Sufferable Acceptance

Forty-Three

Amelia

Lorenzo was happy because we had the explosives from Mason, but we still didn't have any idea how we would get close enough to the block to drop them. Charlie and I found a pattern that Petrov's men followed. We knew when shift changes were, and when traffic was the slowest. There was also a time that general car traffic was busy. We thought our best bet was driving through the neighborhood during a busy shift change. Random men in a car wouldn't look suspicious to anyone working. They had no form of gate or entrance. It was an easy job for the boys.

We started small. They dropped a few bombs near a few mailboxes around eleven am and then a few more around two am near a few abandoned cars. There was a trail behind a few houses that gave them great access to the back yards of some of these houses. We waited until night shift changes to drop the rest of the explosives. They went unnoticed by Petrov's men. Twelve disks were dropped, and there weren't any signs that they were discovered. It was quite impressive.

Everyone was on edge in the house. It was a quiet dinner, and Lorenzo only stayed for a few minutes to eat. Theo was quick to follow him. I was giving Theo distance until after the attack. He wasn't sleeping, and spent all hours of the day working and perfecting the attack. Theo wanted to be a part of the initial drops, but it was too risky. He was still upset with his dad for telling him no.

"How close can we get to the houses tonight?" Theo asked Marcus, who was tracking the explosive feed.

"There's an abandoned pantry market on Acoma drive. They wouldn't see us, but we'd be close enough to respond if something went wrong. Amelia has been tracking the routes Petrov's men take, and almost no one would drive down past the market. They all take Academy." Marcus explained.

"I want Charlie and Amelia a mile down from the pantry." Lorenzo said.

"Theo I'm trusting you and Marcus can handle this?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'll cover Marcus and make sure he gets done whatever he needs to get done." He said.

"Marcus, how long do you need? How long after the first attack are you waiting?" Lorenzo asked.

"It all depends on what I can see from the first attack. I won't be able to give you guys a heads up. It's all going to depend on that first hit." He said.

"I want no hesitating. The longer we wait the more vulnerable we are. Everyone, grab what you need for the night. You're leaving in fifteen minutes." Lorenzo ordered.

I left to my room to grab a few guns, and a first aid bag in case we needed it. I was trying to travel light tonight. I didn't want to assume I would be safe in a car all night. The last time we attacked a Petrov house I was under prepared.

I finished getting ready, and went to find Theo. He was in his room getting ready. He strapped a vest to his chest, and pulled over a sweatshirt. This version of Theo was the one that intimidated me. It was weird seeing him in a different lens.

He wasn't himself when he had to deal with family business. During "work" he acted like the true heir to his father's seat. He was calculated, and unremorseful. I wanted to get to know more about this side of Theo. He knew little about my past, and I knew even less about his.

I realized I was staring when Theo pulled me out of my thoughts, "What?" He said.

"Nothing. I was just thinking about what you were like before we met?" I told him.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"It's just different seeing this side of you. It's weird seeing you strap up for a job." I told him. "I mean I remember you telling me about taking over for your father soon. I thought that was years away, but when I see you like this working on the attack it feels like that day is closer than I imagined." I said.