The Gender Plan (The Gender Game #6)(57)

My jaw dropped at the sight of them, and I looked over at Viggo to see him wearing a similarly stunned expression.

Ms. Dale’s eyes drifted open—then she froze when she saw us standing there.

I couldn’t help myself. “Ms. Dale, is this really the appropriate time to be making out with your boyfriend?”

That was when Viggo and I burst out laughing. It was impossible not to. Quickly, stiffly, Ms. Dale disentangled herself from Henrik’s embrace, smoothing her hands over her shirt and hair in jerky motions. Adjusting the bag on her shoulder, she met our gazes one by one, as if we had not just walked into the make-out scene of the century.

She cleared her throat. “Shall we?” She pushed past us without waiting for a response, but that only made us laugh harder. The sight of Ms. Dale actually flustered, her movements hurried and tinged with the mania embarrassment had caused… It was just so not her.

The stairs behind us creaked as Ms. Dale began to descend. “Pull yourselves together,” she said primly. It did nothing to help stop our laughter, which had simmered down to chuckles.

“Oh, just have a laugh about it, you old woman,” Henrik called down the stairs after her, and I looked up to see him resting his shoulder against the doorframe, his arms folded across his chest. A spark of humor shimmered in his eyes.

Without even breaking her stride, Ms. Dale called back, “I do not entertain the whims of children.”

Henrik chuckled at that, and then gave Viggo and me a nod and a wink before disappearing back into his room and closing the door. I guessed that he still had a few things he wanted to get done before we started, which was fine. We had approximately an hour before everything hit the fan.

Once we had pulled ourselves together and wiped the tears from our eyes, Viggo and I headed downstairs, where Tim, Jay, Ms. Dale, and Owen all stood near the front of the house, two vehicles waiting to take them to their different destinations. The rest of their teams were already on their way, being transported in every vehicle we could spare.

Our forces had been split into three groups, led by Viggo, Ms. Dale, and Amber. Drew’s people formed a fourth team, while Mags’ and Logan’s were being brought in to bolster our remaining forces with enough people that we could splinter into several smaller groups if necessary, depending on what happened. Viggo and Ms. Dale’s teams would take on the task of entering the water treatment plant. Amber’s team and a group of Logan’s people would stay behind to refortify the position, in case we attracted any hostile action, and then leave behind a small guard and move into the city, to a third position overlooking the water plant, to provide sniper fire.

Viggo and Ms. Dale would enter the city separately, not only to take down two guard posts, but in order to secure two exits for us in case something went wrong. We had debated this one for a while, but in the end, we’d decided we had to risk both teams at once: the more soldiers we could get moving in on the plant, the more likely we would be able to put a stop to whatever Elena’s plan was. It didn’t make it feel any less like a suicide mission, and as I stood there, looking at some of the most important humans in my life, I felt the uncertainty hit me, the anxiety of the real possibility that someone in front of me was going to die tonight.

I moved over to Jay and Tim, immediately kneeling down and opening the bags lying in front of them, following an impulse to try to just… prepare them as much as possible, in the best way I could in the short time that remained.

“Violet, you can trust us,” Jay said.

“Everything on list. Here.” Tim pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket, smiling at the fact that he had presented me with the list I’d written for him.

“I’m checking down here,” I said, rummaging through the items in both young men’s bags and mentally checking off the list again. It took me a few minutes to sift through all the items—but everything was there. “You got everything,” I needlessly informed my brother and Jay, while they threw each other annoyed looks. “Good job.”

Then I pulled them both in for a hug, taking special care with Tim. “Please try your best to be safe,” I whispered. “And smart. Nothing beats being smart.”

“We promise,” said Jay, his voice tight.

“Promise,” echoed Tim.

I held them for just a few seconds longer, savoring the hug, and then released them. “Good luck,” I said, watching them as they scooped up their bags and headed over to the cars, each one of them moving to a different vehicle to deposit his bags.

I felt a strange mix of pride and apprehension flowing through me at that moment. I was so proud of how much they had accomplished for themselves, in spite of their traumatic experiences. They kept on fighting, unwilling to yield or compromise. On the other hand, they were heading off to a battle with no defined rules. I was worried about them.

Viggo caught me in a hug as he went by, catching me by surprise. He lifted me up, spun me around once, and then dropped a kiss to my forehead. “I’ll see you soon,” he said, his voice rumbling from his chest.

“I know,” I replied.

Then he was gone—moving toward his car and climbing into it, Tim by his side in the passenger seat. He put the vehicle in gear, graced me with one more look and a wave, and then drove off, heading down the narrow lane to the main road that would lead him directly into the city.

I watched them go, trying to convince myself they would be all right. I was so absorbed in thought that I didn’t notice Owen suddenly beside me, his eyes also following the red taillights that were all pulling away from us down the road. There was a hunger in his blue gaze, and I knew how he felt.