Chapter 17 – Nate
Hoping to deal Cash a blow he couldn’t come back from, we decided on a three-pronged attack. Guns, money, and drugs, all struck simultaneously. Granted, he could get more guns and money eventually, but it would take time, and the loss would be a hit to his reputation.
The real prize was going to be the drugs. If we took out his stash house, we made him look incompetent to Paez. Losing the drug money route—and the cartel’s favor—would not only be crippling; it would be deadly. You didn’t lose the cartel’s product without forfeiting your life, and Cash knew it. It would throw him off guard, and while we were certain he’d panic and get more dangerous, he’d also be more likely to slip up and lose control of his people.
Exactly what we needed.
My body buzzed, and adrenaline rushed through my veins as I tried and failed to calm myself. For the first time since this had all started, it felt like we were landing a solid blow against my brother, and I needed it. Mari needed it.
The city needed it.
Ready or not, here we come, fucker.
“Position check. Green team in position.” Mari’s voice crackled over the comms unit. The stash houses were all separated, but only by a mile or two each. She and Dominic were leading Kosas and his men to the money stash, and fighting my instinctive need to be by her side was hell. I hated being separated from her, but we’d made the decision together that keeping me from the group was the best call. We wanted to avoid giving the Aces a bigger target if they caught on to what we were doing early, and having Mari and me in the same group was waving a bright red flag in front of them.
I hated it, though.
“Black team in position,” Haru’s quiet voice said. Along with Two-Bit’s men, the Yakuza leader had a contingency of Marcosa men and Greyson himself to keep them on their toes while they went for the guns.
“White team in position,” I said, desperately wanting to hear Mari one last time.
I’d been saddled with Ajilon and the Irish fuck about four miles from where Mari and Dominic were at the farthest stash, and I felt every foot separating us acutely.
Focus.
Ajilon didn’t speak to me, only talked quietly to his men while keeping a keen eye on the horizon. Kieran gave me a wide berth, and I didn’t blame him. He might have agreed with our killing his father, but he knew one wrong move and he could be next. Or, he would be if we didn’t need him. But since our ragtag team was going after the thing Cash loved most, Kieran was safe. At least until we found the dope.
The warehouse was deserted. Windows were broken and graffiti was everywhere, but there was something ominous about it. Something that screamed stay away. I had no doubt that anyone who stumbled across it would beeline right back to where they came from.
I couldn’t wait to burn that shit to the ground.
“Get in, get out, and stay clean,” Mari said firmly, and I sent up a silent prayer that our family would make it through this unscathed. “On my mark.”
As one, we lifted our guns, and I forced the part of me that worried for my people into the back of my brain. Fear could come later. Right now, it was time for a reckoning.
Falling into that familiar headspace was like settling back into my skin. I’d forgotten how much I liked it.
“Three, two, one. Mark.”
We surged forward as one unit, our steps quiet and our guns silenced. Everyone focused on getting as far inside the warehouse as we could before the alarm went out.
The first set of guards got broken necks before they even realized they were being invaded, and the second set fell just as fast. The sounds of quiet breaths, grunts, and pained yells came over the comms, but I tuned them out. I couldn’t help anyone if I was dead, and getting distracted was a surefire way to end up six feet under.
“Outside’s clear,” Kieran muttered, head swiveling as we took in the empty landscape. “Cash doesn’t have much protection here.”
“He does. They’re just inside.” He stared at me, and I shook my head. “He wants this place to look abandoned. Armed guards roaming the grounds will give the opposite impression.”
I was tempted to ask if Kieran had men guarding every building in his territory, but it wasn’t the time. Not to mention, I wasn’t sure if I liked the asshole. No use giving him free advice if we were going to kill him later. Then we’d have to work harder.
Once the grounds were clear, we waited just long enough for our men to surround the building before setting up next to the door. “Breaching in three, two, one.”
Kieran and I moved in sync, opening the door and diving on the two closest men. Stealth had its place and we were working hard to maintain it, but eventually, we were going to lose the element of surprise. I just hoped we cleared the warehouse before someone called in the cavalry.
Ajilon moved to my other side, sandwiching me between the other two leaders, and I fought down the anxiety curling around my shoulders. They weren’t stupid enough to plan a hit on me right now, were they?
No. Mari made it clear that she’d kill anyone who came for me.
I didn’t like it though, and the small smirk on Kieran’s face said he knew it.
Cheeky fucker.
Ajilon lifted his gun, taking out two snipers from the rafters before ducking behind a stack of crates to get two more. We’d put silencers on the guns, but anyone who knew what to listen for would be able to identify the muffled sounds.
“Clear the building,” I said.
With a nod, Kieran directed half the men to fan out and clear the left side of the building while we took the other half to the right.
Although I’d never been in the warehouse before, I knew what to look for. Neurotic or not, Cash was a creature of habit. He liked his drugs to be well-hidden yet easily accessible to him. When we found the office, I knew exactly where to go.
The coat closet looked normal until I peeled away the back wall.
“I fucking hate rabbit holes,” Kieran muttered. “How likely is it he’s got men down here?”
“He’ll have two, but no more.”
That got me twin frowns from him and Ajilon, who kept position by the office door. “Why not?”
“Because that means trusting them not to take his drugs, and he no longer does.” After the issues with Cooper and Renaldi, Cash had taken his drugs underground. He kept the actual stashes separate from the cut houses to avoid any more incidents.
I couldn’t do much while I was with him, but making Cash paranoid enough to give us this chance to go after him was worth every day in that hellhole. It had taken time—so much time—but I’d slowly dripped information into my brother’s ear related to my “suspicions” about his dealers and the men he used to keep the drugs safe. He wasn’t even mad they were stealing his money—he was pissed they stole his dope.
Cooper and Renaldi had been strung up by sunrise, and the cut houses were disbanded by sundown. An entire system destroyed in a day.
“Green team, cleared.” Mari’s voice came as I took my first steps into the darkness, and I let out a relieved breath.
“Black team, cleared.” Grey’s response a second later was another weight off my shoulders.
“White team approaching the stash,” Ajilon answered quietly.
The three of us crept through the tunnel, keeping our steps light and our guns raised. Who knew what nasty surprises Cash had waiting for us.
The first came when we hit the end of the tunnel and peeled the next wall back. Bright light blinded us long enough for someone to send a punch to my jaw and another to my gut. I ducked out of the way, blinking fast to get my eyes to adjust again. I was still seeing shadows when I shoved up from the ground and rammed myself into the stomach of the guard who’d come after me.
Gunshots exploded in the hidden basement, and I grunted as my ears rang. Thank God for ear protection. Otherwise, we’d have been screwed.
We tumbled over each other, trading blows and hissed curses until I got an opening and took it. He feinted to the left, hoping to distract me for an uppercut. I mirrored him, letting him take the swing but dodging at the last second. Instead of punching him, I took a knife from my belt and buried it in his neck. Warm blood coated my skin as I twisted the blade, making sure it was a kill shot. The last thing we needed was him surviving and coming back for us.
“Did you have to make it messy?” Kieran asked, brushing some of the splatter that had gotten on his clothes. “I almost made it out of here clean.”
“What can I say? My girl likes me in blood,” I said flippantly. Mari’s irritated grunt hit my ears, and I grinned. She was going to kill me later.
Worth it.
Finding nothing in the dead man’s pockets, I was about to stand, when the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Reaching for my gun, I spun, only to come face-to-face with the barrel of another. Before the Ace could fire, his head jerked back almost at the same time I heard the depressed air of the silenced shot.
Twisting, I found Ajilon standing there with a grim look on his face as his men swarmed the hidden room the final guard had come out of.
“Thank you.”
“I did it for Mari.” After getting confirmation that everyone was dead, he gave the update. “White team, cleared.”
“You find the drugs?”
“In sight.” We stared at the massive stack of cocaine bricks in the center of the room. It was more than I’d ever seen at once before, even with Cash’s penchant for the drug. Easily millions of dollars’ worth of product that we were going to steal. Yeah, he was going to be pissed.
There was a moment of silence before Mari’s voice came down the line. “Any losses?”
“None on our part,” I said, knowing she needed reassurance as much as I did. “You?”
“Two of Kosas’s men got shot, but they’ll live. Everyone else is fine.”
“Same here,” Grey said.
“Good.” Her voice held a wealth of relief when she finally answered. “Get everything loaded and rendezvous at the docks in an hour.”
“You got it.” As the other teams signed off, Ajilon started barking orders, but I held up my hand. “Wait.”
Pulling out my phone, I made sure to take a full video of the drugs as well as take a ton of pictures. I’d learned a long time ago that you never knew when you might need evidence, even if it was just to piss off my brother when I got the chance.
“All right, we’re good.” With a nod, I let Ajilon get back to work, setting up some of the men outside to watch for any incoming trouble, while the other half pulled open the loading doors and began stacking bricks of coke inside the trucks. Leaning against a wall, I kept a vigilant eye over it all, making sure no one made a move I didn’t like.
It was interesting to see how Ajilon’s and Kieran’s men looked at me. The former’s just looked wary, while most of the Irish looked like they were going to shit their pants when they caught my eye. I had a feeling our little break-in had earned us quite the reputation. Not that I minded. If it kept Mari safe, I’d kill every last one of them without question.
We had the warehouse cleared in less than thirty minutes and had more than enough time to drown the building in gasoline before setting it on fire. There was something cathartic about dropping one of my father’s lighters and hearing the whoosh as the flames ate the old building. Seeing Cash’s hard work burn, his drugs stolen, his men dead—it was all so much better than I’d expected.
Take that, asshole.
Despite the others clearing their areas first, we were the first to make it to the docks. Micah let us in, sending us to the still-damaged area where Cash had set up a bomb for Mari. Ajilon and Kieran sat along the boardwalk while I paced, desperate to see my family now that the work was done.
They were five minutes late, but Greyson had texted that they’d run into an accidental police blockade and had to go around.
No biggie, but there was nothing from Mari.
Then they were ten minutes late. At fifteen, I was going out of my skin.
“You’re going to give yourself a heart attack if you don’t calm down.” Kieran stared at me like an animal in the zoo, his fingers twitching toward his gun.
“Pull that on him, and there won’t be enough pieces of you to feed to the sharks, O’Bannon.”
I whipped my head around, and I was rushing for Mari before I even realized I was moving. Every worst-case scenario flashed through my brain as I crossed the distance between us, but she seemed unharmed. I’d find out for myself in a moment, though.
The second she was in reach, I hauled her into my arms, burying my face in her neck. “Thank fuck. I was worried.”
“I’m fine, Nate. Just got caught in some traffic.” Her hands petted my hair as she whispered soothing words until I was ready to let her go. Even then, she couldn’t move far. I was clinging to her too hard for that.
“What, no hug for me?” Dominic joked, only to laugh when I hauled him in for a hug too. Like Mari, he gave me a pat on the head before shoving me away. “Christ, we were gone for a few hours. You have abandonment issues.”
“You have no idea,” I muttered.
When Greyson walked over to us two minutes later, he got the same treatment, though he didn’t seem surprised at all. He even gloated that he got a longer one because he’d thought to text that he was going to be late. Fucker was just trying to start shit with Dominic, but I didn’t even care.
Once my family was in sight, I finally felt like I could breathe again.
Mari settled into a chair at my side, letting me hover without complaint before turning her eyes to the other leaders. “Tell me everything.”
Two-Bit described their attack on the gun warehouse, followed by Dominic explaining the money run. When it was our turn, Ajilon stepped in, though he didn’t mention killing the final guard. Interesting.
“Once your boy got his pictures, we loaded up quick. Burned the place down behind us, as requested.”
Mari’s hand clenched in mine, but other than that, she looked unaffected by it all. After she triple-checked the trucks herself, Micah and his men picked up the keys from Dominic and drove them away.
Mari turned to us, more relaxed than I’d seen in weeks. “Thank you for tonight. I’m hoping the blow to Cash’s reserves is as big as I think it is.”
“What’s next?” Kieran asked.
“War. Get your families out of the city tomorrow. Seattle’s officially a powder keg, and we just lit the match. Literally.” With another grateful nod, she let them go. Well, all except one. “Kosas. A word.”
He turned back to us, his brows drawn in confusion. “Is there a problem?”
“No. I wanted to tell you the money is yours.”
Shock rocked him back. “What?”
“The money is?—”
“I heard you. I just don’t understand why.”
Mari glanced out at the water, taking her time before she turned back. “I can’t bring your family back, and even though I know money won’t help ease the ache, it’s something. Keep it, burn it, give it away. I don’t care, it’s yours.”
“The others won’t like this.”
She shrugged. “So, don’t tell them.”
His stare was probing as he looked for whatever trap he thought she’d hidden in the offer. He found none. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because Tyrone and Chloe deserved better.”
This time, Kosas watched the water before answering. “Thank you.”
“Thank me when it’s over and Cash is dead.”
His lips tipped into the faintest smile. “I’ll do that.”
The four of us watched him walk away, shoulders heavy with grief. Only when he was out of sight did Greyson lean over and press a kiss to Mari’s temple. “You did a good thing, reina.”
I could tell she didn’t agree, but she didn’t argue either. “Can you two go get the car? I want to go home, and I’m too tired to walk.”
“I can carry you,” I offered. She patted my hand but looked pointedly at the others.
“Anything you want, mariposa,” Dominic said, swooping in for a brief kiss before hauling Greyson along with him. He immediately started telling Grey about all the kills Mari made and how badass our woman was, making me smile as they disappeared around the corner.
When they were gone, she turned to me with brows raised. “Pictures?”
I felt my cheeks flush a little at the stern tone and straightened my shoulders. I will not be embarrassed about this—or turned on by how hot she is when she’s firm with me. “They’re just in case.”
“Show me.” Pulling out my phone, I loaded the video and pictures I’d taken, letting her see the images. It didn’t take a genius to notice her brain was whirling, trying to figure out how to make sense of everything. When she’d gone through all of them, she handed the phone back to me, one photo still on the screen. “Send that to the burner phone.”
I forwarded the picture, then leaned over her shoulder to see what she was doing. She huffed but still smiled as she typed out a message to Paez.
I’ve got something of yours. Ready to talk yet? –Queenie
“Are you sure baiting him is a good idea?” I asked.
“No, but that’s all we’ve got right now. We need Cash neutered, and this is one step to getting it done.”
Nodding, I rested my head on hers for another minute, just needing to feel her against me.
Mari’s okay. She’s safe. We’re all safe.
And Cash would be reeling from what we’d accomplished. Not too bad for a night’s work.
When the SUV pulled up, I opened the door and held out my hand. “Let’s go home, angel.”
Mari grinned, letting me pull her close for a kiss. “Absolutely. I think it’s time to celebrate what a great night we had.”
Her eyes glittered as she climbed into the back seat and beckoned me to follow. I had my shirt off before the door closed behind me.
Oh, hell yes.