Some opportunity I can seize.
But right now, all I can do is wait.
4
DANTE
Istand in the shadows between two shipping containers at the port breathing in the stench of diesel fuel and rotting fish while I watch three men unload crates from a truck parked fifty meters away.
They have no clue that my latest intel suggests that these very men may be responsible for hijacking the shipment from the Turks meant for me, and I'm here to shed light on the fact that I know this.
Rico stands to my left with his weapon drawn.
Enzo's positioned on the other side of the truck.
Luca waits in the car at the entrance to cut off any escape routes, while Marco covers the rear.
We've been tracking these men for three days since one of my contacts gave me their names.
They work for a smaller operation that's been moving product through my territory without permission, and the timing matches the missing shipment too perfectly to be coincidence.
I signal to Rico.
He nods and moves forward and I follow close behind, keeping low and quiet.
The men at the truck don't notice us until we're ten feet away, and by then, it's too late.
"Nobody move," I say, holding my gun up, ready to shoot.
But these men are stupid, and their risk-taking has just gotten them caught.
The closest man spins toward me and reaches for his waistband.
I fire twice before his hand can even pull his jacket back.
The first bullet hits his shoulder and spins him backward.
The second catches him in the chest.
He drops to the pavement and doesn't get up.
The other two men scatter.
One runs toward the water, but Enzo steps out from behind the truck and fires.
The man goes down hard, clutching his leg and screaming.
The third man pulls a gun and fires wildly in my direction with horrible aim thanks to his adrenaline.
The shots go wide, and I walk forward and put a bullet between his eyes and watch him collapse in a heap.
Rico moves to the man on the ground who's still alive.
The one with the leg wound.
He's young, maybe twenty-five, with blood spreading across his jeans in a dark stain that pools under his body.
He tries to crawl away, but Rico kicks him onto his back and plants a boot on his chest.
