All the crew was already in the office at the estate when I walked in. Legend sat at the end of the long table with a drink in front of him. Saint stood by the bar scowling. Big A was pacing near the windows, looking like he wanted to hit something. Jamir had his laptop open. Wise, Prodigy, Vega, Lux, and Lowe were there too.
Looking at Icon sitting behind the desk, I knew right away what kind of time he was on. I had seen that side of him before. Icon got colder the madder he was. When I got the call from Saint, telling me what had happened, I already knew it was time to make noise.
“It’s time to hit the Crown,” he finally said.
Saint nodded repeatedly with a smile like he had been waiting to hear that. Big A stopped pacing. Legend sat back with both hands resting on the arms of his chair, letting Icon have the floor.
“They tried to take my wife. I gave strategy enough time. Now I’m done waiting.” He looked at Jamir, saying, “Tell them.”
“One of the older relatives in the De La Cruz family died a few days ago. Matías is going to the funeral.”
Lowe leaned in. “Where?”
“Indiana. A small city. Drivable from Chicago, but far enough that they won’t expect the Cartiers to show up there. The funeral is for an older relative with real respect in the family. That means everybody tied in is going to be there. Blood relatives, senior structure, and key soldiers. The people who matter.”
Prodigy was the first one to start asking the right questions. “What kind of setup? Church funeral? Funeral home? Burial after?”
Jamir clicked to another screen. “Wake at the family church. Procession after. Burial at a private cemetery outside the city. They’ll have men posted, but it’s not a war setting to them. It’s family. They’ll be armed, but relaxed.”
Lux asked, “What are the entrances and exits?”
Jamir clicked again. “The church has three public entrances, one side door, and a service exit in back. Cemetery has one main drive, one maintenance lane, and tree cover on the east side. We’re still pulling camera placements and traffic flow from the town.”
Wise rested his elbows on his knees. “We need all the ins and outs. No fuck ups.”
“Already working that,” Jamir told him. “I’ll have routes, timing, family structure, security layers, and everybody worth killing mapped before the day is out.”
Vega looked over at Icon. “What’s the goal? A massacre or execution?”
“Both,” Icon seethed. “Take the head off it.”
Legend finally spoke. “This has to be clean enough to finish the problem, not create a new version of it.”
Legend asked Jamir, “How much local law enforcement presence?”
“Minimal,” Jamir replied. “It’s a funeral in a quiet area, not a cartel event. That works in our favor.”
Lowe leaned back in his chair. “That also means if we do it right, they won’t have anywhere to run.”
Lux added, “And if we do it wrong, we’re boxed in on unfamiliar ground.”
That was why I respected those twins. Lowe was the unhinged personality any crew needed, and Lux was the brains. They had the same blood but different instincts, and both were useful.
“How long do we have?” I asked.
“Not long,” Jamir answered. “Funeral’s in three days.”
Icon looked around at all of us. “Then tighten up. I want all the details; routes, shooters, exits, timing, church layout, cemetery layout, traffic, who’s riding with who. I don’t want one thing left to guesswork.”
Jamir nodded once. “You’ll have it.”
That was all that needed to be said there.
When the meeting was over, Jamir stayed behind with the laptop. The Street Kings huddled with their cousins near the bar. Saint left to relieve Zahra from newborn duties. Big A and Legend were still going back and forth with Jamir about angles and timing.
I caught Icon on his way toward the hall. “How’s Livia?”
Men like us could talk war all day, but it hit harder once you had a woman and child at the center of your world.
