Page 71 of Crosscurrent

Gabe thrust a hand in his hair and tugged. They needed something workable. NOW.

"I have things that burn," Wade said, his voice unnaturally calm. “And blow up. Obviously.”

The comlink was silent while everyone decided whether that was an offer or a confession.

Then Skye's comlink clicked back to life as if she'd never left. "I've got a plan."

"Skye." Gabe kept his voice level. "Where⁠—"

"Doesn't matter." Her voice held a current he hadn't heard before. Not fear. Voltage. "I need a diversion. Something big. Loud. Preferably with flames."

Owen protested. "You need a fire?"

"No." A pause that managed to shrug. "I just love flames."

“My kind of woman.” Wade sounded disturbingly thrilled.

"When do we deploy it?" Tom asked.

"You'll know." Despite the danger, Gabe couldn't mistake the smile in her tone.

The comlink clicked once and went dead again.

"Tom," Gabe said. "Eyes on the lobby."

"On it. Owen's moved to the rack by the window. He's got a brochure. Cheese tours." A pause. "He appears to be actually reading it."

"And Skye?"

"She's not in the lobby." Tom's voice did the thing it did when his screens stopped agreeing with him. "She was there four seconds ago. Service hall door is closed. Drone two has the east alley — she's not in it. I don't — I've lost her."

"The inside man?" Cara said.

"Moving. Toward the service hall. Away from Owen."

Wherever Skye had gone, she'd taken Neptune's man with her by being the more interesting problem. Smart. He doubted he would have thought of that.

"Okay," he said. "She wants big and loud. Inventory. Go."

"Flares," Wade said. "Four. Half a can of fuel behind my seat."

"Why do you have—" David began.

"Don't ask," Cara said. "Tom, find a target."

"Already on it." Tom responded instantly. "There's a dumpster behind the shuttered tire shop. Two blocks west of the motel. Metal, freestanding, thirty yards clear in every direction. Drone says it's half full of scrap rubber and pallets. There's no heat signature registering within half a block, so no bystanders present."

"Rubber's good," Wade said, with feeling.

"How big is this going to be?" Tom asked.

"Define big."

Gabe grimaced. "Wade?"

"It'll be visible," Wade responded. "As in seriously visible."

"I still have a connection to the Silverado," Tom offered. "And I've been expanding. Every aftermarket alarm on two blocks. Also the co-op has a rooftop klaxon for grass fires." A pause with a smile in it. "I now have the co-op. I say we go with flames and a whole lot of noise."