Page 200 of Caught in the Crossfire

Her grin stretched wider. “I didn’t tell them.”

My eyes went wide as I laughed in disbelief. “Seriously? Konstantin is going to kill me.”

We left the Russians back in New York on purpose. They were supposed to watch our territory while we brought most of our men down here to team up with Fallon’s men. The entire city of Philadelphia would be on alert tonight, ready for a street war if things turned south.

“What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him,” she said, chuckling. “He never tells me anything. Time for a taste of his own medicine.”

Willow sighed. “I tried to warn her that was a bad idea, but she wouldn’t listen to me.”

“Oh, it’s fine,” Fallon called from her closet. “Konstantin is all bark, no bite, anyway. I’ll take the heat for ya, Zoya, don’t ya worry. I’ll tell him I forbade you from speaking about it so it didn’t risk the mission. He can’t do anything against me, especially not in my territory when you’re my ward.”

Zoya smiled. “Thanks, Fallon.”

“So how are we feeling?” I said as I inspected all of them. We were all supposed to wear a custom-made uniform, according to Ximena’s description from the time she was forced to work there. A red, floor-length dress with a slit up the side and a plunging neckline. Each one would be tailored to our exact specifications so that we could fit the aesthetics of the club and not raise any eyebrows as we slowly switched out the victims with ourselves and sprung our trap.

“Good,” Ximena said. “We’ve run through the plan dozens of times. Finn and Conor helped me get in touch with my bartender friend, Justin, and he’ll let us in.”

She filled us in on how Justin had spoken to some otheremployees that he trusted as well as confirmed the look of our uniforms so we knew we’d blend in. There were a lot of moving pieces to this plan, and it would take everything going right, but Ximena’s insider eye and expertise guided every decision. We could pull it off.

“My men have been watching the club nonstop for the last four days,” Fallon said, sweeping out of the closet in her own dress. Her brown hair was pulled back into a high bun, with wispy pieces framing her face. “Their schedule is like clockwork. We can slip in once Justin clears the way.”

I nodded at the same time that Claire walked in, carrying a dress bag over her shoulder. “Leona! Perfect timing. This is yours.”

I greeted her with a hug while she handed me the bag. She was already dressed, with makeup ready, and while I might have expected nerves to show through all of us, Claire looked perfectly calm and poised. “You look amazing.”

The corner of her mouth pulled into a smile. She pulled the slit in her dress aside to show a thigh holster with two knives strapped to it. “I take self-defense lessons at the haven. I can’t wait to finally put them to use.”

“Hell yeah.” I grinned.

Fallon clapped her hands together. “Let’s finish up getting dressed and run the plan through another time. Then we’ll make sure we’re all armed and have the sedatives ready.”

I quickly changed into the dress and had Zoya zip up the back. After refreshing my makeup, pretty much everyone was done. Nerves had already coiled in the pit of my stomach, but we were ready.

“Safety first,” I said, looking around to each of them. “Ciel will give us the cameras we need to plant in all the rooms. We’ll have our sedatives, but if anything goes sideways, get out of there. The guys will wait outside as our backup plan.”

“Just remember to pretend to be high,” Ximena added. “Theydrug the girls before arriving at the club so everyone is compliant while the men decide who wants whom. If your eyes are too sharp, or you resist, they’ll know.”

Each of us nodded.

Cold. Rough hands scratching at my chest. Dead eyes looking back at me.

I closed my eyes and exhaled through my nose while I let the visions pass over me. Penny’s hand folded into mine, and I found her watching me with a knowing look. I squeezed her hand back.

She smiled softly. “We can do this.”

“It ends tonight.”

The eight of us, and all our men downstairs, would make sure of it.

When I came downstairs,Wynn was the first to notice. His eyes snapped to mine as we all descended the stairs, and his gaze followed me all the way down. The guys were dressed and ready in their combat gear with associated weapons, and he was the first to meet me.

“You look beautiful,” he whispered in my ear. “I know that’s exactly the point of this outfit, and I feel very conflicted about it.”

I brushed my thumb over his cheek. “I know. It’s weird, but I appreciate it. How are you?”

“Ready,” he said. He glanced over his shoulder to Ciel and Ryuji, who were strapping on all their weapons while we all got ready to leave. “I’ve got your back, darling. I promise.”

He ducked his head to steal a quick kiss, and my tongue darted out quickly to taste him. His hand splayed against my lower back, pulling me tight against his chest. When we broke, the rest of my guys were there.