The Gender Plan (The Gender Game #6)(77)

“Get your legs out of the hole,” I told Cruz as I slipped the bud into my ear, and tugged on the glove. Pressing my fingers together, I quickly transmitted, “Mags, we made it to the building. We overheard the leader—he’s going to approach you through the building east of you, and down the street north as well. They’re going to go for the roof across from you, so tell your men to be ready.”

“Well, that’ll buy us a few minutes,” she replied. “And if you get up to their shooting position, you’ll have a clear line of sight on all of them.”

I heard someone surface and looked over to see Harry pulling himself through the hole and crawling forward, his clothes sucking wetly over his paunch. “That’s the plan,” I told her. “Be careful, okay?”

“You too,” she replied. “Over and out.”

Quickly unwrapping the rest of my gear, I pulled the wet strands of my hair back and retied them behind my head. I pulled the shirt back on, pocketed the extra ammo, and then grabbed the pistol. As I did, we were joined in succession by Carl, then April, then Marna. That was five volunteers. Alejandro brought up the rear, surfacing with a small splash. “Heavens above!” he spat as he grabbed the edges. “I thought that tunnel would go on forever.”

“All right, that’s everyone,” I said, my voice low. Around me, everyone was getting ready, unwrapping their gear and trying to squeeze the water out of their clothes. “We don’t have time to scout this one, so I want you treat any man with a weapon as a hostile and drop him—quietly. Kill if you have to. These are Porteque guys, according to Mags, and I doubt anyone will miss them. The mission is simple: go to the fourth floor, shoot the guys in the window, and take their place to fire on the men attacking Mags. Any questions?”

“Can I get out of the water first?” Alejandro looked up at me from where he held himself up by his elbows, his lower torso still in the water. I quickly reached down to help him up and out.

“Time is of the essence,” I reminded him as he slid his hands over his wet clothes, trying to force the water out. The entire floor was covered in a puddle by the time we were finished. I gave Alejandro a moment to catch his breath, then crept over to the door, gently testing the handle.

I turned my flashlight down a few clicks, and then opened the door slightly. Gunfire rattled, the sound muted by the building around us, but the hallway before us remained silent. I pulled the door open a few more inches and poked my head out, taking a quick glance. The hallway stood empty and straight, only one other door within view of my flashlight.

“I’m heading in,” I whispered over my shoulder, and then opened the door more fully, moving into the hallway. The other door led to the electrical system, but the room was completely empty, and I closed it again, moving farther down the hallway as the flashlight slowly revealed it to me. The passageway finally stopped at a small landing of narrow, switchback stairs, heading up.

As soon as the rest of the team had gathered, I began to climb, keeping my footsteps as silent as possible. I approached the ground-level landing slowly. It was completely dark, and there was no sign of flashlights or any other sources of light, so I felt confident keeping my flashlight on.

The light revealed a door, and I dialed the flashlight even lower, until it was only emitting a small glow, as I moved up to it. The door was locked, so I stepped to one side, wordlessly pointing at the lock.

Harry pushed his way through, rummaging in his pockets, and slipped the lock-picking device into the keyhole just under the knob. The machine whirred softly, falling silent as the lock clicked after a few seconds. Harry pulled it out and tucked it back into his pocket, and I motioned for him to move back down the stairs as I ever so slowly peeled back the door, trying to ensure that it wouldn’t creak, and peered through the small gap.

Red light flooded the crack, and as I peeked through it, I could see it flicker, indicating something was burning. I pulled it open a little more.

Double glass doors stood twenty feet away, just past another set of concrete stairs heading up. Outside, two men stood with their backs to me and the door, staring down at the streets. I could see the straps cutting across their backs, and one shifted slightly, the long muzzle of his rifle coming into view. I ducked back, swinging the door shut extra gently to avoid even the slightest click, and took a moment to think.

“We’ve got two men on the other side of double glass doors that lead to the street. The opening for the stairs is directly behind them. There’s light coming in off the street, but that only works for us now, when their backs are turned—it works against us if they turn around.”

Everyone leaned forward as I whispered, listening intently. Cruz raised two of his fingers, meeting my eyes. “The stairs—is there an open side? A banister?”

I blinked, trying to remember my split-second picture. “Yes.”

“Then we use the shadows and climb up and over the banister,” he said easily, a smile twisting the corner of his lips. “Limited exposure time, and we take advantage of the shadows, right?”

“I’m not sure I’m that spry anymore,” whispered Alejandro.

Cruz’s smile grew, and he grabbed Alejandro on the shoulder. “It would be an honor to give you a boost, my friend.”

I looked at Cruz, wanting to find a flaw in his plan, but unable to do so. Yes, it involved a little risk, but it was actually minimal compared to trying to sneak past the guards, or even trying to take them out.