6
I grabbed my bag from the trunk of my car, and then climbed into the back seat. Having blacked-out windows was a necessity with how often I used my car as a changing room.I pulled on a black t-shirt and leggings, then searched for my trainers, cursing when I realised that the trainers that I usually kept in my car were the ones I had worn at the weekend, and they were currently discarded under a pile of clothes in my bedroom. I guessed I’d be handling things in heels instead. Not a first, but not ideal.I sped through the city and down to the outskirts where the warehouse was based. The tip-off that my boss had received stated that the deal would be going down here in around ten minutes. So I arrived suitably early. As always.Some sneaky little fucker who was believed to be looking to impress and get in with the Wolves had managed to break into one of our garages. He had stolen a selection of items that had questionable legality and carried a hefty price tag. Allegedly, when the thief turned up at The Hound, Shay had told him that he had wasted his time, he wasn’t interested in taking on any new initiates. Which then left the little fucker with a dodgy loot, and it wasn’t like he was going to just hand it all back. So he had found himself a buyer. A buyer who just so happened to be a friend of Lorenzo D’Angelo.
The first lesson this kid needed to learn if he was ever going to make it in this world was to check out your buyer and make sure he wasn’t likely to double cross you. The second lesson; don’t ever steal from The Brotherhood. I would be the one teaching him the latter.It felt nice to be having a close-up confrontation for once. I spent way too much time up in the clouds, on top of buildings and hidden out of sight. My sniper skills had put me at a distance from all of the action for a while now. My boss liked to play up to people’s strengths, put a rifle in my hand and I’ll never let you down, so it made sense to give me those jobs. But sometimes I craved the feeling of bones breaking beneath me. The screams so close they ring in your ears. I wanted to see the fear behind a man’s eyes before I ended him. I never got that when they couldn’t see me coming.I parked my car out of sight, climbed out, and found a dark corner to wait in. I used the time wisely, training my eyes and ears into focus, and checking over my weapons. This guy was a nobody, not likely to be dangerous, but I still anticipated a fight. If stealing from us wasn’t enough to impress Shay, taking down a Brother—especially one of Lorenzo’s trusted five—would be. I knew what I’d do if I was him and the opportunity presented itself.Headlights reflected off of the metal fence to the far right of the warehouse, and I sank my teeth into my lower lip, excitement bubbling its way through my veins.The dark grey van pulled up, parking in a poorly lit loading bay out the front of the warehouse, and a short guy dressed head to toe in ripped denim stepped out. He looked shifty as hell as he paced, taking a few steps away from the van, then back again. His eyes darting all over the place, alert, but untrained.
Poor kid had no idea what was coming for him.
Another set of headlights appeared in the distance, then abruptly turned off. The only hint that the vehicle was still heading this way was the low hum of its engine.At least someone knew what they were doing.The buyer, Giorgio, stepped out of the darkness, his parked vehicle hidden from sight, and walked across the forecourt. He knew that I was lurking here somewhere. But he wouldn’t bother trying to find me. He had a job to do. His involvement in Lorenzo’s plan was minimal, exact details didn’t matter to him. As long as he got paid, he didn’t give a shit what anyone else did. It was one of the things I liked the most about my boss’s friend.“What’ve you got for me kid?” he asked, his voice a low rumble, body towering menacingly, casting a dark shadow over the sneaky thief. Giorgio didn’t need to try to intimidate, his presence spoke for itself. He wasn’t someone you fucked with. Not one of us, but a scary bastard in his own right.The little prick listed off all of the items he had stolen from us, smirking as Giorgio’s brows lifted higher as the list went on.“Shit, kid, how’d you come across all of that?” Giorgio asked.“What does that matter? You want it or not?” This kid had balls. He puffed his chest out, looking like a complete idiot standing in front of a man who was at least twice his size. But at least he wasn’t cowering. There was hope blossoming inside me, hope that he might be dumb enough to put up a good fight.“Only a complete idiot would agree to a deal like this without weighing up the consequences first. I wanna know which scary fucker is gonna come after me if they follow the trail that you’ve no doubt left.” Giorgio took a step back, cocking his head to one side.“No one important,” the kid lied.
Giorgio knew it. I knew Giorgio knew it. And the kid, well, he thought he was pulling the wool over his eyes, and Giorgio let him believe it. He was a great actor. A smart man always knew when to play dumb.“Good, good. Let’s see it then pal, and then we can talk money.”The kid led Giorgio over to his van, and pulled open a back door, grinning from ear to ear as light spilled in and revealed the contents of the van. It looked like it was all there, and that was enough for me. I was tired of Giorgio’s show. It was my time to shine.Welcome to the stage, the act you’ve all been waiting for, Mallory Fields. “My my, what do we have here?” My words rang out clear and smooth as velvet as I slowly emerged from my hidden location. The click of my heels on the ground as I prowled towards the men added to the drama of my entrance in a way that pushed my confidence even higher.“You’ve been a naughty boy, haven’t you,” I stated, keeping my focus on the kid while confusion etched its way over his features. There was no fear though, not yet.“Oh you are so fucked kid,” Giorgio chuckled and turned away from him to walk back towards his car. “Enjoy the next five minutes of your life, they’ll probably be your last.”“Don’t walk away, we’re not done,” the kid shouted, shock and anger rippling through him as he lunged for Giorgio. But my boss’s friend wasn’t dumb. He swung back around before the kid could touch him, and I smiled wide as a loud crack sounded in the air as Giorgio’s fist connected with the kid’s jaw.The kid cried out in pain, and Giorgio continued back to his car without uttering another word, opening the window and saluting to me before he drove off.I kept walking, closing the gap between myself and the kid as he rubbed his jaw and spat blood onto the floor at my feet.“Ew,” I sneered at the blood and stepped over it, getting into his personal space.He kept eye contact. Good boy.“So…” I ran my gaze over him, assessing how best to take him out. I noted the outline of a gun shoved in his waistband and decided I should make sure it was the first thing to go. “You thought stealing from The Brotherhood was a good idea?” I asked, ice lacing my words.“Fuck you,” he spat. “Stupid bitch!”Seriously, the balls on this kid!I pursed my lips. “Excuse me?”“Fuck you. Stupid bitch,” he repeated slowly, his hand inching towards his waistband in a far-from-subtle movement. “Who even are you?”My fist swung, driving into the side of his jaw before he could reach his gun. The unexpected impact caused him to stumble, and my other hand gripped his t-shirt, lifting it, grabbing the gun, and pulling it so that the kid”s temple was parallel with the muzzle.“Big mistake, sweetheart,” I sang, a dark smile crossing my lips as the throbbing in my knuckles sent a satisfying thrill through me. “If you want to play with the big boys, you should probably learn their names. Hi, I’m Mallory.”He stood frozen to the spot. Immobilized. As he stared at me, I could see the pieces fall into place, the realisation that I was that girl, the one he’d heard all about. He looked terrified, poor thing, and I could have simply shot him if I wished, but I was craving more action, more release. Instead of making my lesson quick and simple, I slipped the gun into an empty holster at my hip and watched the kid relax a fraction.Play time. My fist jabbed hard and fast into his stomach, taking him by surprise. He tripped backwards a couple of steps, hesitating for a brief second before seeming to shake himself off. Then he threw himself at me, knocking me to the floor. Speed had always been another strength of mine though. As my back hit the ground I twisted, throwing the kid beneath me before he could get anything else out of his little attack. With my legs grounded firmly on either side of his body, I began throwing punches and easily blocked his attempts to fight back. Falling into a simple rhythm that allowed the pent-up anger inside me to take over. My aim was getting sloppy, but my punches became far more vicious.With a small, unexpected burst of energy, the kid managed to throw me off of him and rise to his feet. Wobbling, and hunching in pain, he made a poorly calculated move to kick me, the flat underside of his boot aimed at my ribs. I rolled away before it connected, moving into a low crouch. Ready to pounce, happy to play a little more before pulling his gun back out on him and ending him.Movement in the shadows behind him caught my attention. The kid noticed my attention shift, and instead of using the moment to get one up on me, he turned to look at the spot where my gaze had shot to.
I rose to stand, and my fingers quickly wrapped around the gun.
A loud bang echoed, and hot blood splattered across my face.Fuck.The kid dropped to the floor, his body hitting the ground with a thud. I lifted the gun, aiming towards the shooter, and found myself staring down the barrel into a pair of intense dark eyes.