“What about the FBI agent? He’ll be here, right?” Diesel nods. “Did you meet him the other night?” I inquire.
“Yes. He’s a good guy, and I believe him when he says he’s on our side. He was only assigned to this case eight months ago, which is a little unusual for a man who’s been an agent for less than four years. But I did some digging, and he graduated top of his class from Quantico, and he continues to impress his bosses, so they gave him a high-profile case in the hopes he would crack it.”
“Why didn’t he tell you Giana was recruited as an FBI informant?” Galen asks.
“There was a good reason for that, but I’m not at liberty to disclose it.”
I exchange suspicious looks with my husbands before clearing my throat and focusing on Diesel. “I thought we agreed to share everything? That we’re a team?”
“We are a team.” He lets his gaze fall on each one of us. “And I’ve told you things that could get me fired. This is political, and it doesn’t impact what we’re doing. If I felt you needed to know, I would tell you.”
I peer into his earnest eyes, and I believe him. The guys are all staring at me, letting me decide. “Okay. If you say we don’t need to know, we don’t need to know.”
His shoulders relax in obvious relief. “Thank you.”
“Anything else?” Saint glances at the time on his cell.
“Let me do most of the talking, and only speak if you’re asked a direct question.”
“Then why the fuck are we here?” Caz asks, checking his weapon.
“You’re here because I insisted you play a part, but that doesn’t mean any of these people trust you or respect you.”
“Wow. That’s reassuring,” Galen snarks, twiddling his brow ring.
“I’m telling you how it is.” Diesel’s tone brooks no argument. “You’re all members of the very organization we are trying to take down.”
“We’re fucking helping you do it,” Saint barks, glaring daggers at Diesel like this is his fault.
“And that is how I secured your presence here and got overall agreement. But you are still kids, and—”
“We’re fucking eighteen,” Saint hisses, leaning forward in his seat. He jabs his finger at Diesel. “We’re adults, not kids.”
“Galen is only seventeen,” Diesel reminds us. “And it wasn’t meant as an insult.” He stabs Saint with a serious look. “I know your value. I know you are not like normal eighteen-year-olds. I know you are all razor-sharp and that your reasons for taking The Sainthood down are legit and why. I trust you.” Tension splinters the air. “I trust all of you, but that’s because I’m around you and I’ve learned to trust you.”
That statement is fucking monumental, and I could kiss Diesel for his loyalty.
“Thank you,” Theo says. “And we trust you too.”
Diesel’s eyes lift in challenge, pinning in one obvious direction.
“We do,” Saint agrees after a few silent beats. “Because you’ve proven that to us too.”
“Can I just say how fucking proud I am of all of you.” I beam like a gratified Mother Hen. “And you’ve no idea how happy it makes me that you’re all getting on.”
“Don’t throw a party yet,” Saint drawls. “We won’t be holding hands and singing “Kumbaya” around the campfire anytime soon.”
“Challenge accepted.” I fold my arms and purse my lips, fighting a smile.
“Entertaining as this is, we need to move our asses,” Diesel says, dropping his arms and straightening up. “And don’t bother carrying weapons. They’ll just confiscate them.”
Saint is grumbling over the no-weapons order as we stash our guns and knives in the trunk.
“Don’t worry, dude,” Caz says, cracking his knuckles and flexing his biceps. “This body is the best weapon known to man. I’m all you need.”
Saint rolls his eyes, a hint of a smile threatening his lips.
We trail Diesel into the hardware store, following him as he crosses the room toward the single door at the rear. He punches in a code on the keypad, and we walk through the door in single file, moving along a narrow corridor and down three flights of stairs.
A man wearing military fatigues with a rifle strapped across his shoulder escorts us into the underground facility hidden beneath the industrial park. It’s massive down here, and we go through various security checkpoints before we’re escorted, on electronic carts, to a conference room where the others are waiting.
A deathly hush descends on the room as everyone stops talking when we enter. My fingers curl around my necklace, in what I hope is a natural nervous gesture, and I subtly press down on it to activate the recording software.
Diesel introduces us to the men sitting around the table, before we claim seats alongside Howie. Bryant isn’t here because Howie insisted his brother stay away. VERO, Homeland Security, and the FBI aren’t aware of his involvement, and we all agreed it was safer to keep him out of this. We’ll update him after the meeting has ended, so he’s still in the loop.
“On behalf of my boss, I would like to thank you for returning the missing intelligence files to Homeland Security,” a small, thin man with a mop of dark reddish-brown hair says, opening the conversation.
We nod, as a group, in acknowledgment.
“The purpose of today’s meeting is to plan operations for the party on Saturday night,” a tall man with wavy brown hair says. Diesel introduced him as the head of VERO and his boss. We were only given job titles. No names. To protect the privacy of these important pricks. “We will need details of the security systems on the property in Thornton Heights so our people can deactivate it to gain entry.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Diesel says. “Theo will handle it securely and safely from inside the house.” He jerks his head at Theo, urging him to speak.
“I’ll disable the exterior cameras, to mask your presence, while leaving the interior ones active to record proceedings. I’ll deactivate the security system when you are en route, and Diesel will provide the codes to access the front gate and the entrance doors.”
Sinner has upped security at Galen’s house in the past few weeks, but there isn’t much Theo can’t do, and it took him less than three minutes to hack into the system last night and get everything he needs to ensure this happens smoothly.
“What is the stated objective of the operation?” the FBI representative asks. He’s the youngest person in the room, besides us, but Diesel did say he’s a relatively new FBI agent so it’s not all that surprising.
“The objective is to take Sinner ‘Neo’ Lennox and the board of The Sainthood down. To force the organization to its knees. To stop the supply of drugs and illegal weapons on the streets. To halt his sex trafficking plans,” Diesel’s boss says, confirming he’s up to date on his intel.
“How do you see this going down?” Saint asks, earning a warning look from Diesel.
“We will surround the property while the party is in full swing and wait for the right time to intervene and arrest them.”