Page 128 of Fly's Path

Flew in a private jet without a flight plan…check.

Flew under the radar…the thought of that makes me a little queasy…check.

Landing in a plane at night without the lights on…gulp…check.

Spent four hours making a plan of attack with Vex...check.

Watch a crazy man plan a brilliant attack…check.

Not die…I really wish I could check that one off.

The vans we acquired for this op from a rental agency that thinks it rented out to a church group for the day were waitingfor us two blocks from the airport and are now parked a block from where we’re standing.

Everett took care of all the cameras and the ‘paperwork’. That kid could be a menace.

“Everyone remember their jobs?” Vex asks over the group mic.

A roll call of yeses streams through.

“Switch over to the main channel and remain radio silent unless something goes wrong.” Vex flips his channel. “Team Blue, in position and ready to go.”

“Red, ready,” Maddox says.

“Silver, ready,” Max checks in.

“Green, good to go.” Taylor sounds way too cheerful.

“Black, ready,” Jacko says.

Most of Chaos is spread between Jacko and Maddox’s team. They just have way more experience than we do running ops like this. All of us can hit the target we aim at, but an op this complex we gladly left to the professionals.

“Lights going out at all facilities in five…four…three…two…dark”

The entire block goes dark.

Vex turns to me and whispers, “You ready?”

To die? Um, no. “Sure.”

“If something goes wrong, stay behind me. And if it goes sideways, chuck a few of these.” He holds out two hand grenades likes they’re party favors. “Do you know how to use them?”

A two-year-old knows how to use them. Pull the pin and throw it far, far, far away from you, then duck and pray. “Yeah.”

“Let’s hope we don’t need to use them.”

Wait. “All of this wasn’t so that you could kill me?” I follow the surprisingly quiet man, considering just how many weapons he’s carrying through the alleyway.

He glances my way, briefly confused. “Why would I do that? If I wanted you dead, I’d just kill you.”

“Because it would upset your wife?”

Vex laughs silently. “There wouldn’t be a body or witnesses if I killed you. She’d never know.”

“Oh.”

“This was so I could keep an eye on you. And you seem smart and quick, neither of which is a bad skill to have if things go sideways.”

He wanted to protect me?