Chapter 25
We’ve been staking out our own fucking warehouse for the past four hours, and my ass is numb. I shuffle from side to side to try to ease the discomfort.
Staring toward our building, we know the dim light on means Stein is in there: the little shit who’s been stealing our weapons and is also potentially a rat.
Hence why we’re dealing with him ourselves until we know who is involved.
“You figure shit out with your girl yet?” Rocco side-eyes me.
“No.” The line of questioning he’s about to go down has my blood boiling, so I spin it back on him. “You figure shit out with your girl yet?”
He sighs heavily and drags a hand through his already messy hair while resting his combat boots onto my dashboard, causing irritation to sliver inside me at his disrespect. “I’m working on it.” My lip twitches at his words. My little brother will most definitely be working on it, and when our father finds out, he will flip his fucking shit at how much he’s worked on it.
“I’m going to force a baby inside her and give her no choice but to wear my ring and accept me as her husband.” I scoff at his words, knowing how much we’re alike. That should soften the blow for our father; he’s at his happiest when Oliver is in his vicinity. It’s funny how he barely tolerated us growing up.
Rocco shuffles in his seat and adjusts his cock, causing me to grind my teeth together.
“Can you contain that thing until we’ve finished here?” I bite out.
He chuckles, then unclips his blade from his shoulder holster. “My blade gets me hard, what can I say?” He follows the glistening of the metal with his gaze as he turns it from side to side, looking as deranged as ever, then brings the tip to his mouth and drags it over his tongue while stroking over his jean-clad cock.
“Fucked her with it. Still tastes of her pussy.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose and stare at the roof of the SUV. “Jesus fucking Christ.”
His loud chuckle fills the vehicle, and when the call comes, I exhale with relief and press the button on the steering wheel to answer. “Talk to me.”
Kai’s voice filters through the SUV. “Three black trucks heading your way. Two minutes out.”
Sharing a look with Rocco, I take in the fact his eyes are alive with vengeance. “And the rat?”
“On the inside, probably fucking with the cameras.”
“Probably.” I nod.
“I have you covered,” he confirms.
“You better.” Then I end the call.
For the first time in my life, I reconsider if keeping all our men out of this was a good idea. It could go disastrously wrong, and then who would look after her? I’d be another man letting her down, and an indescribable pain surges inside my chest at imagining her alone, or worse, with someone other than me by her side.
“You good?” Rocco frowns, his eyes searching mine, pulling me from my wayward thoughts.
“There’s another weapon under your seat.” He leans forward and grabs the gun, checking the magazine before clicking it back into place.
We freeze as we watch three black trucks speed down the hill and into the alley beside our warehouse. I count as six men climb out of the vans. “You think that’s all of ’em?”
I drag a finger over my lip. “Yeah. They need the backs empty for the shipment.”
Rocco nods.
The men disappear inside our warehouse and sparks burn my veins, threatening to ignite with a fury so grave the consequences will be catastrophic.
“You ready?”
“Fuck yeah.” He grins while bouncing in his seat. I chuckle as I throw open the door and close it quietly behind me.
I straighten my jacket and roll my head from side to side, preparing for battle.
Scanning my gaze over Rocco, he gives me a chin lift. “Let’s do this shit.” I nod in response.
We stroll across the road like we don’t have a care in the world, like we don’t have thieving fucking scumbags trying to screw us over.
“Are we going to knock or just walk in there?”
I glance at my brother. “I own the place. We’re going straight in.”
He looks over his shoulder. “Where exactly did you say Kai was?”
A chuckle bubbles in my throat. “I didn’t.”
He rolls his eyes. “I have a girl to slide inside tonight.” He shrugs. Meaning he wants to return home in one piece.
“You and me both.” I wink at him as my hand clamps down on the door handle.
Hushed voices infiltrate my senses as we step inside our dimly lit warehouse. The creak of the heavy metal door doesn’t draw attention to us as I expected, so we stride toward the voices.
“What the fuck?” a guy says. Standing tall with broad shoulders and a bald head, he’s dressed in black. He steps away from the wall, and knowing my brother has my back covered, I continue on my pursuit with confidence. He drops to the floor with a bullet between his eyes. I step over him, but the office door flies open, and I remove my weapon and take aim before he’s even considered drawing his own.
He falls to the floor, bleeding out from his neck.
Two down.
A shadow moves to the side of the door and another on the opposite side. I hold up my hand, instructing Rocco to pause.
“Stein. Get your ass out here right now!” I grit out.
“Not a chance!” he yells.
Fucking coward.
Gunfire pursues, and I step behind one of the concrete pillars while Rocco and I shoot toward the office. I glance at my brother, who is taking cover behind one of the pallets, no doubt ready to be shipped tonight. Our product. His eyebrows dance back at me, and he tilts his head toward the office.
Don’t you fucking dare, I mouth, and he throws his head back on a chuckle before ignoring my instruction and jumping out, leaving me to cover his ass while he somersaults and fires at the pricks taking solitude in my office. “Come get me, motherfuckerrrrrs!” he screeches, and I briefly close my eyes at his childish actions before continuing to cover him.
A guy jumps out in the doorway, and before my bullet can penetrate his face, Rocco grunts, then I wince.
I step out and march toward the fucker that dared to shoot my brother. He’s bleeding out on the floor, but I don’t give a shit; I’ll drain every last breath from him. Lifting my shoe, I stamp hard on his neck, relishing the crushing beneath my foot as blood spurts from every direction and life drains from his face. Perfect.
“That all you got?” Rocco throws in their direction, and I want to kick him in the face and tell him to act dead to give me some peace. Instead, I clock Kai moving in the shadows and gift him a nod.
He pulls the tab on the smoke canister and throws it into the office.
Three men rush from the room, and Rocco and I aim shots at their legs while Kai steps behind them, knocking them to the floor. Then he disappears into the office before returning with a flailing Stein.
Stein coughs and splutters, trying to catch his breath, while I focus on my brother.
He surveys the hole in his jacket. “You ruined my leather, motherfucker!” He kicks one of the guys who lies semiconscious on the floor in the head so hard the loud crack of his skull is a giveaway to his demise.
“Fuckkk.” Kai grimaces when blood splatters across the concrete. Then he checks Stein for weapons, discarding a gun across the floor before pushing him face down and tying his hands behind his back with cable ties. He yanks him up, gripping Stein’s head in his hand, forcing him to face me while his other hand lands on his shoulders, keeping him in place, kneeling at my feet. I glare down at him, and panic flashes across his face as he pales.
“Rocco?” Rocco’s head snaps in my direction. “You’re going to use that weapon of yours tonight.”
His lips tip into a knowing smirk. “Yeah?”
I nod and step back, allowing my brother to step forward while Kai’s firm hold keeps Stein in place.
Rocco slices through his clothes with well-practiced ease, leaving them pooling to the floor. Then he slices his chest, taking slivers of flesh with each swipe, leaving Stein wailing and struggling in Kai’s firm hold.
Towering over him, I glare down into his pleading eyes. “Explain,” I bite out, beyond pissed at his betrayal.
“I needed the money, man. It wasn’t much. You can afford it.”
Wrong answer.
Rocco scoffs, then he cuts into his forehead, down the side of his face, across his jawline, and follows it up by joining it at the top where he started.
“Shit. Please tell me you’re not.” Kai blanches.
“Oh, I am.” Rocco’s eyebrows dance with delight.
Yep, my little brother is fucked in the head and eager to peel the flesh from this piece of shit’s face.
“Was anyone else involved?” Boredom laces my tone.
Stein coughs, sending a flurry of spittle, blood, and snot in our direction, but Rocco doesn’t so much as flinch while I grimace at the cowardly display.
“I-I paid—” He swallows hard, then coughs again. “A couple of guys to look the other way.”
“Names?”
He doesn’t speak, angering me further. Instead, he sucks in air while sobbing uncontrollably.
“Names,” I grit out, anger thrumming through my blood. He’s wasting my time away from my girl.
“Chris and Andy,” he eventually spits out, with bloody dribble cascading down his chin.
Rocco catches my eye, and I nod at him to take care of them too.
“Who are they?” Rocco waves his hand toward the guys on the floor.
“Russians. The-they approached me.”
My back molars grind together. Fucking Russians.
“What about the police? How’d they know about the shipment?” Kai asks.
I drag my finger over my lips as I wait for a response.
Nothing.
“You know, I’m about to peel the flesh from your face unless you tell us what we want to know.” Rocco stares down at him callously, his fingers twitching to follow up his threat with the action.
“I-I swear. I never ratted.” Blood oozes from his face profusely. “Oh God, I swear I never spoke to no police.”
Kai’s gaze meets mine, and we have a silent conversation. He knows nothing, therefore someone else is feeding them intel, but who?
“Pl-please. I swear I just wanted cash.” His trembling voice is desperate, and I give Rocco a firm tilt of my head, letting him dispose of the piece of shit as he deems necessary.
Rocco always liked to play with his toys, while I never had time for any.
Until her.
“Finish up here Rocco, then get a clean-up team in. The last thing we want is the FBI showing up.”
He gives me a playful salute, and I roll my eyes.
Then I spin on my heel, determined to get back to my girl as quickly as possible.
“Check the trucks,” I snipe out to Kai as I throw open the door of the warehouse and march out of the alleyway toward my SUV.
“Boss?”
I glance over my shoulder as he stares into the back of one of the trucks.
“We got a problem.”
A girl hog-tied in the back of the van locks eyes with me, terrified and pleading.
“Fucking great.” My shoulders sag, knowing it’s going to be a long night.