Calculatingly Wise

48

Lydia's phone beeped and she said, "It worked."

"It's about time," Malia muttered, moving towards the door.

Tessa let out a bored sigh.

Scott placed a hand on Malia's wrist. "Wait."

Malia paused and said, "I hear them too."

"Hear what?" Lydia and Tessa asked.

"Heartbeats," Scott replied.

"How many?" Argent asked.

"Ten?"

"More," Malia said.

Tessa let out a frustrated sigh. "So, are we breaking in or not?"

"Not," Argent answered. "The armory should be empty now."

Malia shrugged. "We can take down a few hunters if we have to."

"We're dealing with a dozen well-armed hunters who have orders to kill you on sight."

Tessa smirked. "Well, it's lucky I can knock some out then."

Malia sighed. "How are we supposed to get inside?"

Argent cranked the SUV's engine, but Malia turned it off. "Gerard thinks we're gone. It's a good plan."

"It's our only plan," Lydia said.

Argent shook his head. "And it's not working."

"We can still do this," Malia told them optimistically. "Let's vote."

Scott nodded. "Guys, we just need to give Liam and Theo more time."

"We have ten minutes," Argent said. "Ten minutes before Gerard's people flag this vehicle. Once that happens, we'll be seen as a potential threat."

"Then what?" Malia asked.

"They'll pay us a visit."

Lydia touched the windshield, hearing screams, completely zoned out.

"Lydia?" Tessa called. "You all right?"

"Yeah," the strawberry blonde replied softly. "I think so."

Scott turned to Argent. "Brett and Lori are gone and Jiang and Tierney are still missing. Gerard's always one step ahead of us. We have to do this now."

Argent shook his head. "We're too exposed, Scott."

Malia frowned. "You said we had ten minutes."

Argent looked at his watch. "Nine."

Scott reached for the door, but Malia stopped him and locked his door. "What are you doing?"

Scott met her eyes. "I'm gonna lure them away so that we can get inside. We need a new plan."

"Not a dumb one."

"I'll bring the thermite charges."

"We need them for the armory."

Tessa rolled her eyes. "An explosion will buy you some time."

"But not enough to get in and out safely," Argent said.

Malia's eyes widened. "Guys... How about using the tunnels?"

Argent nodded. "We could get underneath the building, but we'd still need to sneak in undetected."

"How about the ventilation system?" Tessa suggested.

"Same problem."

"Guys, they're leaving!" Lydia told them, seeing three SUVs driving off.