out on the terrace to escape the detritus scattered around the living room, evidence that the mission was uponthem.
Farrell and Nico conferred quietly with Locke near the island, two semiautomatics gleaming next to several silencers. They’d brought a startling assortment of weaponry, ammo, and other equipment. Not all of it would make it into the mission, but having it on hand while they staged gave them a chance to discuss the merits of eachpiece.
“Overkill to take a couple of these?” Carlosasked.
Max looked up to see him holding twogrenades.
“Not if you can carrythem.”
“I can carry them,” Carlos said, “but thanks for thereminder."
As far as Max was concerned, nothing was overkill. Getting Jason meant getting past the guards in the hallway, a complete unknown. They would be moving through a real-life video game, filled with obstacles that would either mete out reward ordeath.
Max would take everything Nico, Farrell, and Locke had brought with them if not for issue ofweight.
And weight was an issue, because anything they brought would have to be carried sixty-eight stories over the streets of Vegas on an aircraft cable smaller than Max’sfinger.
The zip-line made him nervous, and not because he was scared. He’d resigned himself to the possibility of death, had made every preparation to make sure Abby would be all right in his absence. It would be a small price to pay to ensure her safety, her peace and happiness in the town sheloved.
But fuck if he didn’t hate giving up some of the mission control to someone he didn’tknow.
He’d come to like Locke during the days they’d spent planning their assault on the Tangier, and Nico definitely trusted him. Normally it would have been enough for Max, but he wouldn’t normally be counting on someone he barely knew to lay a zip-line hundreds of feet above the pavement, a line that would be the only thing standing between him and a plummet to hisdeath.
If he was going to die, he wanted to do it taking out Jason. The thought of meeting his end before he was able to do that one thing — the one thing that would guarantee Abby’s well-being — made him want to double and triple-check everydetail.
Except the zip-line was one detail he couldn’t double or triple-check. He knew fuck all about zip-lines, but apparently, Locke was an expert, and according to him, everything was inplace.
Which put Max right back where he’d started — trustingLocke.
“Yougood?”
Max looked up to find Nico looking at himintently.
Max’s nod wasreluctant.
“What’s on your mind?” Nicoasked.
Max glanced up, taking in the few feet between them and everyone else in thekitchen.
“Let’s step outside,” Nico said. He turned toward the others. “I’m going to check the bag we left in the car for those smoke grenades. I don’t see them in any of thesebags.”
Max walked with Nico down the hall, glancing at the stairs as they passed and wondering what Abby was doing up there, if she was going to be okay. He’d suggested she make plans with Meredith to keep herself busy while he was gone, but she’d just looked at him like he wascrazy.
“You want me to, what? Go clubbing? Go to a movie while you’re risking yourlife?”
He saw her point. As much as he wanted to pretend the mission was no big deal for her sake, if the roles had been reversed and Abby was stepping into danger, the only possible activity for Max would be hitting the heavy bag in the home gym until his hands werebruised.
He stepped outside after Nico and took a breath of clean desert air. It was after ten p.m. and everything was so dark and still around the house it was almost possible for Max to believe it was just anothernight.
They stepped around to the trunk of the Land Rover Nico and Farrell had used to transport all theequipment.
“If I smoked, this is where I’d ask if you wanted a cigarette,” Nicosaid.
