𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐘 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐄

ꜱᴇᴠᴇɴᴛʏ

𝗙ranki hopped out of the hidden van and opened the second door slowly so as to not give away their position. Blaine, Jase, Kaedyn, and Taryn slipped out just as quietly, following her into the line of woods off to the side of the warehouse. Maverick stayed put in the vehicle; he would once again be their eyes and ears on the outside.

The other five, Rayne, Rueben, Isaac, Mason, and Kai popped out of the second van hidden even further back. Dressed in all black, the entirety of them easily secluded themselves under the low-hanging clouds threatening to spill water. And just as the final first steps were put together, Auden and Jonah each opened the driver's doors, making their last-minute presence evident.

"Shouldn't you have stayed home to watch after the girls?" she heard Rueben ask his cousin.

"Not if Asher is inside—he's ours."

"And the girls can take care of themselves," Auden added.

"Copy that."

Franki turned to face Rueben and his group as the other four on her team flattened their backs to the trees. Having understood the situation better than anyone, she watched with diligent eyes and listened with heavy ears as he explained what they needed to do and how to do it.

The most important fact was never to be left alone. No matter what happens inside, no one should find themselves alone—they would lose if they didn't have each other's backs. It was simple enough, considering this group was family; hell would pour on them before betrayal occurred.

"There's two floors, a basement, and a handful of rooms on each level, so it's a little different compared to Spain," Rueben began, looking around the group, "On one side of the building there is a lake, so pay attention to your surroundings and don't let them use that to their advantage. As far as we know, there's the main guard, Enzo, and two unnamed bosses. I'm sure they have an army on standby to distract us, but let it be known that our main targets are finding out who has been attacking us."

"Secondly," Isaac took over, crossing his arms, "Matteo Miller is lingering somewhere in this building. Thanks to the Alveréz twins' undercover operation, we know he's on one of the lower floors. The basement is only made up of one room and they gave Matteo a way to get out on his own. However, if the end of the mission is coming up, the goal is search and rescue. We are not leaving without him."

"Similarly," Mason finished up, "Lilliana Torres's life is still up in the air. We know that her body was not the one from before, but we don't know if she's alive regardless. Understanding that, keep your eyes peeled. We don't believe that they've shown all their cards yet."

Signaling that they understood well enough, each of them placed their wires in their ears. The connection to Maverick was instantly sealed; he confirmed their acknowledgments.

"Get with your partners."

Franki moved around the tree fast, making eye contact with hers.

Jase was fiddling with his wire, trying to keep it from falling out as she stopped. His puppy-dog eyes looked bright under this dull setting—brown and warm.