Cypher didn’t get out to play all that often, so he took the time to enjoy himself. It had to be hell being stuck running everything. Seemed like a damn nightmare to me. Cypher smiled, and it met Dolan’s level of deranged pleasure. “That’s true, but I might be persuaded to give you a head start.”
Dolan tilted his head slightly, a cue for Cypher to go on. He must be doing the math in his head and decided that there was the slightest chance of escape if he talked.
“Who will be following up after you’re gone?” Cypher left the word ‘dead’ out. He was letting Dolan hold onto that sliver of hope that he’d make it out of this sawmill.
“No one. The buyer is too far away and Sentinel is too small. This was my operation, but there are plenty of other places for these guys to get the drugs they need.”
“I can verify that later,” Glitch offered, never taking his eyes or his weapon off Dolan.
Cypher would have Glitch double check, but I believed Dolan. The fact that he wasn’t throwing around death threats or fire and brimstone being rained on us from his allies—the usual bullshit these guys spewed—told me Dolan really was the end of the line. This had been a small operation run by a pair of brothers, and Dolan was the only one left. He recognized that and was resigned to whatever happened.
Cypher could pass his findings with the Ecstasy over to his contacts at the DEA and let them deal with it. There was enough here in the sawmill to make that particular three letter agency happy. And while we didn’t normally invite law enforcement to come poking around after we’ve cleaned up an operation like this, it would solve our problem of the dead body out by the old covered bridge and already having Owen involved.
The DEA would take over, investigate, and close the case without us needing to involve ourselves further. Somehow, Cypher always managed to pass over his intelligence with the understanding that we’d be left alone. Not that we wouldn’t do a massive clean-up before the feds got here. This place would mostly look abandoned and the DEA would spend a lot of man hours looking for those responsible. But ultimately, they’ll have gotten a lot of drugs, and manufacturing equipment off the streets and would count that as a win, even when they never found the fuckers in charge of it all.
Cypher must have had the same idea, because he didn’t ask any more questions. “Ten. Nine.” Cypher’s voice echoed through the quiet building as we watched.
Dolan’s head snapped back in shock. He was getting his head start. He stuffed his pistol into his waistband and turned toward the doors behind him. He wasn’t stupid, I’d give him that. If he’dtaken this opportunity to try to shoot any of us, we’d have filled him full of lead so fast he wouldn’t have known what happened.
“Eight. Seven.”
He made it to the door and a single shot went off.
“Agggh! Motherfucker!” Dolan collapsed to the ground, clutching his ass cheek.
All eyes turned to me. I glanced at my outstretched arm as if I were surprised to find out that my gun had shot him in the ass. It was an act. I wasn’t surprised. And looking over at Cypher’s wry expression told me that he knew it as well. “What? He kidnapped and threatened my woman.” Cypher gave a clipped nod, so I started walking over to Dolan, my gun still extended. One wrong move and he would be out of time.
Behind me I heard Demo’s voice. “Pay up, asshole.”
“Fuck off,Isaid he’d shoot before ‘six’,” Warrant argued.
“And I said no way Dolan makes it to the door,” Demo countered. “I clearly fucking won.”
I hadn’t even heard them betting. I’d been too focused on Cypher and Dolan’s conversation and planning my next moves. Luckily, my president seemed to understand that I needed this and I wasn’t going to hold to his promise of a chance at escape. Not that Dolan would’ve been able to get away. That was why Cypher had held up his end of the bargain.
He knew this piece of shit couldn’t get away, even with a head start. Well, that and because Cypher was a man of his word. He didn’t lie, cheat, or do anything shady that would sully his reputation. Which was why so many fucking leaders of the free world and foreign dignitaries did business with his security firm. Cypher's name and reputation were well known.
“Clearly? That’s not fucking clear. It’s a draw,” Warrant demanded.
“Fuck you. There’s no damn draws. That’s bullshit.”
“Would you two shut the fuck up?” Scythe muttered. “You're making it hard to enjoy this.”
I made it to Dolan in a slow, controlled stride. He was clutching at his ass cheek. He wasn’t trying to stand or run. He knew it was over. I kicked his shoulder, flipping him flat onto his back so that I could see his face. “Who had two shots to the dick and one to the head?” I asked my brothers, staring coldly down at the man who thought he could touch my woman and live.
Dolan’s mouth tightened as he stared up at me, but he didn’t beg, he didn’t try to escape his fate, and he didn’t bother to reach for his gun, which was still tucked in his waistband in the front. I’d nailed it before. He was ready to stop breathing. He knew this was his time. What was left for him?
“That’s oddly specific. I don’t think…” Demo started.
Three more shots came from my gun, interrupting Demo before he could finish. It was over. Sure, I could have dragged it out. Cut the guy up piece by piece, but that really wasn’t as fun when they’d given up the way Dolan had. It was better to do something like that when they had a habit of screaming a little.
I watched the blood spread out across the floor as Dolan’s lifeless eyes stared up at the ceiling. Just because he wasn’t fun to cut up alive, didn’t mean I wasn’t going to do it now that he was dead.
“Dammit! That was an obvious bet. How did we miss that one?” Warrant complained. “Okay, quick, which parts is he keeping?”
“Definitely not the dick,” Demo said. “I’m betting it’s not all that impressive.”
I was in a good mood. I’d make my trophy something special this time. Kneeling down, I pressed my blade against Dolan’s eyeball.
