Page 129 of Between Passion and Revenge: Part Two

Both wear serious looks, and for the first time in what feels like forever, they look like they’re on the same team.

The team that’s decidedly against me.

“Listen, I don’t give a fuck about anything. He’s here—he showed up for Kenyon Braxton’s funeral like a psychopath, knowing where we stand. The deal won’t face any resistance from Keystone’s existing board members, and Orisun’s holding a vote of no-confidence to bypass Shae next week, allowing them to close the deal without her. He wants a face-off, and I’ll give it to him.”

With him meeting the end of my Glock and eating a clip.

Riale draws in a breath as if preparing himself for an argument. There will be no argument.

“Storm, I know you want to take down Lakeland, and I’m with you on that,” Riale says, Axel nodding to each word. “But are you really willing to let his legacy continue?”

I give him a bland look.

“Riale. We’ve known about Lakeland’s involvement in fuckshit since the beginning. What’s different now?” I grind out.

Axel and Riale share a look, and Axel sighs before laying everything out in one breath.

“Storm, I’ve got intel that Lakeland’s facilitating the transport of more than a hundred trafficking victims within the next two weeks. They’re going to Isla Cara, and if what my source tells me is accurate, Lakeland and his buddies are gonna host some kind of fucked battle royale, pitting them against each other and hunting them like the goddamnHunger Games.”

The words come at me so quickly that I squeeze my eyes shut just to focus and sort the information.

“That’s a whole helluva lot, Axel. Absolutely terrible,” I grind out. “And, the reality still remains that we, as a trio of people, can do nothing to stop that. Furthermore, the thing I care most about is wiping Lakeland Sandoval off the face of this planet.”

Maybe if I say it in precise English, they’ll get it.

“I hear you,” Riale says, taking on a tone I don’t usually hear from him. “The fact still remains that there’s some crazy shit about to go down, and we can dosomething.”

I can’t help it. My skin tightens, and I’m sure I’m going to burst out of my flesh if I try to control this fire any longer.

“What thefuckare you even going on about right now, Riale? Why is this even a discussion? Lakeland killed my parents, tried to kill my girl. So why the fuck are you dancing around this?”

Riale makes a rough sound.

“Storm, you’re in your feelings about this, and I get it?—”

“In my feelings? Nigga,youare gonna be in your motherfuckin’ feelings if you keep playing with me,” I shout.

Riale raises his hands, looking at Axel and walking away from us and toward the door, pacing.

Axel leans forward. “Storm, we’ll get Lakeland. I promise we will make him finally pay for what he’s done. But we’ve got to be smart about it.”

Smart. Being smart has stolen years of my life. Being smart, being cautious, has caused me to miss the birth of my children, their first steps, every single fucking milestone.

Fuck being smart.

“Lakeland’s weak now, and he’s herein Chicago. There’s no reason not to take him out, especially since bringing down his operations is so much bigger than him.” I want revenge, not necessarily a suicide mission.

Especially not with Shae and my kids back in my life. Just thinking of them has my shoulders unknotting.

But then I think of them being wrapped up in all this shit, and tension resettles in my gut.

“Seeing as you all refuse to get a little dirty and grab his daughter—who most likely is suffering somewhere, mind you—this is the next best shot. We need to act,” I say, feeling like I’m talking in circles.

“No,” Riale grinds out, and when I examine him, he looks like he’s on a mission to burn the world down.

“What do you mean, ‘No?’” I throw back, trying to be patient.

“I mean,” Riale begins, stopping his movements to look at both of us. “Sure, you can take Lakeland out. You can blow up as many of his boats as you want, set as many warehouses on fire as you want. But it would be a crime against humanity to let the rest of this just…keep existing.”