Page 70 of My Crazy Killers
“Perfect!”
“We should all have bird code names,” Pete suggests. “Sly could be The Crow, Elias would be The Hawk, Jagger could be The Bat, and I’d be The Falcon.”
“A bat isn’t a bird,” Sly tells him, but Pete only shrugs.
“Close enough.”
“What about me?” Dex asks.
“You’d be The Penguin.” I start to giggle and try to smother the sound, but he hears me anyway, turning to tickle my sides.
“You think that’s funny?” Dex asks with a grin.
“Yes,” I say around my laughter.
“Children, do I have to remind you we are in enemy territory right now?” Sly asks with a sigh.
“Are they always this bad?” Harry asks.
“Yes,” Sly and Elias answer at the same time.
“You’re one to talk,” Pete directs at Harry. “You’re the one who insisted on a code name.”
“Alright,Falcon,” Elias says sarcastically. “Time to zip it, we’re getting close.”
I grab Pete and Dex’s hands as we move closer. Elias leads us between the last two buildings on the street before the warehouse.
We crouch low as we reach the end and wait as he pokes his head out to take a look. He watches for at least thirty seconds before looking back at us and signing,“Coast is clear.”
“What did he say?” Harry whispers, and I roll my eyes. This would be much easier without him since we can all understand ASL perfectly now.
I press my finger to my lips to tell him to be quiet, and he rolls his eyes but stays silent.
The next part is the most dangerous. There isn’t anywhere to hide between here and the warehouse, and although we might not see any cameras pointed outside, that doesn't mean they don’t exist. If someone moves closer to the warehouse, they could be seen.
But we are too far away to get the camera inside. The warehouse is a little over 200 feet away, and even though the camera’s range is greater, it doesn’t leave us enough margin of error.
This is the part of the plan we discussed the most. It was decided that Harry would fly his camera, since he wouldn’t let any of us touch it, and Elias would cover him. We agreed that the fewer people who moved closer, the better.
We stay where we are, as Elias and Harry stand and backtrack, with a plan to move around the back of this building, which will put them about sixty feet closer, but with no cover left to hide behind. They are going to move up to the side of the building, looking for a way to get the camera inside while we watch from here.
Pete gives me a quick kiss as he gets up next, and Jaggerdoes the same as they also move toward the back of the buildings, but they turn left at the end, heading toward where we parked.
Elias knows to give them ten minutes to get to the other side of the street and mirror our position. We decide to stay as a group to assess the situation first, which just has us waiting for them to get in place now.
Sly keeps his head peeking out the side of the building, watching the warehouse, but his right hand reaches back to me, holding mine tightly like he expects me to vanish if he’s not holding me. My other hand is clutching Dex’s as we wait.
Sly eventually eases his grip but keeps his fingers laced through mine, his attention fixed forward as the minutes drag by. I use the time to scan reflections in darkened windows and the stretch of pavement between us and the warehouse, committing every shadow and doorway to memory in case something shifts. When movement finally appears across the street, it is subtle enough that I almost miss it at first.
Pete and Jagger slip into position with the ease of men who have done this many times before, each of them taking opposite sides of the alley, giving them a clear line of sight without exposing their silhouettes.
Pete glances up, just long enough for his gaze to find mine, before he settles in and becomes still. Jagger mirrors him, his posture relaxed but ready, his attention sweeping the area behind us and then returning to the warehouse.
I pull my phone from my pocket and keep it shielded by my body as I type a single word to Elias and send it.Go.
Sly follows my line of sight as I tuck the phone away, and we both lean forward just enough to see Elias and Harry detach from the wall and move toward the side of the building.They keep close, careful with their steps. Harry cradles his gadget while Elias's head moves on a constant swivel.
Dex shifts closer behind us, his presence solid and reassuring, and I know he is watching our blind spots without being told.
