“Exactly.” Jordan shook his head. “It’s too dangerous, even from a distance. Guns are their business. They know where to look. So who has ideas? Shout them out.”
“We take a ride ourselves coming from the opposite direction. And when we pass them…boom!” Tavish’s dramatization startled Cash, making him jump.
Jordan shared an empathetic glance with him. “A possibility, but one I think they’ll be prepared for. It has some flaws. I don’t think there’s a high probability of bringing our team home in one piece afterward and it would also mean Mr. Kalykalaos goes too.”
“Are we trying to protect him?” Ransom asked.
“If at all possible.” Jordan nodded once. “He’ll spend a long time in jail, but it’s better than dead. And maybe there’s more information he can give us to help if he has a change of heart.”
“He won’t.” Cash knew his father well enough to say that with one-hundred percent certainty.
“Air strike,” Sola proposed.
“Won’t work.” Ruby tapped away, zooming the satellite images in on hunks of metal with long tubes sticking out placed around the area. “Artillery. They take out any planes not cleared to fly over their turf.”
Jesus. Cash had never realized there were people like this out there in the world. He’d been sheltered and spoiled and naïve.
“I know we’re not done with our final rounds of testing, but…” Aarav stroked his beard. “Is this a job for the DeathBot project?”
Jordan opened his mouth, but there weren’t any objections to counter whatever the hell Aarav had suggested.
Aarav got up and circled the table until he could examine the area more closely. “I thought I saw… Yes. Right there.”
He pointed to the rusted-out powder-blue truck that had obviously been abandoned years ago, if not decades. Something Jay Barber and his team would ignore, having passed it millions of times before. “We put it in the bed of this truck and cover it with some of that dry brush that’s everywhere. It will look like it blew in there.”
“That has potential.” Jordan beamed at Aarav. “And you feel confident the kinks are worked out? The delay issue we were having?”
Aarav looked to Ruby then. She nodded. “So long as he stays here and is hardwired into our systems, I can make sure we have the resources to make it happen like we’ve been practicing.”
“I don’t know. You’d be half the world away, taking a kill shot through—an admittedly, very sophisticated—remote-controlled gun.” Jordan tapped his lips.
“It’ll be just like playing video games.” Ace grinned. “Have you ever seen the man destroy us inCall of Duty? We quit inviting him to game night because it’s no fun for anyone else.”
It sounded like something out of a sci-fi movie to Cash. That they had the technology and Aarav had the skills to even consider something like that both impressed and terrified him.
Jordan nodded. “You’re right. This is our best shot.”
James chuckled. “You’re so punny, Jordan.”
He ignored James, though the corner of his mouth quirked up. “Sola, you’re going to lead the operation on the ground. You’ve had the best instincts about this case and I need you to see it through.”
She perked up. “Of course. Thank you.”
“Besides, you’re the only person Aarav lets touch hisrifle,” Ruby teased, drawing a laugh from everyone around the table.
Aarav, however, tensed, making Cash wish he had the right to comfort the man. The idea of Sola putting herself in grave danger—again—because of his own damn father infuriated Cash.
“Liam, Tavish, and Legend, you’re with Sola. Kennedy, go along with them, but stay with the jet in case they need medical support. Marcus and Knox, we’ll also need you to guard the jet, Kennedy, Aven, and the rest of the flight crew. Just in case.”
“On it, boss.” Marcus tugged on his ear, making the large diamond in its lobe sparkle.
“I hate to throw one last wrench in there.” Ruby popped up a world clock with their current location and that of the operation along with the sunrise and sunset times. A countdown timer appeared, taking up one full half of the panel, giving Cash greater anxiety with every second that disappeared. “There’s hardly enough time to make it there and assemble this thing under cover of night.”
“I know.” Jordan cleared his throat. “It’s my fault. I went over every detail we learned myself, multiple passes, to make sure there are no fucking errors. Jay Barber is the evil bastard we want. And I swear to you, I will never give any of you the wrong target again.”
That was enough for the team.
“See you later.” Sola stood fast enough that her chair rolled away. Liam, Tavish, and Legend weren’t far behind. Marcus, Kennedy, and Knox moved as one, joining the rest of the agents.