“Be good baby girl, we’ll be coming home.”
She lets out a soft whine and runs her nose across my cheek.
Leaving the small light on in the kitchen, I pull the front door open then softly close it behind me before turning the key in the lock to secure the cabin, then stride over to Eli’s truck that’s waiting on the gravel driveway, and pull the door open to chuck my bag into the back seat before taking my place in the front.
“Well don’t you scrub up well?” Eli sniggers, and I let outa small laugh at his sarcastic comment. “Let’s do this.” I say, turning to face the windshield.
The drive to Ana’s old neighbourhood feels other worldly, it’s so different from Rockford, like a foreign land. The trees aren’t as green and the air feels thicker, more suffocating, but that could just be my imagination playing tricks on me. A comfortable silence fills the truck, just the engine rumbling as the truck eats up the tarmac on the long stretch of road.
After a moment, Eli’s voice breaks the silence. “You know the plan?” He says, keeping his eyes on the road.
“Yeah. I introduce myself as Alex Blackwood, keep a low profile, out bid this sleezy fuck, then blow the place to smithereens. Sounds about right?”
“I’d say that sounds about right.” He says, shaking his head. “What do you wanna do with Ricky?”
“Leave him to me.” I simply state, already imagining the ways I’ll end his life, feeling my blood rise to boiling point.
“Heard.” Eli nods. “We should be arriving soon.”
A looming shadow rises high up into the night sky in front of us, like a creature from another world. The mill stands tall in the middle of the empty open space, and from what I can see it’s not in the best shape. Iron bars are covered in rust with flecked bits of paint hanging off of them, adding to an already eerie aura to the place.
“This is it.” Eli states and pulls the truck into a small clearing in the woods that surrounds the mill, keeping it out of sight. Once the engine flicks off we’re completely shrouded in darkness, the only thing I can see is the lines of cars that are pulling up at the front, each more expensive than the other, filled with deadly predators.
Eli shuffles in his seat before handing me over an earpiece, it’s not like the usual ones we wear, this one looks practically invisible.
“New gear?” I ask, thumbing the device in between my fingers.
“I couldn’t help myself, they had a good deal and if these bastards clock a wire on you, we’re done for.”
Nodding at his words, I slip the earpiece into my ear, noticing how comfortable it feels. “These are pretty good.”
“They oughta be for how much I paid for them, anyway, they work pretty much the same way as our other ones. I can hear everything through it, the same way you’ll be able to hear me.”
Eli explains that once I’m cleared by security and inside the mill, he’ll make his way inside, adding his favourite blocks of C4 around the building. It won’t take much to blow it to bits considering it’s already falling apart but he loves to make a scene.
“You ready?” He asks and I ponder on his simple question for a moment. I’ve been ready to be with Ana the moment she was taken from me, and now I’m ready to face the devil and show him there’s someone much worse than him.
Viper.
Bringing myself back to the present, I nod my head. “Yeah, I’m ready. I’ll give you the signal once I’m in there.”
Stepping out of the truck, I fasten my suit jacket and strideacross the gravel, hearing the stones crunch underneath my shoes as I get further towards the mill. The earpiece crackles in my ear before Eli’s voice comes through. “Just checking the signal on these babies.” I laugh, and reply. “Heard, Storm, loud and clear.”
Heavy beats of music grow louder the further I get towards the mill and a strong waft of alcohol and sweaty bodies fills my senses.
“Name.” The guard at the door states, his face unmoving as he looks between me and the clipboard.
“Alex Blackwood.” I say, keeping a sharp gaze on him, watching him go down the line of names before stopping on what I assume is mine before moving to the side to let me pass.
“Alright, head to security. Next!”
Entering the small walkway, I stop at a man with a metal detector in his hands which he uses to wave across my arms, torso and legs before nodding at me to move on into the main area of the mill. Once I’m out of earshot from the guards who are scattered around the perimeter of the room, I check in with Eli.
“Storm. All clear. I’m in.” I say in a low tone as I weave in and out of bodies in freshly pressed suits, not staying in one place for too long. “There’s a handful of guards stationed around the main room with two at the door.”
“Heard. I’m setting up the C4 now. There’s an entrance way at the back that leads to a small office, we’ll use that as a base.”
“Copy that.” I say and continue my walk through the mass of bodies until a woman who looks half dead offers me a glass of champagne from a metal tray that she’s struggling to carry. Alongside the glasses are lines of cocaine with rolled up bills, drugs served up like fancy appetisers.
