Leith had brought in all the stuff I brought from my house, including the weapons that hadn’t been stolen from my bag like my phone. He’d carefully laid them out, which gave me a good idea of what I could take. It took me another two hours to get any sleep. When I woke up, I knew exactly what weapons I was taking with me to kill Sinclair.
I also knew exactly what my plan would be.
26
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Don’t forget anything!” I called out as I loaded the SUV Cassius pointed out. It was ten at night, and we had an hour's drive to the meetup point. We were pressed for time, in my opinion. I wanted us there early, able to get a feel for the location.
I had barely slept, but anticipation was keeping me anxious, and I was already prepared for the night.
On my back was my talwar, a piece of home and heritage I couldn’t part with. At my waist was the katana I had been given decades ago by a friend. It comforted me, reminding me I was trained for deadly nights like the one I was about to face. Along my belt were throwing knives and shuriken, carefully treated with my venom. It would take more than a small scratch for it to work, but it was insurance if I got a good hit that wasn’t fatal. On my left thigh was a large hunting knife and on my right thigh, my Beretta. In the SUV, under my seat, was an M4.
It was a small armory.
“Do you have enough weapons?” I turned to see Raphael, wearing thick black jeans and a dark red shirt, almost maroon, topped off with that leather jacket. His eyes were the perfect, medium shade of brown, not the unearthly red, so I took my chances to be a bit playful with him instead of annoyed.
“You never know when an ex might show up to a party.” I shrugged, giving him an innocent smile.
“That’s worrisome,” Cassius muttered, walking around our giant not-human charge. “But to answer your question, Raphael, no, she probably doesn’t think she has enough weapons.”
“I could also get those fancy boots with daggers in them,” I pondered. “Maybe I could start wearing long sleeves and use my arms more. There’s a lot of real estate to carry more.”
Raphael started to chuckle. In all honesty, the mood was terribly light for the night ahead. For me, it was a point of habit. I didn’t like getting stressed out when I had so many sharp objects. The job was the job, and I did my best to survive the world I lived in. So far, my record was going fairly well, and I wasn’t too worried.
Unless tonight goes completely sideways, this should be fine. Not easy, but fine.
“It’s probably going to go sideways,” I mumbled to myself. “Just have to stay positive.”
“What?” Raphael was still standing there, giving me an odd expression.
“Get in the car,” I ordered, ignoring his question. He didn’t need to hear my internal thoughts.
Though it might be a good idea not to voice them out loud. I’m not alone in my own house.
The three of us piled in, and Cassius pulled out of the garage.
“Does everyone have what they want for tonight?” he asked, his hand hovering over the garage door button.
“I’m ready,” I answered.
“Let’s get your friend back,” Raphael said confidently. I was glad to see he wasn’t freaking out. If he stayed calm, everything would go smoother. If he started freaking out, that would be bad. I didn’t think he would freeze, but I was a little worried he would hesitate at a bad time.
Hopefully, he can channel that kill-or-be-killed attitude he had when I met him…when he tried to shoot me. Maybe he’ll go hard tonight and let the Catholic guilt eat him alive tomorrow when it’s all said and done. He seems to know what’s necessary at the moment, even if he’ll have a problem with it afterwards.
Cassius nodded and closed the garage. Leith waved at us as the door closed. I knew Annie-Lyn and Terry were camping out inside, waiting for morning.
“Cassius, a couple of questions,” I said as we started driving. “I know it’s something you don’t really talk about, but can you take people when you shadow step?”
His face went from calm to severe in a blink of an eye.
“I’m not in the habit of shadow stepping,” he snapped. “You know that.”