“Phil is waiting for you over at the van.” He jabbed a thumb at the open garage door. The dark-haired man tapped his earpiece. “When you’re ready, we’ll go.” He walked around the other side of the truck, out of sight.
Dylan turned to Jessie. “I’m not going to tell you to hold back or to hide or to do anything you don’t want to do, because that’s not who you are. But I will tell you that I don’t want to lose you.”
“Good. Because I don’t want to lose you, either.” She pulled him down for a long, passionate kiss.
Dylan smiled as he pulled away. “See you soon.”
He turned and walked toward the van without looking back.
Jessie turned and got into the truck.
Finn slipped behind the wheel and passed her an earpiece.
She spent a few seconds adjusting the small device, settling it in her ear.
Finn had barely finished tapping on his cell phone when her earpiece went live, a soft electronic click announcing Trey’s presence.
“We are up and live,” he said. “I’m almost at the casino, ready to drop Wyatt off at the back. Then I’m spinning by the front door to toss the terrible trio out then heading to a neutral spot to run comms. Any issues so far?”
“Nope.” Finn looked at Jessie. “I’m good.”
“Me, too.” Jessie seconded him. She watched Dylan drive out ahead of their own vehicle, the black van turning right while they turned left.
…
Dylan looked at the duffel bag behind him in the truck. Trey had promised some goodies to help them take down the guards.
Phil sat in the passenger seat. He and Luke were twins, only a few years younger than Dylan.
“Thanks for coming out,” Dylan said as he drove. “Appreciate it.”
“Hey. You call, we answer.” Phil smiled and raised his hands. “Nothing more to be said. We’ll get this done and done right.”
“I know we will. As soon as we spring Lisa, I’m leaving her with you and Ace to head back to the casino.”
“We can handle it.” Phil nodded. “Lucky lady gets an armed escort back to base.”
“I’ve got medical supplies in your kit if Lisa needs some basic first aid, and Magee on speed dial,” Trey said over the earpiece. “She’s ready to take Lisa in through the back door if it’s more than you can handle.”
“Good. I’m hoping what I told Jessie was the truth. Molodavi wants Lisa in good condition so he can leverage her against Jessie. He might bruise her up a little, but nothing too serious or permanent.” Dylan slowed as he approached the industrial complex.
“I’m three streets over,” Ace said in his ear. “By the public storage units.”
“You said there were eight men.” Dylan turned the corner and spotted a third out of the corner of his eye in the side mirror.
“Yep. Four outside, four inside. The ones outside are split up—two at the door and a pair patrolling the perimeter. We’ll verify with one of the drones before we go in, but I think it’s safe to say we’ve got some serious firepower aimed at us. Not going to be the cakewalk we had last time.”
Dylan spotted the storage units, the brilliant orange paint and corrugated metal doors offering temporary shelter. Ace stood in front of one garage, wearing his usual baseball cap, his long dark ponytail hanging out the back. A black T-shirt and jeans finished his outfit.
Ace smiled as Dylan pulled up. “I’m ready to go.” He nodded at Phil. “Good to see you.”
The two men exchanged a fist bump, Phil beaming.
“Right.” Dylan nodded. “Let’s do this.”
…
It was hard to keep from moving around in her seat as they drove to the casino, the urge to move, to do something, almost overwhelming.
Finn glanced sideways at her. “Don’t worry. Remember, it’s not just us. Luke, Simon, and Andrew are already there, mingling with the civilians. They’re good folks.”
“Luke and Phil are twins,” she said. “They okay going separately?”
“Those two? Sure.” Finn laughed. “Either that or they’ll start fighting to see who gets a higher count. Super competitive.” He gestured at the street. “Andrew and Simon got married three years ago, had us all to their place for the ceremony. Won’t find two more devoted people. They make a mean pulled pork, best you’ll taste in the state.”
The small talk helped settle her nerves.
It wasn’t the fact that she was going into danger. She’d gotten used to that over the years as a police officer and as a detective. Working undercover hadn’t always kept her safe from harm, especially when her fellow detectives were slow to come to her aid.
But this was different. Not only was she working with men she had just met, there was another life on the line—Lisa’s.
“His men are going to check us out as soon as we walk in,” Finn said. “We don’t want to give them any reason to get physical, to get on us before it’s time. I know you got the ankle holster. I’ve got one, too. Don’t go for it until they pull first. It’s hard, but the security cameras got to catch them going for their weapons first.”
Wyatt’s voice whispered in her ear. “I’m in the parking lot. Heading in with the other sheep.”
Jessie smiled in spite of the situation.
Finn noted her grin and matched it. “Just remember, you’re not in this alone. You’ve got me, and you’ve got the rest of the Brotherhood watching your back. We won’t let you down and we won’t let you fall.” He drove the truck into a parking spot and turned off the engine.
She opened the door and got out, finding strength in his words.
…
It might still be morning, but Fluxxx was in full swing, crowds of people wandering in and staggering out through the set of double doors, winners and losers merging into a perfect, if not palatable, slice of humanity.
A group of businesswomen strutted by, all focused on their cell phones as they pushed forward to go in through doors clearly marked Exit.
No one said anything. No one cared.
A drunk sat on the ground near the entrance. He wore an expensive tuxedo and seemed far too young to be discovering either poverty or cirrhosis of the liver. He laughed at a pair of lovers as they walked by, cooing and gurgling as they attempted to undress each other in the middle of the day.
She caught her breath, digging down to center herself.
Lisa.
We’re going to get you out of this.
Finn touched Jessie’s arm, drawing her alongside him. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Just getting my head in the game.”
“This isn’t on you,” Finn said. “None of this is your fault.”
“Isn’t it?” She looked at him before stepping off toward the front doors.
…
The tiny drones rose into the air.
“Give me a second to do a flyover and see what’s up,” Trey said through the earpieces.
As the small saucers moved out of sight, Dylan checked his boot knife before slipping it back into the sheath on his leg.
Ace shook his head. “Come a long way since Iraq.” He tucked an automatic pistol into the small of his back, snapping it into the holster.
“Tell me about it.” Dylan nodded as he checked his own weapon. It went to his right side, clipped to his belt. “Imagine how much we would have gotten done if we’d had this sort of tech at our disposal.”
“Okay, just finished a pass over the warehouse,” Trey said. “Confirmed that we’ve got two men at the front door and two patrolling the exterior. I’ve got one drone sneaking in through an open window to do an interior assessment.”
“Don’t miss anyone,” Dylan said. “Can’t count on Lisa giving us a heads up like Jessie did.”
“Understood. Stand fast until I get back to you.”
Ace nodded to Phil. “Good to see you. How’s the survivalist camp going?”
“Good. Plenty of people willing to learn how to eat bugs and dig holes. If we’d have known then h
ow much money was in it, we’d have been more enthusiastic through basic training.”
Dylan interrupted. “As soon as you’re on your way, I’ll head over to the casino.”
Ace raised an eyebrow. “Alone?” He looked at Phil. “Sure you don’t want to take either of us?”
“No. Last thing we need is to have someone jump you and Lisa right at the end of all this. She’s the priority. You both take her back to the club and secure her safety.”
Ace grunted. “It’s a good twenty minutes from here to there in good traffic. You’re not likely to make it in time if the deal with Jessie goes bad. Not being a pessimist. Just pointing out the obvious.”
Dylan looked skyward. “Trey, where’s Finn and Jessie?”
“About to enter the casino. Wyatt’s sliding in the employee entrance as we speak. Luke, Simon, and Andy are rocking the slots and standing by to help out. They’re all carrying the usual gear, nothing special.” Trey paused. “All right. Back to your site. Final recon shows four on the inside, target’s in the cage. No surprises. Eight in total, confirmed.”
Dylan looked at Ace and Phil. “Ready?”
“Always,” Phil said. He grinned and poked Ace. “As long as I get one more KO than Luke I’ll be happy.”
…
The human traffic flowing into the casino didn’t flinch at the alleged murderer in their midst. Either her flaming red hair was a perfect disguise, or no one cared.
Jessie suspected the second. The news cycle had moved on to the next big sound bite, and these people were here to play games, not to play detective. Also, the majority of them were tourists, who wouldn’t have spent more than a few seconds catching the local news, focused on the fun side of their visit to Las Vegas.
The doorman at the entrance held the door open for her and Finn without batting an eye.
She stopped not far inside the main lobby, hovering near a giant set of revolving dice hanging from the ceiling. Finn stepped up beside her and looked around the black and white interior. “We’re in. Heading for the sports bar.”
A click on the open comms line signaled they’d been heard.
Jessie had been on the floor a hundred times, maybe a thousand, while working for Molodavi over the past few months. Now she walked through as a stranger, trying not to flinch as she saw familiar faces. She recognized the tables where she worked and the employees, men and women allowing criminal activities at their tables because it was what Molodavi wanted.
It was the worst kept secret in the locker rooms. Play your cards right literally and figuratively and there’d be a bit extra in the paycheck. A little side bet here, a little money laundering there, and you could make a decent living working at Fluxxx.
Her attention flickered up to the surveillance cameras set in the ceiling, the small domes capturing their every move. They would have spotted her by now.
A quick phone call and Molodavi would be preparing to leave his office to come down and do the exchange.
Even though there was no one to exchange.
At the same time, Wyatt was busy working his way across the main floor toward the elevator at the back, using his employee’s uniform as a disguise to get close enough to slip the lock and head up to Edward Molodavi’s office. The casino security would be occupied with dealing with the hostage exchange, looking to trap Jessie, Finn, and whoever else they had on the floor, since only a fool would have come with little to no backup.
She spotted Andrew and Simon at the roulette tables, tossing down chips. A few rows away Luke poured pennies into the cheap slot machines, scowling as he lost again and again.
Jessie pasted a generic smile on her face as they walked down the center aisle, her mind racing.
All they had to do was keep the ball in play long enough for Wyatt to accomplish his mission and for Dylan to save Lisa.
Easy enough.
As they approached the sports bar, she felt her pulse shoot skyward, the tension building inside. This was the last time she’d be in here dealing with Molodavi, one way or the other.
The long betting counter was busy, doing a brisk business with people standing in line to place their bets. No one looked at them, or if they did, found nothing to capture their interest.
“There.” Finn turned his head over to the bar, the Lucky Horseshoe. All of the stools were empty except for one.
Molodavi had his back to her and Finn, focused instead on the hockey game happening on the main screen.
Finn stopped twenty feet short, still between the slot machines. He touched Jessie’s arm, halting her approach.
“Don’t get too close for comfort,” he murmured in her ear. “Let him come to us.”
After an agonizing thirty seconds, Molodavi turned. He wore a black business suit, the vest tight across his chest. His black hair was slicked back against his scalp, and he looked like a hyena, licking his lips as he stared at them.
“Hello, Jessica.”
…
His thoughts flashed to Jessie and Finn in the casino, confronting Molodavi. Their separate operations didn’t have to sync perfectly, but it needed to be close enough to keep the mobster off-kilter, keep him reacting to one punch after another and unable to gather his forces to mount a defense. He had the numbers, but the Brotherhood had the aspect of surprise. They needed to keep that at all costs if they wanted to win.
Ace stared at him as they pressed themselves against the warehouse wall. “You okay?”
“I’m good.”
Ace pointed at his eyes then at Dylan’s face. “Don’t want to tell you how to do your job, boss, but if you want to save your woman, you’ve got to be here, right now. No time to be anyplace else.”
Dylan drew a deep breath, tamping down his fear for Jessie.
Ace was right. He wouldn’t do anyone any good by splitting his attention between the warehouse and the casino.
“Thanks.” Dylan smiled, pushing any thought about the casino out of his mind for the time being. “Let’s do this.”
The trio stealthily moved around the perimeter of the building and took out the two exterior guards on patrol, knocking them unconscious and securing them with zip ties.
Ace glanced around the corner of the building at the two men guarding the front door. “Not going to be able to sneak up on these guys.”
Phil nodded his agreement.
Dylan looked skyward. “Trey. Showtime.”
One of the small drones came into sight, bouncing along the ground as it stumbled by the front door and the guards, seemingly out of control, courtesy of a new owner unfamiliar with the technology.
The first man frowned as the child’s toy skittered near his feet, its fans spinning but unable to gain any altitude. He reached down and grabbed it, picking it up to show his companion with a wide grin.
The smile disappeared as he shook and twitched, an electrical charge surging through his body. His fingers convulsed around the tiny triangle, clutching it tight.
His buddy raced forward to grab him before he fell, only to meet Ace’s fist head-on.
It was all over in a few seconds, the pair disarmed and secured.
“Nice.” Ace gripped the first man’s arms and dragged him toward the corner of the building.
“Right back at you.” Dylan followed him with the second guard. “Good to see you’re not going soft.”
He was rewarded with a flip of Ace’s middle finger as they finished dumping the men out of sight.
“And you’re welcome,” Trey said in his ear. The small drone, now free of the thug’s grip, powered back to life and rose into the air, heading up over their heads and out of sight.
They returned to the front door, finding it already open.
“They don’t want their backup to be fiddling with a padlock if they’re needed,” Ace said. “Or for the guys on the inside to come out.”
“In our favor.” Dylan pulled the door open and stepped inside, automatically squinting at the dim light.
We’re coming for
you, Lisa.
Stay strong.
…
Molodavi leaned back on the bar, his elbows spread out. He studied Finn. “I see you are a man of your word.” His lips curled back, showing snow-white teeth. “Whoever you are.”
Jessie flinched inside, knowing at this second his security men were busy running Finn’s face through their facial recognition software, trying to match him with a name and find out everything they could about this stranger who dared to take on the Molodavi family.
“We’re here. As we said we would be.” Finn crossed his arms in front of him, the black T-shirt tight over his shoulders. He looked at the crime lord and cocked his head. “You go out in public like that? You look like one of the extras from the Godfather movie.”
Molodavi scratched his chin, his manicured fingernails rubbing his ever-present stubble. “I do. And I get whatever I want. Without handing out favors.” He turned his attention to her and grinned. “Jessica.” He dragged his eyes over her slowly, inspecting her from head to foot. “Amazing how a little change can warp your entire appearance.” One hand waved to her hair. “The short cut suits you. Can’t say I care for the color.”
Goose bumps rose on her skin as he stared at her.
“There was a time when I found you damned sexy, standing there at my table dealing cards. Always with a smile, so polite while you helped them lose their cash.” He tapped his chin with a single finger. “Thought about having you in my bed, maybe buy you a lovely dress or a fur coat to break the ice. Dinner before going someplace nice and quiet. If things went well I’d have considered more. Maybe a promotion, shift you upward in the organization.” His tone turned, went from gentle and soft to harsh and unyielding. “Then you became a criminal.”
“Pot. Kettle,” she replied, forcing herself to hold her ground.
“According to whom? I’ve never been convicted of any crimes.” He wagged a finger. “I could have you arrested right here, right now, for what you stole from me.”
“You could, but I didn’t take anything of yours.”
Technically, it was true. The flash drive and the information it had scraped from Molodavi’s files were still in his office and on the site.
Hard Play (Delta Force Brotherhood) Page 17
