“That’s Mitzy’s plan.” Lily taps the window and watches the city go by. She’s probably thinking about Knox. His mission is far more dangerous than ours.
Operationally challenging, he’ll be boarding Caviar Dreams, an exclusive cruise line operated beneath the Belvedere corporate umbrella. With no knowledge of where the three women are being held on board that ship, they’ll need to improvise on the fly.
We have that knowledge, courtesy of Deverough, our criminal turned star witness. Not that our operation is without risk. We’re working on a zero-footprint op. The whole point is to not draw attention, which is kind of silly considering that’s exactly what Wolfe and Jinx’s initial marching orders dictate. But that phase of the operation is critical to embedding Mitzy’s technology into the servers of Belvedere’s security system. After that, low profile is our modus operandi.
“It’s insane.” I pinch the bridge of my nose and tilt my head back.
“It’s Mitzy Magic.” Jinx pokes me in the ribs. Or tries to. “Damn, that hurt. Forgot you’re wearing Kevlar.”
Wolfe and I wear Kevlar vests beneath our dark suits. The girls do not. There’s simply no place to hide it in the skimpy, sprayed-on dresses they wear. Although, if what I heard the other day is correct, Mitzy and Forest are working on a side project that embeds the bulletproof advantage of Kevlar into fabric itself. It’ll be a game-changer. I feel guilty wearing Kevlar when the girls go without.
It feels all kinds of wrong.
“You’ve got nothing to worry about as far as I’m concerned. We’re just two friends having fun.” Lily takes my hand in hers and laces our fingers together. “Let me deal with Knox and his jealousy issues.”
It feels like holding hands with my sister.
Not a good vibe.
“Fine. You deal with him, and I’ll keep my hands to myself.” I extricate my hand and shove it under my leg.
“Looks like we’re here.” Wolfe leans forward. “Check your weapons.” He’s taking lead for this mission.
The four of us complete a quick weapons check. We’re kitted out with tranquilizer darts and sidearms. Jinx hides her tranq gun and knives down her boots. Lily squirreled away a few knives in her boots; she also wears a thigh holster with a Walther PPK—a nod to James Bond’s iconic weapon.
I respect that.
“Everyone ready?” Wolfe waits for our affirmatives, then he jumps out of the car, helping Jinx and then Lily out. I climb out my side and circle around to join them. I drape an arm around Lily’s shoulder. It feels weird, but I dig deep and man up.
Our out-of-the-box operation is officially active.
We enter the Belvedere looking like two couples out for a bit of fun. Instead, we’re here to rescue several women who were ripped out of their perfect lives and shoved into the horrific world of human trafficking.
Lily looks amazing in her little black dress and combat boots. She totally pulls off the gothic vibe despite her ivory skin and white-blonde hair. Knox’s warning runs through my head. He gave me an earful of what I could and couldn’t do with his woman.
It’s basically a look but don’t touch kind of thing.
Which is totally cool.
Anything other than holding hands, maybe slinging my arm over her shoulder, delves into creep territory. Fortunately, he trusts me with his life, which means he trusts me on a mission with his woman.
Things are totally different for Wolfe and Jinx. They can barely keep their hands off each other.
I’m happy for Wolfe, glad he found the woman he was destined to love, but I’m kind of frustrated too.
I’m the last man standing. A happy bachelor nowhere near ready to settle down. I like being free to do as I want, see who I want, and fuck who I want. The thought of settling for one woman the rest of my life feels constricting.
Like suffocating slowly.
I’m happy the guys found their women, but that leaves me flying solo. It’s not nearly as fun as it used to be. I’m happy Wolfe finally stopped fighting with Jinx and got his head out of his ass. The success of tonight’s mission rests heavily on their shoulders.
Lily and I are merely the lookouts.
Wolfe and Jinx are tasked with going behind enemy lines and planting a bit of Mitzy Magic. It’s some kind of tech that basically cracks open Belvedere’s incredible security system like an egg.
Mitzy will have access to turn cameras on and off, reset their security feeds, and plant alternate video streams. There will be no door she can’t unlock. The elevators will be hers to control, which will figure heavily in our exfil. Getting out of the Belvedere is the one piece of this operation that I’m not sold on.
I thought my plan was pretty sweet, but it got vetoed by practically everyone. I wanted to jump off the roof. That sounds dangerous, but the Belvedere is more than high enough for a base jump. Not to mention, it fixes the biggest issue we have: getting caught with hostages in tow.
I thought soaring off the roof presented the best chance for success. Only, CJ vetoed that. Evidently, Jinx and Lily haven’t completed their qualifications on the wingsuits. After we rescue the women, there will be seven of us we need to get out of the hotel. So, we’re going with Mitzy’s crazy scheme.
Step one, enter the Belvedere.
Jinx is on fire with her sprayed-on red dress. Lily looks equally amazing in her tiny, black dress. All eyes follow the girls into the Belvedere while Wolfe and I prowl behind them, checking out the crowd. We’re decked out in black suits, outfitted with the Kevlar vests underneath. Our tie pins hold tiny cameras Mitzy uses to track our movements. We pack heat in our shoulder harnesses. Our watches hold gear designed to cast a disruption field around us. It’s supposed to mess with the cameras.
The evening crowd pulses with activity as Wolfe and I steer our dates deeper into the crowded casino. All around us, lights flash, disorienting the gamblers while the incessant ringing of the slot machines encourages them to feed more money into a losing proposition.
Waitresses dressed in practically nothing weave through the crowd, delivering alcohol to those who gamble. The drunker the guests become, the more the house rakes in.
We stop at the slots. Lily and Jinx play a few rounds. Jinx loses ten bucks in less than five minutes, but Lily comes away a winner.
“Oh my God, I won a hundred bucks.” She and Jinx jump up and down, showing off their sexy bodies to everyone nearby. I get a peck on the cheek from Lily. “Luv, did you see it?”
“You’re my lucky lady.” Wrapping an arm around her waist, I pull her to me and plant a kiss on her forehead. Her lips are forbidden territory, according to Knox.
“Great job. Keep moving.” Mitzy uses the comm links buried in our ear canals to direct us through the gaming floor with laser-focused targeting. “Hang out at the craps table.”
“You want us to play?” I hate craps and Wolfe isn’t much of a gambler.
“No, just pretend to be interested. I’m pulling up building schematics. Hang on.”
It shouldn’t surprise me she acquired the building schematics. Mitzy is a wonder when it comes to technology.
“Let’s hit the bar.” Jinx tugs on Wolfe’s arm, begging him to follow her to the bar. At least, that’s what it looks like.
“That’s right. Keep heading toward the bar.”