Hunter (Riders of Apollo #2)

Chapter 23: Julian Atlas

"If all of us go in the front then he'll know our numbers straight off!" Romeo argues again, this has been the ongoing problem for the last week. How to initiate an attack that won't alert them to our presence until we can get our men out safe and sound.

"We need to get Reign and Runner out before we even think of launching a full-scale assault." Mac backs him up and takes another puff of his cigar, given to him by Gears who is also smoking one. It says it keeps them relaxed but it's really not working. I'm wound up tighter than I've ever been, my nightmares have kept me on edge and the only thing that'll dull that is a good fucking battle.

I thought that we would've staged the attack days ago, but Bear says that he wants all of the plans ironed out before we start which confuses me. He's always thought ahead, don't get me wrong but at this point in time we don't even know if either of them survived. I mean Reign got shot twice days ago, I'll be surprised if they administered some sort of medical care and if they didn't, he definitely would've bled out by now.

"If we send in two well trained men to find them and remove them from the situation then launch the attack then we wouldn't have a problem." Gears states nonchalantly, there has got to be weed in those cigars because he should not be this chill.

"Yeah only problem with that is we would normally send in Reign and Saviour, both of which are down for the count." Blade sounds grumpy but he actually made a good point for once that doesn't make us want to sock him in the mouth.

"I have two agents trained by Peyton that I could send in." Matías raises his glass from the back of the room, he's lent back in his chair giving the impression that he is relaxed but he's tense enough to snap a board in two and if anyone pisses him off, he will likely kill someone. He also doesn't have his wife with him who both calms him and fires him up so I'm not sure whether we're lucky or not.

Still, we've seen a lot of both of them recently. Lucia has been in and out to check on Saviour. Bringing her her favourite foods and other little gifts while sitting with her for a while. Something which I'm grateful for as Mari can come and spend some time with me without having to worry. "You only tell us that now?!" Bear is getting pissed off, we have been sat here for four hours trying to suss out the plan and he hasn't even uttered a word before now.

"It wasn't mentioned so I did not think it was important." He is also relatively nonchalant about this whole thing, like Gears, probably because this whole thing doesn't directly affect him, but I know that he cares for Sav like a sister so I'm going to assume he cares more than he lets on.

"So, Inigo and Lillian go in and get them out or at least give them guns or something. Then the tact team go in - fully armoured by the way, none of you are getting away without Kevlar - take down as many as the can before the full-scale assault begins. Cull everyone, bring Slasher back to me so I can kill him and return my husband and my best friend to their rightful places. Plan?" Saviour lays it out simply despite her voice remaining soft, showing her exhaustion.

"Plan! We attack tonight, everyone prepare and meet back here at eight. Let's get our men back!" Bear bangs the gavel and we're released from the stuffy room, I help Sav back into lounge and she falls into the couch next to Lexie who brings her into a hug. I settle down next to Mari and she presses herself into my side with a soft sigh,

"It's happening isn't it? That's why you're so tense..." She can always read me so well and I can tell that she's scared at the prospect, but she is incredibly strong. I kiss the top of her head gently and feel her relax slightly, I really hope this fight goes well because I really have to come home to them.

My family.

"We're going in tonight; I'll be fully armoured, and I'll be packing more guns than should be possible. I'll have three fully trained, Russian assassins, two Italian weapons specialists, Boulder and Breaker to back me up. Everything will be fine."

"If it makes you feel any better, two of the Russian were trained by me." Saviour chips in as she munches on an apple, her face is grave, but her eyes are lit up with excitement. She knows that her husband will be coming home tonight, she's just pissed that she can't get in on the action. At her statement though, Mari relaxes entirely into me, making me laugh. I guess she knows what her friend is capable of because she seemingly trusts the assassins that I will have to rely on to keep me alive. "Oh, and two Mexican fighters in there were also trained by me so they'll be fine."

Her words bring comfort to both Mari and me, I can't tell if they worked on herself though especially after how bad she's been feeling for the last week. I'm surprised she even got any sleep and I know she's been struggling to eat; Romeo has been very similar as well. He adamantly refuses to eat until someone forces food into him and he hasn't removed himself from the computer, muttering over and over again that he needs to find them.

I don't know what his problem is, and I still haven't been able to get it out of him. Whenever I get the littlest free time I try and talk to him about it but he's too into the whole computer thing that he doesn't even notice I'm there. If I'm honest, he's scaring me and I'm worried that if those two don't come back alive we'll lose him along with Saviour. I doubt we'd survive without those four, they're crucial to the running of the club.

This needs to work because if it doesn't, everything is fucked.