“Good to see you, man,” Bull said as they clasped forearms. “I’ve got your stuff in the meeting room.”
Connor followed him through a door to the right of the bar, where there was a long table. He assumed that it was called the meeting room because it was where they dealt with official business, but he never asked. There were two large cases on the table, and Bull opened them so that he could examine the contents. Everything looked to be in order.
“So, your troubles have been resolved?” Connor asked.
“For the most part. Just a little territorial issue with a gang that moved into the abandoned bar across the street.”
“I get that.” Territory issues were the big catalyst in their fight with the Italians.
“Well, they’ve backed off. We were even assured that they wouldn’t be in the neighborhood for long. I guess Misso City isn’t their permanent home.”
“I wish Mancini would leave the city. Make all of our problems disappear.”
Especially if he takes Leo with him.
Then, Alessia wouldn’t have to worry about anything. He knew that she was concerned about what would happen with her art gallery if she wasn’t able to return to her life without being in danger.
Bull helped him carry the cases out to the car, and they said their goodbyes. As Bull returned to the clubhouse, Connor thought about his trouble with that gang. Curiosity had him glancing across the street as he was about to get into the car, and he froze in place.
“Holy fuck…” he muttered.
There it was, the thing he didn’t even know he should be looking for. He’d been racking his brain, trying to come up with some kind of explanation for the word their hacker had given them with regards to where the women were going to be picked up. He’d come up with nothing before now.
But the abandoned bar across the street was the answer. The old sign above the boarded up entrance to the building proclaimed it to be Firefly Bar and Lounge. This new gang…could they be the sex traffickers?
He stared at the building in shock for way longer than he should have. He didn’t need to draw attention to himself right now. Getting into his car, he drove away, making a phone call as he went, ensuring that Owen was at his office. He told his cousin that he had big news and to call in the other lieutenants.
When he arrived, Declan and Brogan were already there with Owen. They didn’t know what this was about, but a last minute meeting like this was rarely good news, so they were all amped up, tension thick in the air.
Connor didn’t waste a second, telling him what he’d discovered immediately. He didn’t even sit down, pacing the room while the words spilled out of him.
“What are the chances?” Declan said when he’d finished. His eyes were wide.
“We’ve certainly gotten lucky with this,” Brogan said, his expression just as intense as usual. “We shouldn’t waste a moment to move on it.”
“You think we should go in tonight?” Owen asked.
“Yes.”
“I agree,” Connor said, thinking of that picture he’d seen on the computer screen when Billy had found the auction website. That poor woman and all the others deserved to be rescued as soon as possible. If it was possible that they could do it tonight, he definitely wanted to.
Owen looked thoughtful for a moment. “Okay, we’ll go tonight. Two hours. That’ll give us time to get as many men as possible on board. I want to have numbers on our side when we do this. We take out everyone that we can, and we save the women. Spread the word to your crews. As much as I want to see the men responsible taken out, the priority is rescue. We’ll take them to the Sweetsen Street safe-house.”
There wasn’t much else to say, so they all left the office, heading home to get ready. The new weapons stayed in Connor’s car for now. They’d need them tonight.
When he returned to his house, Alessia was in the living room. The TV was on, and there was a movie playing, but she’d curled up and fallen asleep. The blanket on the back of the couch - which he’d grabbed from her place so that she could feel more comfortable here - was wrapped around her. Her face was so peaceful that he impulsively made the decision to let her sleep. He could tell her about the raid on the building tomorrow. Maybe he’d had good news.
Heading into his bedroom, he grabbed extra ammo from his gun safe. He might have picked up new weapons tonight, but he was still going to use his favorite gun. He wasn’t much of a superstitious man, but he believed it was good luck.
His bedroom door opened, and he turned to see Alessia standing there, yawning. Her hair was mussed, and he found himself smiling. She was cute like this, sleepy and not as put-together as usual.
“What’s going on?” she asked, looking at him with her head tilted to the side. His gun was in his hand, so there was no hiding the truth, not that he would anyway. He trusted her now.
“I think I’ve found it,” he said. Then, he filled her in on what happened that night.
“Firefly Bar and Lounge?” she repeated. “I never would have thought of that. I was sure it was some kind of code.”
“I can’t guarantee that I’ve found it, but I have a good feeling about this.”
