Griffin
The four of us are still sitting in the café, drinks almost empty.
No one has moved.
We look from one to the other, wondering what’s going to happen next.
Because we’re all wondering the same thing. From the minute Leviathan mentioned Kalista’s name, the heist became less important. But none of us want to admit it—we’ve all waited so long for an opportunity as perfect as this.
And now it’s under threat from a girl we’ve all known for about five minutes.
But those five minutes feel like five years.
And Kalista is what our brotherhood was missing—even if none us realized it before she came into our lives.
More importantly, she’s been what I have been missing—even if I didn’t realize it before she came into my life.
“So, what are we going to do, Gryphon?” Jackal asks, breaking the heavy silence that had fallen over us.
Since Manticore revealed that Tartarus was one of the worst mercenary organizations in the world, my thoughts have lingered on how they’re going to treat Kalista.
A part of me still can’t believe that Kalista’s father would do that to her. Anyone who loved Kalista would want her to be safe, to be happy, and to be by their side—instead of in the hands of some cruel mercenaries, all so that they can turn a profit.
“Gryphon?” Leviathan asks, trying to calm my racing thoughts.
But it’s no use. I can barely hear them all over the plan I’m trying to create. If I stay, then I’m condemning Kalista to something probably like torture. But if go, then I’m going in blind, without backup and the odds that we all end up dead.
“Looks like you’ve got two options, Gryphon. Either we all stay, and we go through with the heist. Or we abandon the heist and go get Kalista,” Manticore says firmly.
“We? What do you mean we? I could do this on my own, and you guys carry on the heist without me.”
I see Leviathan vaguely smile at the notion. “We couldn’t do this without you, Gryphon.”
“And we’re not going to let you go to Tartarus on your own, mate,” Jackal adds. “Kalista’s our friend, too, and it’d be stupid of us to let you go on your own.”
“They’d probably kill you. You’re a thief, not Superman,” Manticore states deadpan.
He has a point.
I don’t carry a gun. That’s Manticore’s field. Weapons invite violence, and I hate resorting to violence on a job.
But now I have no choice. If Manticore is right about these guys—and he’s never wrong about those in his chosen field—then violence can’t be avoided this time.
“I’m sorry, gents, but I can’t go into that museum when my mind is somewhere else. I need to go after Kali. I never should’ve let her go in the first place.”
“You’re human, Griff. We make mistakes. No reason we can’t fix this one.” Leviathan nods.
“So it’s settled then. Leviathan, you begin tracking wherever they’re keeping Kalista. We come up with a plan, and we go get Griff’s girl back,” Jackal says a bit too cheerfully.
“I’ll go grab the car,” Manticore declares.
Manticore strides away, disappearing effortlessly into the crowd like a ghost. He’s so good that it scares me sometimes.
But now, I’m incredibly thankful to have his skills at my disposal.
“Hey, Jackal, can you do me a favor?” Leviathan asks as he pulls out his laptop.
“Do you want the Wi-Fi password?”
“Very funny. No, I was wondering if you could grab me an espresso. Or a double. You guys all got to have to your ritual, it’s time for mine, I think.”
“Double espresso, coming up.” Jackal agrees and leaves the table.
“Don’t worry so much, Gryphon.” Leviathan’s eyes never leave his screen. His fingers fly over the keyboard, pausing only occasionally to tap on the table and help himself focus while the screen loads. “It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours yet. If she has even the slightest scratch on her, you know, we’ll show Tartarus what hell is really like.”
“I know, but I just can’t help but wonder if anything’s happened to her.” I run my hands through my hair and shake my head.
“We’ll make sure it doesn’t.”
Jackal comes back from the counter with two porcelain espresso glasses in hand. “They were confused about the concept of a ‘double’ so I just got you two instead.”
“Thanks, Jackal,” Leviathan pauses for a second and throws back his head as he drinks the espresso like a shot of vodka. “Oh, fuck! That’s hot!”
He wheezes in pain. It makes Jackal and I chuckle despite ourselves.
“So, where are they holding her, Leviathan?”
“Well, the good news is, she’s still in the country.”
“And the bad?”
“They’ve taken her to Safi.”
“That doesn’t sound too bad. Safi’s a nice city this time of year,” Jackal quips.
“Yeah, but two and half hours is a long time to be driving when you’re on a rescue mission.” Leviathan points out, looking up from the screen just briefly to meet my eyes with a worried gaze.
“How inconsiderate, the bad guys don’t just leave their kidnap victim on our doorstep.” Jackal’s tone is abrasive and sarcastic as he rolls his eyes.
I give him a look that tells him to ease up on Leviathan.
Truthfully, it could’ve been worse. Tartarus took Kalista when she was on her way to the airport and not in the middle of a flight. We could’ve had to travel to a different country—and hope that Eagle was free to fly us there.
As if on cue, a metallic cherry red Maserati pulls around the corner, stopping just in front of where the three of us are sitting. The tinted window rolls down, and there sits the Manticore.
“Get in, losers, we’re going shopping,” Leviathan declares as he snaps his laptop shut and drinks the other espresso in a similarly shot-like fashion. “Fuck! It’s still really hot!”
I slide into the front passenger seat, leaving Jackal and Leviathan to sit in the back. We roll the tinted windows up and slip into the late morning traffic.
Manticore drives in silence. We weave in and out of traffic, and it no longer seems like it’ll take two and half hours to get to Safi—maybe closer to one and a half, or maybe even one if we continue the speed we’re at.
“So, they’re keeping Kali in an old shipping warehouse in the dock district of Safi. It’s owned under a shell company of Von Knopf Chemical Corporation, as if we didn’t already know that her dad was in on it.”
“It’s highly likely that the dock guards are on the side of Tartarus,” Manticore adds, his steely eyes on the road. “They’ve likely taken over that entire area around the warehouse to make sure only their people can even get close to it.”
“But luckily, given that it’s a public space, there’s an access road running right up to the front door.”
“That’ll be crawling with hired guns,” I point out.
“Who’s expecting us to turn up?” Jackal laughs. “Von Knopf doesn’t know we exist, and it’s not like he’s going to expect a brotherhood of thieves to come after his daughter. Far as he’s concerned, he’s got all this in the bag.”
Jackal sounds so confident in us all, but I’m skeptical. If they hear us coming, Tartarus might do something to Kalista to make us stop. I can’t risk her getting hurt.
“A frontal assault still might not be the smartest move.”
“No, but going through the front door might not be as stupid as it sounds,” Manticore says quietly.
“What are you thinking?” I ask with a raised eyebrow.
“Well,” Manticore tears his eyes from the road and to the clock on the dashboard. “Tartarus has been trying to recruit me for years. Demanding a meeting with their boss wouldn’t be difficult.”
“Well, they’d likely roll out the red carpet for us, then,” Jackal chimes.
“Right. Then when we find Kali, we drop cover, beat up everyone in sight, and get the fuck out of dodge,” Leviathan nods.
“You mean surround ourselves with dangerous mercenaries and then hope that an exit strategy reveals itself on the fly? That’s so fucking rushed. What if Kali gets hurt?”
“Gryphon, relax. None of us will let a thing happen to Kalista. Besides, it’s not like we’re going in unarmed,” Manticore says to me.
I catch him looking away from the road for barely a second, so that he knows he has my attention. The road signs above the motorway begin to point the way to Safi, but my heart hasn’t stopped pounding in my chest.
“Speak for yourself. You know that I don’t carry.”
Manticore smirks at me. It’s a smirk I’ve seen before, and it was one I hoped to never see again.
But things are different. Kalista’s life is on the line.
“You don’t need to worry about your love, Gryphon. I’ve got us all covered.”