***
Around seven, we all head into the chapel. There’s Rock, Jasper, Mica, Onyx, Slate, Jinx, Deuce, Jules, and myself. We find Striker already setting up his laptop. He looks like he hasn’t slept in days. He drops into the empty chair across from Jasper and turns the laptop so we can see the screen.
When I pull Jules down into the chair next to me, Deuce mean mugs me for a second.
Striker leans forward. “Brothers. Sister,” he says in a rough voice. “Sorry it took all night, but I got the intel you need.”
Jasper jerks his chin. “Don’t apologize to us. I’m sure none of us could have pulled off what you did.”
Striker shoots him a tired smile. “I live for situations like this,” he responds. “I dug through all their public and private information. Everything I could get by scraping their social media, local news feeds, and the county tax database. This family has four shell companies and multiple real estate holdings. They’re mostly homes for all the family members, but there was a warehouse and a boat as well.”
“Tell us everything you know,” Jasper orders.
“There is a house in the hills north of LA listed under Anthony Terrance’s wife’s maiden name. They are the ones listed on Daniel’s birth certificate as his parents, but we suspect that’s not true because they couldn’t donate blood for him and he has a twin with another set of parents. I believe this is where his parents actually live. The utility records show normal residential patterns, with no unusual electrical load or water usage. They could be holdin’ Daniel there, but I consider it a low probability.”
“Yeah, seems unlikely,” Jasper mutters.
Striker continues, “The boat is a fifty-foot motor yacht moored in Marina del Rey. It’s registered for offshore use. If they decide to sail off with him, we might never find him. I think this is a slightly higher probability than the house, but not by much.”
He scrolls on the computer, saying, “The third place is at Pacific Cordage and Storage. It’s an industrial parcel out past the rail yard. It’s listed as a paper goods warehouse, owned through a shell company that traces back to Anthony. The LA brotherssay they use it a lot, which makes sense because it’s the most isolated location.”
Onyx immediately asks, “What’s that property like? Can we get in without being seen?”
“You should be able to. It’s a single-story metal building, around twelve thousand square feet. The LA brothers report a chain-link fence with a large gate, a cement mixer, and piles of building supplies out in the open. It has a roll-up door on the side and office doors on the front and back.”
This sounds doable to my mind. Jules moves her hand to hold mine. I give her hand a little squeeze, so she knows I’m here for her.
Striker continues, “This is the highest probability location because it’s the only one that’s active round the clock. I had two LA brothers ride past it last night between midnight and four. Three SUVs were parked in the side lot, one man was at the gate, and lights were on at that hour.”
“This is really good intel, Striker. Good job,” Jasper says.
Mica speaks up for the first time. He’s been listening with his hands folded on the table, the way Mica listens when he’s takin’ a thing seriously.
“Could they tell how many men were on site, or did they mostly just see vehicles and the man at the gate?”
Striker sits up straight. “They report the mobsters usually travel by SUV two at a time. Three SUVs usually means six men. The brothers from our LA chapter are gonna be eyes-on until you get there and ready to give you a report when you roll in later today.”
Deuce leans forward next to him. “Do we know how they’re communicatin’?”
“Cell phones mostly,” Striker replies. “Probably burner phones, if they’re half smart.”
Jasper nods. “What approach do you suggest?”
“Come in from the back. Climb the fence and avoid the gate altogether.”
“What about comms for our team?” Jasper says.
“We’ll use our earpieces. I’ll pick an unused channel, so they don’t pick up on our chatter. I’ll be monitoring the channel the entire time. I’ll alert you to anything I pick up on my end.”
Mica looks at Jasper. “Vultures are willing to ride lead on this one.”
Jasper nods thoughtfully. “Sons will take the back door. Vultures take the bay. SORLA brothers take the front door.”
Deuce looks at me across the table. “I’m on Jules.”
I shake my head. “No. Carnage is on Jules. He’s a SORLA prospect, veteran, and we know him from our time in the military. He’ll stay with her in the truck far away from the building until we clear it.”
Deuce frowns. “I get that you don’t like it, but you know he would die before he let anything happen to Jules.”
