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I’m going to earn him with my complete and total transparency.
In a safe and calculated way, of course.
For the next few minutes, we list a handful of people we feel we can trust to follow our lead without jeopardizing the mission or flapping their traps.
“And you’re sure we can’t loop in Boss?” he asks, the conflicting emotions worrying his features.
“Klein, I’m sorry, but I don’t think that’s wise.”
“Why? He’d support the op. Redleg is everything to Big Al.”
“I’d rather ask for forgiveness than permission in this case. He’ll either forbid us from proceeding or demand to know the whole story before promptly tipping off law enforcement. And then we lose our chance to grab her before she’s moved or worse.” I tuck my chin and add, “Besides, if the task force is compromised, as I suspect, then they’ll make sure weneverfind her. If they know Redleg is involved, she’s as good as dead. We need to stay under the radar in every way possible.”
“I guess you’re right. I don’t like hiding this from Boss, though. It’s going to be dangerous. It’s a lot easier to take these types of risks when Big Al is backing us and using his contacts in law enforcement. Plus, Redleg’s attorneys are top-notch if we do get fucked. Going it alone is risky— not just physically but for any legal consequences.”
“I get that, but let’s remember that the goal is to get in and get out without ringing alarms. It’s not a battle. It’s an extraction. Anyone who tries to stop you guys from rescuing her should be subdued and not killed. These people don’t want to involve the police anyhow— even if a low-level trafficker ends up in a ditch somewhere. If we don’t kill their people, then they shouldn’t come after us. Not for one girl.”
“True,” he concedes.
“Plus, Klein, come on. You guys are former special ops. Hostage retrieval isn’t anything new for you, right?” He nods, and I continue. “You’ll be ghosts, exactly as you were trained to be. So there’ll never be a reason to concern Big Al with this. We won’t need his forgiveness nor his backing.” I pause to brush my hands together, pantomiming washing them clean. “Just a small group of guys— get in, get Lettie, and get out.”
And once she’s safe, we’ll figure out the rest of this mess.
“Fine. Let’s talk about who we can get for the op.”
He respects my veto power without questioning why I veto certain individuals, and we ultimately agree on a few guys he thinks are trustworthy.
Once we’re done, he claps his hands one time and heads to the door, pausing with his fingers hovering over the knob. “I’ll distract Tomer while you get to work, and I’ll reach out to the guys between other tasks.”
“By the time you come over at seven, I should have enough intel for us to work out an extraction plan.”
Lingering, he stares at me with a tight-lipped smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. He’s rocking slightly, like he’s unsure whether he wants to go or stay.
I hope to hell he isn’t considering busting me right now for even suggesting we do something this asinine behind Big Al’s back.
Injecting sincerity into my tone, I hold his stare and say, “Thank you. For trusting me on this and for helping.”
If he ran down the hall to Boss, I’d be out on my ass immediately. Not just for spying on my own team, but for orchestrating a covert mission. Especially one that pits us against the Russian mafia.
Redleg has gone against them before— a different arm of Lenkov’s operation— but that was to save Kri and Valerie. Those two were already part of the Redleg family.
Lettie has a place here too, even if I’m the only one who knows why.
For now.
Despite this being reckless and dangerous, I believe in my heart it’s the right thing to do.
If we don’t intervene, Lettie’s a goner, but only after she’s been used up and begging for death.
Waiting tolearn moreor talk through this shit isn’t an option. And we can’t trust the authorities with her life.
Unfortunately, I don’t see any other way.
“Don’t make me regret trusting you.” His glare turns to ice. “Again.”
He leaves before I can respond, and my entire body slumps. An unsteady gush of air tears from my lungs, and relief tangles with a jolt of excitement.
Wewillsave Violet and as many other girls as we can.
