don’t fall asleep and fall out. Quit worrying, I’ve done longer stakeouts before. This’ll be cake.”
“Alright, but you check in with a call or text every fifteen minutes. If anybody gets close, you shoot to kill and get on your bike.”
Groaning, I rolled over on top of him and rested my chin on his chest. “Aye aye… You trust me, right?”
He smiled and brushed my hair away from my face. “You know I do. Doesn’t mean I don’t worry. I never wanted you to deal with this side of the life, you’ve seen enough ugliness.”
“And I’m still standing, aren’t I?”
“How are you so fucking tough?” he asked.
“I have you to catch me.” I stretched my head up and kissed him, savoring the moment like it would be our last. Despite the confidence I was trying to project, there was always the possibility of something going wrong. But I wasn’t about to let my mind go there. Besides, there really wasn’t anything to fear, death certainly didn’t make the cut on my list of worries anymore. I’d finally gotten to live, I’d been given the gift of experiencing the kind of love that some people went their entire lives without. So, whether the Reaper caught up to me in a few hours or years, I would go out a happy woman, the happiest I could ever imagine being.
“I love the shit out of you, Livia,” he said. “It’s you ‘til I die.”
Those were our words, the same ones engraved inside both of our wedding rings. He’d said them the night he claimed me, the evening he married me, and now the afternoon leading to us becoming the very definition of a team.
We had this.
“I love you too, Torch. It’s you ‘til I die.”
: 26 :
| TORCH |
Within minutes of the brigade pulling up to their predetermined command post spot—hidden from view of the compound by shrubbery and trees—Liv zipped over from her recon location and joined them. Hench, Tyke, Lump, Tank, and Bird had come in from other sides on their ATV’s. They were already earpieced and armed, including with the tranquilizer rifles. The Kansas City boys were surrounding the perimeter.
“There’s eleven guys inside,” Liv said, getting straight to business. “They started in the main building but I think they lost power from the generators because the lights went out. It must’ve gotten too hot, they brought lanterns and chairs outside after that.”
“Fuck, so much for trying to surprise and trap them in the building,” Torch muttered. “Grimm, Mace, and Gauge, start unloading the box van so the drone guys—”
“And girl,” she cut in.
“Really? Today?” he huffed. “Fine, so the drone guys and bossy ass girl can set up.”
She grinned and squeezed his waist.
“Is my old man still in there?” he asked.
“Yeah, Scully too.”
“Good.” He yelled out, “Okay, listen up… We only have eleven to deal with, as long as we surprise and contain them quick, they won’t have time to scatter all over the property. We drug the dogs, KC guys go over the fence and start making their way in from all directions, then we go in through the front gates and disperse to close them in tighter. Keep your earpieces on mute unless you need backup or have vital info, otherwise shit’s gonna get disorienting. The drones are marked with colored tape on the bottom, it corresponds to who’s operating it. If you need one and it’s close, say the color and location so the right person can get to you.”
The boys nodded their understanding and went to work gearing up, while Liv walked over to the back of the box van. It had now been emptied of guns and drones and would act as a command post. She did her thing, helping Biff set up all the laptops on the back lift. His old lady would handle dropping the dog food and then switch to an armed drone, joining Biff, Monk, and Retro in manning them.
Torch followed suit and grabbed two Kevlar vests, one of which he handed to her. “Put it on,” he demanded.
They rarely wore tactical shit and had the militia outnumbered, but those fuckers didn’t mess around. They probably had machine guns and grenades hidden in every corner of the compound. The more the club’s members—and Liv—could protect themselves, the better. Torch had no intention of dying for a worthless cause.
“I will,” she mumbled, busy typing away and staring at her computer screen.
He shook his head, glad she was focused but still questioning himself