Page 83 of Fastest Kill

"Ideally," Rodrigo interupted. "We get the disciples out without killing them. They were deceived, and that matters." He looked at Iz and Frederica. "But if they are fanatics or a threat to getting Despina out, then yes. We deal with it."

"Who carries the bee?" Leo asked.

Dario reached into the collar of his shirt and pulled out a fine gold chain. At the end of it, nestled against a Mano Cornuta was a small velvet pouch. Dario opened it and tipped the Thriae Bee into his big hand, its amber wings catching the kitchen light.

Leo and Rodrigo looked at the chain for a long moment. "That's Papa's necklace," his little brother whispered.

"I found it in his desk drawer when I was looking for the bee," Dario explained. "It was wrapped up with a few other things." He turned the bee in his fingers. "It seemed right to put it on something that wouldn't get lost. I didn't want to drop it in a fight."

"He used to wear that every day," Rodrigo said quietly and nodded at Dario. "Keep it on."

Dario tucked the chain back inside his shirt. "I will."

"Getting Dario into position," Altun said from the screen. "That will be the central problem. The chamber will be guarded, and Agrippa will have wards up at the entrances. The bee must be brought close enough to his inner circle for the effect to reach them all."

"Frederica gets him there," Rodrigo replied. It wasn't a question. It was the operational logic of using your best assets in their correct roles. "And it will put them in position to grab Despina and extract her."

Frederica had already known it would happen since the moment Serapis first described the bee's function. She had been working through the approach in the back of her mind since last night. Multiple entry points, Cologne's Roman underground, the chaos they would need to create to move Dario through the outer guards and into the chamber while Agrippa was focused on the ritual.

She looked over at Dario. The chain was hidden again under his shirt, but she could see its small shape through the fabric.

"I'll get you there," she promised. "Whatever it takes."

He held her gaze. "I know. We made a good team during the siege, and at least we don't have a pissed-off djinn to deal with."

"I'm coming," Tore declared. He had been quiet through most of the briefing, but his voice was steady. "Before anyone argues with me, I know the building patterns. I've moved things in and out of Cologne. I know which entrances Agrippa's people would consider and which ones they wouldn't. I'm not breaching the chamber." He looked at Frederica as she opened her mouth to argue. "I'll be outside. Surveillance, communication, and exit coordination. That's my wife in there, and I'll be as close as I can get without being in the way."

"Baba…"

"Don't start," Tore cut her off. "My mind is made up."

She closed her mouth and gave in to the inevitable. She shot Rodrigo a warning look.

"He stays outside," Rodrigo told her. "He can be with Iz, coordinating extraction." He looked at Tore. "That is non-negotiable."

"Agreed," Tore said finally. "As long as I'm there to see Spina is okay. If she comes out and I'm not, I'll be in trouble forever."

The briefing ran for another hour. Entry points, timing relative to the blood moon's rise, communication protocols, who carried what and where.

Leo had the floor plans from the archaeological surveys and three additional property maps that Iz had pulled from sources Frederica didn't ask about. Altun confirmed she would be on the ground in Cologne by tomorrow afternoon with the protections she was preparing. Julian said nothing the entire call but wrote several things down in a small notebook.

When it broke up, people dispersed to pack, check weapons, and make calls. The kitchen began to empty. Frederica stayed at the table. Tore was beside her, not moving much.

"Spina will have them on their toes before we even get there," he said quietly.

"I know."

"She doesn't rattle so easily. Hurting her won't bother her much. Interrogation will just give her a chance to get into their heads. She will calmly wait for her moment to escape. They won't be prepared for what she does when she sees us there and is frightened for us."

"No," Frederica said, and they grinned at each other, violent and identical. "They won't."

36

The door to Dario's room was open. Frederica stood in the corridor with her bag over one shoulder, Despina's rifle case in her left hand, and a second bag of weapons braced against her hip.

Dario was on the edge of the bed in a T-shirt and pajama pants, a copy of the tunnels under Cologne printed and spread across the mattress in front of him. He looked up when she appeared in the doorway.

His gaze moved across the bags, the rifle case, the way she was standing, and she saw him understand exactly what she was doing before she had to explain it.