There’s a beat of silence on the other side of the call, then I can hear him scrambling to his feet. “What did you just say?” a note of confusion in his voice.
“Mhmm,” I chuckle. “I’m alive and kicking. Seems I didn’t die in the massacre. Shocking, I know? Well, I have something for you. And you have something I need.”
“Alright, I’ll bite. What is it that you have?”
“You’ll learn soon enough but I want to meet you.” I say matter-of-factly.
“Why would I do that? For all I know, you could be setting me up.”
“For all I know, you could do the same to me,” I retort. “So, I’m giving you a month to decide. Call this number once you’ve made your decision. Tick-tock, before time runs out.”
THIRTEEN
Two weeks later.
“Careful, Cove,” I yell out, and he ducks just in time.
Fucking hell, this was definitely not what I anticipated on doing on a Saturday morning.
Blair’s been gone for two fucking weeks. Two whole weeks. And the note she left me? Just asking me not to try and track her down. It took a lot of convincing from Freya and Cove to actually listen to her, and although I’ve honored her wishes, I can’t say it’s been easy.
It’s like a part of me was ripped right out, and it hasn’t even started healing, it never will heal. I’m not whole if I’m not with her. She’s the only person keeping me sane, whole, alive. Thisdeep ache is not going to leave, the emptiness will not fill until she’s back with me.
Then, this morning, I got a lovely call that someone tried entering one of our warehouses, the one we use to store drugs. Wouldn’t you know, it was one of the smaller gangs that have been trying to rise up the ranks. The idiots really found me during the worst time of my life. If this had happened last year, I would’ve spared them. Now? I’m not as gracious. The black hoodie is back, the Ghost is out and about to have the time of his life. Cove is right there, alongside Keith and a couple of others. My aim is steady and precise as always, my eyes darting left and right, watching and carefully observing as each person I spot falls down, dead.
“You good, Cove?” I yell out, and he nods.
That’s all the response I need.
“Did we get them all?” Keith asks, and I nod.
“Unless they’re inside, probably. We should check it out though just to be sure. If the bastards somehow managed to get a hold of any of those drugs, I’ll kill someone.”
“This is what you get for trying to help out the Bratva,” Cove says, and the sarcasm doesn’t go unnoticed by Keith or me.
He’s right, though.
De Santis don’t deal drugs. We’re assassins, at most arms dealers on top of that. Drugs, however, have never been a priority to us. Mainly because there’s no need to add more of a workload, given that we’d need to expand from a family of assassins to a mob, and that’s not what any of us ever wanted. However, Dad was asked a few months ago by the Pakhan to use one of our warehouses to store their drugs, and Dad, being theone to see perks and opportunities everywhere, agreed. Our job’s been to keep them safe, and we were paid a percentage of the sale.
“You think Aleksei will be pissed at us, if drugs are missing?” I ask, even though I know the response already.
Cove snorts. “The man isn’t called The Tsar for nothing, he’s known for tyranny. Doyouthink he’ll just not be bothered if some of his drugs are missing?”
I groan. “Fuck. Let’s just see if there’s any damage inside.”
Cove nods, and I start walking toward the entrance of the warehouse. Keith is following closely behind, his sharp eyes skimming our surroundings. Aria trusts Keith, so I trust him. She has a good eye when it comes to spotting reliable, good workers, and Keith has proven his worth. The inside of the warehouse is what you’d expect of one keeping a bunch of different drugs. They’re labeled, each shelf having a big sign. If cops were to find this place, they’d have a field day. Rows upon rows of carefully packaged drugs, from heroin and cocaine, to a bunch of other things I’ve never even heard of. They have their hands full with these things.
Cove takes the right side of the massive warehouse, while I take the left. Keith stays by the door, his back turned to us. His gun is safely tucked in his hand, and his body’s tense. He’s waiting for an attack, and he’s ready to strike back. From what I can tell, they haven’t been able to get inside of the place, which is a relief. I make a mental note to send a few men to guard the warehouse from here on out, then give Aleksei a call and tell him to come and grab his shit.
It was Hudson who made the deal with him, not me.
And Hudson’s body’s long decayed by now.
“Hey, check this out,” Cove’s voice snaps me out of my train of thought.
“Yeah? What is it?”
Cove approaches me, carrying a tablet in his hand. It’s not password protected, so he opens it with ease.
