Status Updates From Debt of Protection: A M/M M...

I really hate when authors ruin a good book with silliness. Why on earth would Alex think this is a good plan? Why would Ilya agree to it, like at all? Why wouldn't Alex just call his uncle to see if an aunt/niece exist? What did Ilya and his team spend hours planning if they walked into the simplest of traps and had no plan or exit strategy? I'm so annoyed right now.