Chapter 29
Chapter
Twenty-Nine
Emiliano
Earlier: 7:56 pm
T he sound of voices was nonexistent, intensifying the rumble of the engine and hum of tires on the streets. Tension permeated from every occupant in the panel van. No doubt, everyone was deep in thought as we traveled toward The Legend. We’d planned our operation down to the second, aiming to get in and out in under seven minutes. That would be a minute faster than the eight Rei gave us. I gritted my teeth as I maneuvered the vehicle through San Diego traffic. Since I’d lived here all my life, Nick or I would be the most experienced drivers. This wasn’t the time to be pulled over for some stupid move.
Nick was in the back, his mind set on protecting el Patr?n . Piero was at my side, riding shotgun. The other seven occupants were in the back, weapons, vests, and helmets in place. While we would all be armed with multiple guns, knives were our weapon of choice—less noise.
Back in Midtown, Sebastián was able to communicate with us through earpieces, but his only visual was through deviated security. In a matter of four minutes, the security guard at the front desk would see earlier recorded video, not what was happening in real time. As soon as we were out of the building, Sebastián would delete any footage of us, replacing it with what the security guard viewed—if he was paying attention at all. The San Diego Chargers were playing their final preseason game against the Saints. Kickoff was at eight p.m. Surely that was more exciting than a luxury building’s hallways and doors.
Neither of the security guards in the front of the building should be an issue. If things went as planned, they’d both live to see another day.
It would be Rei’s job to enter the shipping dock, take out the first guard, and then call for us to enter. The plan was to go up the service elevator, surprise Volkov’s two guards, and enter the condo.
This mission didn’t need nine people.
The possibility of us being caught off guard was why we had the extra men. It seemed unlikely that Volkov would feel the need for extra bodyguards while he was fucking his mistress, but we couldn’t be too sure. We could be walking into a setup.
“Loading dock cameras are diverted,” Sebastián said through our earpieces.
The area near the loading dock had tall lights, brightening the parking lot. My heartbeat pounded in my ears as the lights slowly dimmed, darkening the area. “Fuck yeah,” I whispered to Sebastián. Between him and Silas, they knew their way around this technology.
“Eight o’clock,” Jano said.
Rei opened the side door. Wearing all black with his military-grade gear, he stayed in the shadows, making his way up the side ramp.
I held my breath as he picked the lock. The door opened. “Under ten seconds,” I relayed as Rei disappeared into the loading area.
We all waited until Rei gave the all clear.
The next seven minutes lasted years, or at least they felt that way.
Rei’s voice came through the earpieces. “Clear.”
We exited the van, moving in tandem. In our black gear, from the air, we’d appear like worker ants following a trail. Once inside, I saw that the guard was dead, his throat slit. We were following the plan.
There wouldn’t be a cleanup crew following this mission. The point was to leave clues leading to Makarova. Rei had the service elevator waiting as all nine of us piled in. The grate doors would expose us when we reached the floor of the condo. However, there shouldn’t be a guard at the service elevator.
We all held our long guns, pointed at the entrance as we moved higher in the skyline.
A collective gasp filled the air as we were met with no guards or guns.
“ Volara, ” Jano whispered.
“Quiet,” I repeated for our Russian friends.
The blueprint of the floor was etched into our brains. With Rei in the lead, we moved stealthily through the back hallways, created for workers to remain invisible. Cracking open the door from the janitor’s closet, we had visual of the guard outside Volkov’s door. The fucker was looking down at his phone with an earpiece in his ear.
Shouldering my gun, I approached quietly. The Chargers’ score was zero to zero as he realized I was there. My eight-inch blade sliced his neck, letting blood spurt from his carotid as he slumped into the chair. Piero hurried past me, on his way to his mission: the guard at the elevator.
I couldn’t see what happened, but as soon as Piero returned, we were joined by the other seven.
“I’m going in first,” Nick said, looking at el Patr?n . “He’s your kill, but you’re not meeting a gun upon entry.”
Jano nodded.
Rei picked the lock and a second later, Nick pushed his way in. We scanned from left to right. Luxurious furniture and expensive décor could be found in every room. Music filled the air. There were dishes on the dining room table as if a meal had recently been consumed. Nick led with Jano on his tail. The sweep of the first few rooms had me worried that Volkov had been tipped off.
Nick pushed open the primary bedroom door.
No one.
The bed sheets were tousled, but there was no one.
We all stilled at the sound of voices.
Jano motioned with his head toward what I assumed was the bathroom door. He kicked the door in. Volkov and Leah were submerged in a long bathtub. Leah screamed and dropped her glass of wine. The glass shattered, splattering red wine on the tile floor. Volkov jumped to his feet, his face beet red and his shriveling dick disappearing.
Jano stepped forward. “ Esta noche mueres .”
Rei turned to Volkov, translating Jano’s warning. “Tonight, you die.”
Looking confused, Adrian translated the warning again for Volkov in Russian.
Volkov’s eyes bulged as he called for his guards.
Jano lowered his gun and unsheathed his long blade. “ Por mí padre .” He slit Volkov’s abdomen from the right to the left. Rei pulled the naked woman from the tub by her arm as Volkov’s intestines fell to the water. Blood bubbled from his lips as the horror settled in his dark stare. For a split second, Volkov reached for the bloody organs as if to hold them in place. Using the same blade, Jano sliced left to right across Volkov’s neck, the realization of his ultimate death prevalent in Volkov’s expression. A millisecond later, he crumpled into the tub. The red water sloshed against the white-tile backsplash as his head and one arm dangled over the side.
I stepped back from the growing pool of crimson.
Leah stared at Volkov’s open, lifeless eyes as his lips were agape.
Rei held his hand over Leah’s mouth. “Your turn.”
She shook her head wildly.
He lifted her as she kicked her legs. “Fuck,” he cursed as she bit his hand.
“I won’t tell. Please don’t kill me,” she pleaded.
Jano walked toward her. “You won’t tell because you will die.” He nodded to Rei.
Rei grabbed her hair. “This is for what you did to your daughters.” He slit her throat the same as he had done to the guard in the loading dock. As her eyes fluttered, he added, “You have a grandchild coming who you will never see.”
She gurgled as he let her go, her head hitting the tile with a thud. Dark red blood pooled around her.
I didn’t know what she’d done to her daughters, but the shock and recognition in Leah’s eyes as death came for her told me she knew what she’d done.
By the time we left the bloodied bath, Piero and Lorenzo had carried the guards’ bodies into the condo, leaving them on the marble floor. We slipped out the same way we entered—through the back hallways, accessible only to staff, and down the service elevator. Nick ran lead as we slowed by the service door.
Had anyone found our van?
Cracking the door, Nick surveyed the loading dock and the parking lot beyond.
At 8:07 p.m. we drove away, relief flooding my circulation.
“Send the soldiers to the abandoned building,” Jano said.
Sebastián replied, “ Sí, jefe .”
“Back to Midtown,” Rei said, patting me on the shoulder.
Hours later, the Midtown DC was clean as a whistle. The crates of weapons were hidden, and the technology Sebastián and Rei had brought with them was packed and ready to fly north to Sacramento.
Wanderland had operated without any unusual instances. There were still hours to go before it closed. I called Horace and told him to keep the extra guards vigilant.
The cartel chiefs I’d vouched for carried out the raid at the abandoned building. The hideout would need to wait. After the intel Adrian heard, the abandoned building was our target. If human trafficking was involved, it couldn’t wait until Monday, not with the Volkov bratva’s leader dead in a tub of blood and human waste. The nine of us waited for word from the chiefs regarding the soldiers’ progress.
I received the call a little before midnight. Eight sets of eyes were upon me as I answered the phone.
“ Esta hecho .”
“It is done,” I relayed to the men around me.
“What did they find?” Jano asked.
“ El patr?n is with me,” I said. “I’m putting you on speaker. He has questions.”
“Did you find Herrera?” Jano asked.
“No, jefe . Weapons and ten women. We lost two soldiers. They lost all six that were here.”
That would be eight of Volkov’s men, his mistress, and the big prize himself.
“Fuck,” Jano roared. “I want Herrera.” His nostrils flared. “Tell me about the women.”
“They’re pretty beat up and scared. Doesn’t seem as if they’ve eaten recently.”
“Where are the women?” I asked.
“Took them down to the south warehouse. They’re getting medical attention, but communication is a problem.”
Adrian stepped forward. “Russian?”
“ Sí .”
I nodded.
“I’ll go down,” Adrian volunteered. “I’ll be able to get their information. Then what do you want done with them?” he asked Jano.
“Their choice. They go back to where they came from, or they make us money at Wanderland.”
Adrian looked at Jano, his eyes narrowing. “Could we have a word?”
The two walked away.
“The weapons?” I asked the chief on the phone.
“We confiscated them and brought them down here too.”
Adrian and Jano returned.
Jano spoke, “The women can either go back to where they came from or go to work for Andros Ivanov. Adrian had a point. Suddenly having Russian whores at Wanderland would be a beacon to not only the uniforms but also smaller bratvas. Ivanov will take credit for the raid at the abandoned house.”
There was something reassuring in a boss who was willing to listen. I never felt that way around Jorge. That doesn’t mean he didn’t take advice. We all nodded.
“We’re on our way,” I told the chief before disconnecting the call.
“No,” Jano said, placing his hand on my shoulder. “Go clean up and tell your woman that you have permission.”
My lips curled for the first time in hours.
My woman .
“You don’t need me down at the warehouse?”
He shook his head. “I’m headed home to blow off some steam and get some sleep. We’re halfway to our goal. Get this marriage over with, Em. I need your head in the game.”
“Lockdown?” I asked.
Jano nodded. “No change until the dust of tonight settles.”
“We just made Herrera weaker.”
“We’re cornering him.” His eyes opened wide. “What is the saying? Scared animals return home, regardless of whether home is safe or frightening.”
“You think he’ll go back to Mexico?”
“We’ll talk tomorrow.”