Vittorio placed a firm hand on the table between us."Focus.The transfer happens tomorrow night.After that, they split up the girls and ship them to buyers across three states.If we don't move just right at just the right time, we lose them."
Jack finally looked up from his knife, the blade gleaming under the harsh overhead lights."You sure your cover ain't blown already?After last night's clusterfuck?"
The question hung in the air, legitimate and barbed."Probably.But it doesn’t matter.They’re committed.Their only choice is to go through with the deal.Too much money on the line because it’s not only this shipment he’d be giving up.It would be all future business with this guy.And it might put the Acid in the cross hairs for looking so weak he couldn’t control his home territory long enough for one night’s work.He'll increase security, maybe change some protocols, but this is happening."
"And we're just supposed to trust your intel?"Ghost demanded, leaning across the table."How do we know this isn't bullshit to get us in a vulnerable position?"
"Because I verified it myself," Vittorio cut in.His voice remained level but his irritation came through loud and clear."My people followed the money trail independently.The transfer is happening.And Rocky's information lines up perfectly with what we've uncovered."
Ghost backed off, but the hostility in his eyes didn't diminish.
"The buyers arrive between oh-one-hundred and oh-two-hundred," I continued, pointing to another spot on the map."They inspect the 'cargo' before cash transfers, which means all the girls will be gathered in the main floor area.That's our window.When they're all in one place but before they're loaded for transport."
Vittorio highlighted the entry points on the map."We'll need three teams.One for the main entrance, one for the loading dock, and one for extraction and medical support."
I nodded."The guards carry automatic weapons, but they're sloppy.Overconfident.They don't expect any resistance, but more importantly, they don’t know how to use their weapons properly.You take an experienced team, and you’ll have the advantage."
"They'll get more than they bargained for," Jack rumbled, testing the knife's edge against his thumb before sliding it into a sheath at his hip.
Ghost moved back to the table, his focus reluctantly shifting to the tactical details."What about the girls?Their physical condition?Will they be able to move under their own power?"
The question caught me off guard.The genuine concern in his voice for women he'd never met didn’t exactly shock me, but it made sense.It reminded me that beneath the hatred directed at me burned a sense of justice that defined Bound in Blood's code.And, according to his code, I was a fucking bastard.I wouldn’t argue with him on that count and I had no excuse for what I’d done.But my actions then didn’t mean I didn’t love Wren now.The woman had knocked me on my ass from the moment I saw her.
"They'll be conscious but disoriented," I explained."They’re kept manageable with benzos and heroin, enough to make them compliant without knocking them out completely so the can still take direction."The words tasted foul in my mouth.
Jack's knife stilled."They drug children to sell them easier?"
"Yes."
The simple confirmation settled over the room like a shroud, hardening resolve on every face around the table.For a moment, personal animosities faded beneath the weight of what we faced.
"We've accounted for a medical team already," Vittorio noted, making another mark on his tablet."And safe houses ready to receive them.The authorities can't be involved initially.We’re not using legal methods to go about this and I fully intend to kill everyone at this warehouse."
Ghost's gaze drilled into me."And where exactly will you be during all this?"
The question carried layers of suspicion, but I met his stare without flinching.“On the sidelines.Or right in the thick.”I met and held Ghost’s hard stare.
The office door slammed open hard enough to rattle the framed patches on the nearest wall.Wren stood in the doorway, her purple hair wild like she'd just rolled out of bed.Every man in the room froze, conversation dying mid-sentence as she marched toward our table.Ghost moved faster than I'd seen him move all morning, intercepting her before she reached the maps and photos.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"Ghost growled, his body blocking her path like a human wall."This isn't your business."
Wren tilted her chin up, green eyes flashing with the same defiance I'd grown to both admire and worry about."Everyone I love, my entire family, is involved in this except Honey.I'm staying."She planted her feet, shoulders squared and her chin high.
"The fuck you are."Ghost lowered his voice, but the edge in it cut through the room."This isn't a game, Wren, and you’re not ready for something like this."
"I know exactly what this is."She stepped around him, her gaze sweeping over the table covered in maps and surveillance photos."Thirteen-year-old girls drugged and sold like cattle.You think I don't understand what's at stake?"
Ghost grabbed her arm, gentle but firm."We've got this handled."
She yanked free of his grip."I'm not here to help with your op.I'm here because I need to know what's happening."Her eyes found mine across the table, holding for just a second before returning to Ghost."My family is putting themselves in danger tomorrow night, including you, Ghost.So I need to be here."
The rawness in her voice silenced whatever argument Ghost prepared to launch.Jack cleared his throat from his position at the table.
"Let her stay," Jack rumbled, surprising everyone in the room."If she’s brave enough to insist on being her, girl’s got a right to know what her family's walking into."
Ghost shot Jack a look, but Wren took advantage of the momentary distraction to slide onto a stool at the edge of the table, out of the way but where she still had a clear view.Ghost sighed, but backed off.
Vittorio, ever the diplomat, merely nodded at Wren before continuing as though the interruption never happened.
