Page 66 of Dark Gambit Reliance

TOVEN

"If the collar emits a signal, it's not going anywhere. I'm disrupting it." Toven pulled the device from a pocket in his vest and showed it to her. "That's a miniature version of the big one we will use to disrupt all communications to the compound. The guy who gave it to me can also remove the collars without causing them to explode, but we didn't bring him with us this time."

Jade tilted her head. "Why? Were you afraid that I would run and you would lose your assassin?"

"It never occurred to me that you would leave without your people. Everyone who knows you says that you are an honorable person."

That got a small smile out of her. "They probably also say that I'm a colossal bitch, and when applying human standards to females, they are right. As a Kra-ell leader, though, I've been considered fair. I took good care of my tribe, but in the end, I failed them."

She was obviously riddled with guilt, and Toven could empathize. He'd failed so many times that he'd lost count.

"We didn't bring our tech guy because we knew we weren't taking you. You need to return to the compound and keep up the pretense that you are still under Igor's compulsion and nothing has changed."

She put her hand over the metal band. "You'd better activate your big disrupter before I make my first move. What if Valstar or one of the others has the remote to my collar and can cause it to explode? And not just mine. Except for those in Igor's inner circle, all the purebloods and hybrids are forced to wear collars, but the humans are not."

Jade was right. It was a possibility that they needed to account for.

"The hybrids he sent to follow Sofia had their collars removed, but I'm sure they had trackers embedded in their bodies. Sofia had one, and we removed it."

"Makes sense. He couldn't send them into the human world wearing collars, but he needed to retain control over them."

"You'll need to signal when you are ready for us to proceed."

"What kind of signal? The only thing I can think of is starting a fire, but given that there are explosives hidden, the Mother knows where, that's not a good idea."

"What about the roof of the office building? If you can put a metal trash can up there and set a small fire inside of it, we will see the smoke rise above the trees."

She nodded. "I can put the trash can near the building, and after I secure it, I'll get it to the roof and light the fire. Or I can get Pavel to do that for me."

"That can work," Mia said. "But what if you and Kagra eliminate Igor's second and third, but you are discovered before you can light the fire? The coast will be clear for us to commence with the plan, but without the signal, we won't know that."

"Good point." Jade drummed her fingers on her knees. "Do you have a better idea? Perhaps you can give me your phone."

"Do they search you when you return from a hunt?" Toven asked.

"Regrettably, they do, and I can't bring anything into the compound. I was just joking about your phone."

"What about waving a flag or blasting music on loudspeakers?" Mia asked.

Jade shook her head. "I can't do any of that. I might be able to use Valstar's laptop to send an email to Safe Haven after I kill him, but only if it's unlocked, which I'm sure it won’t be. Valstar is not stupid, and even with lust clouding his judgment, he will be suspicious when I accept his invitation."

"You can't send an email even if he leaves the laptop open," Toven said. "We will be disrupting the signal, remember?"

"I forgot. It has to be the fire, then. What about you? How will you let me know if you can't make it?"

"We can fly a military drone low over the compound. It's hard to miss."

"You'll give yourself away."

"Not necessarily. It's a Russian drone, and there is a base two hundred miles or so south of here. A drone could malfunction and veer off its course."

She nodded. "It will take me time to get everything in place, and I don't think I can be ready tomorrow, but it has to happen before Igor returns, so it has to be on Sunday."

Kian wouldn't be able to send the rest of the force earlier than that, either. Even Sunday was pushing it, but they didn't have much choice.

"Sunday will work. By the way, how many men did Igor take with him?"

"I don't know for sure, but he usually takes three. Two purebloods and one hybrid. He can compel the humans not to see his and the two purebloods' alien features, but he needs a hybrid who looks human to send on errands."