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Hugo was so cocky; he honestly believed that he could get on the island without any issues whatsoever. The Samaans and their so-called trained assassins were meeting him out there. He’d promised a clear shot at as many of the men who were there.

“Where the fuck is this place?” he mumbled to himself. He spotted a small general store and pulled in to ask for directions. There were only two cars in the parking lot, but it actually looked like a decent stop.

Inside, there were wonderful smells of fresh pies, barbecue sandwiches, and paint. He stared at the things in the store and realized it was some sort of consortium, allowing artists to put their work in one place.

“Help you, mister?” asked the man behind the counter. He was an older black man, but he definitely looked sturdy.

“Not sure. I’m looking for an animal sanctuary on an island. I was given permission to go out and see what they’re doing. If it’s good work, I plan to make a sizeable donation.”

“Ain’t that nice of you,” smirked Jake. Hugo nodded with a sly grin. Yes, sir, he could fool anyone into believing that he was a good man.

“It is nice of me, isn’t it?” he grinned. “What is all this?”

“Well, now, we got lots of good artists in this area. They make their goods and bring them here, and we sell them or ship them around the world. Got world-famous pralines, fudge, crawfish pies, just about anything you might want. Have yourself a look.”

“I’ll do that,” said Hugo, walking around the place.

He picked up several items, looking at them, then saw an interesting painting of a woman standing on a long pier with an alligator by her side. He shook his head in disbelief and then walked back to the counter. Grabbing two pieces of fudge and two pralines, he set his card down on the counter.

“How far to the animal sanctuary?” he asked.

“You ain’t far,” smiled Jake. The credit card machine beeped, and he frowned. “Sorry, mister. Your card is declined.”

“What? No. Try it again,” he said. Jake did it again, and the same thing happened, the beeping over and over again.

“Sorry. Ain’t no good,” smirked Jake.

“This is ridiculous! What kind of shithole are you running?”

“Now, that ain’t nice at all,” said Jake, pulling a baseball bat from beneath the counter.

Hugo stared at the old man and pulled his jacket back, showing his own handgun. When someone cleared their throat behind him, Hugo turned to see an attractive older woman with a shotgun.

“You shoot my husband, I’m going to have to shoot you,” she smiled. “That is after he beats you to death with that bat.”

“What a fucking joke! Keep your damn food,” he scowled.

He walked out of the store, shaking his head, mumbling as he slammed his car door. Opening up the app for his bank on his phone, he typed in the password and waited for the balance to appear.

$0.13

“No. No, this isn’t possible. It’s not possible,” he whispered, slamming his hand against the steering wheel. “They’re going to kill me. They’re going to kill me.”

For a few moments, he thought about turning around and heading back to the city, but since this road was the only way in, he’d no doubt pass the Samaan family and their gangsters.

“No. No, I won’t turn around,” he said to himself. “I’ll let them kill all of them, and then I’ll kill the Samaans.”

He was proud of himself for thinking of the answer to his problem. He could do this. He would let them do the bulk of the work, and then he would kill the rest.

“That’s what I’ll do,” he said, smiling to himself as he pulled away.

Jake and Claudette stood at the window watching, ensuring that their bodycams caught everything.

“That was pretty hot,” smirked Jake. “I think I might like you with a shotgun in your hands.”

“Eww. Dude, we’re all on comms. That’s my sister. Just remember, it might be hot, but she’s a damn good shot. So be sure she’s not pointing it at you.”

Jake laughed, shaking his head.

“Don’t worry, little brother,” smiled Claudette. “Just know that if I need to shoot something, I damn sure can.”

“He’s on his way,” said Nine to the others. He turned to scan the island, seeing what others could not. The new safety, day, and night vision glasses were designed to show where the men were located, even while in stealth suiting.

He glanced up at the massive crow’s nest in the middle of the elephant sanctuary and spotted Bull and Vince with their sniper rifles. In one of the old treehouses that was perched inside the big cat exhibit, Tailor and Alec had made a comfortable nest for themselves.

Trak looked up, hearing the red hawk make its shrill sound. Flying beside it was another hawk that he’d never seen before. Both seemed to be trying to tell him something.

“What’s wrong?” asked Nine.

“I’m not sure,” he said. “We need to be extra careful here.”

“We always are, brother.”

“Nine? I think we need to take care of Hugo first. If he arrives before the others, let’s just get rid of him and be done with it. Leave his car in the parking area, and that will force the Samaans to search for him and us,” said Ghost.

“I can agree with that,” said Nine. “Gaspar? Are you good with that? I don’t think we need to waste our time on this asshole. Let’s just be done with him.”

“He’s mine,” said Trak.

“Trak,” started Gaspar.

“For what he did to Lydia, he is mine.” Nine and Gaspar nodded at him, watching as he walked off, Alvin by his side.

“Jake? Any sign of the others yet?” asked Gaspar.

“ Nothing yet, but we’re watching. You’ll know when we know. ”

“Then let’s get ready to welcome our Middle Eastern friends.”