Page 98 of Sharing Silence

My brother looks away, jaw tight. “I know. Should’ve been me at the front the whole time. He’s too crabby.”

I smirk at his deflection. “Yeah, and you’re like a Disney bunny rabbit.”

He throws me a wry grin and elbows me, then whistles until all attention is on him. “Right, I’m only going to say this once.” The room falls quiet, and twenty men watch us. Mercy, Envy, and Corey are at the back of the room, and Charlie is off to the side. “The meeting with Ryker is in sixteen hours, but we’re not waiting. We know where he is, so we’re going in tonight.”

“Are we positive the information is good?” Envy asks, throwing her thumb in Corey’s direction. “Don’t you think he might have moved since this guy last saw him?”

Corey scowls. “You don’t think I had a tracker on the guy? He was gonna kill me at one point, so I needed to know where he was. He’s got a device in the sole of those hideous shoes he wears.”

Thank God for Corey Riley and his determination when it comes to killing.

Xavier continues, “We leave the moment this meeting is over, but most of you will stay on the outskirts until I give the signal. I need to make sure Zayden is in that house before we move in.”

“I’ll be situated a distance away on comms,” I say. “And I’ll be watching your backs.”

One of Charlie’s men at the front sits up. “Sniper?” I nod, shifting a little uncomfortably, because it’s been a long time since I’ve used the rifle in an actual job. I’ve stayed sharp, but I haven’t spilled blood with it in years.

The younger guy grins. “Cool. I’ve heard you’re the best.”

“Don’t say that. It’ll go to his head,” Charlie quips, and everyone laughs quietly.

“We move in in four groups,” Xavier says. “The plan is to do this quietly, not guns blazing. Blades first, guns only if necessary. We don’t need anyone tipping off whoever is watching Zayden.”

Because they’ll kill him.

Words he won’t say, but they still hang in the room.

“What about me?” Silence asks.

“I’ve got you, Little Silver,” Charlie says. “I’m staying here with you and Mercy.”

Silence gives him a small, grateful smile but then locks eyes with me. “I want to come with you. I can help.”

“If you’re even a mile close of that place, I’m not thinking about anything but you,” Xavier says. “We need you safe and away from the danger, Q.”

She nods slowly, and there are some not-so-subtle glances exchanged between the men. There have been a few whispers circling about how close we are with Silence, ones that Charlie has shut down quickly, but there’s only so much he can do about gossip.

“I’m gonna tell you where you all need to be, but ’cos I’m staying here, you listen to Xavier,” Charlie says. “Anyone thinks about being a hero, I’ll fire you, then I’ll call your mothers and rat you out.”

There’s a collective mumbling, which tells me Charlie has probably called their moms before.

“Okay, everyone speak to Charlie, then get your shit together. Cars are waiting downstairs,” Xavier says, and the conversation begins again. It’s loud, busy, and Silence weaves her way between people to get to us. “Don’t argue with me, Q.”

“I can stay in a car,” she insists. “Offer medical support.”

“What has been on your mind the last day?” he asks.

She sighs and folds her arms. “Zayden.”

“Exactly. You can’t think about anything but him. Do you think we’ll be able to concentrate if at any point you could get hurt?” Xavier asks.

She says nothing, looking away. “He’s right, love. We need to put all our resources into getting Z out.”

By the twitch of her bottom lip, it’s clear she’s frantically chewing the inside of it.

“And what if none of you come home?” she asks, her voice cracking. “What if you leave and⁠—”

“We’re coming back. All of us,” I say, pulling her to me. “We have one hell of a reason to get through this.”