by C. J. Hill
The shopkeeper began to sway in Tori’s grip, so she helped him to the floor. While she did that, Ryker, Jesse, and Bess strapped armor onto Rudolpho’s unconscious form, maneuvering his arms into the costume as though he was a large, middle-aged doll.
That’s how they’d planned on getting the man out of the fair—disguised in armor and sitting on a horse. The armor would hold him in place, and no one would recognize him or realize he was unconscious.
Tori sighed. “He gave us the address. Why are we taking him?” She’d hoped the illegal portion of their trip to the Renaissance fair was over. Apparently not.
“Because he might have lied.” Jesse latched shut the armor around Rudolpho’s chest. “We won’t get a chance to question him again for a while, so we’ll keep him until his info checks out.”
She understood the logic, but didn’t like the situation. “We’re going to end up as a story on one of those crime shows—and I’m the one who did most of the assaulting.”
Jesse lifted Rudolpho so Bess and Ryker could slide his metal pants on. “Speaking of which, why didn’t you ask for backup earlier? My clue you need help shouldn’t be the sound of angry men swearing at you.”
“I forgot the signal, but I said, ‘Not crowd.’”
“Which I thought meant you didn’t want backup.” Jesse shifted Rudolpho, tugging up the leg armor. “I thought you’d forgotten that we changed the word.”
“I remembered.” Tori felt along her wig. Some of the pins had come loose during the fight. She fastened them back in place. “I just couldn’t remember what we changed it to.”
“It’s ‘reverse,’” Jesse said.
Reverse. Because when you put a car in reverse, you back up.
Rudolpho was ready, ensconced in a knight’s outfit that, if not completely authentic, at least did a good job disguising him. Ryker put his arms around the man’s torso and hefted him toward the window as easily as if he were a child.
Lilly’s voice came over the earpiece. “You’re about to have company. The sales clerk sent someone to check on you.”
“We’re leaving,” Jesse said. “Aspen, is the way clear?”
“Still clear,” Willow answered. “But your horse is getting antsy.”
Without another word, Jesse glided just out of the window, then turned back, reaching for the unconscious man. Ryker handed him to Jesse then flew out himself. Tori followed, carrying Bess.
Once on the ground, they split into groups and walked out of the fair, casually, unnoticed. Dr. B led the horse. Metal braces in the back of the armor kept Rudolpho securely upright and in place. Several passing tourists waved at the knight, but he never waved back.
Chapter 7
Tori had to wait until Dr. B drove the Slayers to a motel in Huntersville before she could change out of her barmaid costume and into her battle gear: Black bulletproof jackets and matching pants, both with plenty of pockets for weapons and ammo. The outfits were stiff, but the protection was worth losing a little mobility. And best of all, with her helmet on, she’d be unrecognizable so her picture was much less likely to end up splashed across the tabloids.
The Slayers left Kody to guard Rudolpho while the rest of them drove to the address he’d given them. If his information panned out, he would be set free. Dr. B didn’t seem to worry about Rudolpho going to the authorities to report being kidnapped. He wouldn’t want to tell the police about his business. According to Dr. B, scales weren’t the only thing the man sold on the black market. He also had a variety of stolen artifacts from countries who weren’t as adept at protecting their antiquities as they should have been.
Connor’s neighborhood was in an upscale area not far from the festival grounds. By the time the Slayers reached it, darkness was settling in, providing them with cover. Colonial-style houses with manicured lawns backed up against an undeveloped stretch of land that looked like it had aspirations of one day becoming a golf course. Connor, whoever he was, clearly had money.
How well did Overdrake pay his men? She had no idea what the going salary rate was for minions. Perhaps Connor needed to supplement his income with some clandestine sales to pay his mortgage.
Dr. B parked the van a few houses away. He brought up a satellite picture of the home on his laptop and waited for Theo to access additional material from a blueprint database he’d hacked into.
Rosa, dressed in her normal clothes and using a radar sensor, took a walk past the house to see how many people were inside. She always did reconnaissance. With her petite size and innocent-looking features, no one ever suspected her being up to anything.
After a few minutes, she returned and climbed back into the van. “Two people are in the house, both on first floor.”
By then, Theo had pulled up the house’s schematics. While Dr. B handed out equipment, the Slayers surveyed the layout, committing it to memory. Four bedrooms upstairs, everything else downstairs.
“They’ve got an alarm,” Theo said, reading a stream of numbers on his laptop. “But it’s not turned on right now.” He grunted and shook his head. “Nobody ever activates their systems when they should. You’d think Overdrake’s men would be more careful.”
Yes, you would. Tori hoped an unarmed system didn’t mean they were about to break into some innocent person’s home. An invasion of this sort would be hard to explain to a couple of random strangers.
“I’ll call the attack plan.” Jesse said. His eyes shifted to Tori in explanation. “I know you want to stay out of this one as much as possible.”
She wasn’t sure whether to protest being excluded or not. When Jesse called the plans, he had a tendency to put her in the safest position. A sweet but unnecessary gesture.
“Lilly and Rosa,” he went on, without giving her time to decide, “you have outside reconnaissance. Jump the fence, tranquilize any dogs, and do an updated scan of the house to make sure the targets haven’t moved locations. See if the back door is locked. If it is, stay in the yard unless someone calls for backup.” He sent Tori a look. “And the code word for backup is?”
“Reverse.” She sent him a look right back. “If I had really needed your help, I would have found a way to ask sooner, but I was taking care of things pretty well by myself.”
Jesse tilted his chin down, unhappy with her response. “Three armed men attacked you, and you didn’t think you needed help? Overconfidence leads to mistakes.” He didn’t add, although his expression implied, that her safety was of more than casual importance to him.
That was the problem with dating the other captain—he worried about her too much.
“Only two of them were armed,” she said, taking one of a tranquilizer guns from Dr. B. “I mean, ninja stars hardly count.”
“We’ll talk more about that later,” Jesse said, unconvinced. “When we’re alone.” He returned his attention to the computer screen.
He obviously didn’t get as sidetracked as she did by the thought of them being alone.
Jesse pointed to an upstairs window at the back of the house. “Ryker, if the back door is locked, fly here, cut the glass, and go inside. Tori, you carry Willow and follow after Ryker. When Theo gives the all clear, Ryker will fly downstairs and open the back door for Shang, Bess, and me.”
Tori’s phone buzzed. She took it out of her jacket pocket to check the screen. Her parents had texted, asking when she’d be home.
Jesse stopped his instructions. “I thought you turned that off.”
“I had to turn it back on. A movie would be over by now.” Tori opened the message, then texted back a reply. “I’m telling my parents we’re getting something to eat and the service is really slow.” After all, she still had an hour-long flight home to account for.
“Don’t forget dessert,” Rosa put in.
“And the making out afterwards,” Bess added. “Jesse will take you to a romantic overlook in DC for that.”
Tori coughed in disbelief and put her phone back into her pocket. “Like I’d tell my parents that. T
hey’d never let me out of the house unchaperoned again.”
“Just imply it,” Bess said.
“Um,” Jesse said, breaking into the conversation. “We need to get back to the mission.” He turned to Tori and lowered his voice. “Please don’t ever tell your parents anything that will make them sic Secret Service on me.” His eyes went back to the screen, and he stared at it blankly. Another moment went by. “Where was I?”
Ryker let out a small laugh. “Apparently deep in thought about a romantic overlook in DC.”
“I remember,” Jesse said, “I was putting Ryker in danger. He’ll fly downstairs, open the door, and he, Shang, Bess, and I will surround the targets. With the element of surprise, we shouldn’t have much of a fight.”
Willow leaned over the computer, scrutinizing the floor plan. “What are Tori and I supposed to do upstairs while the rest of you are downstairs?”
Jesse’s gaze flicked briefly to Tori, then went back to the diagram. He pointed to one of the upstairs bedrooms. “This window has a ledge. Someone could use it to escape the house. You and Tori will stand guard at the top of the stairs to prevent that from happening.”
“You need two people to do that?” Tori asked, eyebrow raised.
Jesse didn’t look at her. “Two people are in the house, so yeah, it makes sense to have two of us waiting at the top of the stairs.”
Uh-huh. Jesse just wanted her someplace safe and out of the action. Really, she forgot one code word, and he lost all confidence in her.
A protest sat on the edge of Tori’s tongue, but she bit it back. She’d already participated in this mission more than was prudent—especially if any of Rudolpho’s men ended up going to the police and were able to give a description of her. Better to lie low during this part of the mission.
Willow let out a huff. “You think I don’t know how to fight, don’t you?”
Jesse shook his head, perhaps too quickly. “No, tactically, it’s always better to keep some players in reserve.”
Yeah, Tori didn’t buy that excuse, and she doubted Willow did either.
Ryker checked his tranquilizer gun, then put it in its holster. “No one’s going to do much fighting. Once Connor and his accomplice are surrounded, they’ll give up.” He patted Willow on the shoulder. “Your job will mostly be making sure Tori doesn’t ditch us like she usually does during practice.”
“Hey,” Tori said, adjusting her neck mic. “I can’t help it if I have other commitments.”
“Consider it girl bonding time,” Ryker added, ignoring Tori. “You can talk about guys.”
Tori put in her earpiece. “And I know which guy we’ll be talking about first.”
Dr. B handed out the last of the tranquilizer guns. “Remember, do your best to keep out of sight.”
If anyone saw people in black clothes and helmets breaking into a house, they’d no doubt call the police. Theo was monitoring the police scanner. If any calls went out, he’d hear them and warn the Slayers.
Dr. B returned to the driver’s seat and guided the van toward the house, glancing up and down the street to check for wandering pedestrians. Satisfied the van wasn’t being watched, he stopped a little way from Connor’s house, then hit the button to open the side door.
Rosa and Lilly slipped outside. They hurried across the side lawn, shadow-like, and disappeared into the backyard. A couple of minutes later, Lilly’s voice came over the earpiece.
“No dogs. The back door is locked. Ryker will need to go in and open the door. Scanner is still picking up two people downstairs—one in the family room, and I think the other is in the den.”
“Understood,” Jesse said, and gestured to the other Slayers. “Proceed as planned.”
Jesse, Ryker, Willow, and Tori poured out of the van.
Nothing will go wrong, Tori told herself. Whoever Connor is, he isn’t expecting us. He couldn’t be.
In truth, this mission would probably be less dangerous than some of her past practice sessions. Even so, her adrenaline pumped in a way that set her nerves on edge. She ran toward the house, silently keeping pace with the others. Ryker leapt over the fence without breaking stride. Jesse went over next, also clearing the top in one fluid motion.
“Flyers make it look so easy,” Willow muttered, and leaped, kicking her legs up like a pole vaulter. Tori flew over at the same time, and wondered if she should grab Willow midair and help her over, but Willow managed to straighten her legs and land on her feet. Tori dropped down to the ground and waited for Willow to come around behind her and take hold of her shoulders. Carrying another Slayer was easier that way because it left the flyer’s hands free.
Ryker glided up to a second-story window, a glass cutter in one hand and a suction cup in the other.
“This is so awkward,” Willow said, gripping Tori’s collar. “I hate dangling off of other people.”
“Just don’t let go.” Tori took to the air, moving slowly. Willow was the only Slayer who hated flying—something Dr. B kept saying would lessen with practice. So far, it hadn’t. Tori could feel Willow’s fingers digging into her jacket.
Tori hovered behind Ryker and waited. He cut the glass with fast, practiced strokes, outlining a large section of the window. After that was done, he placed the suction cup on the middle of the glass and pushed inward. The pane made a small creak, a feeble protest, as it came loose. He maneuvered the cut portion onto the floor by the window, then flew into the room.
“Careful not to touch the edges.” Ryker’s voice was only a whisper. During a mission, the Slayers kept their voices low, but their neck mics picked up the sound well enough.
Tori leaned forward, stomach down, and gingerly slid through the window, making sure she didn’t bump Willow into the cut glass.
She found herself in what was probably a guest room. A bed with an ornately carved white headboard stood by the far wall with a pale cedar chest at its foot. A rose quilt lay on top of the bed, matching a flower arrangement sitting on an antique dresser. Wainscoting and crown molding tied the whole theme together.
“Wow,” Tori breathed out.
“What?” Jesse asked over her earpiece, concerned.
“Nothing.” Tori straightened, but didn’t land. It wouldn’t do to have anyone downstairs hear footsteps. “I just hadn’t expected any of Overdrake’s men to decorate shabby chic.”
“Oh,” Willow cooed, peering around. “I love that armoire.”
Ryker looked over his shoulder at Tori and Willow. “Would the two of you stop admiring the furniture and get in position?” He opened the bedroom door and glided out.
Tori went across the room, silently carrying Willow. Right before they reached the door, her gaze landed on the dresser and zeroed in on the framed picture of a young teenage boy. Blond hair, blue eyes, familiar face, cocky grin. The resemblance couldn’t be a coincidence.
She let out a gasp. “There’s a picture of Dirk in here.”
“What?” Willow’s head swung around, and she squinted at the frame. She’d never met Dirk, but she’d seen a photo of him.
The picture on the dresser must have been an old one, taken during Dirk’s junior high years. He stood at the top of some rock formation, smiling as though he’d conquered it.
“If that’s Dirk,” Willow whispered, “this must be Overdrake’s house. He’s the one selling dragon scales?”
Rosa’s voice came over the earpiece urgent with worry. “You guys need to get out of there. This must be a trap.”
“Captains?” Dr. B asked, waiting for their opinions.
If Overdrake was selling scales, would he expect the Slayers to find out about it and come here? Was this some elaborate setup?
“I doubt it’s a trap,” Jesse said sounding more excited than apprehensive. “If it were, Overdrake wouldn’t leave pictures of Dirk lying around for us to find. He doesn’t know we’re coming.”
Tori looked back at the window. The yard was empty, unchanged. Part of a neighbor’s house was visible, but the
rest was shrouded by trees. “Does the infrared show any signs that people are converging on the house?”
“Negative,” Dr. B said. “We haven’t picked up anyone moving closer.”
“Then we continue,” Tori said.
Lilly broke into the conversation. “Why would Overdrake have a house in the suburbs with no security?”
“He may have houses in several locations,” Dr. B answered. “That would make disappearing easier.”
“Selling dragon scales seems like a sloppy way to earn extra money,” Shang said.
Tori turned to Dirk’s picture again, and her pulse started to hammer. Was this his house? Could he be one of the people downstairs? The thought filled her with an optimistic and completely unreasonable happiness.
Dirk was her enemy. He was dangerous.
But she wanted to see him.
Part of her was certain that if the Slayers could get him away from his father, they could turn him back to their side.
She used her counterpart sense to search for him, seeing if she could feel his presence nearby. She didn’t. Yet she felt something, a sort of vague familiarity. Was she imagining it because she wanted him to be here?
She must be. The idea of capturing Dirk and un-brainwashing him was so appealing that she was creating wisps of his presence. “I don’t think either of the people downstairs is Dirk,” she said. “But I’m not certain.”
“If Overdrake is in the house,” Dr. B said, “he’ll put up a fight.”
“We’re ready for him,” Jesse answered.
A soft click sounded over the earpiece—Ryker unlocking the back door.
“We’re going in,” Jesse said.
Tori quietly sailed to the top of the stairs and set Willow down by the banister. The two of them stared into the darkened staircase and listened.
