“You know that Pops would say no.”
“Pops isn’t in charge.”
“Tell him that.”
She pouts her lips to the side in thought, and before I can continue on to my other points, including Vince and her role in our family, Scout comes out of her room, ready for work. She can tell my attention shifts, and I’m about to tell her that we can have the conversation later, but she turns on her heel.
“Espie—”
“It’s all good.” She calls, not turning her head to me as she continues down the steps. I look back at Scout, who has questioning eyes, but I shake my head dismissively, and she nods in response.
“Today’s the day.” She changes the subject as we walk down the steps towards Van, waiting at the door. I take a deep breath in response, and she nudges me with a grin, eyes light with enthusiasm.
“It’s going to go well. I know it.” I tilt my eyes to her and wrap my arm around her shoulder as we follow Van out the door and to the car.
It’s a quick drive this morning due to the minimal traffic that ensures we have time to get everything set up for tonight. Our last bits of code, final tests in the testing room, and any last-minute tweaks. After arriving at work, we hit the ground running, working the entirety of the day with barely any stops, but my team is incredible, and we make it work. Each test of every tech item goes perfectly. There’s no fault in any coding or function. By the time everyone begins to head home, we have everything packed in bags fastened in belts for the boys to strap on tonight.
The nerves don’t fully set in until we arrive home and walk through the front doors, and the guys are waiting in a semicircle chatting with Vince.
“Hey!” They chorus as we walk through the door, seeming far too positive for how horribly the last mission went. But that’s the guys for you. Everyone in our mafia family is expected to take punches and gunshots like a slap on the wrist and to keep going. I feel my face grow red because I’m not one for so much attention.
Vince quickly takes the spotlight, probably because he knows this about me, and he begins to brief me on the mission. Scout squeezes my hand, letting me know she’s leaving, and I can tell by the look in her eyes that she wants to give me a proper goodbye. I don’t blame her for feeling like too many eyes are on us as I tilt my head and offer a nervous lip-pressed grin.
She gives me a thumbs up while mouthing,good luck, before she slips away from the group and heads up the steps.
“Alright, boys.” Vince claps to settle down their chatter. “We’ve got a big night ahead of us. A historic night. Let’s make it count. Tito has already sent the brief on how everything should work. Last time it didn’t go so great, but he’s assured me that tonight will be different.”
I glance at their faces to see if anyone seems apprehensive, but they look confident and ready. Vince continues on.
“Tonight, we’ll be heading over to Yakuza territory to help out our alliance with an issue they’ve been having recently. Some of the Bratva have been crossing territory lines every night this past week. We’re gonna keep a low profile because tensions are high with our Russian neighbors, as you all know. But Yakuza is our alliance, and we protect our own.” The guys nod along as I begin to unload the bag of belts and pass them out.
“We’re goingto pack in one car tonight, and Van is going to sit this one out, so we’re looking to Martin to fill his place tonight. If you’re uncertain about anything regarding the mission, Martin is a second choice to refer to if Tito is unavailable.”
After I’ve distributed every belt, I look back to Vince, who nods once. “Alright, any questions?” It’s silent for a few seconds, and Vince claps once more. “Alright. Let’s make it happen.”
We clap once in response, and the small talk starts again as everyone files out. I fall behind the crowd, watching as they walk towards the SUV.
Vince catches my shoulder before I make it out the door and shakes my hand firmly.
“I expect good news tonight. I’ve already set up the jet for Friday evening.”
“Thanks, man.” I pull away and head out the door, jogging to catch up with the rest of the crowd. As we load in the car, I feel my heart beginning to pick up its pace. With each maneuver, I take deep breaths, looking down at the belt strapped across my chest. Everything has to go well. Not just so I can accomplish what I’ve always wanted, but so I can ensure the safety of the guys who have stuck with me and willingly signed up for round two.
We head to downtown LA, and the closer we get to our location, the quieter the car gets. I like to call it the Mafia Effect because every mission, this happens. It’s as if everyone decides to get into the zone at the same time.
I don’t mind it because by now, my nerves have slightly subsided as my brain switches into a gear that it only does when I work on tech. We pull up to a grassy field, an empty lot next to a Yakuza Territory bar. None of us are sure what to expect, but whatever we encounter tonight, our tech should be able to meet the unexpected proactively.
We load out of the car and break into teams of two, some on perimeter run, others around the beds of back roads leading down to the area, and a few of us closer to the bar. One of the guys, Banks, and I take the center of the field that feeds out to the main road, crowding down and setting one of our tech devices down. This one’s meant to detect body heat signatures not already read. It’s been processing this information— who’s on our team— for the entirety of our ride to the location.
After I’ve secured it to the ground, I pull out our mini air camera, tossing it into the air as it takes flight. The controller is in the black ring on my middle finger. It has switches to turn it on to different modes and basic flight controls. I sent it overhead and confirm its success over the walkie earpiece. Each team confirms they know where it is and that they are in position.
“I’ll keep you all updated if any movement is detected. Over.” They state their names and confirmations as we continue to do a scan of the area.
Banks waves for me from a few feet away, and I think he’s about to tell me that one of his tech items isn’t working. After I make my way to him, he points to a figure on the small screen of a device that’s meant to detect metal weapons. There’s something moving towards us, and it’s not one of our guys. I use my ring to steer the small drone over the object and turn to the app I created for the camera I installed in it. The night vision setting is already opened, so I pinch my fingers on the small screen to zoom in.
When the camera hones in on the movements, I switch the camera to a heat signature one.
“This weapon has an owner,” I whisper, and he reaches for his gun. “Stop.” I grab his shoulder, and he freezes. Succinctly, I press my earpiece to speak to the group.