He has to find out

Considering that Kat had messaged him that the Black Hat base was littered with booby traps, Rick wasn't especially interested in invading it. He was even less interested in living with himself if he'd gotten Kat and Usha killed. And he had to be honest with himself... if it hadn't been for him, they wouldn't be in danger now. Of course, if he'd just broken up Kat's plans to head off with the shaved-head crew, he also wouldn't be in this mess. Had he let his libido overrule his common sense when he'd headed home with Tanya and her crew?

"Listen, guys," he said, "I'd like to stay here all night and play with you but it looks like my friend is in trouble and I've got to bail her out."

"Your friend is our friend," Tanya said. "What can we do?"

What could they do? "Do any of you have weapons? Any military or police training."

"I was an SDM in the army, Tanya admitted. Earned my marksman badge. If you need someone shot, I'm your girl."

"What's the situation?" Charlotte asked. "I think we need the situation report before we plan any shootouts."

Okay, he was panicking. Charlotte was right, of course, but Rick begrudged every second. "There's this paramilitary group that hires itself out as security but conducts illegal ops... including murder for hire, I think. My friends were supposed to get them drunk at the bar and see if they leaked any info but decided to extend the operation... and have missed a reporting deadline."

"Do you know where they were taken?" Tanya asked.

"Affirmative. I have the address and have scoped out the exterior but I understand that the interior is booby-trapped."

"Shooting is likely to get your friends killed," Charlotte said. "Any reason we can't call the cops?"

"And tell them what? That my friends voluntarily went with those guys but didn't report in at two in the morning? Besides, I think the cops are politically blocked from acting. The people who hired these jerks are powerful."

"Sounds like we need a diversion," Donna piped up.

"Yeah, sure," Rick answered. "But what diversion?"