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“All right. I know I haven’t told you much about how this is going to happen, and I appreciate your understanding of why I’ve been so hush-hush on the matter. Basically, we’re waiting another ten minutes for the shift change at Duarte’s estate. Once the first shift leaves, we’ll go right in. About seventy-five percent of the team is going to be in stealth mode, sneaking up on Duarte’s people and taking them by surprise. We and one another vehicle will drive right up to the gates. We already have the car seats for the girls in here. Mine and your goal are to find the girls and get them in the car as quickly as possible. Once we get them in, we roll out and let the rest of the team deal with things as they see fit. Understand?”
I lick my lips nervously and nod. “The way you make it sounds seems so simple, but I know it won’t be when it’s actually happening.”
Lom cackles lightly. “You’re right. When it’s happening, it’ll be much different. You’re probably going to feel like you’re walking right into an action movie.”
If that isn’t a cruel awakening that there’s a lot of danger associated with this, I don’t know what is. “I’m sure we can handle whatever is thrown our way.” I’m trying to be supportive and think positively, and I hope Lom sees it.
“Trust me, we’ve gotten out of worse situations. This is going to be a piece of cake.”
Lom’s reassurance does little to actually make me feel better at this moment. My stomach is tightening up from anxiety and the need to see my children.
All I can do is nod at him and act like I believe every single word he’s saying, but I have to be a little bit realistic. I don’t think this will go according to plan, but my entire life has been a big joke when I really think about it. I guess my slight pessimism is because of what I’ve had to live through these last few years.
We wait another few minutes, and then Lom’s driver pulls out of the alleyway we’ve been parked in. The other two cars that came with us hadn’t been near us for the last half an hour. Sure enough, the driver punches in the code at the gate, and the gates open. He drives up the driveway and heads to the parking area. Everyone gets out of the vehicle in record time. Lom told me earlier today to stay behind him and match his movements. Basically, I need to be his shadow, so that’s what I’m going to be.
Every time Lom makes a step, I do the same thing. He has his gun drawn, and we’ve already run into one person on Duarte’s team before we even hit the front door. “I don’t know who the fuck you think you are, but you’d better leave now before my boys get here,” the man tells Lom.
Now, I can’t see Lom’s face… but I almost guarantee there’s a smirk on it. “If you want to live, you’ll start running.”
“What the fuck,” the man states, and sure enough, Lom fires his gun. The bullet goes straight through one of his kneecaps, and the man falls to the ground. He screams out in pain, and Lom begins moving closer to the house. When we get within a few feet of the man, he tries to go for his gun, but Lom’s faster than he is. Lom aims at his head, and the gun goes off again. The man’s lifeless body lies prone on the ground, and we proceed to head inside the home.
Lom’s driver is with us, but Lom’s taking the lead, which is interesting to me. I wonder why his driver isn’t going first. Maybe it’s because this is Lom’s operation.
We’re inside the house, and Lom looks right at me. “Where do you think the girls could be?”
“At this point, anywhere.” It’s not like their day is going to be going along as planned. The nannies would’ve tried to get the girls to a safe room by now, but Lom had people here sneaking up on the home, so I doubt they actually were able to get to safety.
“All right, we’ll head down this way. The rest of the team knows to be looking out for them. If someone finds the girls, they’ll call in, and we’ll extract them as quickly as possible.”
“Okay,” I reply, and Lom’s driver nods, scanning his eyes around the space.
We head down the hallway, and every single doorway is closed. I push on the doors, and some don’t budge at all, while others are easier to get open. We get to the last doorway, and my heart is beating so hard I can hear it in the back of my head.
Lom kicks in the door, and sure enough, the girls are huddled down below a coffee table while their nanny sits on the couch with a gun pointed at us. When she sees me, her eyes immediately go wide. “Mona, is… is this your doing?”
“I’ve come to take my children home. They don’t belong here with Duarte, Inez.” I call the nanny by her first name. Of all of Duarte’s employees, she treated me with the most respect. Everyone else thought I was an item, that I didn’t deserve any sort of respect… but not Inez.
“Girls, go with your mother, quickly,” Inez tells my little ones, who come crawling out from under the table. I bend down and throw my arms open as my baby girls come running over to me. Once their bodies collide with mine, I hold them tightly, practically taking every bit of air out of their lungs. “Take them and get out of here. Duarte is away, but he’ll catch wind of this quickly and be back before you know it.”
“I know. Thank you so much, Inez,” I comment, needing her to understand how much I appreciate what she’s doing for me right now.
“No need to thank me, Mona. I saw what he did to you. We all did… and I’m so sorry for not standing up for you before.” Inez swallows hard and shuts her eyes, then looks right back at me. “You know there’s nowhere I can run. Duarte is going to have me killed for what I’ve done. He has cameras in every room, and they have audio… I need you to leave the room, Mona. Take those girls out.” Inez opens her eyes once more and looks down at the gun in her hand.
I know what she’s trying to do. She believes it’s the best choice, but it isn’t. There are other choices here. “Inez, no. Come with us. You’ll have protection. I promise.”
She shakes her head over and over again. “Mona, I can’t. It’s my time to go, and I need to do it before Duarte sends someone to finish the job.”
Lom goes right up to Inez and swipes the gun off her lap. She looks at him with wide eyes. “Give that back, young man!”
“Sorry, can’t do that. Come on. You’re important to Mona, and I’m damn sure I’m under orders to bring anyone close to her back with us,” Lom states, staring right at Inez. In the background, gunshots are going off every few seconds, and the girls begin crying in my arms.
“Inez, come on! We don’t have time for this,” I urge her, and finally, she gives in.
Inez rises from the couch and rushes over to me, grabbing Vanina while I scoop Ira up into my arms.
We exit the room and head down the hallway, but two men are at the end of the hallway with their guns pointed right at us.
“Ah-ah, what do you think you’re doing?” one of them asks.
