Page 222 of Forged in the Fire
Four days ago, I’d texted to update him on what had happened, fact that blood had been spilled. Another body buried deep in the woods and even deeper underground.
The definitive link the bastard had to Kent.
“Dereck called last night. We have a go three nights from now,” he said.
My guts tangled in a smack of antsy anticipation and something that felt a little too close to grief.
My attention whipped to the windows that fronted the lobby, no way to stop the trajectory. Mirrored and shimmery, my abhorrent reflection was the only thing I could see staring back.
There was no way to see the beauty through the glass, but I felt her moving around on the other side, anyway.
Likely plucking away at those keys, trying to sculpt Torque & Talon’s accounting into some semblance of shape. Actually making progress on the disaster when I really hadn’t anticipated her putting any real effort into it.
Not with the way I treated her when she first came here.
Hell, I was lucky she wasn’t sabotaging the whole damned thing.
I forced myself to turn away and focus on what was important.
The safety and deliverance of my crew.
Vengeance for my family.
The complete desolation of the foul repugnance that Kent Ellison propagated.
The monster had zero clue who he was messing with. Thinking he had the power to wield his control and we were just going to submit.
I couldn’t wait to see his face when I brought him to his end.
But there was something that clenched at the thought. A revolt coming on deep.
“You’re sure?” My teeth gnashed as I asked it.
“All his intel says it is, and everything I’ve found confirms it. There are three different drops occurring on the same night. I have full details and every meeting place. Dereck said every man in Kent’s organization is to be on that night. Three groups divvied out over the deals. Additionally, there will be a large contingency standing guard at his compound, plus a handful at another safehouse.”
My nerves rattled like a snake. “So we have to hit five different locations?”
We knew this was going to be the largest undertaking that we’d ever endeavored, but I didn’t have the full scale of it until then.
“That’s right,” he confirmed, a thread of uncertainty in his voice. Wondering if I really wanted to take this on. “Dereck said it’s a total of about eighty men, an estimation of ten involved in each deal, five at the safehouse, and the rest at the compound.”
“He’s sure that’s it?”
They all had to be taken out at precisely the same time. We couldn’t afford for anyone to alert the other, and we sure as hell couldn’t leave anyone as a witness.
Sure, there would be those on the fringes. Accomplices and associates. There was no way to strike down every connection.
But we were going for his inner circle. Ensuring that no one in his chain of command remained.
This would be unabridged and nuclear.
Rats included.
All except for Dereck.
Disquiet rolled through my guts. I was still more than skeptical that he could be trusted.
A deranged, perverted part of me hoped he wasn’t, then I’d have good reason to make him pay for what he’d caused Brinley.
