Kyou picked up the story with an expression like a dark thunderstorm. “He contacted me for help, and I was able to prove his innocence, so the client forgave him. Still, it dinged his rep and jobs were hard to come by for about a year there. I remember you having to do some nasty jobs just to stay financially afloat.”
“It wasn’t a good year for me.” Ari raised his head and stared at Carter. A silent communication passed between the two men, emotions being conveyed without words at a level only lovers could achieve.
Carter gave him a serious nod. “Then let’s deal with this bastard. Is dynamite his signature weapon?”
“His fallback,” Ari corrected. “When the security is too tight for him to get through, he grows impatient and will blow it all to hell.”
Brannigan envisioned bombs being delivered to his office, possibly his home, or—worse—to his parents’ doorstep. He’d take a hard pass on that one. “I don’t like the idea of having to guard against bombs.”
“Oh, I’m not really suggesting it.” Ari had that evil gleam in his eye again. “There’s a reason, you see, why the client chose me over Lewis. It’s because I’m better. Even six years ago, I was better. And now…” He trailed off and looked around with a smirk at the men and women gathered. “Now I have a far better support base which makes all the difference. So, I repeat, I think Ivan and I should go play.”
Piero cleared his throat. “You want to assassinate the assassin before he can reach you.”
Ari was fully aware that Piero, in the old days, had been the main enforcer for the Genovese family. Now he was head of their security and he did a very good job of protecting his parents’ and their interests. It was why Mattias and Deidra had both insisted on him being at this meeting. But it was only partially to the Piero of today that Ari spoke. His words recalled a darker, more violent time. “Which is easier, Signor Piero? Defending or attacking?”
The old enforcer grunted. He’d never been a big man, but in that moment his short stature seemed as solid as any tank. “Then attack, Signor Benelli. I will defend.”
“Merci.” Ari turned to Tricksy next. “You know where both men are?”
Tricksy took a bite of cake, her arch look informing him just how stupid that question was.
“Apologies, dear lady.”
“Lady? Really?”
Ivan cleared his throat and intoned, “Fearsome siren who commands the wind and tides.”
“Much better.” Tricksy inclined her head toward him in a regal movement, accepting this as her due. “Only question left, how quickly do we want to move on this? Emura is paranoid and moving to a different hotel every night, so my intel on him is only good until tomorrow morning. I followed him to his new hotel so I know where he’ll be tonight. Same hotel for Lewis, too. Although he’s not acting as paranoid, I think he’ll stick with the same hotel until the job is done.”
Brannigan knew how he’d play this, at least, but this wasn’t his call to make. He had a vital stake in it, yes, as his heart was on the line. But so were the other men’s hearts, and their lives as well.
“I don’t see any reason to wait.” Carter looked from face to face as he said this, gauging reactions. “Right now, we have the element of surprise. They haven’t set up yet, they’re not ready to take us on. We’ll be flying by the seat of our pants if we go now—”
Kyou snorted. “This makes it different from other jobs, how?”
Point taken, Carter shrugged in agreement. “Not that our plans ever survive first contact anyway. But I think we should go now. Tricksy, you said they’re in the same hotel?”
“Same hotel, different wings, so they’re not close to each other,” she clarified.
Kyou seemed to think this was settled as he asked Ari and Ivan, “Who’s taking who?”
“I want Lewis,” Ari stated firmly.
Ivan pouted at Ari. “I want Lewis.”
Aiden gave him an odd look. “Why would you want Lewis? The man hasn’t done anything personally to you.”
“He’s more of a challenge to take out,” Ivan explained with a shrug.
Ari had his eyes on the ceiling, clearly praying for patience. “So how are we going to work this out?”
“Leg wrestle,” was Ivan’s bright idea.
Brannigan fully expected this to be shot down, but instead Ari set aside his plate and went straight toward the floor. Chuckling like a demented elf, Ivan promptly joined him.
To the older adults in the room, Kyou stated dryly, “I promise they’re not complete children. Evidence notwithstanding.”
Mattias looked at the two men with their legs earnestly locked, desperately trying to flip the other one, and there was laughter lurking at the corners of his mouth. “Let them have their fun. They have hard work waiting for them tonight.”
Personally, Brannigan thought they’d view getting rid of two dangerous thorns in their sides as a distinct pleasure. But he wasn’t about to say so. Aloud.
20
Kyou
Once again, Kyou had Brannigan sitting in the chair next to him. Remi insisted on helping out, so she was across from Kyou in her own chair, with her laptop and set-up. They’d rearranged things in Kyou’s apartment so that they had enough room to put all of the computers next to each other and still have room to seat the peanut gallery. She had Mattias and Deidra on either side of her. Both of them were invested in how this night went, of course, but they were also rather captivated by the ten-year-old who explained in no-nonsense terms how she was hacking into hotel security and piggy-backing on their video feeds.
Kyou trusted her to do that as he tried to keep his finger on everything else. He had a message prepped to put on Emura’s site for after they took both idiots down. But that was for later. He was watching everything else—the streets and entrances to the Genovese family homes, and their main businesses, his own apartment, and of course tracking Ivan and Ari’s progress as they ghosted across the street and onto the hotel’s grounds.
They were set up in Kyou’s apartment to give the men after them a red herring. Make it seem like a normal night, with family and friends over, and K supposedly none the wiser that he had a target on his head. It was something of a gamble, this target, but they needed to buy themselves a little time. And as Carter often mentioned, time was a very hard thing to buy.
Ari’s voice spoke into all of their ears. “Widow, status on target.”
“Target meeting with someone in the lobby; they’re trading suitcases,” she reported promptly. Ivan had lost the leg wrestling match, and he was in charge of Emura. Ari was a little smug at having Lewis.
“Sounds like prep to me; he’s buying supplies.” Carter gave a slight grunt. “Alright, I’m set. How are we doing, guys?”
“I am sad and upset that hotel windows are sealed and won’t open.” Ivan did sound thoroughly put out about that.
Kyou winked at Brannigan before teasing in a mock-worried voice, “Oh no, Eidolon. Does that mean you can’t get in?”
“I will do bad, bad things to you later for saying that.”
Kyou snickered. Ivan was so fun to tease sometimes. Especially now, when he was already miffed that he had to go for the ‘softer’ target.