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“Fine. So long as that toy doesn’t give us away somehow.”
“It won’t, trust me.” I don’t have much of a choice, do I? He’s one of the few people I can trust in all of this, a point that becomes clearer by the day. Even Paolo, someone I believed I could entrust with the care of my wife, failed me in the end. Pathetic.
We can’t leave right away, no matter how eager I am to set my eyes on that piece of shit traitor. “Paolo!” I call out, knowing he can’t be far. And he isn’t, appearing mere moments after my echoing voice fades to silence. Of course, now he’s eager to please, asking how high when I tell him to jump. He wants to get back in my good graces.
“I’m going out. I can’t say for how long. I need guards throughout the house—front and rear doors, here in my study, and walking the perimeter. Four-hour shifts. I’m trusting you with this.”
“You can count on me.”
We’ll see about that. Before he can leave, I ask, “Is she upstairs?”
He nods. “She hasn’t left her room since we returned from the school.”
“Good.” She can’t get into any trouble up there—after all, I already went through everything.
“What should I say if she asks where you’ve gone?”
“Since when does she need to know where I go?” He accepts this with a firm nod, then pulls out his phone before leaving the room. I hear him requesting extra bodies and leave him with a reminder to reach out immediately at the slightest hint of trouble.
“What’s his story? I heard you tearing into him.” Prince gets behind the wheel while I slide into the passenger seat.
“Don’t worry about it. Just get us there.” His sigh only makes me bristle. “What business do you have eavesdropping on what happens in my study, anyway?”
“Eavesdropping? I could’ve been around the corner, and I would have heard most of what you were saying. You didn’t exactly take great pains to be quiet, you know.”
“I was angry.”
“No shit. Tell me something else I don’t know.”
“I am not in the mood for banter.”
He falls silent, and I couldn’t be more grateful.
Is this what it will always be like? Countless people and problems constantly vying for my attention? Will there ever come a time when I can sit back and breathe for a minute without another catastrophe looming?
I’ve already received intel as to the location of the Alvarez compound, which is why I’m surprised when Prince comes to a stop and parks a mile or two away after driving forty-five minutes. “Why are we stopping here?” In the middle of nowhere, no less, without so much as a streetlight to give us away.
“Wait and see.” He gets out of the car, leaving me alone. I’ve never been someone who enjoys being the last to know, and this situation is no exception. I’m already irritated enough as it is. This delay isn’t doing much to help my mood.
He opens my door, and I have the benefit of the car’s interior light, giving me just enough that I can make out what he’s holding. “Son of a bitch. I didn’t know you had one of these.”
He holds up the drone, clearly pleased with himself. “I bought it not long ago. After a certain unfortunate incident at an abandoned hangar.”
“So what, the idea is to send this ahead of us?” I can see how that might have come in handy, certainly. He might have avoided nearly bleeding to death if we’d been able to examine the area from a distance.
“I was hoping to use this to get a look at the compound and find that bastard if he’s still around. Why risk getting too close if we can send this in our place?”
“Where else could he be? It makes sense, considering he can’t be found elsewhere. Alvarez would want to keep a close hold on him because, naturally, I’d want him dead, either for pulling the trigger or for not doing his job.” I can imagine him in there, thinking he’s safe, protected by Alvarez. Perhaps he’s gloating over getting away with double-crossing us.
Prince finishes checking over his toy with a satisfied grin. “The camera has night vision and can pick up a clear image from two hundred feet away. We can watch from here on my tablet.”
“I have to give you credit. Good idea.”
“Wait a minute. Let me make a note of that somewhere. Enzo De Luca told me I had a good idea.” He’s chuckling as he sets the drone on the ground, then uses a controller to send it flying. “The tablet’s in the back seat. Take a look.”
Eventually, he joins me in the car, and we watch while he controls the drone’s progress. “How far can this thing go?” I ask, eyes trained on the screen.
“A few miles.” He points at the screen. “There it is. The compound.” Yes, and it’s sprawling and overdone. Exactly what I would expect from the man. At least the estate back in Italy is tasteful.
