20. Chapter Nineteen
Chapter twenty
T he Next Day
The blaring TV jolts me awake. I peel my eyes open and wince at the harsh morning light flooding the safehouse. The news anchor's voice drones on about some new discovery, but I'm too groggy to care. I drag myself off the couch, joints cracking, and shuffle to the kitchen.
I'm pouring my third cup of coffee when Aidan's shout makes me spill it all over the counter.
"Turn that up. We need to hear this."
There's an edge in his voice that gets my attention. I hurry back to the living room, the caffeine already kicking in.
Devon is staring intensely at the TV, her face taut.
"...authorities have discovered mass graves on the neighboring island, confirming rumors..."
I freeze as the words sink in. They found them, just as I knew they would. My gut twists.
It's too late to stop this now. Fuck. The images on screen make that clear—cops swarming like ants over the island, excavating body after body. Bile rises in my throat.
Aidan whips around to face me, eyes blazing. "Was this you?"
I force myself to hold his gaze. "Yeah. I leaked it."
"Why the hell didn't you tell us? Surely this is something that we should have decided as a group. This is huge."
I take a breath, steadying myself. "It had to be this way. Tane's untouchable in the shadows. Exposing him is our only shot. I leaked it before we got wind of this new deal. But now, with that going down at the same time, he’s going to be cornered so hard he won’t know what to do except lash out recklessly."
Aidan curses under his breath. I know he understands, even if he hates my methods. The others are staring at me now too, uncertainty and anger swirling in their eyes.
But it's done. My play is in motion. Checkmate, Tane. Your kingdom's crumbling. Now we end this, my way.
I nod slowly, thoughts racing as I try to gauge everyone's reactions. Most seem pissed that I kept this to myself. Can't blame them. But I feel like they don't know Tane like I do.
Slade steps towards me, his eyes narrowed. "You're playing with fire here, Roman. This is gonna get people killed."
"People are already dying," I snap. "Or did you miss the mass graves on TV?"
He flinches. Yeah, cheap shot, but I need them to understand the stakes here.
"Enough." Angel's voice cuts through the tension. "We can stand here bickering or we can actually do something."
Brick grunts in agreement. Slade just watches me, his face as unreadable as ever.
"Angel's right," I say. "Look, I know you're mad. But this puts us one step ahead of Tane. We need to press that advantage now, before he recovers. He’s going to be scrambling around trying to hide any sense of involvement while his business pals are here. All he’s going to be focused on is salvaging this deal and avoiding any collateral damage to his business because of this discovery."
Aidan scans the room, then nods. "Roman's right. Surveillance and intel gathering are top priority. Anything that gives us further insight into how Tane operates." He levels his gaze at me. "And we'll need the media too. Can you handle that?"
I meet his eyes steadily. "Yeah. I've got contacts we can use."
"Good. Let's get to work then." Aidan heads for the stairs, barking out orders.
The others disperse, the buzz of activity replacing the tense silence. This is it. The point of no return. I take a deep breath and get moving.
No more waiting. The board is set, and I've made the first move. Now we play for blood.
I nod to Brick as he brushes past me, his expression unreadable. But I know he's got my back. Under that gruff exterior lies a heart of gold, even if he'd never admit it out loud.
My phone buzzes and I glance down to see a text from an unknown number. Looks like my media contacts are already reaching out. I forward the info to Zeke, our resident hacker. He'll vet them before we proceed.
In the other room, I can hear Angel and Aidan debating our next moves. Her creative spirit balances his ruthless pragmatism nicely. I'm glad he has her to keep him in check.
This whole mess started when Angel saw me kill someone right in front of her. Little did we know at the time she was on the run from a stalker who had tormented her for decades. She started out as a captive, but we soon brought her into the fold. Gave her a new family. A new life.
I failed to protect my own family, and I'll be damned if I fail Angel too. She's the little ray of light that keeps us from falling into the abyss. My north star guiding me back from the dark.
And I know one thing for certain—I will burn this whole city to the ground before I let anyone hurt her again. Tane's days are numbered. He just doesn't know it yet.
Angel's voice rises above the others as she makes an impassioned point, returning to the main room with Aidan. "I know Tane better than any of you. The man is paranoid on a good day. This kind of scrutiny will push him right over the edge."
She's not wrong. Tane operates best when he thinks no one is watching. But drag his misdeeds into the light, and that cool facade will crumble. He’s used to other criminal groups vying for his power over the islands, but involving the media is something new and unknown, two of Tane’s fears.
Aidan crosses his arms, mulling it over. He and Angel couldn't be more different, but they balance each other out in unexpected ways. She's managed to pierce through that ruthless exterior and find the man beneath. I think she reminds him of the person he wishes he still was.
"Alright," Aidan finally concedes. "We'll hold off on any direct strikes for now. But we need to keep him on his toes. Leak some new information to the press. Just enough to keep him guessing. But…" he pauses and glares at me, "…even if you think you have the best idea in the world, you must run it by the rest of the group first. Any more reckless one-man ideas, and it could result in a lot worse than us being mildly mad at you for a moment while we process the shock of it all.”
Angel nods, a gleam in her eye. "I can work my contacts at the salon. Loose lips sink ships, as they say. Skyler may have the ocean and surfing lessons, but you’d be shocked at what all the wives and girlfriends of Tane’s associates know, and what they’ll spill over a deep conditioning treatment or a balayage. They’re literally a captive audience for hours, and there’s a reason I provide complimentary champagne while they wait."
Even now, she hasn't lost her playful spirit. It's what drew me to her in the first place. While the rest of us dwell in the darkness, she radiates light.
My phone buzzes again with an encrypted message from Zeke. He's identified my media contact as legitimate. Time to put the next phase in motion.
I catch Angel's eye and give her a subtle nod. We're in this together until the end. And when it comes time for the killing blow, Tane will never see it coming.
I crack my knuckles, my mind racing with possibilities. Tane's empire is vast, but even giants have weak spots if you know where to aim. The trick is finding the right pressure points.
"Okay, so I'll reach out to my media contacts again," I say. "We'll keep dropping hints about the mass graves, stir up speculation. I can also float some doctored financial records, make it seem like Tane's lost money on shady investments and imply a link."
Aidan grins. "Now you're thinking. Make him look reckless in business and sloppy with cleanup. At the very least, it’s likely to sabotage this big deal he’s apparently so busy working on."
Brick giggles from his perch on the arm of the sofa. "Ooh, I love watching empires fall. It's like Jenga!" He mimes pushing over a tower of blocks.
Angel playfully swats his leg. "Don't get too excited yet. Tane won't go down easy."
“Okay okay. But that gives me an idea for naked Jenga… stay tuned, Angel.” Brick winks at Angel lasciviously and wiggles his brow, and we all laugh.
Angel’s caution is valid, but I know with these latest developments, we have the opportunity to place Tane firmly on the ropes.
The game is on. Every empire has its breaking point, and we're about to find Tane's. All those bodies buried on the island are just the beginning. By the time we're through, his entire operation will be dug up and left in the light.
I clap my hands together. "Alright, let's get to work. We all know the drill."
The team springs into action, gathering equipment and dividing up tasks. Angel grabs a duffel bag full of hair styling supplies. Even in the midst of a mafia war, she insists on maintaining her cover as a hairdresser.
"I'll head to the salon, keep my ear to the ground for gossip. We really do hear everything in my line of work," she says with a wink.
Aidan pulls up a map on his laptop, studying our surveillance grid. "I'll coordinate the field teams from here. Brick, you take the docks. Roman, the casino. Stay invisible. Slade, you stay here with me."
We nod, already moving toward the weapons lockers to gear up. I turn to Aidan.
"You ready to stir up some digital chaos?"
He grins. "Born ready. I'll work with Zeke to infiltrate Tane's servers, and we’ll leave some nasty surprises in his financials."
Brick briefly perches on Aidan's desk, peering at the screen. "Ooh, can you make it look like he spent ten grand at an alpaca farm? Embezzle money for llama feed? Oh man, we can imply he owns animals and treats them poorly… and I’ll get my vegan groups onto him. There’s nothing louder than an angry vegan, let me tell you!"
I chuckle. Even in tense times, Brick’s mischief lightens the mood. We have our assignments. Now it's time to dismantle Tane's empire, brick by brick, no pun intended.
He won't know what hit him until it's too late.