Their Property (Four Mercenaries 3) - Page 55
“On Tyrone’s phone, I found the number of a guy I used to know back in the army. I always thought he was an asshole, but we did get on just fine, so I met up with him today, pretending I’m desperate for a well-paying job, and asked him if there was anything he could hook me up with. Turns out my friend Ben not only knows Apollo but works for him. And there’s an opening for the right man.”
Drake froze, and the plate in his hand trembled briefly until he put it down “No.”
Clover’s gaze pierced Tank with even more intensity. He dug his fingers into Tank’s flesh, as if it were an attempt to keep him in place. “The guy’s a monster. You can’t do it. What if he finds out who you are?”
Tank expected this reaction, so he squared his shoulders and exhaled. “That’s why we need to put him down.” His gaze darted to Boar and Pyro, who rose from his horizontal position and blinked at Tank.
“Damn, that’s bold. What if they make you torture someone?”
“I will take things as they come,” Tank said. “Ben told me they need to train someone up for a security job, so I doubt torture is included, but I’m sure some shit will go down. There’s always risk, but out of all of us, I am the only one Apollo doesn’t know. He’s seen Clover, Drake, and Boar, and one look at Pyro, and he’ll know by description that you were the one to cause mayhem at Boar’s last fight. Besides, Ben’s only offering the job to me, because he knows me, so he’ll vouch for me.” He bit into the brat and smiled at Drake, but the man wouldn’t even glance his way.
Clover tightened the grip on Tank’s arm, and his pretty face remained tense. “You have to promise you’ll get out of there if things get too tough. How would you even kill him with all the bodyguards?” he asked, clearly realizing Tank’s idea made sense, even if he didn’t like it
Tank shrugged. “I need to see how close I can get first. Then, we’ll see. Poison would be the safest way to go about it, I think.”
“Maybe something that would look like death from natural causes?” Boar pondered. “To avoid another manhunt on our backs.”
“Like what? Something that gives him a heart attack?” Pyro grumbled.
Tank raised his eyebrows at Drake, who still watched the fire in silence. “I’ll call it lovejuice in my texts. See if you can acquire something like it. But it will probably be a while before I’m close enough to use it on him.”
Drake rubbed his face. “Lovejuice? This isn’t a joke, Tank.”
“You can call it the Spanish fly, or whatever. Let’s make it sound like some kind of aphrodisiac, so it’s not suspicious, if someone were to read my texts.”
“Fine. I hope he dies in agony,” Drake snapped, crossing his arms on his chest.
“You’re set on it, Tank” Boar said rather than asked, his hands closed on an empty glass.
“I am,” Tank confirmed. He knew it was a lot to take in, but if he was to keep Clover safe, to keep all of them safe, risk couldn’t be avoided. “I’ll keep my head low. That’s a promise.”
“How will we communicate?” Drake asked after a prolonged silence. His gaze shone with anger, but at least he was getting on board with the plan.
“Through Cindy’s phone,” he said and took a small cell out of his pocket before handing it to Drake. “It’s registered to a woman, and we’ll flirt. Let’s use the code from the cemetery job three years ago.”
Drake huffed, squeezing the device. “Only if you actually stick to it, not sext to me because you’re bored.”
Clover shifted into Tank’s lap, hugging him tightly. “You can sext to me.” But Clover wasn’t laughing, just put his head on Tank’s shoulder with a sigh.
So it was settled.
Tank exhaled with relief and put his arm around Clover’s warm body. Drake cut the sausage for them, so Tank could easily feed both himself and the boy bite-sized pieces. They talked through some details and possibilities during the meal, but it was obvious that no detailed plans could be made before he was on the inside. So the conversation turned to mundane topics, and for once, Tank even allowed himself dessert, because, hell, how was he to know when he’d get to have s’mores with friends again?
The atmosphere gradually got back to normal, but when Tank announced he’d be leaving around midnight, Clover let out the most heartbreaking “no” and held on to his hoodie as if it could have made him stay.
“I know, but I can’t look like I’ve got better shit to do. From now on, I’ve got to be at Ben’s beck and call.”
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