Chapter 46
Xavier
The moment that fucker appears in the hallway, I shoot up from my seat. “Let me talk to her.”
“Can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
He keeps marching through the hallways, so both Orion and I follow.
“Because it would look suspicious, and you know it.”
“Then why the fuck did you bring us here?”
“Follow me,” he barks.
I hate that he thinks he can just order us around, but at the same time, I know that if I don’t, I might lose my only chance to see Sunny set free.
We walk out of the building, and Atreus heads around the corner to an alley. “Listen to me carefully. I need you to come with me to Bones Brotherhood territory and help me take in the second-in-command.”
“What?!” Orion’s jaw drops. “There’s no way. That guy is notorious and well-guarded.”
“No. I’ve been watching those fuckers for months, and I have enough evidence to bring him down,” Atreus says.
“There’s a wedding happening today that he’ll be attending, far off from the main hub.
” He pulls out his phone and shows us a location on a map, with a big building in the upper part of town.
“Guards will likely be stationed here and here.” He points at two exits from the venue.
“He won’t bring many because it’s a friend’s daughter, and he trusts those people.
It’s in a richer neighborhood, so guns will probably be prohibited. We have to use it to our advantage.”
“So what … you want us to help you kidnap a drug lord? Like it’s child’s play?”
He stares us down. “I wouldn’t be telling you this if it wasn’t needed.”
“How? How is this going to help Sunny?” I ask.
“Let me deal with that.” He tucks his phone away. “Help me bring down José Martínez. I’ll take care of the rest.”
We head back to the Tartarus House to grab some supplies like our knives and guns just in case we need them, and we pack it all into a bag and run back out the door as quick as we can.
The second I open my car door, Atlas grabs it. “Orion, we need to talk.”
Orion and Atreus are in the back seat, and my eyes flicker between them and Atlas.
“Why?” Orion asks.
He looks inside, in particular at Atreus, then swallows.
“I need to apologize,” he says. “I think I’m the reason he got out.”
I frown. “You mean Atreus? He got ahold of some kind of beeper.”
“Wait, you’re in on it?” he asks me.
“Why else do you think they’re in my car?” I reply.
“Anyway, I didn’t know that beeper was in his pocket when I gave him the jacket,” Atlas says, still eyeing Atreus like the two have some history.
I grimace. “Fuck me.”
“I’m sorry,” he says.
I jerk the door from his hand. “Why were you there anyway?”
“Orion asked me to watch him while he was out,” he replies.
I roll my eyes, annoyed as fuck that the whole arrest happened because of Orion’s half brother doing something stupid.
“You can’t trust anyone these days.”
“Aw, don’t be so rough on him. It’s my fault for asking him to watch Atreus in the first place,” Orion says. “Atlas meant well.”
“Whatever,” I say, rolling my eyes.
“What’s he doing in your car?” Atlas asks, frowning. “I thought you had him tied up and now you’re in cahoots … with a cop.”
“It’s complicated,” Orion replies.
Atlas glances at Atreus again. “Let me help you.”
Bold of him to suggest he can, especially without knowing anything about our situation. “How the fuck do you intend to do that?” I ask.
“I know how to use a knife,” he says, flaunting the one in his pocket. “You weren’t the only family who trained.”
I narrow my eyes at him. I want to tell him off so badly after screwing us over, but I know we could always use an extra set of hands to take down José, and since Atlas is Orion’s family, I doubt he’ll pull anything else to jeopardize our operation.
After all, he wouldn’t endanger his own half brother, right?
“Fine,” I growl. “But you do as we say, no questions asked.”
“Thanks.”
I nod at the passenger’s seat. “Get in.”
The celebrations are well underway by the time we get to the venue, and the excitement around the couple’s wedding provides a nice cover for our operation.
I’ve never invaded a wedding before, let alone kidnapped a man in broad daylight, and I’m not at all sure this is going to work. But if this is going to help Sunny, I have to believe it’s a possibility.
I just hope I can trust that goddamn cop.
“Who’s the target?” Atlas asks.
“A man named José. Don’t worry about him. You just focus on the two guards stationed outside.”
“At a wedding?” Atlas narrows his eyes.
“He’s second-in-command at some Bones Brotherhood headquarters,” Orion spills, making both Atreus and me glare at him in disbelief that he just gave Atlas sensitive info.
“Wow, interesting,” Atlas muses. “The people who deal in drugs and organs and stuff?”
“Yes,” Atreus replies.
“And what do you need him for?”
“We just need him. That’s it,” I say, trying to end this line of discussion as quickly as possible.
“Okay, that’s fine if you don’t wanna tell me,” Atlas muses, pulling out his knives. “I’ll help either way, since I was so bad at it last time.”
“You did well, kid,” Atreus says, nodding at him.
“According to you,” I quip.
We move as a single unit, covering each other as we approach the terrain from the parking lot. The newly married couple is having their first bite out of their cake, and Atreus flagged us to go inside because he saw José getting up from his seat with a pack of cigarettes in his hand.
“So, the second-in-command is here, isn’t it dangerous as hell to just grab him?” Atlas whispers.
“It’s a wedding, he doesn’t expect us, so he’s vulnerable as hell,” Atreus replies. “Let’s go.”
Atreus nods at us, and we approach the back entrance to the venue, where the garden is, behind all the guests. A dude is smoking a cig there and drinking a beer while checking his phone, and Atreus flags him down as one of the guards. Guess he’s not paying much attention to his boss.
Orion casually strolls toward the building, doing what he does best: distracting people.
The guard looks up and says, “Hey, where do you think you’re going?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I’m actually a wedding guest. I just lost my card. Let me look for it.”
Orion lazily searches his pockets while Atreus and I home in on the dude from the side. Right before he turns, I knock him out with a single fist to the face. His cig drops to the pavement, still burning.
“Hide him behind the bushes. Quick,” Atreus says.
While Orion stays on the lookout close to the venue, Atlas and I pick up his arms to drag him behind the trees.
The guy we grabbed groans, and Atlas pulls his knife from his pocket and stabs the fucker in the chest.
“Better not to leave any loose ends, right?” he says.
But it’s the way he so easily took someone out that reminds me too much of myself.
Another guard suddenly walks around the corner and stares at us in shock, hands immediately diving into his pocket.
“Oh shit,” I mutter as we back up from the dude we just hid.
Orion tries to block the guard’s vision, but it’s no use, because the guy shoves him aside and points his gun right at me.
BANG!
I blink, thinking my life is over in a flash.
But then I spot the metal barrel, complete with a silencer, right beside my head still smoking from the corner of my eyes.
The second guard flops down onto the ground like a sack of potatoes.
What the hell.
Atreus Foley saved my life.
“Thanks,” I mutter, still stunned.
“Don’t mention it,” he replies.
“Holy shit, that was close,” Orion mutters, running his fingers through his hair. “What do we do now?”
“Drag him away before someone sees,” Atreus barks, running right past me while tucking his gun away like he didn’t just murder a guard in broad daylight.
I’m still too stunned as they carry the body into the bushes right before the man we’re looking for steps out for a smoke.
“What’s happening here?” he growls, the packet of cigarettes still in his hands.
The moment he dives into his pocket, I attack him, jumping on his back to stop him from reaching for a gun.
“Atreus!” I yell, as José knocks me off.
“What the f—” José punches me in the face, so I swiftly pull my knife from my pocket and hold it under his throat.
Atreus comes running to me and points his gun at José’s head. “Don’t move.”
José was about to fish his own knife from his pocket but stops abruptly.
Atreus takes out his cuffs and wraps them around José’s wrists. “José Martínez, you’re under arrest.”
“A cop and three kids? What kind of arrest is this?” José complains.
I tuck my knives into my pocket again.
“You can’t do this. I’m at a wedding. This is preposterous,” José barks, as Atreus drags him back to our car.
“You can tell that to the men at the station after we’ve explained all of your charges to you. You’re going away for a very long time.”
I turn around to find Orion casually strolling behind us, but his brother is nowhere in sight.
“Where’s Atlas?” I ask.
Orion shrugs. “Beats me, I looked away for one second, and he was gone. He kinda does that all the time, even with family, randomly disappearing on us. No one knows what he’s up to.” He winks. “Who knows … maybe he’s enjoying the wedding.”
Orion
Days later
I can’t believe we’re all here again, the entire extended family and friends, just to watch one of us be put in prison forever. The courthouse is bustling with people, but I barely notice them. I’m completely numb to the core.
I thought Atreus had a plan.
Why isn’t he here?
I look around at her family, who are clutching each other, worried to death, and I don’t blame them. By helping Atreus arrest José, I believed he would return the favor, but now I’m not so sure anymore.
“What’s taking Atreus so long …” Xavier mutters. “I swear to God, if he doesn’t free her, I will—”
His mother interrupts his rant with just one stern look, and it shuts him up immediately.
“I know how you feel, Xav, but more violence isn’t going to solve this,” his mom says.
“Yeah, well, you and Dad sure wrecked this town back in the day, and no one ever gave a shit!” Xavier shouts. “Why are you so complacent?”