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Charlie arrives at the house around thirty minutes after the phone call. He’s a little annoyed, but he at least seems cooperative and ready to put aside his reservations.
“Okay, is she at least ready to get started?” he asks as soon as he walks into the house. “If she’s not going to be ready on time, we really can’t risk bringing her. I’m just trying to be pragmatic.”
I sigh heavily out of frustration, but I reel myself in. I have to remind myself that he might just be speaking up for the sake of the mission, no matter how easy it is for me to take his comments personally.
“I’ll go get her. Go get everything out of the truck,” I command, gesturing out the door to the SUV before I head upstairs to wake up June.
I already partially regret asking her to accompany me. She could move on from this, continuing her normal, boring life without the possibility of being misted by a hellfire of enemy bullets. The fact that she was so persistent about coming with me shows me that she has a fierce loyalty that I can’t ignore, and someday I’ll make sure she knows how much it means.
But for now, I have to wake her.
Opening the door just enough to let myself in, I creep over to her side of the bed and sit on the edge. Right away, she begins to squirm a little as she rises out of sleep.
“What time is it?” she asks, sitting up slowly and covering her eyes as the light from the hallway blinds her.
“It’s eleven AM. We have to get ready to leave for the wedding now. Remember, you can still choose to stay behind if you need to, but it’ll delay our escape,” I reply, rubbing her arm.
“No, I’m going with you. I’m going to see this through. You don’t need to worry about me being disloyal,” she affirms, stretching her neck and leaning her head back for a moment before she begins to pull herself up out of bed.
“You really don’t know how much this means to me. I can’t even begin to describe how much I appreciate you,” I say, helping her out of bed.
She scoffs a little, and in the faint light, I can see her smiling. “Yeah, I don’t know if appreciate is the right word right now. We’ll see how everything goes. If we survive it, you can tell me how much you appreciate me. I might just be slowing you down.”
Her words sting a bit after hearing Charlie’s issues with bringing her with us. “No, please don’t say that. Nothing is going to happen. I’m going to make sure of it.”
She shrugs as she steps onto the floor. “Maybe, but it’s something I’ve had to come to terms with. At least my boys will be able to find out how much of a badass their parents were.”
I feel the blood drain out of my face. The idea of her boys, ofour boys,being robbed of both parents causes a cold, sinking feeling in my chest.
We have to survive this ambush no matter who retaliates.
I cannot leave those boys motherless.
I lead June down the stairs, where Charlie greets us both. He nods in a formal, unfriendly manner towards June, which bothers me a bit. I don’t like how disrespectful he is of her, but I realize this isn’t the time or place to cause petty drama.
“Okay, so I’ve got wires that you can wear under your clothes. Everyone on the staff will be wearing earpieces to keep close tabs on where you’re at and what you’re saying. If you need to say something imperative, obviously escape to an enclosed space where nobody can hear you,” he explains as he shows us the equipment.
“Great, what weapons do you have? It’s going to fit under our clothes in addition to the wires, I hope,” I ask, noticing how much space the wire itself will take up.
“Of course, I’d never send you with something you couldn’t conceal,” he says, handing us both sleek pistols.
June is hesitant to take hers at first, which prompts Charlie's annoyance and impatience even further. “Marcello, please. If she can’t handle holding a gun, there’s no way she isn’t going to hold us back.”
Before I can stand up for her, June snaps at him like a cornered dog. “Hey! I chose to do this, and I understand the risks. You don’t get to tell me how I’m going to respond to something. I saved his life, remember?”
He rolls his eyes at her. “Weallsaved his life, sweetheart. Anyway, maybe have him show you how to hold it properly in case you have to use it. What happens after that is anyone’s guess. Just make sure you know who your allies are.”
I want to punch him, but I need to exercise self-restraint.
After handing us our weapons, he pulls my clothes out of a garment bag. “This is for you. We tried to take a few hints from the original guest’s social media to blend your outfit with his sense of style. Not sure how noticeable it would have been otherwise, but I figured it would only help.”
I examine the suit, feeling how high-quality the material is. For something that’s more or less going to serve me as a costume, it’s a decent piece of clothing. I’m hoping it sells the character well.
“Do I get anything to wear?” asks June. “The guys who shot at us know what I look like, and so do the men who kidnapped me. I don’t want them to see me and know that Marcello is there.”
“Yeah, actually, I do have something for you. It’s a lace-front wig and some colored contacts. Make sure you’re meticulous about how you install that wig on your head because if it looks off, you’ll be more suspicious than if you didn’t wear it at all,” he warns her as he hands her the supplies. “I trust that Marcello has something formal enough for you to wear.”
She nods and turns around to retrieve one of the outfits that I ordered for her. I’m really hoping that she chooses the red lace, but that might be too bold of a choice for our purposes. She might have to go for something more neutral, which disappoints me a little. I love seeing her in bright, expressive colors.
