We all shifted our attention to him. His dirty blonde hair was tousled like he’d run his fingers through it several times.
“What did you find?” Chief questioned.
“I am still waiting on some of the tests to come back; But what I do know is the time of death for the women and children in the warehouse was approximately two to four hours before our arrival. Moretti’s time of death was around the same time. So far, we have determined that Moretti died of a gunshot to his head. Post-mortem, he was stabbed twenty-two times. I have not been able to determine yet if the shooting and stabbing were done by the same person. I am waiting on some DNA tests, but for the stabbing and other cuts on the body, I would not be surprised if the Butcher was responsible for the kill shot.”
Shivers ran down my spine at Ricci’s underground nickname.
“What did you determine so far as the cause of death for the women and children?” Badger asked, anger filling her eyes.
“Gunshots to the head, execution-style. I’m waiting for some more tests to come back, but it looks like all were drugged premortem.” Zombie ran a hand through his hair.
The entire room went quiet.
“How did he even find out that we were going to raidthe warehouse?” Buddha asked, rubbing a hand down his face.
“From the intel I have gathered through my connections in the Bureau, there seems to be some sort of turf war going on between the Bratva, Ricci, and the Italian mob. One theory is that Moretti was double dipping and gave information about the shipment to one of the other organizations,” Chief explained.
“So it was just luck?” I asked incredulously.
“You know I don’t base anything on fate, chance, or luck. I am simply stating that someone was tipped off and got there before us. Based on the evidence, Ricci must have found out after the attack and that’s why the body was mutilated like it was.” Chief’s voice was stern and direct, making me look away.
Everyone knew I struggled the most with Ricci. I had to sit across the dinner table from him during the holidays. Well, not so much anymore. I hadn’t been to my childhood home since my mom was taken away.
“What is our next step?” Arrow interjected.
“Phantom will start her undercover mission at RSS starting tomorrow. In the meantime, Badger and Buddha will be tailing Ricci and his men. Arrow, you are going to tail Romano and his right hand. Zombie, when you have all of the test results, let us know. As for me, I will continue to connect with my friends at the Bureau and the DEA about any intel they may have.” Chief instructed.
The room was filled with grunts and nods of understanding. “All right then, let's get to it,” Chief stated, dismissing us.
As I entered RSS, I was greeted by Lennie. She pushed up her black-rimmed glasses on her nose before handing me my badge and guiding me through security. One of the security officers chuckled when he saw the contents of my bag. Snoozie slippers, marshmallows, a massive yeti filled with coffee, and a framed picture of Alfredo and me.
My face heated. I couldn’t help that I needed certain things in order to function, and if I wanted to make this seem real, I needed to personalize my office space.
“Welcome, Ms. Mowers,” the officer greeted. “I hope you enjoy your marshmallows.”
Lennie gave a confused expression until she saw my bag. “You’ll fit in just fine. Don’t worry.”
As we entered the Hive, I was greeted by Gwen and Ollie. Jax barely spared a glance my way and continued to tap away on his keyboard.
As I settled in, I booted up my computer and entered my credentials.
As soon as I did, I noticed my task list and was immediately disappointed when I saw I would be in charge of auditing the low-profile clients and ensuring we had their up-to-date information, while all the others were tasked with more complex profiles. I knew that I would need to prove myself, however, an entry-level employee could have completed the busywork assigned to me.
Lennie sat on the edge of my desk and tilted her head, noticing my mood. “Everything okay?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I just thought my tasks would be a little more in-depth. I know I need to start somewhere…” Before I could finish my thought, I heard a scoff coming from the direction of Jax’s desk. Looking at him, I saw him roll his eyes before returning back to looking at his screen. We were not getting off on the right foot.
“I know some tasks seem silly, but the audit is crucial.” Lennie squeezed my shoulder and went back to her desk.
The rest of the day was quiet. Jax continued to avoid me like the plague. Meanwhile, Lennie, Gwen, and Ollie did their fair share of small talk, especially about Alfredo. I didn’t see Kade, but I knew it was just a matter of time. I kept reminding myself of my mission. Who cares if they gave me shitty busywork? I guess I did.
SEVEN
EVELYN
The next two days were just as uneventful. Kade corresponded with me via email and continued to give me mundane tasks. I had been assigned a handful of companies that were considered low risk. I couldn’t help but be annoyed that this was how I was spending my days. I missed the freedom I had with my team, where I got do whatever I pleased.
Thursday morning, I was greeted by Kade leaning on the edge of my desk as he spoke with Jax. I was surprised to see a smile on Jax’s usually scowly face, but the smile was short-lived when he saw me. I rolled my eyes. Jax stopped his conversation and headed back over to his desk. I had no idea what his problem was.
