Elyssa stammered. "I—uh, I think he's too tall for a stealth mission."
"This isn't stealth," Fausta said, her eyes looking the hulking figure up and down. "This is search and rescue, and I could use a big man with big swords. Hell yes, Michael. You're on the team!" She took a quick headcount. "This should be good for now. I'll pull from the main force at the front if I need any more bodies."
Christian nodded.
They rushed to a slider disguised as a helicopter and hopped in. Adam Nosti climbed in behind Meghan.
"Wait for me!" came another voice outside and Bella clambered into the cabin.
"Oh, no, you don't." Fausta shook her head. "You two aren't Templars."
Adam clenched his teeth. "My sister is in Maximus's compound. You're not keeping me off this mission."
"I can vouch for him," Meghan said. "He can take care of himself."
"And I can vouch for myself, young lady." Bella took a seat and belted in. "Heaven knows I've been through more than you could ever imagine."
Fausta shrugged. "Fine, but if either of you gets fragged, don't come dragging your broken, bloody bodies to me." She dropped into the pilot's seat and hovered a hand over a control. The illusionary rotors on the slider turned on, mimicking a chopper warming up as they spun increasingly faster. "Buckle in, people. This is going to be bumpy." The Italian woman didn't wait a second longer, and took them into the air fast enough to press the passengers hard into the seats. Pressing forward on the control stick, she catapulted them toward the compound.
Elyssa glared at Michael. He returned her burning gaze with a raised eyebrow.
"What do you want me to say?" he said at last.
"There's nothing you can say. Does you-know-who know about you coming along?"
"I already told him about the spy issue. You only repeated your story three times." The barest hint of a smile lifted the corner of his mouth. "He said your findings were too vague. In other words, he's not risking his assets. So I told him to go to hell."
Cold fear settled into Elyssa. It was all on her now. As usual, Underborn couldn't be counted on to do the right thing. Anger and disappointment clawed at her throat and it was all she could do not to scream curses at her brother. "How could you work for him? How could you?"
Michael glanced around at the other curious eyes in the cabin and shook his head. "Not now, Ninjette. We'll discuss this at a more appropriate time."
Adam's eyes lit with understanding as he met Elyssa's. But he kept his mouth shut and didn't say a word.
"Now is always an appropriate time for gossip," Bella said, her violet eyes bright with curiosity.
Elyssa saw no further reason to hide the truth. If anything, she felt guilty for holding back on them. "Underborn is the one who told me there might be a spy in the first place. He told me he had people inside Maximus's compound who could rescue Justin, but he wouldn't go through with it until I found the spy."
Fausta's head whipped around. "Everything we did tonight was just to save your boyfriend?"
"Oh, Elyssa." Bella tutted. "Why didn't you mention this before?"
Elyssa's heart sank. She'd been selfish. But telling the others about Underborn might have cut out a lot of the unnecessary wrangling and explaining. Thanks to her discretion, a lot of Templars might die. "I'm sorry. I should have told you all from the start."
Fausta slapped the console. "Figlio di Troia! If you ever bring me into something like this again, you'd better tell me everything." Her voice was low and harsh.
Bella touched Elyssa's arm. "Now, now. Don't be too hard on yourself. Judging from the way Commanders Borathen and Salazar run things, they probably wouldn't have listened to you if you'd mentioned Underborn. If anything, they'd be running a top-to-bottom search for the scoundrel."
"She's right," Michael said. "You know Thomas would have overreacted, especially if he knew Underborn had come to you."
"You did the right thing," Adam said.
"Stop enabling her," Fausta said.
Meghan simply narrowed her eyes, as if trying to discern how someone could be so stupid.
Before Elyssa could say another word, the slider bumped down in a courtyard. She noted that none of the Templars present except Michael wore armor, not that it mattered if cursed bullets hit them, but she still felt naked without it.
"Speaking of Underborn," Michael said as they piled out of the cabin. "I know of two secret entrances we can use to get inside the compound."
Fausta threw her hands into the air. "Why do you people not tell me these things before we go?" Her Italian accent was stronger than Elyssa had ever heard it. Fausta retrieved her arcphone and activated a three-dimensional map of the surrounding area. "Show me."
Using his fingers to rotate and zoom the image, he homed in on an alleyway across from the compound, and marked it with a red "X". "There's a hidden hatch in the ground there." He flicked the image and went to the other side of the building where he marked a building. "In the basement, there's a door behind a set of lockers that opens into a tunnel as well."
"If Underborn planned on having his spies use these secret tunnels, why didn't he just have them leave Justin at the exit? Nobody ever would have seen them."
Michael indicated several points on the map right next to the hidden hatches. "There are Templars sentries stationed right next to them. They'd report the hatches and the mole would find out. Should that happen, Maximus would be sure to seal them off."
While his argument made sense, Elyssa couldn't help but feel Underborn was playing at something else. Something bigger. What it was, she couldn't say.
Fausta considered the map. "We are closest to the alley, so we'll take that route." She picked up her phone, configured it into wireless radio mode, and contacted the main force of Templars near the compound. After a moment, she got through to Lieutenant Martinez.
"Commander Salazar told me you're leading in a rescue team," the officer said. "I'm ready to commit the rest of our forces, but he told me to wait on your go-ahead." An exasperated note sounded in her voice.
Fausta's eyes gleamed in triumph. "I'm transmitting the location of a secret entrance to you. I suggest you send a force there. My group will enter via a tunnel on the other side. On my signal, we can flank them, and once we have their attention, you can lead the main assault."
"Where did you get this information?" Lieutenant Martinez replied after a brief pause. "Why wasn't I informed?"
"It's new intel." Fausta sent the coordinates. "What's the status of our squads on the inside?"
"The stealth squads went in before the command came down to withdraw. They're surrounded and cut off. We had no idea about these cursed bullets the commander told me about."
"No time to waste then," Fausta replied. "Get your people in position and tell me when they're ready."
"I don't think the lieutenant is happy taking orders from a sergeant," Bella said.
Fausta grinned. "I know. Isn't it great?"
Michael unlatched a compartment on the bottom of the slider and slid it out to reveal an array of weaponry.
Fausta grabbed a pair of katanas, and fastened the sheaths on her back in less than thirty seconds, then raised an eyebrow at Elyssa as if daring her to do better.
Elyssa ignored the other woman, deciding on a pair of sai swords, a couple of flash grenades, and a lancer on each wrist. The darts would incapacitate anyone who got in their way.
Fausta groaned. "Sai swords again?" She looked appreciatively at Michael's katanas. "At least your brother has good taste in swords."
Meghan and the others grabbed lancers as well. Adam pshawed and pulled out a pair of automatic pistols.
"We're trying to keep casualties low," Elyssa said.
Fausta shook her head. "Not if I can help it." She slapped the compartment shut and motioned the group on. "Those bastards are taking out Templars. Friends of mine. I plan on getting some payback."
Elyssa had mixed feelings about it. "Most of Maximus's recruits are probably kids or young adults no older than me. In case you've forgotten, he has a knack for brainwashing people and using vampire compulsion to make them do what he wants."
"Are you saying his rogue army is full of innocent wittle kiddies?" Fausta said, her tone mocking. "Maybe we can tell their parents."
"Elyssa has a point," Michael said. "Maximus and his lieutenants are responsible for this. Let's not indiscriminately kill everyone until we sort things out."
Adam took a polished wooden rod about six inches long from a pouch on his side and shook it. It sprang into a staff. "I'm looking forward to sorting this out." With the automatic pistols in holsters at his side and thick glasses on his nose, he looked like an odd cross between a cowboy, wizard, and geek. He pulled the glasses off and stuffed them into the pouch.
"Don't you need those?" Elyssa asked.
Adam chuckled. "My eyes are perfectly fine. Those are just for show." He winked. "Don't tell anyone."
They reached the alley. Michael hunted around on the paved ground until he found a brick embossed with the tiny symbol of an eye. He pressed the symbol three quick times and a hatch popped open, revealing a ladder.
"Ladies first," said Fausta as she slid down the ladder.
Elyssa followed close behind, swallowing the ball of nerves in her throat, and followed Fausta into the dark. The Italian woman shouted.
Elyssa turned just as someone rammed Fausta and sent her tumbling back.
Chapter 21
Katie screamed bloody murder.
She whipped out the automatic rifle she'd taken from the vampire. Pressed it against her hip. And unleashed a hail of bullets at the vampires. Her entire body shook with the explosive kickback. Vampires dove left and right. One screamed as a bullet struck his leg. Another dropped lifeless to the ground as crimson blossomed on his forehead. I could only stand in stunned silence watching Katie rampage like a Mafioso with a Tommy gun, spraying the vampires' positions until the gun clicked empty.