Page 95 of Love Bomb

But, they also had four thousand kids and were so happy they made people vomit. Whatever worked for them, he guessed.

“That gets rid of Grunt, but it still leaves the rest of the guards,” Bain said. “My brothers did some recon last night, but unfortunately that’s useless because they’ve added to their numbers.”

“Aye,” Kade said, munching his way through the biscuits he’d bought. “We enjoyed spending a night in a cold, empty church, in the middle of winter, for no reason whatsoever.”

Everybody ignored him.

“Anyway,” Bain said. “There should now be four guards posted at the folly, instead of two.”

“I also learned that they will all be male,” Kirsty said. “Which, you know, might be useful information to have.”

Bain wasn’t sure how. “We need some ideas for getting rid of the guards,” he said. “And once they’re gone, we have to set up a perimeter around the folly, to ensure no one goes near it while I bring it down. I don’t want someone wandering into the blast zone.” He stared them down. “I’m very serious about this. Once the charges are set, and we’re getting ready to blow the folly, everyone needs to get behind the perimeter. Are we clear on this?”

“Yes, Bain,” was the murmured reply.

“And we need to ensure that no Benson Security guards go near the folly once the charges are in place,” he reiterated because he knew these people, and saying things once was no guarantee it’d sink in. “I’ll detonate the explosives manually when we’re all far away from the folly. And I’ll abort the whole thing if anybody behaves recklessly, or goes anywhere near the explosives.”

Everyone nodded solemnly.

“Rona,” he said, hoping like hell she got the message. “I’m serious about this. The explosives are dangerous. I don’t want anyone in, or near, the folly while I’m working. And definitely not afterward when we’re getting ready for detonation. Do you understand?”

“Of course, I do, Bain.” She gave him what, he assumed, was a reassuring smile. “You’re the boss on this one.”

If only he believed her. Bain made a mental note to assign Conall to watch her like a hawk.

“We’ve got it, son,” Dougal said. “You can trust us. Now, how much time do you need to set everything up?”

“At least an hour in the folly,” Bain emphasized. “And about another fifteen minutes to get everyone clear and ensure the site is safe before we blow it.”

“Over an hour?” Dougal said. “That’s a long time.” He looked at his wife. “We’d best bring snacks and set up a waiting room in the church. We don’t want anyone getting bored and doing something stupid.”

“Light snacks,” Margaret amended. “We don’t want to mess with our digestion in the middle of the night.”

“Maybe some finger sandwiches,” Shona, one of the original members of Knit or Die, said. “Or scones.”

This was getting out of hand.

“Could we postpone decisions on snacks until after we’ve come up with a way to get rid of the guards?” Bain said.

“Yes, yes,” Dougal said. “You heard the man. Back on track, everyone. How do we remove the guards from the equation?”

Bain got the impression that if Dougal had a gavel he’d have pounded it on the coffee table.

“These might help,” Kirsty said, emptying a bag onto the floor in front of her. “I raided the Benson Security storeroom this afternoon.”

“Are those stun guns?” Bain felt his blood pressure shoot through the roof.

Before Kirsty could reply, the women of Knit or Die fell on the pile of weapons.

“I’ve been wanting one of these for ages,” Margaret said with awe.

Rona held one aloft. “Mine is pink!” She grinned at Bain.

“I don’t think you need a stun gun,” Bain said firmly. “I don’t think any of you need them.”

Apparently, what Bain thought was irrelevant. The items miraculously disappeared into handbags and knitting bags, and all that was left were a lot of suspiciously innocent faces. Bain looked to his brothers for help. They shrugged in a ‘what can we do’ gesture.

Guess the women were armed now.