Sylvia Price couldn’t believe the report her secretary had handed to her only just mere moment ago. “Are you positive about this Carrie?”

“Yes, ma’am. Donald Abrams was assassinated at nine A.M., this morning, local time. Since then; the stock price for GWT has fallen through the floor. As of the closing bell today, the Abrams family no longer owns or controls GWT.” Carrie explained for her employer. “Also, the following agencies have seized all of GWT’s assets: the Secret Service, Office of Homeland Security, FBI, and U.S. Customs. From what I have been able to gather; all warrants were issued under the Patriot Act.”

“Shit! Please tell me that you dumped any stocks that I held in GWT?” Sylvia demanded. Carrie just nodded her head yes. “Good. I don’t need any of Donald’s bullshit coming back to bite me in the ass. What about my connections to the less than legal operations between us?”

“I doubled checked that any connection between you and Mr. Abrams was wiped out. The only problem you might have is the shipment of girls already in your downtown residency. What do you want to do with them?” Carrie asked.

“Contact Mr. Andrews and inform him that he is to take immediate possession of his new ‘brides’. I would prefer that he arranges for their transportation today if at all possible. If not; he is to have them out of New York no later than midnight two days from now. Those girls need to be GONE, Carrie.” Sylvia ordered.

“If Mr. Andrews fails to do as requested ma’am?” Carrie asked quietly.

“If he can’t, then turn them out on the streets. Let the local pimps take care of our problem.” Sylvia stopped mid-sentence and gave Carrie a hard look. “No. On second thought; that won’t take of the problem, it could create larger ones. Have Master Sergeant Stone and his people handle disposal of the girls instead if Andrews can’t take possession.”

The cold unfeeling manner in which Sylvia discussed the killing of 16 teenage girls set Carrie on edge. She had always known that her employer could be ruthless in business, but this was totally new to her. She had never known Sylvia to be so callous towards another human being before. Carrie could only put it down to Sylvia’s time in the US Army.

“I’ll make the call to Mr. Andrews within the hour, ma’am. I know that he won’t be available until thirty minutes from now.” Carrie told Sylvia.

“Where is he now?” Sylvia demanded.

“According to his secretary, Robert, Mr. Andrews is currently at the Gorman Gun and Rod club outside of Carmen. It seems that Mr. Andrews has been working with a gentleman from the Vatican to move the ‘brides’.” Carrie’s look of total disgust was echoed by Sylvia.

“I never have liked this deal Abrams roped us into with those people.” Sylvia sighed. “Why couldn’t he have just stuck with picking up runaways like we started out. It would have been so much easier and far less expensive.”

“That maybe true ma’am, but nowhere near as profitable. We never got anywhere near the prices for the runaways that we get for those nuns. The current market demand is for virgins now.” Carrie felt she should point out the flaw in Sylvia’s reasoning. Even though Carrie wasn’t too hip on the idea of selling those girls into sexual slavery, she liked her cut of the money. Especially coveted were the sales of blond haired, blue eyed virgins. Of the 16 girls currently in the downtown residence, 7 of them fit that description. The other 8 were a mix of hair and eye color that could be found all across Europe.

“That or our less than conventional wares. By the way; what is the status of the new ‘girls’?” Sylvia asked with a smirk.

Carrie flipped through her clipboard to the second to last page. “As of today; we currently have nineteen at the training center. Of those nineteen, eight are ready for auction or direct sale. The other eleven are in various stages of development.”

“And the breakdown of those eleven?” Sylvia questioned Carrier.

“Three are just beginning stage one of their transitions. They’re still resisting the mental conditioning. Four are in second stage and have undergone the required body modifications. Bust development or enlargement, waist reductions, hormonal replacement therapy and facial reconstructions for total feminization. The last four have entered their final training as maids and other domestics.” Carrie told Sylvia cruelly.

Both women just smiled over this last report. For them, the idea of taking young boys off the streets and turning them into pretty little sex toys was simply too funny for them to pass up. The idea of getting into the market for this type of slave was first brought to them from a customer’s challenge to find him his perfect homosexual partner. One that would allow him to fulfill his sexual needs yet still give the appearance of have a heterosexual relationship for the world. It had taken some work, but Sylvia had delivered on the customer’s request. Ever since then they began fulfilling similar orders for 32 other customers.

“Carrie, tell me something. Between the mail-order brides and our sissies, which is the more profitable?” Sylvia questioned with her head titled.

Carrie had to think about the question before answering. It took her more than five minutes to come up with the answer. “As it stands right now, ma’am. I would have to say that the sissy program is by far the more profitable. While the mail-order brides are more numerous and somewhat convenient, they are nowhere near as profitable. It has only been recently that they have started to show a marked improvement in sales. The reason behind this is because we have more virgins available for sale. Why do you ask ma’am?”

“Before I answer that I need a little more information. How many sissies have we sold in total verse the total number of brides?”

“I need to access the server to answer that ma’am.” Sylvia moved back from her desk and waved for Carrie to use her terminal. It took Carrie ten minutes to access the needed files once she was logged into the estate’s home server. “Total number of brides; eighty-one, for a general total of two-million-twenty-five-thousand dollars. The total number of sissies is thirty-three; general total of eight-million-two-hundred-fifty-thousand dollars.”

Sylvia got a far off look in her eyes. “One more thing. That school Madam Maria wants to talk about, did you run a background check on what type of students enrolled there?”

“Yes ma’am. Again, why?” Carrie was lost now by her employer’s questions.

“I need to know exactly who, and what, I’ll be dealing with if I enter into this business deal of Madam Maria’s. That is why.” Sylvia snapped.

Carrie quickly flipped to the background report on the school and began to read. “Understood, ma’am. The Terpsichore school for the preforming arts is small but highly respected. Besides being a boarding school, the school is solely a school for dancers. They teach everything; ballet, jazz, tap and ballroom. They also cover the standard educational requirements. The school does take an unusually disproportional number of at risk or disadvantaged students. However, those students are offset by the number of more affluent students that have been enrolled. I hope this answers your needs?”

“Would those students be considered in the upper percentile of their regular schools Carrie?” Sylvia asked already forming a plan for those students that were the most at risk of kidnapping or becoming runaways.

“According to this report all of the students at Terpsichore would be in the top ten to fifteen percentiles of the regular public schools, ma’am.” Carrier quickly answered her employer not knowing where she was going.

“How many of the students are boys?” The smile Sylvia gave Carrie made the young woman grin. She was starting to see where her boss was going now.

“About a third of the student body are boys. Most between the ages of thirteen to eighteen. High schoolers mostly, though a few middle schoolers are in the mix. None in elementary grades at all.” Carrie outlined for Sylvia.

Sylvia stepped over to her office window smiling. The school was perfect for her needs as a new supply source. Both for girls and boys that could be customized as sex and domestic slaves. Especially the students that were already at risk or from poor neighborhoods. It would be the kids from the inner-city areas that would make up her new source for slave stocks.

“When is the Madam and her party due to arrive Carrie?” Sylvia asked smiling.

“Six this evening, ma’am.” Carrie answered briskly.

“Why so late?” Sylvia questioned.

“According to Madam Maria, it has to do with the two students and teachers accompanying her. It seems that the students and the teachers have late afternoon classes that let out at five P.M.” Carrie answered looking down at her ever-present clipboard.

“Inform Darcy to serve dinner at six-thirty then. Have Lisa and Tiffany ready three of the guest rooms for an overnight stay. Tell Master Sergeant Stone to give the rest of the security personnel the night off. I don’t want Madam Maria scared off by the sight of heavily armed security. He and Tomson can handle security for the night. It’s not like someone can just walk onto the estate and kidnap me. Let alone cause me harm.” Sylvia was already deciding how she was going to handle Maria DeMarco. She just needed to ensure that the older woman wasn’t spooked or angered. She needed DeMarco to be willing to talk with her on an even footing.

“Are you sure that you want to give most of the security force the night off ma’am? I mean, isn’t that kind of risky?” Carrie figured it was best to point out that Sylvia was placing herself at risk.

Sylvia thought about what Carrie was saying. “You’re right. I doubt that just Stone and Tomson can handle the full estate by themselves. Before you make the call to Andrews have Stone report to me.” Sylvia turned around to face Carrie. “That’ll be all for now Carrie. Unless you have something for me. If not, please carry out your orders.”

“No ma’am, nothing further. Except, do you wish for me to stay for the meeting with Madam DeMarco?” Carrie asked hopefully, wanting to be there to meet the famous Prima ballerina, Maria DeMarco.

Sylvia just chuckled. “Your motives are clear as glass my dear Carrie. Yes, you can stay and meet Madam Maria. After all, it might be the only time that you have the chance at meeting one of the few living Primas of the Bolshoi.”

“Thank you, ma’am. Can I ask a personal question?” Sylvia nodded her head. “How many Primas have you met in your life?”

“Madam Maria will be the second Prima I have met in my life. Though she will be the only Prima Ballerina Assoluta of the Bolshoi School that I will ever get the chance to meet.” At Carrie’s unspoken question Sylvia explained. “There hasn’t been another Prima Ballerina Assoluta of the Bolshoi since Maria DeMarco. She is also the last Prima Ballerina Assoluta of the Bolshoi School in over seventy years to hold that position Saint Petersburg.”

“Oh wow! I knew that Madam Maria was one of the greats, but I didn’t know that she was that good. I mean to be a Prima Ballerina Assoluta must be one of the highest honors there is among ballerinas.” Carrie whispered.

“It is Carrie. I think only one in every five hundred ever get considered for the honor. Even fewer are actually awarded the honor. I think that number is somewhere around one in every two thousand Primas.” As Sylvia explained the odds to Carrie her mind was boggled by the sheer magnitude of the woman’s accomplishment. Even more so when she heard when Maria was awarded the honor. “And Carrie, Maria DeMarco was awarded the honor at twenty-one. One of the second youngest in the history of the Bolshoi. A Russian of the Moscow Academy claimed it before her. Olga something-or-other. I believe they were rivals for a while.”

Shaking her head Carrie just smiled at Sylvia. “I need to go carry out your orders, ma’am. Tonight, is definitely going to be a memorial one!”

“If Master Sergeant Stone asks why I want to see him, tell him you don’t know.” Sylvia smirked as the thought of tweaking the nose of the surly old mercenary’s nose made Carrie smile even wider. As the secretary left her office, Sylvia sat down at her desk to think. Not realizing that she was voicing her thoughts aloud. “With my financial backing I should be able to wrangle total control of that school within a few months. Once I have control, I’ll be able to cherry-pick my slaves from among the students without interference. All it will take is a few well-placed forgeries and a student has transferred to another school or dropped out. Those pampered little shits will break faster than the ones I have been targeting recently. It’s perfect. All I need is for DeMarco to get me on the inside.”

The knock at the door drew her attention. “Come.”

“You wanted to see me, Captain?” The tall African American asked as he entered the room. “Miss Steinway didn’t give me any particulars.”

“I told her not to say anything Master Sergeant. I need some information that only you can provide.” Sylvia started off with while waving for the man to take a seat across from her. “I need to know what is the minimum number of personnel that can be used to secure the estate grounds.”

“Before I answer that, Captain, I need to know why you’re asking.” Stone didn’t mix his words or tone with his employer. He still showed her the respect that he would an officer of the US Army. That was if he was still serving. If it hadn’t been for Sylvia Price, he would be in Fort Leavenworth. Wearing a prisoner’s number and jump suit.

“Our guests this evening are not my normal business associates. If fact; Maria DeMarco is so unlike my normal associates, that she would find the presence of our normal security detail disconcerting, if not out-right alarming.” Sylvia got a thoughtful look on her face before continuing. “How can I put this and not sound like a condescending bitch?”

“What do you mean Captain? I’ve never known you to be one to pussyfoot around the bush about things. Just who is this woman?” Stone questioned Sylvia.

“Maria DeMarco is a famous Prima Ballerina, long been retired from the stage. While she is famous for her time as a ballerina, she made her fortune being a very astute and crafty businesswoman. This is one woman that can be my golden ticket into the heart of the High Society of our nation, among others. Not to mention more than a few political powerhouses. Ones that I can turn to my use. While I wouldn’t normally ask this of you, I need to show her that I’m not a threat to her power and social standing or under any kind of threat other than other wealthy people she knows. At least not right now.” The look that she gave Stone was that of a shark on the hunt.

“Umm… If you’re trying not to spook the woman, I don’t know how many I can actually stand down and still keep the estate secure. Let me think about it for a few minutes.” Stone knew about Sylvia’s less than legal activities. He also understood her need for above board appearances to hide those activities and his own role in them. “Can this DeMarco woman really give you the needed clout that you’re talking about Captain?”

“With a wave of her hand as if she performed magic, Master Sergeant. Trust me; Maria DeMarco is the person to get us on the inside track to acceptance among the legitimate High Society assholes.” Sylvia then gave Stone the knockout punch that would seal the deal. “She is also my way into a school FULL of pansy-assed little shits that we can use as a new source for slaves. I just need to get the woman on my side. Therefore, what is the minimum number of security troops can we get away with?”

“Three. No, check that, four. One on the gate, one in the control room and two rovers for the grounds. Normally I won’t go that low, but everything in DeMarco’s background check points to her being a non-threat. I know that Miss Stein said not to run a background check, but it is still my job. Basically a waste of time really. What I would like to know is how can she help you get into a school for a bunch of privileged little shits.” Stone really wanted to know this last piece of information.

“There is a performing arts school that she is coming here to discuss with me. Most likely to raise operational funds. Those schools are always running low on funds and occasionally hit the red from time to time. Usually to a declining student body for a few years before bouncing back into the black within one to two years. Once I’m on the board of directors, with a sizeable donation that they can't say no to, I’ll slowly squeeze out the other directors until I have total control and ownership. With Abrams and Vickers out of the equation now, I will need to find a new supply source. And do so quickly. The current crop of slaves will only last for maybe five to six months at the most.” As Sylvia outlined the situation for Stone the man gave her a thoughtful look.

“Understood, Captain. This needs to be handled as a political hand grenade. I’ll drop the second rover and go with just a three-man security team. We won’t be totally secure but because of the delicate situation it would be best. The team will consist of me, Tomson and Walker. That is the best that I can offer, Captain.” Stone answered before standing up to leave. “Just to be safe I’ll have the rest of the security team offsite at one of the local motels. They can be here in ten minutes if they’re needed.”

Sylvia nodded her head in understanding. This was the best that she was going to get out the man. “Thank you, Master Sergeant. This will pay off, if all goes to plan.”

The Peninsula Hotel, New York, New York

Maria looked over her family gathered in her suite. Hunter and Bobby were dressed in three-piece suits, white starched shirts with matching ties, and square-toed cowboy boots from Durango. The jackets were custom fitted, to hide their sidearms. With their black suits, white shirts and black ties the two men gave the impression that they were extras for a Will Smith movie featuring little green men and giant cockroaches.

Samantha on the other hand was dressed in a dark blue pants-suit from 5th Avenue. Like the guys, she was also wearing cowboy boots only hers were FRYE women's Melissa Harness inside-zip knee-high boots with a two-inch heel in a dark blue to match her suit. Angelic was similarly dress to Samantha only instead of wearing blue, she had gone with a dark charcoal gray for her color. The two women looked like a pair of teachers from some high-end boarding school. That or a pair of high-class call-girls.

The teenagers were dressed in their old school uniforms from the island as befitting their role for this night’s operation. The only change to their outfit was their shoes. Instead of wearing pumps or flats, they had gone for dark brown FRYE women's Melissa Harness inside-zip over the calf boots with a two-inch heel.

Only Maria stood out from her team. Maria’s appearance was that of both wealth and power. Her powder blue Louis Vuitton business suit and Prada Nappa leather knee-high boots all but screamed CEO or CFO. Anyone seeing her could tell that she was the one in control of whatever situation she faced. Not even with the way her figure was accentuated by the clothing that she worn. On Maria, the thousand-dollar suit and twelve-hundred-dollar boots looked as if they were as comfortable as a pair of faded jeans and well-worn work shirt. As she walked around the room, Bobby and Hunter had problems keeping their thoughts from becoming less than pure about their mother-in-law. After all Maria still had the body of a Prima ballerina and the looks of a woman half her age.

“Bobby, please tell me that you have your hand-cannon with you?” Hunter muttered to his partner in crime.

“You better believe I do. With the way mom Maria looks right now, we might have to shoot more than one asshole tonight. I mean DAMN!” Bobby smirked. “I doubt that the Major would approve of someone hitting on his daughters and granddaughters, let alone his wife. Not that I would blame them. She is seriously HOT after all.”

“I DO hear you, boys.” Maria snarked as she turned to the two blushing men. “Thank you anyway though. It is nice to know that I do still have it.”

“Momma, if Annette was here, I would be worried that you were going overboard. As it is, I believe that you have achieved the look you were going for.” Samantha smiled at her adoptive mother as she gave her approval. “Just the right amount of sex appeal mixed in with business conservatism.”

“Nonnina is SO smexy.” Kristine giggled. Only to be jabbed in the ribs by Kasey.

“Knock it off Kris.” Kasey ordered, then started giggling herself.

“Okay you two, behave yourselves.” Bobby corrected the two before turning deadly serious. “Ready for the mission brief Marshal?”

“Yes, quite right Robert. Time to get down to business. Gemini, what can you tell us about the estate compound?” Maria turned to the business at hand.

“From what we were able to gather off the net and from the estates servers quite a lot. Kasey why don’t you start with what you found first.” Kristine told the adults of the team before turning the briefing over to Kasey.

“For starters; Price’s home sits in an apex of a bend of the road. That is just the beginning for what is literally a perfect natural defensive setup. The house is surrounded on all sides by heavy woods, with the backside forest backing right up to the beach and Long Island Sound. The beach is covered on each end by a guardhouse with interlocking fields of fire. On two of the other three sides are multi-million-dollar mansions. The one side that faces the front ends at a wide-open field. Those three sides are surround by a twelve-foot-tall wrought iron fence. The driveway is our next problem. It’s more than a quarter mile long, fifty-feet wide, with a high security wrought iron gate crossing it at the road. The gate itself has a guard shack with a direct field of fire for the whole gate area. As for the beach area, that is nothing more than a nightmare approach. According to NAOA and google maps, this part of the beach is around two-hundred-fifty-feet wide with little to no cover from the waterline to the forest and almost a half mile from the main house.” As Kasey described the house and the surrounding area the adults in the room grew deathly still. They could all tell that this assault was not going to be a fun time at the O-K corral.

Kristine picked up where Kasey left off. “According to the blueprints for the house that I was able to pull up from the County clerk’s office. The main house has six exterior doors at ground level. One on each end, three on the backside, and the main front door. There are fourteen windows on the second floor, and twelve on the ground floor. The second floor has twelve bedrooms in two wings. From what I have been able to interpret from the plans. The eight bedrooms in the west wing are the servants’ quarters. Mainly due to the size of the rooms and the fact that they all share a bathroom between each two rooms. The master bedroom and the three guest bedrooms are in the east wing of the house. The main floor of the house is typical; kitchen, dining room, living room, library, home office, lounge, and mudroom common among these types of McMansions. The laundry and utility room are part of the three-car garage on the western end of the house. There is one room that I am ninety-five percent sure is the control room for the guards along with the alarm and estate mainframe computer system. Both systems are independent of each other. Each with their own dedicated line to the outside world. The household main frame has a dedicated T1/T3 line.”

“Excuse me, Kristine, but what can you tell us about the alarm system?” Angelic asked politely.

“According to the blueprints the alarm system is an Aries nine-fifty built by Veritic Systems. Does this help Sister?” Kristine was just as polite with her answer as Angelic was with her question. The teen had learned from her time in Italy that her older cousin knew her stuff when it came to security systems and was a true professional.

Angelic sighed before cursing. “Shit! This is not good. Not good at all.”

“Okay Angelic. What has you so on edge about that system?” Maria demanded.

“The Aries nine-fifty by Veritic is the one of the hardest systems to crack. It may be one of the hardest civilian owned security systems to crack. There are only five other systems that outperform the nine-fifty. The main problem with this system is not the system itself but who has the monitoring contract.” Angelic explained for Maria. Turning back to Kristine. “Were you able to discover that information during your investigation, Kristine?”

“According to the server files, the monitoring company is Western Security. I don’t understand why they would be the company that monitors the system though. Shouldn’t Veritic be the ones to monitor the system? They built the system after all.” Kristine answered as she looked up from her notes.

“Most companies like Veritic design and build multiple types of security systems. They sell those systems to individual security companies. Companies like Western Security, ADT, and others. This, is where the real money lies in the security industry. With the monitoring.” Angelic explained. “Well that and with the insurance companies.”

“Um… I know this is going to sound like a stupid question, but why would the big money be with the monitoring and insurance companies?” Kasey asked.

“People pay a monthly or yearly fee for the services and never file a claim. We’re talking around fifteen-hundred Euros a year on average just for monitoring fees of the security systems. When you add in the insurance fees that reaches over four-thousand Euros per year. When times that by several thousand clients we’re talking millions of Euros spent yearly just for a small piece of mind hoping that you never need the services.” As Angelic explained the financial side of the security and insurance businesses a smirk came to her face. “I may be a thief, but those people are legally robbing their customers blind in my opinion.”

All the adults gathered in the room started to laugh at Angelic’s snide mark about insurance and security companies. Only Kasey and Kristine weren’t laughing. Not because they didn’t get the joke, but at the sheer amounts of money that people paid out for something they might never need. Spending the last three years on the island had given them a slightly false view of security for the world in which they now lived.

“So basically, the serious money is in just waiting for something not likely to happen. Wow.” Kristine remarked.

“How many guards are we looking at Gemini? And do you have any background on them?” Hunter asked once the adults stopped laughing.

Kasey looked down at her notes before answering. “This is where things get really crazy, Sergeant. Depending on the time and day of the week there are between four to nine guards on duty at any one time.”

“Okay, back up here kiddo.” Bobby stopped Kasey in her briefing. “That doesn’t make any sense whatsoever. There should always be the same number of guards. To have such a varying number of guards leaves the compound open to attack.”

“Trust me, Sergeant. We know. That is why I said this is where things get crazy. Maybe I should say stupid. Because neither Kristine nor I can figure out a reason for having such a system. I mean Monday through Friday from zero six to nineteen hundred the estate is guarded by just four guards. On Saturday, Sunday and after nineteen hundred the estate has nine guards. According to the estate’s server this pattern only changes when Price is traveling. During those times, the estate has a nine-man detail around the clock. As for the backgrounds on the guards those are varying in detail.” Kasey looked back down to her notes before continuing.

“The man in charge of the detail is a former US Army Master Sergeant named Jacob Stone. The man was thrown out under a General Discharge with less than honorable conditions. The charges and Courts Marshal proceedings are all sealed under orders from the NSA.” As Kasey talked about Stone, Hunter’s face turned grim and filled with hate.

“That sorry motherfucker should have gotten Life, in front of a firing squad, for drug running and murder.” Hunter snarled to the surprise of all those gathered. “He was the one in charge of that drug operation out at Fort Irwin, California in oh-two. You know the one I’m talking about Bobby.”

“Ah shit! If I’m not mistaken half the MP detachment was involved with that mess.” Hunter just nodded his head at Bobby’s statement. “Wasn’t it a CID investigation that finally took down the whole operation?”

“Oh yeah. Them and a team of DST undercover agents straight out of training. By the way girls, DST stands for Drug Suppression Taskforce. It was the military’s answer to the drug problems we’ve had on our installations. Most of the troops that work those taskforces were from non-law enforcement MOS’s originally but after AIT they were sent to Fort Rucker, Alabama to be trained as undercover agents. Anyway, the investigation at Irwin resulted in nineteen arrests. It should have been a slam dunk for the prosecutor, but Price got the whole case thrown out on a technicality. The Army had to drop the charges, but they were able to discharge the suspects on the grounds of conduct unbecoming of a soldier. The result was a total of nineteen discharges ranging from General to Bad Conduct. All with less than honorable condition notations.” Hunter explained.

“That would account for the total number of guards listed in the estates server. According to what Kristine and Schoolhouse were able to find all them were stationed at Fort Irwin just before their discharges.” Kristine said before flipping over to the back page of her notes. “According to Schoolhouse, they all have nothing more than the standard Basic and AIT Training for Military Police. Will this be a problem?”

Both Bobby and Hunter nodded their heads with Bobby explaining the reasons why. “These men are all highly trained in compound or base security. They would know where to look for infiltration points and security breaches. Question ladies. Of the other guards is there a Randal Tomson, or Johnathan Walker?”

“Yes sir, both. They are the number Two and Three men under Stone in the command structure of the guard force. Both with the same discharge as Stone.” Kasey answered quickly before bringing up one man in particular. “We do have one member of the guard force that is a major concern. A Malcom Wise, former British Special Boat Service, discharged under suspicious circumstances. Something about a bad shoot in Afghanistan. From what we have been able to deduce he is Price’s personal bodyguard and driver. Everywhere she goes, he's right behind her or next to her. We verified this by searching the Entertainment websites. In every photo of Price, Wise is there. The only time that Wise isn’t right on top of Price is when she is at her home in the Hamptons. It seems that once she is on the estate grounds, he turns over the security of Price to the estate guards. We do know that he has a small home in Cutchogue Station that he rents.”

“What about the rest of the guards? Do they stay on the estate grounds or do they also rent homes in Cutchogue Station?” Angelic asked Kasey.

“According to the records we recovered they all have rental homes or apartments off the estate grounds. Only the guards scheduled for duty stay in the control room or guardhouses. The guards work a standard eight-hour-day.” Kasey quickly answered with a grin. “The biggest weak point in the guards’ rotation is shift change between the individual shifts.”

“How so?” Angelic questioned her.

“From what we have been able to gather the guards come in one at a time for their relief. Instead relieving them all at once. This leaves a fifteen to twenty-minute window during which the individual postings are felt wide open. If we have to assault the compound this will be our best opening.” Kasey explained then pointed out the only catch in her analysis. “The only guard position that does not suffer from this problem is the control room.”

“Hopefully we won’t have to go that route Kasey.” Maria said speaking up for the first time during the briefing. As all eyes turned to her Maria began to lay out her plan for dealing with Sylvia Price. For the next twenty minutes Maria explained how they were going to take down Price this evening. Starting with Bobby and Hunter, Maria assigned each individual their tasks.

“Once we are inside the compound and parked; Robert, Hunter, you boys are to stay near the car. Whatever happens, do not move from there until you get my signal. Kasey; during dinner you’re to make some excuse to leave the table. Your job is to take out the guard in the control room. Kristine; when Kasey asks to leave, you will join her. Your job is to secure any servants that are wandering the main house. Angelic, you and I will take care of securing Price. Samantha, you will have the hardest job of us all. I need for you to find and kill, Stone. Once those three objectives have been achieved; we turn the boys lose on the rest of the guards.” As Maria laid out her plan more than Bobby and Hunter had problems with it.

“Nonnina, we need to make a few changes your plan.” Kasey said quickly to forestall her fathers from blowing their tops.

“Your reasons?” Maria asked giving her granddaughter an inquisitive look.

“If we wait for diner to act, we stand too great of a chance of discovery. Mainly, one of the guards recognizing either of our fathers. We need to act within the first twenty minutes of entering the compound. If we go with your plan as it stands right now.” Kasey pointed out. “If we stick to just recon, they can stay in the car and not run that chance.”

Maria thought about what her granddaughter was telling her. “As much as I want to end this tonight we’ll stick with the recon operation as it stands. At the first sign of problems, we switch to the assault plan. Understood?”

“Then might I make a suggestion?” Angelic asked her aunt. “Leave the control room to me. Kristine can still handle the servants. While you and Kasey handle Price and whoever she has with her. As for Samantha; she can still take down Stone. That will allow Bobby and Hunter to take out the guards outside. If that profile on Price is correct, I’m willing to wager that she will most likely give the majority of her guards the night off. All in the hopes of winning your favor. She has all the markers of your typical high society sycophant. That is something that both Hunter and Bobby pointed out. This can be exploited.”

Maria thought about the changes that Angelic was suggesting. As much as Maria wanted to deny them, they did make tactical sense to her. “We’ll go with the changes Angelic has suggested. Hopefully, we won’t need them and can get in and out with our recon safely.”

“Okay people. Rule number one is now in effect. ROE’s are simple. Anyone not in this room are Tangos. Down waste your time or rounds. Shoot to kill. Double taps for everyone. Don’t take any chances with these people. Especially the guards. They may have been MPs, but they are still trained to kill. Never forget that. Sam, if you have to take out Stone. Don’t play with the sick fuck. His preferred weapon is a K-Bar combat knife for close quarters. No matter what happens, don’t let him sucker you into a prolonged knife fight. I know that you’re one of the best Sam, but if he can tire you out, he’ll kill you. He is that good.” As Bobby was giving out the final orders for the mission, he noticed something about the way Samantha was staring off into space. There was something about his first wife that set him on edge, and he wasn’t the only one to notice the change.

“Remember Samantha, this is a recon mission first and foremost.” Maria ordered. “We only switch to the assault if the operation goes wrong.”

“I know mother.” Samantha told her but the look never left her eyes. “But I have this gut feeling that this is one time where all of our planning will be for nothing.”

“Talk to us here Samantha. What’s got you on edge?” Hunter asked quietly.

“I don’t know how to put it into words, Hunter. All I know is; the last time I felt this way, I came home to find all of my family dead in the living room of my home.” The words were barely above a whisper and held all the pain of that night from so long ago in Samantha’s past.

Of all those in the room only Maria knew of the pain and rage that still haunted Samantha over that dark and terrible night. She was also the only one who truly knew the full extent of Samantha’s revenge. The last time Maria had seen this look in Samantha’s eyes three quarters of a long standing and extremely powerful Mafia Crime Family ended up dead. Long ago Maria made a promise over the graves of Samantha’s family. Only in the last few years has she been able to keep that promise.

Maria knew what was going through Samantha’s mind just then. “It will not come to that Samantha. We have a plan in place plus a contingency plan should things go wrong. We all come home.”

“Like mom said, Sam. We all come home.” Bobby soothed her. “If things go tits up, we hit hard and heavy. Leaving nothing behind, but smoke and ash.”

“No Robert. That is where you are wrong. If we have to go with the contingency, we don’t even leave that behind.” Maria growled out. “This will be one time that we leave nothing in our passing but empty shadows.”

With that they Black Badges leave their hotel heading for their fate.

TOC, Ram’s Rock Island

Lyssa stepped into the TOC asking Kimberly and Krystel. “Has Bravo team left for Price’s estate yet?”

“Ten minutes ago, Lyssa. We have about an hour and a half before they begin their recon mission.” Kimberly answered for them both. “Have you been keeping up with what the news hounds have been reporting?”

“Yes. I knew that Maria’s plan would throw GWT stocks into turmoil, but I never saw this coming. How did the alphabets react?” Lyssa asked as she looked up at the main screen.

“They’re all over the place. So far; the Navy, Coast Guard and Customs reacted the way we expected. Both the Homeland and Customs have executed raids on GWT offices all across CONUS. They have hit every seaport office that GWT has with teams boarding any GWT that is currently in port. The only agency that hasn’t acted the way predicted is the FBI. For some reason the first thing they did was to snatch up Abrams’ wife and sons. After that the FBI hasn’t done shit. As far as the DOJ and SEC goes that is a total mystery. It’s almost as if they and the FBI wanted GWT to go into bankruptcy.” Kimberly explained.

“HOLD UP! Did you say that other than securing Abrams’ wife and kid, the FBI, DOJ and SEC are doing nothing? That doesn't add up. What the fuck is going on with them?” Lyssa practically snarled. “What about GWT’s stocks? Are they still dropping like a rock?”

“That is the one thing that has gone as planned. Miss Anna has secured eighty percent of the GWT stocks. Prima International Investments are now the majority owners of GWT. I don’t know how Miss Anna was able to snatch up that much stock, but she was able to restore it to a reasonable profit margin before closing bell.” Krystel answered. “I hate to say this but between her and Madam Maria they make an effective business team.”

Lyssa just chuckled at the cyberwarfare operator’s comment. “Those two have been in those games longer than any of us. Sure, they were assassins for hire, but they still had an effect on the world stage in a lot of areas. Everything from politics, and business, to organized crime. I believe only the Major truly has good idea of just how much their actions have affected the world’s socio-economics. This isn’t the first time that they have done something like this. Didn’t Anna say something about pulling the same operation, like, four times before she left for Grand Cayman?”

“She did say that she had done this, four other times herself. She did say that Madam Maria has also done the same thing, but wasn’t sure of how many times.” Kimberly pointed out for everyone in the room.

Lyssa nodded then turned back to business. “Did Gemini send in their op plan before leaving the hotel?”

“That is a roger. I have to say that those kids have really come a long way from when they first showed up on the island. They are really showing their training on this mission.” Krystel told Lyssa in a tone that was anything but humble. “This may be nothing more than a recon mission, but they did come up with four contingency plans if Murphy tags along. Even the assault plan they have come up with has multiple contingencies. I'd green-light them.”

“Let me see what they summited.” Lyssa ordered as she turned to the main screen. What Lyssa saw made her believe that the time for holding the teens back was coming to an end. Just as with the assault on Vickers’ estate Kasey and Kristine had looked at every possible avenue for assault. “Damn good job.”

“We thought the same thing. Those girls have truly taken all of their training to heart. It’s a good thing that they plan on following in their parents’ footsteps. Because they would drive their COs absolutely nuts if they were to join any branch of the military.” Kimberly smirked.

Lyssa just shook her head no. “That would never happen, Kimberly. The second they hit their first duty station their CO would send their happy asses straight to Officer's School. Or the Stockade.”

“Damn, Lyssa. Do you really think that Kasey and Kristine have that kind of potential?” Kimberly asked bluntly.

“Yeah.” Lyssa sighed as she thought about the two teenage members of the Black Badge Deputies. “If they are able to keep themselves in some check. Otherwise, they'll get thrown in a cell.”

“They would have to stay out of trouble.” Krystel giggled. Of the three women she knew how unlikely that happen. She knew that her two protégées were trouble magnets of epic proportions. If they get left on their own for too long, they always find something to get into. “For some reason I doubt that will ever happen. Those two can’t go ten days without finding some kind of trouble.”

Lyssa and Kimberly both nodded at Krystel apt description of the teenager members of the Black Badges.

Kimberly sighed. “You got that nailed. I know that they’re good kids and all. But there are times that we really need to keep a closer eye on what they’re up to.”

“No help for it, Kimberly. Those two are just too curious. They’ll always be on the hunt for the next challenge or target.” Lyssa told them while thinking about the two girls. “And to be honest. That isn’t always bad. Annoying as all hell from time to time though.”

The two Operators gave their friend and Ops-boss hard looks. They knew that she wasn’t to deploy unless absolutely necessary. Lyssa was now the weapon of last resort. The reason, or reasons, were not clear. All they did know, was that Lyssa was not to deploy without clearance. Tiffany and Shawna were to be recalled and deployed first.

“Let’s just hope that they have more time to hone their skills.” Lyssa told them as she turned for the door to the TOC. “Tell me when Bravo team are in place to commence their recon, please. I need to make a call.”

Krystel looked over at Kimberly once they were alone. “She is not thrilled.”

“No. This operation has entirely too many moving parts. Too much can go wrong. It’s eating at her.” Kimberly gave her friend a hard look. “Do me a favor, Krys. Never bring this up with Kasey and Kristine. They still believe that they’re invincible.”

“I hate to tell you this Kim, but that boat sailed already. They may be the youngest members of the group, but they know that they’re still very much human. They quit believing they were invincible in Italy.” Krystel sighed before continuing. “They may be training under some of the greatest assassins in the world, but they understand they can end up dead if they make a mistake.”

Kimberly sighed. “Well, at least they have that straight. Let’s get ready to supply what support we can when the Black Badges begin operations. Not they we’ll be able to provide much. They’re going without their normal bodycams and coms set up.”

“About that, did you see the equipment list Gemini sent in with their op plans? I didn’t even know they had half that stuff onboard the ALOC.” At Kimberly’s look of confusion Krystel nodded. “Bluetooth, earwigs and button cams. We’ll be getting our regular feeds thanks to those girls.”

“Oh?” Kimberly asked.

“They're linking the earwigs and button cams by Bluetooth to their individual phones. A simple tap of one an app on the teams’ phones and we’ll be seeing and hearing what they do. We’ll be able to give them up to date operational details as if they were wearing their normal assault gear.” Krystle explained.

Kimberly nodded in approval. “Slick. I like it.”

“Their ability for creative thinking and imaginative solutions has been their greatest tribute to the Deputies. They don’t see the box. Personally, I believe they never knew there was supposed to be one.” Krystel remarked. “That same out of the box thinking may just keep this operation from becoming a category seven shit hurricane. With sustained winds of ‘Oh hell’ with gusts up to ‘fuck me sideways’.”

“We’ve known this op was a ticking timebomb with a hair trigger from the start Krystel.” Kimberly groaned. “All we can do is provide the best support that we can and pray that they can keep ahead of the timer.”

“Then I better see what I can do to increase their odds of success.” With that Krystel turned to her workstation and began her attack on the estate’s server with a vengeance. The citizens of the United States may never know what the Black Badge Deputies and OICA do to keep them safe, but it didn’t matter to her. Tonight, she had only one duty. Making sure that her friends had the best chance at success she could provide.

The Hamptons, a quarter of a mile away from Sylvia Price's home

The vibrating phone was answered on the first buzz. “Go.”

“Status, Tiffany.”

Tiffany replied. “Quarter mile out, watching through my scope. Almost all of the guards left. One rover, a gate, back and whomever they have inside. Shawna is closer, on the opposite side. She's on.”

“I'm up. How do you want it?” Shawna asked.

“Invisible unless directed. I'll have you both on a separate channel. If their plan goes FUBAR, you'll be cleared. No slip-ups; no witnesses, no bodies, no buildings. Go until the dirt crackles from the fire.” Lyssa instructed.

Both replied. “Understood. Out.”

Lyssa disconnected and sighed. “Ok Major. Safety net in place, as ordered.”

-----tbc-----