Chapter 6
N ick leaned against the tractor trailer parked in the back lot behind Ramos’ restoration and refurbishing warehouse, which is just one of the many businesses Ramos used to legitimize himself.
More than half of the parking lot lights had burned out.
Nick folded his arms across his chest, scanning the area, mentally picturing the exact location of every man he and his brothers had assembled.
They were the elite of the elite and capable of the impossible.
But if this was a set up, then Ramos would be expecting a raid.
“If this is what he uses as the Holding Tank, the outside perimeter isn’t very secure with one night guard at the gate and the few on the roof.
” Logan sat on the wheel hood. Of all the Sarich boys, he’d been the most even-keeled, which made him the most like their father.
His passing had affected all of them deeply, but Logan took on the role of protector of his little brothers.
Even though Nick had been essentially an adult when his father died, and Logan less than two years older than him, Logan had been the one that held the family together.
He still did.
“I’ve detected four cameras so far on the outside.”
“Mia’s working on hacking into Ramos’ system to see what she can find out and get Dylan eyes on the inside, but since we don’t have wires, we have no idea where we stand on that, and she’s not answering my text.”
“She’ll let you know when she cracks it. Now we just need Ramos to show up.” Based on what he’d learned about Ramos and his operation, Nick didn’t feel confident that Ramos believed Nick and Leandra to be exactly who they pretended to be, which meant this plan wouldn’t go off without a hitch.
Though, Nick had never had an op go completely as planned.
The sound of the truck door closing echoed across the night sky.
Nick turned his head to see Leandra stepping onto the running boards before letting her feet hit the pavement.
“He’s late,” she said as she stood with her hands on her hips, looking at the building.
“He’s probably watching us.” Nick reached out, grabbing hold of her biceps, and pulled her to his chest. “My only concern right now is if he had more armed security in places we didn’t know about.” He looped his arms around her sexy waist, letting his hand glide across the top of her ass.
“I’m sure Dylan’s got it covered,” Logan said.
“What are you doing?” she whispered, pressing her hands against his chest.
“Acting like a married couple.” He tilted his head, leaning in for a kiss.
“We’re not married. We’re not anything.” Her words might have indicated he should back off, but her body leaned against his as her fingers gently massaged his shoulders. Her tongue darted out of her mouth and licked her plump lips.
“Just killing time until Ramos shows his ugly face.” He sucked her bottom lip into his mouth before slipping his tongue between her lips, twirling it against hers in a slow dance that ignited a flame deep in his gut.
A fierce wave of protectiveness rolled over him like a hurricane slamming into the coast. He pulled back, taking in a deep breath, then letting it out slowly as he got lost in her dark, smoldering eyes.
“Stay close to me no matter what happens.”
She held his gaze for a long moment. “I’m a big girl. I can handle this.”
“That’s not the point.” Other than his brothers, she was the only person he wanted covering his back. “We need to protect each other in the event this turns into a shitstorm.”
She smiled.
And in that moment, he knew without a doubt, she’d captured his heart, and he was never getting it back.
“We’ve got company,” Logan said.
Nick kissed her sweet lips with a loud smack before lacing his fingers through hers, turning to face a black sedan rolling to a stop ten feet in front of them.
Ramos stepped from the back seat, leaving the door open, standing behind it. “You’ll need to pull the rig to the loading dock.”
“I’ll do that,” Logan said.
“Who the fuck are you?” Ramos scowled.
“I’m the guy with a million dollars…in cash,” Logan shot back as he pulled open the tractor trailer door. “And if I really like what I see, I’ve got another two hundred thousand as a down payment for another shipment in a month.”
“Thought you said you had two buyers?” Ramos said, his tone laced with frustration.
“I bought the other buyer out,” Logan said.
“So, you’re going to resell on the open market as an auctioneer?” Ramos rested his arm over the car door as he looked around.
Logan laughed. “I’ve got overseas buyers lined up, and like I said, I’ll give you cash up front to get me more, if my customers and I are satisfied.”
“Fair enough. But I want to see the money before you load anyone in your truck.” Ramos waved his hand. “You two ride with me.”
Nick nodded, tugging at Leandra’s hand .
“Looks like the little lady might have delivered on her promise,” Ramos said, smacking his lips.
“Not might have delivered. I did deliver,” Leandra said as she slipped into the back seat of Ramos’ vehicle. “And you owe us the rest of our finder’s fee.”
Nick fisted his hands as Leandra ended up between him and Ramos.
“What’s your cut on the other end of this sale?” Ramos asked, daring to pat Leandra’s leg.
“Keep your—” Nick started, but Leandra cut him off.
“What, if any, business we have with Logan is none of your concern. We hooked you up with someone who could move your merchandise now, someone you can do long-term business with, and you’re getting paid a hefty sum of money.”
When she rested her hand on Ramos’ thigh, it took enormous control for Nick not to reach across the seat and strangle Ramos. Nick could picture the man’s face turning bright red while Nick’s fingers closed off Ramos’ throat.
She leaned closer to Ramos. “If you ever touch me again.” She slid her hand higher, closer to his groin.
“I’ll take you by the nuts and twist them so hard you will need surgery to put them back in the right place, only my husband will kill you before anyone has the chance to take you to the hospital. ”
Nick relaxed his fingers, biting back a smile, watching Ramos squirm in his seat. She must have some grip on his leg a little too close to where it counts.
“Is that so?” Ramos said with a shaky voice.
“We’re not the kind of people you want to fuck with.” She removed her hand and leaned against Nick. “Our contacts are far and wide, and we can have you taken out like that.” She snapped her fingers.
“Guess we know who wears the pants in your family,” Ramos said under his breath as the driver put the car in gear, easing toward the loading dock.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Nick said, pride swelling in his gut.
The revving of the diesel engine roared across the quiet night.
Nick scanned the building and surrounding area.
He knew the exact location of each of the team members, but he couldn’t see them.
What he didn’t know was if Fielding was actually going to follow the plan and wait until he got word from Dylan before charging in.
If he didn’t, that would be bad on two counts.
First, if there were hostages in the building, it would put them at risk. Ramos wasn’t necessarily the brightest criminal, but he wasn’t stupid and probably had the holding area booby-trapped.
Second, if the hostages had been moved and Fielding and his agents charged, not only could the sky light up from gunfire, but he risked losing the trafficking charge, which brought with it a dozen other felony charges, potentially putting Ramos away for life.
Whereas the casino charge Ramos could possibly fight, getting the charge and sentence reduced, not really shutting him down.
“How long has this group been held here?” Leandra asked.
“The longest resident would be two weeks. As I told you, there are fifty in all, ranging in age from twelve to twenty. The majority being females,” Ramos said as the car rolled to a stop in front of a set of steel doors next to the loading dock.
Nick stepped from the car. His lungs stung from the scent of gas coming from the semi his brother backed up to the loading bay. The tractor trailer beeped in a continuous pattern until the truck screeched to a halt and Logan jumped from the cab.
“Where’s the money?” Ramos barked.
The metal doors to the building rattled, and two heavily armed men stepped outside, followed by Alicia, who made eye contact but quickly turned away.
The jury was out on what side of the Ho Chi Minh Trail she sat on.
“Here is half.” Logan tossed a bag, which landed with a thud about five feet from the truck. “You’ll get the rest when everyone is loaded.”
“I want to see the rest of it,” Ramos said, a response that didn’t surprise Nick in the least.
Logan turned on his heels, climbed back up in the cab, and pulled down another bag. “You want to look at it, you’ve got to come here.”
“Alicia, get the cash and check out the rest,” Ramos said with a clipped tone. “Let’s settle our business. My men created a diversion for Agent Fielding, but we’ve only got thirty minutes before he’s got eyes back on this building.”
Nick’s heart skipped a beat as he stared directly at Alicia who looked everywhere but at him.
Fielding had been adamant that his men had been undetected, but at this point, Nick figured that was only if Alicia was still one of the good guys.
“How many eyes? And where have they been planted?” Nick asked, looking around again.
Four office buildings stood several stories higher than the warehouse to the east. It would be easy for anyone on the top floor to keep an eye on the other side of the warehouse.
To the west was the highway, but Fielding could have put a man up on one of the ramps.
North and south were a little more complicated, but there were enough small businesses that could house a stakeout.
“A food truck across from Pendleton Offices and a tow truck from a garage down the other side of the street,” Ramos said.