The Squad

My phone beeped, and I looked down at the screen. Speaking of which. I’d put someone to do some research on whatever it is that Catalina has me doing for her, and the answer was now coming through in text. She hadn’t given me much more than a name and a location for the pickup, but that was enough to get the ball rolling.

In the room around me, the men were going over plans for the next few days. Lyon was adamant that he would have the information out of Roxana by then, and I’d already got the specs on the place on the Hudson so that we could synchronize a hit.

It hadn’t been hard because the idiots, either to be funny or in a show of arrogance, had chosen to use a place that had been used for the same vice in history. The house, or rather mansion, was on the historical society list, which meant getting the blueprints and other pertinent information had been a breeze.

It’s also a known fact that a lot of these homes that were built by the wealthy during a certain time period in the country’s history had a lot of hidden pockets that didn’t show up on paper. I have the historical research team working on that as we speak. Since this place is so close to the water, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was an underground network of some kind running from the mansion to the river.

Since the SEALs had run into something similar a while back, plus the fact that they are trained to combat anything in water, they’ll be taking point on this one most likely. Half the team will be heading to New York, while the other half will be going to the town Roxana had escaped from. It’s been decided that those are the only two we’ll be hitting this time unless we find other locations that are deeply connected.

With this many eyes and ears working on the job, it was coming together rather smoothly, and once Jace and his crew arrive, we’ll set about doing our first job together with the entire team reunited for the first time in centuries. The old guard, including Flanagan’s grandfather, uncle Mallory, and the Rossi brothers, will be here by then and will be left to look after the women, along with Lyon’s father and father-in-law. There will be one more guest joining them, but it’s left to be seen how he’d fit in here.

I’m being pulled in six different directions, and I still haven’t the slightest clue what my wife is up to. Now that she knows I’m onto her, I have no doubt that she’s going to be even sneakier than usual, which means I’m going to have to stay ten steps ahead of her and her sidekicks. A look at my watch showed that it was almost time for daddy duty. Each day us men take over care of the kids so that the women can have a breather, but now I’m rethinking that shit since it seems like they’re using that time for more than hanging out by the water.

For now, though, I have other things on my mind, like a little three and a half foot tall angel who left me stymied once again. Her mind is beyond even me, and I’ve seen some of the best in action. I wish now that I’d listened to Lyon all those times he’d tried to warn me about her.

It’s not that I’ve not been around genius kids before; I have. But I’ve not come across one as crafty as this one. She drew me in with her innocence, something I now know she uses like a weapon. But how she learned that shit is a mystery. If it came naturally, which I’m beginning to suspect it did, then we’re in deep shit.

I’ve never run away from a challenge, however, so this promises to be fun. I went in search of her, having a pretty good idea where to find her this time of day, her and her partner in crime. If their fathers knew what they were up to, I’d never hear the end of it. No one would believe I didn’t put them up to this shit.

Their security detail heard me coming from her spot in the hedges and turned around to face me. “Oh, hi sir, it’s you.”

“How’re they doing?”

“See for yourself.” She stepped aside so I could see through the hole she’d made in the hedge.

Beyond was a clearing where Flanagan’s kid was teaching Catalina how to shoot a bow and arrow, but that’s not all they were doing. “When did they start doing that?”

“Today, and I’ve had ten heart attacks already. You said not to approach, so…”

“No-no, it’s okay. I have a feeling if they knew you were here, they’d either act different or lose you.” I watched from my hiding place as the two girls rode at breakneck speed on two of the thoroughbreds from the stables. When Lily stood on the bare back of her horse, and Catalina followed suit, both with arrows notched and aimed at the dummies my people use for training, I felt my knees give out.