Damn, there really must be something urgent breaking.
Cash shifted awkwardly to keep from plastering up against either Sola or Aarav when they so clearly were not having his bullshit that morning. As desperately as he wanted to blurt out an apology, there was no way he was going to let all these badasses know he’d done something idiotic and upset their friends. Then he’d be taking a trip to the basement for sure. Even if he hoped to set things to rights as soon as possible.
The band of Shields marched to the command center together, taking their places. Cash glanced over his shoulder at the door, wondering if he was really welcome.
“Sit.” Sola didn’t look at him when she issued the command.
He cleared his throat, rehearsing something better to say than simply sorry, when Jordan joined them and took his seat at the head of the table.
“We have an opening. We need to act fast.” Jordan nodded to Ruby, who put up a map, some pictures of what looked like an arid landscape of reddish soil and sporadic gnarled trees along with a rusted out truck abandoned on the side of an extremely rural road on the main curved screen. “During the video call with Mr. Kalykalaos, Ruby hacked his phone and has been using the backdoor access she planted to get us a shit ton of information, including ongoing transmissions of all his conversations via calls, emails, and texts.”
“You’re welcome.” She tossed her bright hair over her shoulder and grinned.
“It turns out, our conversation might have convinced him of how fucked he really is.” Jordan grimaced. “But instead of reconsidering our offer, that dumbass set up a meeting with Jay Barber himself. This isn’t some mid-tier lackey. He’s the top piece of shit. At least until someone else takes him out and steals his spot. That’s how this usually goes.”
Cash sighed, and though Sola’s jaw twitched, she didn’t so much as glance in his direction, never mind offer her hand or rub his back. He hadn’t realized until right then that he’d come to rely on those simple gestures for comfort. This might easily turn out to be one of the worst days of his life.
Like his father, he had no one to blame but himself.
“Any clues about why?” Nolan asked.
“We think he’s going to try to negotiate his way out of their partnership.” Jordan shrugged one shoulder.
“Wow. Thatisstupid.” Ace shook his head. Liam smacked him with the back of his hand. “Oof. Sorry, Cash.”
“Runs in the family.” Cash pinched the bridge of his nose, making Aarav crack and peek over, though only for a moment.
“There’s no way that’s going to work, is there?” Marcus tried for a bit more tact as he asked Jordan.
“Absolutely not.” Jordan’s mouth formed a slash straight across his face. “Not under normal circumstances and especially not because we’re going to take this opportunity to wipe Jay Barber off the face of the planet before he can ruin anyone else’s life. That’s not going to make his organization especially pleased with Mr. Kalykalaos.”
A numbness started spreading from the pit of Cash’s stomach outward until even his lips buzzed. He knew what they were saying. His father was doomed. Had been since he hung up on Jordan. So why didn’t that upset him?
At least they were only using his name and not referring to him as Cash’s dad. Because he realized then, the man who’d sired him had never truly been that to him.
“How are we going to do this?” Aarav wondered.
Jordan sat up straighter. “That’s what we’re here to discuss. There are some…complications.”
“Why is it never fucking easy?” Legend grumbled.
“Like what?” Levi asked.
“For starters…” Jordan held up one finger. “It’s a mobile meeting because Jay Barber is paranoid as fuck about being ambushed at a static location.”
“In fairness, it’s not paranoia if we’re out to end him,” James chirped.
“Valid point.” Jordan raised another finger. “The route he’ll be taking is one he travels often through northern Africa from his base city to his hometown in the middle of fucking nowhere. It’s along that road on screen where there’s absolutely zero cover, which is probably why he regularly ignores his security team’s advice and drives himself in a standard vehicle when he goes there. That and pure arrogance. He hasn’t been challenged in the past twelve years. Luckily for us, he’s getting over confident.”
Jordan gestured toward the 3D model Ruby was displaying for them. Cash could see how that flat terrain would make it impossible for someone to hide.
“Because of that,” Jordan continued, “Ruby was able to use Mr. Kalykalaos’s credentials to wiggle into their systems and then together with JRad from OSPD, they busted the cartel’s network wide open. Turns out they were evading law enforcement so long because they scan for heat signatures in front of Jay Barber’s vehicle on all trips. Anyone out there would be—and have been in the past—a sitting duck.”
Cash winced, finally understanding how evil the dealings his father had supported really were. Government agents, soldiers, people who tried to make the world a better place like every one of the Shields surrounding him now had sacrificed their own lives to try to stop it.
He prayed they could pull it off this time.
“So you’re saying we can’t ship Aarav over there to take out the trash for us.” Nolan fixed his already perfect hair, which always made him seem like a real-life action figure to Cash.