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“What’s going on?” Lennon asks, just as Dawn blurts out, “Any news?”
The two pause and Dawn tosses Lennon a narrow-eyed look. He raises his eyebrows at her as if to say,what?She rolls her eyes at him and then looks at Matt expectantly.
Matt’s eyes dart between the two before he answers. “Gage got word where Lilly and April are being held. You’re just in time, Finn’s filling us in on what he can tell us about Vance’s location. Where’s Jax?”
“He’s on his way. Beth needed him to help set up a few more beds for the children in the gym at the school. Those kids are running poor Beth and Emily ragged. Michelle was supposed to help, but she fucked off. Apparently, one of the new guys caught her eye, so she’s been stalking his ass.” Dawn snorts.
Gage clears his throat. “Uh, I don’t know who Michelle is, but most of the guys have their mates with them. I don’t know what your laws are here, but if you try to mess around with someone’s mate - their mate has the right to punish you as they see fit.”
Matt grins at Gage. “We have something similar here. We call it First Rights.” He looks over at Brook. “When we’re done here, can you ensure that Gage’s group has a copy of our laws?”
Brook turns to Gage, asking, “Can everyone read? If so, I can post the laws around town in case I miss someone.”
“Yeah, we can all read,” he confirms as Jax walks in the room, his boots clacking on the wood floor.
“News?” Jax asks.
“Yeah, come look at this.” Matt gestures to the map where Finn had drawn lines and made a note.
Jax peers at the satellite shot as he rakes his hand through his long blonde hair. “Are you fucking kidding me? Is that Vance’s house? Damn, this guy’s got some balls,” he whistles as he rocks back on his heels.
Matt addresses Finn. “Do you know how many men Vance keeps onsite?”
Finn runs his hand over the back of his neck. “From what I can remember from the few times I was there, other than a light patrol, there usually were two guys out front. He’d keep three with him for security, and I noticed a couple of house staff, but that’s about it. He’s an arrogant fuck, but not a dumb one.”
Gage nods to himself. Strategic planning, this is the kind of thing that comes easily to him. He can almost hear his old mentor’s voice as he estimates, “Okay, so let’s assume he’s probably going to double that number and say possibly ten?” He looks at Matt, hoping he’s not overstepping, as he suggests, “We take a small crew, go in quiet, take out anyone we cross paths with and free the women.”
Everyone in the room chimes in that they want to go. Gage tilts his head to Matt. “Other than being natural predators, what kind of training in recon and extraction do your people have?”
The other man stiffens, but his gaze holds firm. “We were taught to fight and kill in the facility. When we arrived here, it was decided by Harold, an ex-member of special ops, who is now in charge of our dam, that we should keep training to sharpen our fighting and survival skills.” Matt’s eyes narrow. “My people arequitecapable.”
Gage raises his hands in mock surrender. “Hear me out. From what I’ve gathered so far, other than trade, you’ve pretty much kept to yourselves, we haven’t. We have colonies of clones and ‘lone wolves’, so to speak, spread out from coast to coast.” He gestures to his second.
Crossing his arms over his chest, Lennon nods and says, “Because of this, blending in, but also being ready and trained to extract one of our own, has always been a priority. We understood the risks of living among humans, so we have prepared for it.”
Dawn elbows Lennon, who’s standing near her, hard. She steps up to him and growls, “You think we can’t take care of our own?”
Finn grabs the bickering pair by the back of their shirts, lifting them off the ground. "That's not what he's saying."
Gage stares. The big man had handled his second and the woman like they were pups. Granted, neither was putting up a fight, but... Gage opens his mouth to put an end to the matter, but after giving the pair a little shake, Finn sets them on their feet.
Lennon and Dawn glare at each other.
"Look," Finn says, his eyes meeting Gage's. "My sister and I lived a nomadic life, so I get where you're coming from. That being said, underestimating the people here would be a fatal mistake."
Jax snorts, a smirk on his lips as he narrows his eyes in Gage’s direction.
Matt rubs his chin. “I will agree that we need a small crew. The quieter and quicker we get in and out, the better. I’m non-negotiable on myself, Jax, Finn, and Doc being present. We don’t know what shape Lilly and April will be in, so I want Doc on hand, just in case. Finn knows the layout, so he’ll lead us in. Jax and I will assist in taking out Vance’s men. Understand that these are our friends—our family. If blood is to be shed, we have First Rights.”
Gage sucks air through his teeth. If he hadn’t already been sure of the Smith’s Farm leader, he was now. “Fair enough. I want myself, Lennon, and the twins, Taryn and Kaitlyn. Their special skill set will be an asset to the extraction. JD won’t leave Taryn, so he’ll need to be close.”
“Special skill set?” Brook asks.
Lennon chuckles. “Those two have a way of knowing what the other is doing. It’s like some creepy ass ESP or something.”
“Whatever it is, it works and can be used to our advantage,” Gage replies.
Matt turns to Finn. “Where’s that cabin you and Brook met up at? How far outside of Temple was it?” He gestures from Brook to the map. “Could we use it as a rendezvous point? We could station Doc there, have JD guard Doc in case there’s trouble.”
