REESE

chapter forty.

There was a pause, then finally a reply.

"Je suis ici sur les ordres de Don. Il a envoyé un avis. Il souhaite une livraison livrée à l'entrepôt de Dijon dans les plus brefs délais." (I'm here on Don's orders. He sent out a notice. He wants a shipment delivered to the warehouse in Dijon as soon as possible).

Tommaso's voice was weak, afraid. Mauro drew in a deep breath.

"Quel préavis?" The French soldier questioned, his tone turning accusatory. "Je n'ai été informé d'aucun avis de Don concernant une expédition ce soir." (What notice? I was not informed of any notice from Don regarding a shipment tonight).

"Don a insisté sur la plus grande discrétion. Il voulait que personne ne le sache. Quelque chose à propos du trèfle qui regarde? (Don emphasized the utmost discretion. He didn't want anyone to know. Something about the clover watching?)

I nodded my head. "Good Tommaso, keep it up."

"Montrez-moi la notice." (Show me the notice).

Silence came down the line as Mauro and I waited for Tommaso to respond. One second went by, then two, then three, then five, then ten.

I spoke too soon.

"Mr. Fiore." Mauro warned. "Give him a response."

Another beat of silence. Nothing.

"Tu as une putain d'attaque, Fiore? Montrez-moi la notice maintenant." The French soldier was now raising his voice, but there was still complete radio silence on Tommaso's end. (Are you having a fucking stroke, Fiore? Show me the notice now).

"Mr. Fiore." Mauro tried again, now whisper-yelling. "Answer him." He was frantically trying and failing to get Tommaso to engage.

Goddamn it.

There was nothing. The Italian truck driver had completely frozen up.

I clenched my jaw, trying to subdue the rising panic in my chest. "You're absolutely fucking useless, Fiore." I scowled, gesturing for my team to rise. "Do you hear me? Absolutely fucking useless." I gripped my gun tighter in my hands. "Mauro launch plan B."

"Yes, ma'am." He replied frustratedly, glaring at a shell-shocked Tommaso who was now getting yelled at by the French soldier, through his screens. "Teams five and six under the command of Miss Vanderbilt and Mr Rutherford." Mauro spoke directly into everyone's comms. "We are launching Plan B, move into your positions now."

"Bloody hell." Carver's displeasure rang clearly in everyone's ears. I shared the sentiment.

My team moved to the side walls of the trailer, getting into position and checking the chambers of their guns one last time. I started to make my way over to join my soldiers but Mauro silently waved his hand in the air, making me pause in my steps. He lifted up his tablet that showed the exact locations of where the raid's comm audio was being broadcast to. I took the tablet from him, immediately understanding what he was trying to tell me.

The United States, England, and Italy were all listening in on our audio and were going to watch a live feed produced by the cameras Mauro was currently hacking into. Our empires at home could hear and see everything.

Nervous electricity strummed through my veins. I handed Mauro the tablet back and rolled my shoulders forward, trying to release some of the tension in my muscles.

"Everybody listen up." The audio feed went silent at my command. "Forty-five minutes. Forty-five minutes to get twenty tons of narcotics loaded into these trailers, to get the yacht cleared out, and then to bring it down. You all know your jobs, you know what you're here for, and what you need to do. Relax and do it." Moving beside my soldiers I watched as a section of the trailer floor opened up, exposing Conex's cement floor. "I don't care who is on that goddamn yacht, I don't want any hesitation. You shoot immediately and you shoot to kill. Does everyone hear me? Shoot. To. Kill."