Harper could never hurt Adam or Andrea again. We were getting our sister back. And Wallace Graham?
He was a dead man.
Just another name on a list we were going to check off.
No more enemies left to come at us from behind.
None.
Chapter
Eight
BODHI
Adam and Milo returned with a pair of Vandals to join us on the family excursion. Liam O’Connell and Vaughn Westbrook were excellent choices as backup. O’Connell because he knew all the players. Westbrook, on the other hand, was nearly six and a half feet of heavy, layered muscle decorated with tattoos.
He also had red hair which was utterly at odds with his genial nature. I didn’t have a problem with it, I’d never met a red-headed man that wasn’t an absolute barbarian when it came to fighting or madder than a goddamn hatter.
I approved of both. Since this ginger was relatively polite and easy-going the rest of the time? Fine by me. Always needed to watch out for the quiet ones.
Ezra came down before Lainey. The wet hair betrayed his shower. He’d gone for casual, and dark colored clothing. Solid plan. There would definitely be blood spilled.
“Liam,” Ezra said by way of greeting and the other man nodded. When Ezra glanced at me, I pointed to the coffee on the table. I’d made it for both him and Lainey…
There she was, and I enjoyed the time it took her to descend the stairs to just savor her appearance. From the neat braid of her hair to the careful tucking of her pants into her boots. Nothing in her appearance or her wardrobe betrayed our plans.
Except…
I canted my head to the side as she took the coffee.
“I know,” she murmured. “I need to get my gun. I wanted coffee first.”
That was part of it. “You need knives for your boots. We’re going to update your wardrobe before we leave.”
“You want the tags done now or after?” Vaughn asked. It was his first question since he arrived. That explained the case he’d brought with him. James, the doctor who ran with them, and Vaughn were both skilled at under the skin geo-tags.
“After,” Lainey said after taking a drink. “I don’t want any more delays. If one of us has a reaction, I’d rather not split us up.”
“Good points.” Adam agreed with her and Milo just gave her a long look before he nodded.
“Are you sure we all need to get chipped?” Ezra grimaced.
“Yes,” Lainey said firmly. “We’re all allowed our privacy, and I will never use the tracker unless we think you’re in danger. But too much has happened and we’re all going to feel better if we can find each other when it matters.”
No argument would survive against that reasoning. To give Ezra his due, he gave up the fight without even waging it. If we’d had to pin him down to tag him, we would have. Cooperation, however, was appreciated.
“Plan,” I said, taking over. “We’re splitting into two vehicles. Lainey B, you’re with me and Adam. Ezra, you’re with Milo and Liam. Vaughn, I’ll give you the option of choosing which team you go in with, but I want you to take the front door after we deal with external security.”
Ezra frowned. Yes, I was separating him from Lainey and Adam. With them, he was a distraction. Milo and Liam were more than capable of watching his back and he was less likely to engage in theatrical heroics for them.
It was a win for everyone.
For his part, Vaughn merely nodded. “Fine by me. How many are we expecting?”
The plan was relatively straightforward. Ezra had the security codes and he wrote it down for everyone. Adam knew the layout of most of the guard positions as well as where the main security office was.
“We’ll start there,” Milo said. It was where I’d wanted his team anyway. As much as I enjoyed removing security issues, it kept Ezra out of the direct line of fire with his most dangerous opponent.
Wallace Graham.
Lainey took a long drink of her coffee then studied the screen on the laptop. Wrapping an arm around her middle, I tugged her back to sit in my lap. It would let her study the layout for Harrows Park that I’d pulled up. She relaxed against me, though there was a tight litte frown where her brows drew together.
The house was a monster and it was parked on a very large tract of land. Strategically, it could be a fortress. The Grahams, however, had embraced entertaining and socializing instead of more intense security measures.
Still, they had a staff of more than forty for security and another twenty or so for the household itself, not counting groundskeepers and gardeners. Sixty some odd people who could get in the way…
“What if they have guests?” Lainey didn’t look at the screen anymore, she glanced at Ezra. “I know your mother begins preparing for the Daughters League this time of year.”
“She isn’t hosting,” Ezra said. “That honor went to the Mansfields of Bridgeport, so the ballroom will remain closed.”
That was good.
“There are too many variables to account for every single one. So we’re going in quiet. You three will hit the security office, close it down and make sure no one can signal law enforcement. Locking down the garages and the gates should be next.” We went over every aspect of the plan until it was time to move.
Plans always had to be fluid. It made life interesting and coordination like this survivable. Coffee finished, Lainey strapped on her shoulder holster and covered it with a jacket.
