“No yawning, we got a long day ahead.”
“What an understatement.”
They both sat silent for a moment while Kaden shoved it away, to unearth at a convenient time.
Joy said, “You don’t look like you’re up to tackle anything.”
“I’ve been drinking a lot.” The fact slipped past Kaden’s shame—a touch of alcoholism was nothing compared to mass murder.
Joy’s expression stayed neutral, as if they were chatting about the weather. “I thought you were against altering your brain. Your words.”
“That was when I needed to be on high alert at all times. At VC, thinking wasn’t a job requirement. Cori made my decisions for me. Or wanted to, anyway.” Kaden gave a soft, defeated chuckle. “I had to turn my brain off or go crazy. Well, that’s changed now. I can’t lose my mind, but also, I’m an alcoholic, so I’ll have withdrawals if I don’t drink.”
“Oh God, Kaden. That makes me want to cry. This isn’t the life you wanted after getting rid of Company.”
“What does my happiness matter when we know what's out there? Happiness doesn’t matter, what matters is smashing that evil the best way I know how.”
“You think your options are becoming a fireball and sacrificing yourself, or be miserable. That’s not true. You focus on destruction too much, and you won’t receive any love, ’cause you’re handing out none. Walk away and build yourself up for the long game. Have a long, content life and work on these same issues. You can do both.” She rubbed her forehead. “Goodness, Kaden, I hope you’re on point tomorrow. We’re all in danger otherwise.”
“Kicking everyone’s ass just happens without much thought.” Kaden’s face burned, and she washed the sandwich down with a gulp of the coffee. The impulse was to defend herself, but that would be childish, because the truth in Joy’s words made her want to sink into the ground.
Joy watched her, silently urging Kaden to let her words in.
Kaden whispered, “Okay.”
Joy nodded. “Now that we’re face to face, I need to hear why the two of us are attacking a castle.”
Kaden sighed. The answers hadn’t stopped tumbling around in her mind. “Four reasons. Sub Rosa needs to be dismantled because the business model sucks. Two, they killed everyone in Vigilant Citizens and are hunting down survivors, probably—Cori says Omar didn't have any enemies. Aaron is there, and most importantly, we have this shot. I have no other choice.”
Kaden paused and said, “Why are you willing to risk your life for this? I only called because you have yet to forgive me for not calling you when I attacked Company.”
Joy laughed a sad laugh. “You’re not the only one that wants to dismantle Mr. Ng’s work. Even though I just told you to walk away, you’re fantastic at what you set your mind to. I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth, partially because you’ve gone too long not getting any help. It’s not all that simple, though.”
“That’s why you’re coming after last time? Mr. Ng?” Kaden eyed Joy’s leg and raised an eyebrow. Under Joy’s skinny jeans were two scars on her left calf from the last time she had come to Kaden’s aid. The bullets had been aimed at her head.
“It is,” Joy said. An unreadable expression came over her face. She wasn’t telling Kaden something, but Joy often clammed up when the conversation turned toward her.
Whatever the secret, Joy could keep it. Kaden said, “How about I give you a quick overview of our plan?”
“Sounds reasonable.”
The rain pattered on the roof of the minivan, providing just enough background noise from the suffocating silence within it. Kaden sipped from her flask. Her alcoholism had become common knowledge in the past hour, when she’d explained that she needed enough to reach her baseline, and that was that.
For once, Joy’s graceful confidence brought no comfort. She was quiet next to Kaden on the bench, staring at the forest and bobbing her leg. Benny sat in the driver’s seat, and Cori rode shotgun. Even though Cori had never worked in the field, she handled the day like a veteran so far. Her calm and clearheadedness helped keep the group pressing forward. Plus, she’d only nodded when Kaden informed her she’d be a massive burden to babysit, so her job was staying in the minivan and out of the way.
Benny worked furiously on his new laptop. Three empty white cups of coffee surrounded him, since the local café didn’t sell a forty-ounce size. Kaden guessed he hadn’t slept last night. Goose was already inside the castle getting a lay of the security and attendees, using the same routes as real rodents.
The tapping on the minivan’s roof slowed, which was rotten luck. The rain was always unfavorable, but at least it provided cover. Without rain, it was the worst of both environments: slippery and visible. By the time she finished her mental complaint, the downpour had stopped.
Benny tapped a few keys and said, “The castle has minimal technology. Besides the burglar alarm, there’s no security system. Nothing that’ll warn them of your presence.”
“Except the dead bodies we’ll be tossing around,” said Kaden dryly, then she chortled and scratched her head. Soon, morbid comments like those would become unusual, and she couldn’t wait for it.
“Yeah, that,” said Benny. “Won't be a cakewalk, though. Edward may have assumed that the attendees are security enough. Some are openly armed.”
The pleather of the seat squeaked as Kaden sat forward and said, “I want to see.” Cori leaned over to watch, blocking Kaden’s view.
Benny said, “Sit back. Gimmie a sec.”
A few seconds later, the TVs on the back of Benny’s and Cori’s chairs lit the back seat, displaying a picture of the ballroom, transformed into the venue of an upscale party. Long tables lined the room, donned with white tablecloths, oversized bouquets of flowers, and trays of food. The man closest to Goose was bushy in every way, with a nose that twisted several different directions. An assault rifle hung from his grip as he peered at an array of food. He popped a bacon-wrapped scallop from the plate into his mouth. He chewed and shifted his gaze without a hint of enjoyment at the delicacy.
Kaden said, “Goose, can you scan the entire room?”
Goose obliged and scanned from wall to wall. Kaden sized up the scattered crowd, remembering that the vast ballroom made crowds seem smaller. Many attendees had pistols and rifles at their waist, although none held it like the scallop guy. No Aaron in sight. Maybe his involvement was a fake, a piece of bait crafted for her.
Kaden groaned and tugged on her ponytail. She said, “Are we sure they don’t know about us? They have fighters, and they’re in a fortress. This is stinking.”
Cori said, “It’s a potpourri of criminals. They don’t trust each other, but they love a good party, and the bosses love networking. For them, the choice of weapon is like our choice of which underwear to wear, brief or bikini?”
Cori’s words and the image on the screen made Kaden imagine Scallop Man in a thong. She laughed out loud, perhaps her first of the day, and said, “Okay, got it. They choose between women’s underwear in the morning.”
Joy gave a delightful guffaw, then the moment wisped away, leaving a cloud like a weighted blanket. Kaden sat back, wanting Goose to hurry up his scouting. Despite her buzz, she’d never been so grounded before a job. She was aware of every sensation, from the worn pleather that hugged and supported her rear, to the floor of the van on her feet, to the alcohol’s cozy warmth coursing to her limbs.
Two other times she’d taken on enemies greater than her, and both times, she’d reacted to new events with a fury that subdued the perpetrators. The difference tonight was that she chose to attack, over days of absorbing facts and her teammates’ perspectives. Despite the looming risks, this opportunity wouldn’t happen again, and Aaron couldn’t slip through her fingers. Assuming the photo hadn't been a setup.
The pondering gave her a clarity that she loved, that her muddled mind rarely experienced.
Joy was peering at Kaden. Joy said, “Let’s check out the layout one
last time. Better know this place like the backs of our hands, huh?”
Cori answered as she ruffled through her briefcase, “Good idea, Joy. It’s too bad you refused to join the team earlier.” She handed the wrinkled papers over without looking back.
As Joy took the papers, she said, “Is that right? ’Cause the way I see it, it’s too bad you interview your employees by putting them in a hallway full of machine guns.”
Kaden snickered as Joy handed her the sheet showing the ground floor. After a moment, Kaden pointed and said, “They’re here, in this ballroom.”
Joy said, “Yeah. Since we’re going in through the old bakery, we’ll need to go up these stairs here to get to them.”
Kaden couldn’t believe Joy had made it. She wasn’t positive she deserved the unwavering support, and an surprising wave of fondness gave Kaden pause. She rested her eyes on the map and murmured, although the van was quiet enough that everyone heard anyway, “You still don’t have to come in, you know. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Joy gave her a stony look, and Kaden regretted the offer.
Joy said, “I need to be here, too.” Silence fell again.
Cori turned and said to Joy, “You were a Minnie, too, right?”
“Yes.”
Cori nodded and turned back around.
Kaden shrugged with one shoulder and said, “Okay, Joy. We’ll have to be covert and take them in a trickle. They can easily overwhelm us, so we can’t give them static targets. Keep them on their toes, and maybe their numbers will trip them up.”
Benny piped in, “Don’t forget staff are probably innocents or victims themselves.”
Kaden nodded. “I assumed they were affiliated with them somehow, because what the hell kind of catering company works for a gathering like this? But you’re right, no assuming.”
“Goose is done with his sweep. Everyone’s in or near the ballroom, except for people… rotating into the bedrooms on the third floor.”
“Gross,” said Kaden. More reasons to crash the party.
A heavy fog hid her future beyond the next half hour, and the only way to see it was to walk right up to it and lift it. The uncertainty threatened to sweep Kaden’s conviction from under her, and her stomach churned. She yearned to be in there, but at the same time, also wanted to be anywhere but the castle. But the wants were meaningless, because it was time to leave the rickety van.
Nine
Kaden said, “Turning on comms.”
Benny pushed the button to open the minivan. He looked at her, and she read it all on his face. It was the same dread that she didn’t have space for: that she and Benny would never see each other again. Benny said, “Keep your head on straight. I know you two can do this. Just remember that.”
Cori said, “I’ll be here when you get back. Good luck.” The stream of tears reflected the little light from the moon, emerging from the rain clouds. Cori cried too much.
Kaden didn’t say a word as the automatic minivan door closed. She turned to face the forest. It was a seven-minute walk to the castle grounds.
A dry tree branch cracked under Kaden’s boots. Joy’s footsteps were stomps next to Kaden’s. They pulled on black ski masks, and Joy wore black gloves. Kaden put on her night vision goggles over the mask. She had agonized while considering every item, needing to keep her backpack light to keep her movements unimpeded.
Her hand found Joy’s. Joy had rejected a pair of goggles for herself, since this part was the most safe and Kaden could guide her. Together, they crunched through the forest, onto the dead leaves and twigs lining the ground. Kaden didn’t mention the mice scurrying away, their miniscule footsteps imperceptible. The trees were sparse for a forest, and the canopy diffused the moonlight around them. The forest seemed manmade to fit the ambiance of the castle, which was fine with her. It made steering Joy and avoiding thick trunks, roots, and bushes easy.
Every so often she whispered a trip warning when roots or stones poked from the floor, but otherwise their path was unobstructed. After about ten slow, careful minutes, dim lights filtered into the forest as they approached the castle grounds. Kaden paused and double-checked that no one roamed the perimeter of the gardens, guarding it from people like them.
Only a thick, tall hedge sat between the forest and the castle grounds. The garden was mostly lawn, with numerous paths snaking within, and dotted artfully with foliage, hedges, and trees. A line of trees blocked a full view of the massive stone castle, but the walls were visible thanks to inward-facing lights lighting the castle walls. The walls reached high and ended in sharp spires.
A separate structure lay to the right of the main castle, about the size of a three-bedroom home but still small in comparison. That structure held only hot water tanks and generators, and an arched bridge connected it to the garden. There was no stealthy way to cross it, but they'd have to.
The lamplight was enough for Joy to see by now, so Kaden let go of Joy’s hand and headed toward the side structure, still in the forest’s cover.
They reached the point closest to the bridge. Through the darkness, Kaden made out Joy’s set jaw and flared nostrils. Kaden said, “I’m going to be frank.”
“I expect nothing less here.”
“I’m only letting you in with me because I promised myself I’d protect you. If it comes down to me or you, you live. No arguments.”
“You’re out of your mind.”
“I had a friend—” Kaden’s chest contracted, and her voice broke. “My friend Omar would have thrived at your early education center. I want your tens of kids to become hundreds, Joy. I’m telling you now because this is not up for discussion.”
A long moment passed. Joy said, “Get on with it, then.”
“Follow my lead.” She faced the thick tree just behind her, squatted next to it, then jumped toward it, leg outstretched. Her leg was a spring off the tree, and she twisted midair toward the hedge. With a crunch, she landed on top, body parallel to the flat surface, and her weight spread across the hedge as she rolled. After landing on the other side, she looked at Joy.
“Right,” whispered Joy. Joy tried the same maneuver, except she landed knee first on the hedge before sinking halfway into the plant. She said matter-of-factly, “Dammit, Kaden, why must you make these things look so damn easy?”
The hedge moved to and fro as Joy clamored through it, a storm in the still night. Kaden stifled a laugh and turned to make sure the ruckus went unnoticed.
Joy bumped into her as she freed herself from the bush. “I see you wanting to laugh,” she said, eyes twinkling with suppressed humor.
Kaden said, “Lower yourself to be under the hedge line.” They squatted to cover fifty feet to the bridge, most of it around a large, hissing fountain. Their footsteps thudded on the bridge’s wooden planks.
Kaden had picked this structure because of the narrow stairway to her left, hidden behind a stone wall that extended high. The stairs led up to a tiny patio, big enough for four people who liked each other. The cobbled patio wall was shoulder height, perfect for Kaden’s sniper rifle. She managed to find a sturdy position on the uneven surface and assembled the weapon carefully. The suppressor could only quiet the boom, not eliminate it. Its main advantage here was saving Kaden’s and Joy’s hearing and making it difficult to pinpoint where the shots came from, buying valuable seconds.
She murmured to Joy, “Anyone I see, I’m eliminating.”
“Take your time.”
Kaden set her goggles on the floor and peeked through the scope. She had also picked this spot for its view of the two most important entrances: the main entrance, which would surely have guards, and the bakery, which was their planned entrance point.
Through her scope, Kaden examined the main entrance, a wide door and a stone patio with steps to the garden. Three men stood on the patio: Two chatted and one paced. All held assault rifles, but wore no visible armor. None looked out at the grounds—they expected no action. Hopefully Kaden finished them off be
fore they realized they were wrong.
She turned the scope to the bakery entrance. Bright light streamed out the door. Joy could probably see those guards with her naked eyes: they sat hunched on metal folding chairs. Assault rifles leaned against their legs, barrels to the sky. Their attention was on the giant, half-eaten loaves of bread in their hands, and their jaws worked furiously.
“That must be excellent bread,” Kaden mumbled.
Kaden rubbed her face, a sudden apprehension threatening to paralyze her at the point of no return. Even though the pair were already in enemy territory, Kaden stood at the stoop of the mission, about to bash the door open with bloodshed. She wasn’t against MDMA here and there, like Edward had accused her of. Besides what they had done to Vigilant Citizens, they had trafficked Omar, gave desperate drug addicts their poison, sold bombs. The list would keep growing if Kaden didn’t stop them tonight.
Many communities of shared interests were only possible because of the internet’s reach, and that warmed her icy heart. Sub Rosa didn’t. She clenched her jaw and knew that this was exactly where she needed to be.
She moved her scope back to the men at the main entrance and waited for the perfect moment to neutralize them, before they could raise an alarm. Kaden could do it in two shots. She said to Joy, “I’m just waiting for the right shot. You ready?”
“Been ready for a long time.”
As she aimed at the sitting man, she waited for the pacing man to wander in view. The pacer edged into view, and she pulled the trigger. The gun kicked into her shoulder as the bullet ripped through the pacing man’s heart, out his back, and into the chest of the sitting man.
The third man didn’t react before Kaden planted a bullet in his head. Meanwhile, the seated man clutched his chest and possibly cried out, until a third bullet silenced him.
She looked at the bakery entrance. Since the two men were in full view and not paying an ounce of attention to anything but bread, they gave Kaden no trouble.
Unleashed (End of an Assassin Book 3) Page 12
