28. Soul
Soul
Vehicles fill the giant lot surrounding the warehouse, creating the perfect cover while we wait to intercept one of Eli’s shipments.
It’s the first lead we’ve had on his movement, so we’re not taking any chances.
We have the warehouse surrounded, eyes on every road in and out, waiting to see what Eli and his men are up to.
“I’m beginning to think this is a suicide mission,” Hardy, one of our newest prospects, grumbles as he takes in the long caravan moving down the road toward us.
“Would it be a problem if it is?” I ask, hitching an eyebrow. “Pussy and booze are all good, but if you’re not willing to die for your club, what the fuck are you doing here?”
“No—I mean—” He scrambles for an excuse, but it’s already clear he’s not going to make it to patching in.
So many of the prospects lately are weak in spirit—in mind.
They want the women and guns, but not the trouble.
This is the problem with the in-between generation, where we’ve taken our fathers’ places in the ranks, but the next generation of Twisted Kings are children.
Any time we have to rely on pulling guys from the outside, we end up with more washing out than patching in, and it’s exhausting.
Only some become the exception. Chaos and Venom are good examples. They weren’t raised by the club like the rest of the ranked members were, and yet, they understand why we do what we do. It’s not just sex and partying. We’re here for our community when the cops fail them. We’re a family.
“Go back to your post and fuck off.” I wave my hand at Hardy, needing him out of my line of sight. “We’ll call you back here if we need you.”
It won’t happen. Not when he brings that negativity to the table. There are so many things that can go wrong on a night like this without adding a cowardly prospect to the mix.
Venom chuckles at my side, watching Hardy pout as he walks away. “He lasted a month longer than I thought he would.”
“Same,” I grumble. “Steel wanted to give him a chance, but his patience is running thin, finally. These fucking punks. I swear they have no clue what they’re getting into. What’s the deal?”
“It’s called a nice upbringing,” Venom says. “They’re fucking spoiled and don’t understand what we’re fighting for.”
Venom is right, even if it doesn’t say much for the rest of us.
The kind of guys who survive in the club have been fighting tooth and nail since the day they were born, whether they were raised by the patch or not.
They know what it’s like to struggle, to fight for those who can’t fight for themselves.
We have a reputation around town, but we’ve done more for Vegas than the authorities. We protect our community instead of exploiting it.
This newest group of prospects doesn’t seem to understand that.
They’re the worst yet, which is saying something after Reyes.
He prospected simply to infiltrate our club, but at least he was answering to something.
Hardy, Bullet, and the whole new group lately have no spine.
No loyalty. This is exactly why I told Steel I didn’t trust them to be on lookout by themselves.
They’re physically here, but they don’t have our backs. This is the kind of shit that gets brothers killed.
I shake my head, turning back to Venom. “I guess it’s a good thing you came from a shitty family then, huh?”
“Lucky me.” He breathes out a laugh.
Venom doesn’t usually talk about his childhood or what brought him to Vegas.
The few things he’s shared about his family were ramblings fueled by too much booze.
What I do know is there’s a reason the shit he does with us doesn’t faze him.
Men who stick around—who patch in—do so because they came from worse.
The caravan draws closer, and I signal for the prospects to get down before someone spots them. The cover of night only hides so much with lights scattered around the warehouse parking lot.
Tonight’s goal is to gather intel, not engage.
Ghost has the perimeter locked down, recording everything.
Chaos and Legacy are at the opposite end of the warehouse with a couple of other prospects who are equally worthless, while Venom and I are tasked with monitoring the road for anything unexpected.
Steel and Havoc are posted at a distance just in case things go south, but we’ll avoid going in if we can. It’s safer to get a feel for their schedule first, to know how many men are coming and going. We might be reckless, but we’re smart about it when possible to try and avoid getting killed.
Still, part of me hopes they give me an excuse.
Ever since Emery mentioned Eli’s name, I’ve been itching to get my hands on him.
Any man willing to buy a woman to close a business deal deserves what they have coming to them.
I’ve made it my personal mission to learn everything there is to know about him and his businesses just so I can dismantle him piece by piece myself.
Ghost hasn’t been able to pin Eli down, but he’s dug up plenty of information. Eli is a jewel importer who is likely moving other things through his businesses and keeping them off the books.
It’s starting to make sense why Zane began working with Eli after we took down the Iron Sinners. We didn’t just dismantle a rival club; we stopped Zane’s trafficking operation. He needed someone with the resources to help him get it up and running again. Eli’s business is perfect for that.
We suspect Eli has already started helping Zane move women, and tonight we’ll find out. If the caravan in front of us has jewels, we’ll sit back and wait for them to do whatever it is they came here for before heading home. If it’s not, we’ll have no choice but to make a move.
The moment they get close enough for me to spot the blacked-out windows, I lose all hope of a quiet night.
Steel must be thinking the same thing because he calls me a second later.
“You seeing this?” he asks the second I answer.
“Yeah, I’m fucking seeing it.” I frown.
“And here I thought tonight might be simple.”
“It never is when Zane is involved.”
“I’m calling the other guys and telling them to be ready. If this is what I think it is, we’re going to have to move in. We should have brought more backup.”
My gaze moves to the worthless prospects on my left. “We’ll get it done regardless.”
So long as these assholes don’t get in my way, I’ll make it work. I always do.
Meeting Venom’s gaze, he nods, confirming he’s ready like he always is. He’ll have my back, unafraid to do what’s necessary. This isn’t the kind of situation you can walk into with fear hanging on your shoulders. It will do nothing but get you killed.
“All right. Be ready to go on my signal,” Steel says, hanging up.
I shove my phone back into my pocket, waving Hardy and Bullet over. “New plan. Looks like you might get your suicide mission after all.”
Hardy’s face pales, which makes Venom chuckle.
I don’t actually trust these guys enough to send them in with us, but at least fucking with them provides a moment of entertainment before I walk into the line of fire.
“I’m fucking with you.” I shake my head, making a mental note to talk to Steel about kicking these guys to the curb when we get back.
“I need you two to split up. Take either end of this lot and send updates to Ghost once we go in. If you spot any new cars on the road or anyone trying to run, Ghost needs to know about it. Got it?”
“Got it,” they say in unison.
Thankfully, at this time of night, the warehouse district is empty, so there’s no one to hear what’s about to go down. We just need to make sure no one gets out before we’re ready to deal with them.
The prospects split off as instructed, and Venom pulls out his gun.
“I’ll take left,” he says, and I nod as we start forward.
My gun is firm in my grip. Blistering heat and stagnant air have sweat dripping down the back of my neck. With the warehouses blocking all wind, it’s hotter than it should be tonight.
Venom and I weave around the cars, pausing at the final row until my phone vibrates with Steel’s signal to move.
I’m used to living my life one moment at a time.
One place at a time. One person at a time.
I’m good at focusing on what’s directly in front of me and not letting myself get distracted by what might happen.
But when my phone buzzes in my pocket, for the first time in my life, something hangs at the periphery of my thoughts.
If I don’t come out of this, Emery and Charlie will be alone.
That can either be my weakness or my purpose. Clinging to them, I clear my head and swallow any doubt. I’m not failing them tonight.
Venom nods, indicating it’s clear around him, and I do the same. We slowly work our way back to each other, prepared to make our move.
“Ready to play hero?” I ask when he stops beside me.
“Always.” He smirks.
We move in unison, having done this so many times that it’s practically a dance at this point. This is why I don’t care that the prospects are worthless. Venom has my back, and I have his. When he sweeps left, I go right. Every angle is covered. I know his every move before he makes it.
This used to be me and Chaos before he left for a few months with Willa. While he was gone, Venom and I found a routine with each other, so Steel has been pairing us up on missions ever since.
The caravan has already pulled into the warehouse by the time we reach the empty space that surrounds the building.
Venom and I easily slip through a side door without being noticed.
Thankfully, there are crates and equipment that reach the ceiling, keeping us hidden as we move toward the center where the vans are parked.
Men are already climbing out of the front, but none of them is Eli. It was too much to think he’d be handling his own dirty work.
One of the men moves to the back of the van and swings the door open. Sobs come from inside, shooting ice through my veins. It’s too dark to see inside the vehicles, but I’ve heard cries like these so many times when stumbling upon Iron Sinner trafficking operations that I know what I’m looking at.
It takes everything to wait for backup before moving in.
“Boss really wants to keep them here all night?” one of the men asks another.
“He’s got shit to take care of tonight. He won’t be ready for them until morning.”
“So we’re supposed to just sit around and wait?” The first man sounds annoyed.
Another climbs out of the front, circling to the others. “Who said anything about sitting around and waiting?”
He reaches into the van, and screams echo in the warehouse as he grabs a woman by the hair and pulls her out of the van. She falls to the ground, twisting her ankle with how she lands.
The man laughs, and fire rips through me.
“Might as well entertain ourselves if we’re going to be here all night.”
The woman tries to crawl away, and he grabs her by the hair again, smacking her across the face so hard she crumples to the ground.
That sound has me seeing red.
There’s no more waiting. No more restraining. Thankfully, Steel, Havoc, and the others come up behind me and Venom at that moment because even if they hadn’t, I’d have gone in and put an end to this.
We move forward in a haze of gunfire and shouting.
Bullets rain, and any smart man would run in the opposite direction. I aim straight into battle. Finding my purpose.
Finding my peace.