But the others were just as invested in this being a success. No one in the Dubinin organization wanted to allow enemies and rivals to gather and then threaten us. The fact that we wanted nothing to do with joining networks or clubs or alliances would distinctly categorize us as an enemy of theirs.
It was for the good of the family to end this threat.
That was the vibe we all carried. The quiet of concentration. The stone-cold faces of lethal intention. The internal pep talks any of the soldiers and spies relied on to get their heads in the game.
Ivan and Alexsei were as calm and ready as I felt. They didn’t flinch. They didn’t joke.
Like robots gearing up for labor, they waited for the moment to come.
Our flights took off without a hitch. Then on the drive toward the warehouse near the water, we rocked and rolled with the choppy and bumpy ride.
If the scenery were ever to set the tone and mood, this one did. Broken windows and graffiti-covered walls spanned every which way in this rougher end of the neighborhood. Thugs and druggies strolled the streets, eyes always watching and suspicious. We arranged for beat-up cars to better blend in and not stand out, but with all the street-dwellers watching us as we neared the location, I had to wonder if the representatives sent here for this meeting had arrived in black SUVs, shiny and flashy and not at all fitting in.
Their choice of location for this meeting implied that they wanted everything to begin off the grid. Choosing Haiti and Port-au-Prince was a clear message that no “good” business was being held here. In a gang-filled and crime-ridden hellhole like this, they had to be hoping that zero members of any government or law enforcement agency could interfere with their meeting.
And that no corrupt members of an agency could be caught red-handed and be involved.
I had no doubt in my mind that some of Sadie’s former coworkers could be here. If not, they would glean the intel that was shared here to better infiltrate the black market to the best of their ability. For their personal gains and power.
As we’d discussed and planned, we split up and spread out. Ambushes were easier to pull off when the element of surprise could be relied upon. With this, though, we had to account for security measures to be put into place. Even though these crime families wanted to band together, none of them could actually trust each other. Like Sadie explained, none of the reigning leaders of the families wanted the direct ownership of this new group. They needed the distance of layers and decoys to represent them. All of them would have their own guards and spies to scope out any danger.
They wouldn’t see us. No matter how skilled these men were and how carefully they’d surveyed this area, we were already one step ahead of them. As early as yesterday morning, under Sadie’s expert direction, we had men sneaking into the port. Some posed as locals. Others were masking themselves as guards from other organizations. With the heads up of which individuals were likely to show up as decoys, we already had one or two men tailing them specifically.
Here, we would all meet up again.
And within the hour, my cousins and I would lead the initial and lethal assault on them gathered in one room.
Disguised as street thugs, Ivan, Alexsei, and I strolled the nearby area.
Humidity dampened my skin. The darkness of the night forced my eyes to acclimate. But it was the sound of the team speaking through my comms unit that I relied on the most.
“Almost there,” Ivan said through his piece.
Thank fuck.
The excitement of making a kill wasn’t there this time. I wanted this project done so I could hurry home to Sadie. The rest of our lives was waiting for us, and I wanted to begin that adventurenow.
A moment later, I didn’t nod in acknowledgment, just passing my cousin by on the sidewalk outside the warehouse. Like we were strangers. Like we were ordinary deviants out on the street and not murderers ready to unleash hell.
Another spy reported in. His confirmation meant he’d taken out the guards at the rear doors to the building.
Nearly there.
All we waited for now was for another soldier to sneak in to kill the power. Putting them all in the blindness of darkness would make it harder for them to escape.
We all had night-vision googles—slim ones that were state-of-the-art technology the military struggled to get their hands on—and we would be the superior predators in this hunt.
“Go.”
It was one word. A simple, single direction. But it was one we all were anticipating.
Moving in a rush, we all took out our firearms to eliminate anyone in our way. We filed in, guns blaring and shots firing.Hitting one of our own was a mistake we wanted to avoid, but with limited numbers of Dubinin men strategically running in here, we were able to prevent any casualties.
Having the blueprints of the building, courtesy of Sadie’s research, helped a lot too.
Shouts filled the room, cut off only by the steady report of gunfire.
A couple of men near me ran for it, shooting back and engaging in combat with me. Ivan and Alexsei faced the same dilemma. With all the backup working with us, though, there was no chance for any of them to defeat us.
