Buttons and Grace (Buttons 6)

“Why would he have us deliver them to France if he brought them back to Italy?”

“No idea. But I don’t know what else he would be keeping. I doubt two different clans of criminals are working in such close proximity to each other. Also…” He pulled up another image. “I dug this up from government records. The compound is being bought by a hotel company.”

“I saw the same thing.”

“But if you look at the deed of trust…it has Tristan’s name on it.”

My heart fell into my stomach. “Shit.”

“So, he owns all of this. I doubt he’s renting it out to someone.”

“Fuck.”

“So we’re up against at least a hundred men…all of whom are heavily armed.”

I had to sit down because the news was depressing. It was a blow to the head, chest, and heart. My brother wasn’t surrounded by a few dozen men. Tristan outnumbered us ten to one.

I didn’t like those odds.

“You know I’d do anything for Crow, but this is a suicide mission.”

I couldn’t deny that.

“Our only option is to bomb the entire place, but that would be counterproductive since Crow wouldn’t survive either.”

I stared at the screen and tried to search for an answer to my problem. Doing nothing wasn’t an option. Even if I died, I had to try to get Crow out of there. I would never forgive myself for turning the other cheek. And Pearl wouldn’t forgive me either.

“I don’t see a way around this,” Bran said. “It will take weeks to find enough men to pull this off.”

“I know…”

“I can probably pinpoint Crow’s location and we could attempt to sneak in, but it looks like he has guards posted all over the place.”

“Yeah.”

“You got any ideas?”

I dragged my hands down my face and cupped my mouth. “No.”

“Well, you better think of something quick. We only have a few hours until they figure out Crow is lying. And Tristan will definitely kill him, then.”

I covered my face and tried not to give in to the panic. “I know.”

* * *

I made a few phone calls and tried to round up as many men as I could, but I only managed to pick up a few dozen. I was still down by half, and that wasn’t enough to storm the compound. These men would lay down their lives if they thought they had good odds, but in this case, it was still a mission doomed to fail.

I might have to go in there alone.

I was at a stalemate and didn’t know what to do. The person I would normally turn to was Crow, but he wasn’t there. I called Crewe Donoghue, a friend of ours in Scotland, but he didn’t have enough time to send me the aid I needed.

I was screwed.

I was running out of time but had no idea what to do next. I called Adelina, needing someone to talk to. She wasn’t my first pick, but at least she was someone. Pearl wasn’t an option. If I told her about our problem, she would have a meltdown.

“Is everything over?” Adelina asked the second our lines were connected. “Is he okay?”

“I haven’t moved in yet. I know where he’s at, but Tristan’s got at least a hundred men in the compound and unlimited ammunition. I don’t know what to do. I’ve commissioned as many men as possible, but it’s still not enough…” I leaned against the wall of the alleyway and stared at the puddle of water sitting at my feet. “I’ll go in alone if I have to, but that’s not going to end well. We’ll both be dead.”

“Please don’t say that,” she whispered.

I didn’t care about sparing her feelings. This was reality. This was the truth. I’d thought getting Crow out of there would be simple. I thought we’d already be done by now. But now that seemed impossible. “I’ve never been so scared…”

“What does Pearl think?”

“I can’t call her.”

“Why not?” she asked. “She has no idea what’s going on?”

“No. She’s the one who told me to pretend to hand her over. It was a good idea. But now she thinks I’m moving in to get him at this very moment. I can’t call her and tell her there’s no hope. I can’t listen to that woman cry…especially since she never cries.”

“Cane, this is too important to keep her in the dark. You can’t spare her feelings. If Crow dies, she’s going to feel all that pain anyway.”

“I’d rather protect her for as long as possible…”

“She gave you that idea. Maybe she can help you find a solution.”

“Pearl is smart, but she’s not a criminal mastermind.”

“You need to give her more credit. I know exactly what she went through, and neither one of us is weaker because of it. We are stronger, more powerful. We both have experience you lack. She might have something to offer.”