Live Free or Die Complete Series Boxed Set: Age Of Madness - A Kurtherian Gambit Series by Hayley Lawson (pdf e book reader .TXT) 📗

should take advantage of that. The entrance leads to Level One. We need to get to the lowest level, Level Six. We could take out the guards as we move through the levels. Well, until they notice us. We should try to save the bullets until after we’ve been spotted. We need to be ruthless, silent killers. I want those fuckers to suffer.” Ryder banged her fist on the table, and the men nodded with gritted teeth. So far, so good.

Massimo gave her one of his twinkling smiles. “That sounds easy enough.”

Ryder shook her head. “Yes, but then we have a problem with the cameras on Level One where the advisors are stationed. They watch the whole bunker.”

“What’s a camera?” Carter asked.

A few of the others listened closely since they didn’t know what a camera was either.

Ryder did her best to explain, although she didn’t really understand how they worked. “There are these little boxes around the bunker that capture moving pictures of everything that’s going on, then somehow they transfer the images to another box with a screen to watch it.” Only Massimo appeared to understand, and Ryder was sure he was suppressing a chuckle at her description. “It doesn’t matter. Just be aware that the cameras are there. Also, the floors are glass so Afana can watch everyone.”

Massimo looked disgusted at what he was hearing. “He was watching you all the time? Like you were ants in an ant farm.”

Ryder nodded. “Yes. The only places without glass floors are the tunnels off the main sections. These tunnels are where we sleep, the hygiene area, and where we prepare food and do maintenance. The cameras caught everything there. Well, until I broke some of them.” Ryder smiled.

Carter held his hand up for a high five, which Ryder didn’t return since his hands were covered in food. “Nice.”

Koda’s face was solemn. “Tell me if I have this right. We have to get to the camera station on Level One, in case the cameras aren’t off. That’s where Afana the monster vampire is. Then move through the five levels to get to the lowest and free the women and children. Then get them back through all the levels and out to freedom?”

Ryder nodded.

Koda shrugged. “Sounds easy enough.”

Koda’s attitude took Ryder by surprise. So far both he and Massimo thought they could do this with no problem.

“I’ll take care of the cameras. They’ll be hooked up to the computers.” Massimo’s IT skills from his former life would come in useful. It had been a long time since he’d tinkered with computers, since after the World’s Worst Day Ever had happened, there were no more computers and no need for an IT guy.

Fluffy howled as if to say, “I’m coming as well!”

“Perfect bit of father son bonding time. After that, we’ll deal with Afana. Unless we come across him first! Then we’ll take him down, and the bunker will be ours!” Massimo spoke like it was going to be a walk in the park.

Ryder wished it was going to be as easy as Massimo thought, but she wasn’t going to dampen their spirits now. “Great! Then the rest of us will take on the bunker. I’ll go into more detail on how we’re actually going to do that.”

Ryder talked until her throat was dry, then took another sip and carried on. They had a plan, and each of their skills would play a key role in overthrowing the bunker. Each man was as vital as the next if they were to have a chance of coming out of that place alive.

Ryder raised her glass. “We’ll set them all free. To freedom!”

“Cheers to that!” Carter raised his glass, and everyone else did the same.

“Here’s to ripping a new asshole in any fucker who crossed Ryder and the other women in the bunker!” Carter cheered.

Ryder knew he meant Natalie as the other women. “Fuck, yeah!” Ryder agreed.

Chapter Six

Hours had passed, and the moon had risen high in the sky while the gang had been fine-tuning their plan. They could all do with a bit of relief after the events of the last few days, and Massimo knew just what they needed.

“Wait till you guys see this.” Massimo’s face lit up as he pointed to a big black box in the living room right in from of the sofa—the TV.

He turned it on and tapped his lips with a finger in thought. “What shall I put on?” He looked at Fluffy mischievously. Leandro would have stopped him for sure. “The movies I’m about to show you are our history before the World’s Worst Day Ever.” Massimo looked through his DVD collection, trying not to laugh. Tomorrow he’d tell them it was all made up, but tonight he’d have a bit of fun with them.

Everyone had gathered around the TV. Only Kelvin had seen it before, and he knew that the large selection of movies didn’t represent reality. Massimo had played the same trick on him until Leandro had put an end to it, but there was no one to stop Massimo this time. Massimo gave Kelvin a look to as if to say, “don’t say a word.” Kelvin wasn’t going to. He actually thought it would be funny as well, so he grinned back at Massimo.

“Why don’t you show them Star Wars?” Kelvin suggested. Everyone on the sofa turned to face Kelvin, then back to Massimo as the two went back and forth with different movie titles. Those that were sat on the floor tried to watch the pair, but after a bit their necks hurt.

“I think we’ll save Star Wars for another day. We’ll need to do that in a marathon Sunday-style watching.” Massimo pondered for a moment. All of his favorite movies were whizzing through his head like was watching a countdown of the best movies of all time—Die Hard, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, any of John Wayne’s westerns.

“It’s not that exciting,” Carter complained as he stared at the blank