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“One of them cracked. I’m meeting you there in ten minutes.”
I turned back to my guest, who had been watching the exchange with desperate hope in his eyes.
“Please...” he wheezed.
“Unfortunately for you,”I ran my finger over the indenture in my knife, “I don’t need you anymore.”
His screams surrounded us when I opened a fresh wound in his chest, but I quickly put him out of his misery. I never let them suffer more than necessary once they outlived their usefulness.
When I arrived at the house, Storm and Cruz were waiting, and tension radiated from them as I explained Aaron’s offer.
“It’s a trap,”Cruz said immediately.
“Of course, it’s a trap.”I pulled up the location Aaron had sent. “But it’s also our best lead.”
Storm studied the building schematics I’d pulled up. “An old manufacturing facility. There are multiple entry points and lots of ground to cover. Security will be heavy if they’re expecting us.”
“They’re always expecting us.”I traced potential approaches on the map. “We go in hard and fast. No subtle shit this time.”
“About fuckin’ time.”Cruz checked his weapons. “I need some action now.”
“I know that was why you were really angry earlier by the way,” I said.
“Shut the fuck up, nigga.”
Laughter boasted from me, and we spent the next hour planning and plotting every angle and contingency. Storm would take high ground with a rifle, picking off external security while Cruz and I breached from opposite sides. Aaron would guide us through the interior—assuming he wasn’t lying about helping.
“What if he is?”Storm asked as we geared up.
“Then we kill everyone, and I burn the place down.”I checked my lighter fluid levels. “The usual.”
The drive over was silent with each of us sinking into that familiar headspace where violence lived. By the time we pulled up two blocks from the target, the hunger for blood pulsed through my veins.
My phone buzzed. It was Aaron’s signal. Game time. I put my Bluetooth in my ear and answered.
“Don’t fuck this up, Aaron.”
“I won’t.”
“Stay out of my ear unless you’ve got something useful to say.”
“I will. I promise.”
With his rifle, Storm blended into the shadows while Cruz circled wide to his entry point. I approached from the east, staying in darkness until I reached the first guard post.
There were two men in professional stances holding high-powered rifles. I slipped my hand around their mouths one at a time and cut their vocal cords. They died quietly and efficiently, drowning in their own blood. There was no time for creativity tonight. I needed to be quick because once the gunfire announced us, I had no doubt they would attempt to move Santari. I snatched the badges from their necks and moved forward.
“In position,”Storm’s voice was barely a whisper in my earpiece.
“Same,”Cruz confirmed. “There’s no movement from my side.”
I sparked my lighter once – giving Storm my signal. Storm’s rifle whizzed three times, signaling Cruz, and at the same time external security dropped.
“I’ve got eyes on you both. Move, now,” Storm said.
Cruz and I moved simultaneously.
At the side entrance, I swiped one of the badges, and it blinked red. The second one clicked green, and I entered silently like an apparition. Cruz took the back loading dock, his entry masked by Storm’s rifle, which would take out any guards in the watchtower.