Page 54 of Controlled Drift
Two men leaned against the vehicles like this was a casual meet-up instead of the opening move of a bloodbath.
The taller one straightened as the team disembarked, dark hair pulled back, sharp eyes amused by everything.Greek, if Niko had to guess—and he didn’t often miss.
“Please tell me you’re the welcoming committee,” Drew muttered under his breath.
The man grinned.“Depends.You planning on tipping?”
Niko felt the edge of his mouth lift despite himself.
The second man pushed off the hood of the SUV, Polynesian for sure, broad and grounded, moving with the easy confidence of someone who’d survived enough violence to stop advertising it.His smile was warm.His eyes were not.
“Alexios Petrakis,” the Greek said, offering a quick nod.“Independent contractor.Transport.Extraction.Bad decisions.”
The Maori clapped him lightly on the shoulder.“Rangi Te Aho.Same business.Better driving.”
Alexios scoffed.“Debatable.”
Keanu brushed past them without slowing.“Cars.Now.”
Alexios blinked.“Wow.Usually, I get at least one joke in before a hot silent assassin shuts me down.”
Rangi’s grin widened, sharp and delighted.“I like him.”
Keanu didn’t even look back.
That made Niko pause.
Torch was usually the first to crack a joke, the last to let tension sit unchallenged.Tonight, he was all coiled muscle and closed expression, eyes hard, posture locked down.
Niko caught Kael watching him, too.
They shared a look.
Later.
“Two vehicles,” Rangi said, opening the rear doors.“Armor-plated.Reinforced suspension.Bullet-resistant glass.Routes preloaded.”
Alexios slid into the driver’s seat of the second SUV.“You get shot at, please aim better than they do.”
Niko snorted as he climbed into the first SUV with Ethan, Kael, and Drew.The interior smelled faintly of leather and oil.Purpose-built.Ethan sat beside him, spine straight, jaw set, eyes fixed forward like he could already see the estate rising out of the dark.
“You good?”Niko asked quietly.
Ethan nodded once.“He’s already there.”
It wasn’t fear in his voice.
It was certainty.
The SUVs rolled out in tandem, engines barely audible, Kansas City’s outskirts sliding past in long stretches of shadow and distant light.The land rose gently as they moved, the road narrowing, trees crowding closer.
Comms crackled low as they went call signs active.
The closer they got, the heavier the air felt.
Wrong.
“Breaker,” Kael murmured.“Status?”
