Bitter Bite
Page 70
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“So he’s in there,” I said. “Along with at least six other innocent people.”
If Deirdre hasn’t killed them all yet.
I didn’t have to say the words. The worry pinching Bria’s face told me that she was thinking the same thing. Deirdre wouldn’t leave any witnesses behind. She would execute every single person in the bank, including Finn.
“Yeah. So how are we going to get everyone out?” She pulled her phone out of her jacket pocket. “I could call in a SWAT team. They could be here in twenty minutes.”
“And Finn and everyone else inside would be dead a minute after that.” I shook my head. “You can’t call it in; you can’t call for any backup at all. Deirdre’s probably paid someone in the police department to tip her off at the first hint of trouble. When that happens, either she’ll kill everyone outright or use them as hostages to make her escape. Either way, they’ll still end up dead. We have to do this ourselves. Are you up for that?”
“You’d better damn well believe it. I want to kick that woman’s ass for what she’s put Finn through.” A faint smile curved her lips. “And for making me call her Mama Dee.”
“You got it, sister.”
I held out my fist, and Bria bumped me back before her expression turned serious again. “I’ve got a few supplies in the trunk but not enough for us to take out all the thieves. Even if I did have enough supplies, I don’t know how we’d even get into the bank.”
“Leave that to me. There was a reason I wanted you to come here.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You know how to break into the bank.”
I grinned. “Among other things. Let’s go. We don’t have any time to waste.”
24
Bria popped the trunk and opened the cases inside, revealing enough guns and ammo to outfit several commandos, along with knives, flares, binoculars, and a couple of black vests lined with silverstone like the one I still wore.
I let out a low whistle. “Nice arsenal.”
She shrugged. “It pays to be prepared in this town.”
Bria shrugged out of her jacket and zipped a silverstone vest over her chest before stuffing extra guns and ammo into all the vest pockets. I added some extra knives to my usual arsenal. I also grabbed a tin of Jo-Jo’s healing ointment and smeared it all over the goose egg and the cut on my head. The dwarf’s Air magic pricked my skin, scabbing over the cut, smoothing out the swelling, and easing the ache in my face. The knot and the cut weren’t completely healed, but it was better than nothing.
We’d just finished gearing up when Silvio pulled his car into the garage, Owen right behind him in his own vehicle. The two of them hurried over, each carrying a black duffel bag.
Owen dropped his bag, then cupped my cheek, his violet gaze steady on my gray one. “How can I help?”
I reached up and squeezed his hand. “Thank you for coming.” I paused. “Especially since I know how much you still want to punch Finn.”
He made a face, then gave me a crooked grin. “Yeah, but he’s family. I’ll punch him after we rescue him.”
“Deal.” I turned to Silvio. “Did you bring it?”
The vampire huffed and gestured at the bag at his feet. “Of course I brought it. What kind of assistant would I be if I didn’t? Although I don’t see how it’s going to help you get inside the bank. I drove by the entrance. I saw the guard stationed out front.”
“We’re not going in through the front.”
I crouched down, opened the bag, and pulled out a large crossbow, a long length of rope, a couple of metal handles, and a silverstone grappling hook strong enough to shoot through a stone wall. Silvio, Owen, and Bria watched in silence while I assembled everything.
Owen frowned. “Is that a zipline? What are you going to do with a zipline?”
Silvio crossed his arms over his chest. “My question exactly.”
I checked to make sure the equipment was in order. “Remember back during the summer, when Finn, Owen, and I were playing that war game, and the two of them bet me that I couldn’t mock-kill both of them?”
“Finn bet you.” Owen held up his hands. “I was just an innocent bystander.”
“Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that. Anyway, one of the places that I scouted out to kill Finn was at the bank.”
“But you didn’t kill us at the bank. You killed us at my office,” Owen said. “Quite easily, from what I remember.”
“That’s because your office wasn’t nearly as secure as the bank. But no matter how locked down a building is, there’s always a way in.”
“You cracked the bank’s security setup,” Silvio said.
“Yep. It took a while, but I managed it.” I got to my feet, hoisted the crossbow onto my shoulder, and looked at my sister. “You ready to have a little fun?”
Bria sighed. “I’m not going to like this, am I?”
I grinned. “Only if you’re afraid of heights.”
* * *
It turned out that Bria was, in fact, not the biggest fan of heights. But when I explained my plan, she sighed again and nodded. Owen and Silvio didn’t much like my plan either, since it left them waiting outside while Bria and I went into the bank, but I needed my sister’s Ice magic to help me get down to the lobby and then to the basement vault. That’s where Deirdre and Santos would be—along with Finn. Besides, Owen and Silvio had their own parts to play.
If Deirdre hasn’t killed them all yet.
I didn’t have to say the words. The worry pinching Bria’s face told me that she was thinking the same thing. Deirdre wouldn’t leave any witnesses behind. She would execute every single person in the bank, including Finn.
“Yeah. So how are we going to get everyone out?” She pulled her phone out of her jacket pocket. “I could call in a SWAT team. They could be here in twenty minutes.”
“And Finn and everyone else inside would be dead a minute after that.” I shook my head. “You can’t call it in; you can’t call for any backup at all. Deirdre’s probably paid someone in the police department to tip her off at the first hint of trouble. When that happens, either she’ll kill everyone outright or use them as hostages to make her escape. Either way, they’ll still end up dead. We have to do this ourselves. Are you up for that?”
“You’d better damn well believe it. I want to kick that woman’s ass for what she’s put Finn through.” A faint smile curved her lips. “And for making me call her Mama Dee.”
“You got it, sister.”
I held out my fist, and Bria bumped me back before her expression turned serious again. “I’ve got a few supplies in the trunk but not enough for us to take out all the thieves. Even if I did have enough supplies, I don’t know how we’d even get into the bank.”
“Leave that to me. There was a reason I wanted you to come here.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You know how to break into the bank.”
I grinned. “Among other things. Let’s go. We don’t have any time to waste.”
24
Bria popped the trunk and opened the cases inside, revealing enough guns and ammo to outfit several commandos, along with knives, flares, binoculars, and a couple of black vests lined with silverstone like the one I still wore.
I let out a low whistle. “Nice arsenal.”
She shrugged. “It pays to be prepared in this town.”
Bria shrugged out of her jacket and zipped a silverstone vest over her chest before stuffing extra guns and ammo into all the vest pockets. I added some extra knives to my usual arsenal. I also grabbed a tin of Jo-Jo’s healing ointment and smeared it all over the goose egg and the cut on my head. The dwarf’s Air magic pricked my skin, scabbing over the cut, smoothing out the swelling, and easing the ache in my face. The knot and the cut weren’t completely healed, but it was better than nothing.
We’d just finished gearing up when Silvio pulled his car into the garage, Owen right behind him in his own vehicle. The two of them hurried over, each carrying a black duffel bag.
Owen dropped his bag, then cupped my cheek, his violet gaze steady on my gray one. “How can I help?”
I reached up and squeezed his hand. “Thank you for coming.” I paused. “Especially since I know how much you still want to punch Finn.”
He made a face, then gave me a crooked grin. “Yeah, but he’s family. I’ll punch him after we rescue him.”
“Deal.” I turned to Silvio. “Did you bring it?”
The vampire huffed and gestured at the bag at his feet. “Of course I brought it. What kind of assistant would I be if I didn’t? Although I don’t see how it’s going to help you get inside the bank. I drove by the entrance. I saw the guard stationed out front.”
“We’re not going in through the front.”
I crouched down, opened the bag, and pulled out a large crossbow, a long length of rope, a couple of metal handles, and a silverstone grappling hook strong enough to shoot through a stone wall. Silvio, Owen, and Bria watched in silence while I assembled everything.
Owen frowned. “Is that a zipline? What are you going to do with a zipline?”
Silvio crossed his arms over his chest. “My question exactly.”
I checked to make sure the equipment was in order. “Remember back during the summer, when Finn, Owen, and I were playing that war game, and the two of them bet me that I couldn’t mock-kill both of them?”
“Finn bet you.” Owen held up his hands. “I was just an innocent bystander.”
“Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that. Anyway, one of the places that I scouted out to kill Finn was at the bank.”
“But you didn’t kill us at the bank. You killed us at my office,” Owen said. “Quite easily, from what I remember.”
“That’s because your office wasn’t nearly as secure as the bank. But no matter how locked down a building is, there’s always a way in.”
“You cracked the bank’s security setup,” Silvio said.
“Yep. It took a while, but I managed it.” I got to my feet, hoisted the crossbow onto my shoulder, and looked at my sister. “You ready to have a little fun?”
Bria sighed. “I’m not going to like this, am I?”
I grinned. “Only if you’re afraid of heights.”
* * *
It turned out that Bria was, in fact, not the biggest fan of heights. But when I explained my plan, she sighed again and nodded. Owen and Silvio didn’t much like my plan either, since it left them waiting outside while Bria and I went into the bank, but I needed my sister’s Ice magic to help me get down to the lobby and then to the basement vault. That’s where Deirdre and Santos would be—along with Finn. Besides, Owen and Silvio had their own parts to play.
