REUNITED ~ STEVE ROGERS [4]

Chapter Twelve

It took me 30 seconds to find the camera facing the balcony entrance, but I was just in time to see Klaue and his men walk into the casino.

"Klaue plus eight!" Nakia said frantically into the comms, as if I had not just warned them moments before.

"Yes, Nakia, very observant." I rolled my eyes and shuffled where I was sitting, my hip aching and my arm pressed against my still tender ribs. The Korean woman kept staring at me with an eerie smile, eyes unblinking. It unnerved me, and I took it as a warning.

Agent Ross moved away from my brother and towards another table, while T'Challa turned his back to the balcony to avoid being seen.

"General." He said under his breath.

"In position to secure our exit." Okoye replied, taking her place on the upper level with a view of all the tables below.

"And the vibranium." T'Challa added. I swiped through and saw Nakia move from the bar to the table T'Challa had been at just before. She left her drink at the bar, and my eyes stared at it for a little longer than was necessary. I had a flask hidden away in the inside pocket of my jacket filled with whiskey, and it took all of my strength not to take it out have a drink right then and there. But bigger things were at stake other than my increasing alcoholism, so I turned my eyes from the drink and onto the cameras. Two burly men took places on either side of Okoye on the balcony, paying no attention her, but rather scanning the patrons below.

"I thought there were no weapons allowed in here." Okoye noted, scanning the men up and down.

"The rules here don't apply to Klaue and his men, they walked right in and no one stopped them." I said, flicking my eyes up to find the Korean woman gone, her chair empty. I looked around, but I couldn't see much except the entrance to the casino from my vantage point, so gave up trying with a knot of worry in my stomach.

"Klaue is coming down the stairs now." Klaue, flanked by two of his men sauntered down the stairs, while the rest of his men spread out amongst the craps tables. T'Challa kept his face down. I felt a pang in my chest, but I ignored it. This was no time to get sentimental or reminiscent.

Klaue made his way over to Klaue and starting talking to him. I couldn't hear Ross' reply, he must have turned off his comms device. Klaue put his hand on Ross' shoulder and rubbed it like they were old friends. Ross was clearly uncomfortable and it made me laugh out loud.

I stopped laughing when I saw at least six more toughs come wandering out from the VIP rooms, mingling amongst the tables. I was thinking it even before Nakia said it.

"Six more. It's a set up."

A young man, clearly CIA, strode over to Ross with a silver briefcase, obviously carrying something valuable for the trade and meant to carry back the vibranium.

"We need to make a move on Klaue." Nakia was getting impatient, her leg tapping against the corner of the table.

"If case you didn't notice, there are at least 14 armed men in here. Going after him now is a bad move." I said, eyes flickering around in the semi-darkness.

"I agree. Stand down, we can't afford a shootout." From what I could see in the camera, T'Challa was on edge. His shoulders were tense, muscles straining. I too, was on edge, my arm throbbing in its cast and there was a stone in the pit of my stomach. All I really wanted to do was call Steve. Hear his voice, hear him say my name. But that wasn't going to be helpful right now. I needed to focus. I went back to the cameras.

I was just in time to see Klaue pull out a wrinkled, sweaty package from his pants, the word 'fragile' scrawled across it. I scowled.

Just as quickly as Klaue pulled the package out from his pants, Nakia rose from her seat at the bar.