Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
Two weeks later.
“Careful, Cove,” I yell out, and he ducks just in time.
Fucking hell, this was definitely not what I anticipated on doing on a Saturday morning.
Blair’s been gone for two fucking weeks. Two whole weeks. And the note she left me? Just asking me not to try and track her down. It took a lot of convincing from Freya and Cove to actually listen to her, and although I’ve honored her wishes, I can’t say it’s been easy.
It’s like a part of me was ripped right out, and it hasn’t even started healing, it never will heal. I’m not whole if I’m not with her. She’s the only person keeping me sane, whole, alive. This deep ache is not going to leave, the emptiness will not fill until she’s back with me.
Then, this morning, I got a lovely call that someone tried entering one of our warehouses, the one we use to store drugs.
Wouldn’t you know, it was one of the smaller gangs that have been trying to rise up the ranks.
The idiots really found me during the worst time of my life.
If this had happened last year, I would’ve spared them.
Now? I’m not as gracious. The black hoodie is back, the Ghost is out and about to have the time of his life.
Cove is right there, alongside Keith and a couple of others.
My aim is steady and precise as always, my eyes darting left and right, watching and carefully observing as each person I spot falls down, dead.
“You good, Cove?” I yell out, and he nods.
That’s all the response I need.
“Did we get them all?” Keith asks, and I nod.
“Unless they’re inside, probably. We should check it out though just to be sure. If the bastards somehow managed to get a hold of any of those drugs, I’ll kill someone.”
“This is what you get for trying to help out the Bratva,” Cove says, and the sarcasm doesn’t go unnoticed by Keith or me.
He’s right, though.
De Santis don’t deal drugs. We’re assassins, at most arms dealers on top of that.
Drugs, however, have never been a priority to us.
Mainly because there’s no need to add more of a workload, given that we’d need to expand from a family of assassins to a mob, and that’s not what any of us ever wanted.
However, Dad was asked a few months ago by the Pakhan to use one of our warehouses to store their drugs, and Dad, being the one to see perks and opportunities everywhere, agreed.
Our job’s been to keep them safe, and we were paid a percentage of the sale.
“You think Aleksei will be pissed at us, if drugs are missing?” I ask, even though I know the response already.
Cove snorts. “The man isn’t called The Tsar for nothing, he’s known for tyranny. Do you think he’ll just not be bothered if some of his drugs are missing?”
I groan. “Fuck. Let’s just see if there’s any damage inside.”
Cove nods, and I start walking toward the entrance of the warehouse.
Keith is following closely behind, his sharp eyes skimming our surroundings.
Aria trusts Keith, so I trust him. She has a good eye when it comes to spotting reliable, good workers, and Keith has proven his worth.
The inside of the warehouse is what you’d expect of one keeping a bunch of different drugs.
They’re labeled, each shelf having a big sign.
If cops were to find this place, they’d have a field day.
Rows upon rows of carefully packaged drugs, from heroin and cocaine, to a bunch of other things I’ve never even heard of.
They have their hands full with these things.
Cove takes the right side of the massive warehouse, while I take the left.
Keith stays by the door, his back turned to us.
His gun is safely tucked in his hand, and his body’s tense.
He’s waiting for an attack, and he’s ready to strike back.
From what I can tell, they haven’t been able to get inside of the place, which is a relief.
I make a mental note to send a few men to guard the warehouse from here on out, then give Aleksei a call and tell him to come and grab his shit.
It was Hudson who made the deal with him, not me.
And Hudson’s body’s long decayed by now.
“Hey, check this out,” Cove’s voice snaps me out of my train of thought.
“Yeah? What is it?”
Cove approaches me, carrying a tablet in his hand. It’s not password protected, so he opens it with ease.
“This is the log of every single gram of product we have in here.”
“Alright,” I drawl out. “What about it?”
“Well, Aleksei’s been taking some out lately, which is fine, they’re his drugs, but whenever someone takes them, they have to sign off how much of what they took.”
“And?”
“And… apparently, you’ve been taking out heroin, Arlo. What’s that about?”
I blink. “Excuse me?”
Cove doesn’t get the chance to respond before I snatch the tablet out of his hands. My eyes roam the screen, my heart slowly starts to pick up speed. What the hell is this? There’s a date, then a signature at the bottom.
“I didn’t take these out,” I say, and Cove quirks a brow.
“Then someone was bold enough to use your name. Do you recognize the handwriting?”
I shake my head. “It’s difficult to recognize it when it’s digital. Anyone could’ve done this. Though, they did try their best to make it look like mine would. But there’s a clear difference.”
“Unfortunately, for privacy reasons, there’s no cameras inside.”
“There are quite a few on the outside, though. Have Lucas pull the footage, and match the date with the one on the log list.”
Cove nods.
“Now that we’re certain nothing’s been taken from here by these bandits, what do we do about it?”
“I’ll make an example out of them, and I’ll do it tonight. I need to blow off some steam.”
“I figured,” he rolls his eyes. “I’ve been in contact with Kaya.”
That makes me pause. I lift a brow. “She’s never in contact with anyone. How many times did you call her before she graced you with a response?”
“Around a hundred and twenty. To be fair, you told me to push it.”
“Get to the point,” I sigh, taking the tablet with me as I head toward the door, ready to leave the warehouse. “How is Blair doing?”
“She’s fine. She’s unharmed. She also doesn’t know Kaya’s working as a double agent right now.”
“Of course she doesn’t,” I mumble. “Kaya’s always the one with secrets. Anywho, Theodosia’s still missing, and that’s another thing we need to figure out. If she’s harmed, or if Raven ends up killing her, Blair won’t survive it. The guilt will eat her alive.”
“I know. That’s why Kaya used her connections to get eyes and ears in Greece. The moment Raven is spotted, she’ll be the first one to know. Unless he makes the first move.”
“Let’s pray he doesn’t. If he does, it’ll be too late for Theodosia.
He’ll likely have killed her, or severely injured her.
What I don’t understand is why? Why would he do that?
He’s been with us for almost a decade. Why now?
And why betray us for Simmons and his fuckers?
” my aggravation is clear for all to hear.
“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Cove sighs, and I open the door of my car, sliding into the driver’s seat. “Raven has no immediate family, so no one he cares about could’ve been a part of the reason. We’ll find out, though.”
“Of course we will. And I’ll take my sweet, sweet time dealing with him. Now let’s go, we have to prepare for tonight.”
“Is it smart, though? Destroying that gang will send a message.”
“The message being that despite Hudson’s demise, the De Santis name still reigns. And I won’t have the crown taken from me.”
“Alright, Your Majesty,” he mocks, and I snort.
“Keith will come with us, and Aria.”
“Is that smart?”
“Probably not,” I shrug. “But she needs an outlet. She’s barely left the hospital, and I don’t know about you, but I won’t watch my little sister die alongside my mother. She needs this.”
“Fine, that’s all, then?”
“We don’t need anyone else,” my brows raise. “Unless you’re doubting your abilities, in which case, you can sit this one out and reevaluate your life choices, if a mere, little street gang is a problem for you.”
“Oh, fuck off.”
I roll my eyes, and start the car. Keith came with his own vehicle, and he’s the only one remaining at the location, waiting for others to arrive so it can be secure again. All of this may seem like I’ve been having the time of my life, but in reality, I’ve barely been breathing.
I’ve been counting days, hours, and even minutes since Blair left.
Every part of me wants to track her down, and drag her beautiful ass back home.
But if I do that, if I clip her wings now that they’ve finally healed, we won’t be able to come back from it.
And she deserves far better. She needs this, and I need to learn patience again, and wait for her with open arms.
Even if I wanted to find her right this instant, the chances of actually tracking her down are slim.
Kaya knows what she’s doing; and unfortunately, when it comes to hiding, she’s far better than I’ll ever be.
That bitch. The only reason I’m moving forward is because I know that soon enough, I’ll have my Butterfly back in my arms, right where she belongs.
Until then, it’s time for me to let her to spread her wings, and use all the power she’s gained for revenge.
That’s why I am doing all of this.
So she can bathe in the crimson rivers and the tears of her enemies.
???
Crisp air greets me as I leave the car. The wind blows my hoodie a bit, though it doesn’t move. That’s why I had all of this made for me — it fits me perfectly, and I don’t have to fear the hood falling off and showing my face.
Not unless I want it to.
The harsh daft prickles my face, yet my mind is clear. The coldness doesn’t bother me, and if anything, it only makes me think more rationally, making me better.
“This is a rather shabby place,” Aria notes, leaving the car and closing the door behind her softly.