“We take ‘em out,” Greystone said.
Teddy did not want to kill a woman, but there was no bias in these situations. When lead started flying, no one wantedtheirbody to be the one that stopped it.
“Teddy, when are you killing the restaurant lights?” Gabriel asked.
“Seconds before we go in,” Teddy replied.
“Nice,” Greystone said.
“Are you guys clear who you’re taking out?” Teddy asked.
“All set,” Greystone said.
“I don’t know how you two can be so damn organized about this,” Gabriel pushed back. “We go in, we take out six men. We take out anyone who shoots at us. Done.”
“If we’re all pumping the first guy we see, the others are shooting us,” Teddy said. “How many of these have you done, G?” Without waiting for an answer, he said, “This has been my life… for years. You and me, we haven’t worked together.”
Teddy loved his brothers. Out of the five—including their cousin Carrera—Gabriel was the loose cannon. He did whatever, whenever, and to whomever. He lived by no rules, except his own. And they changed like the wind. He’d cozied up to the girl of the Bratva leader. He’d had a fling with the enemy’s sister. If he was attracted to a woman, she was fair game.
Did he not get the message? Thingsneverwork out when you sleep with the enemy.
“Gabriel, just go after the two we assigned you,” Greystone said as he and Teddy exchanged glances.
Teddy knew this hit was risky. First, it was too damn early in the evening. And, second, he and Greystone should be doing thiswithoutGabriel. Assassinations happened when the boogeyman came out to play, between one and four in the morning.
Greystone drove past the restaurant, circled the block, then found a dark place to park in a nearby shopping center.
“Did you kill the cameras?” Greystone asked.
“I killed the traffic cams,” Teddy said. “Someone at V-DOT probably got an alert and is working to get those back online.”
They exited the vehicle. Teddy opened the back hatch. On went suppressors for their primary weapons. Next, their helmets and black gloves.
Gabriel removed one of the long rifles from the case and cradled it in his arms.
Things were about to get ugly.
Real ugly, real fast.
Of all the Santini men, Gabriel was the most ruthless. As far as G was concerned, the bloodier the massacre, the better.
In silence, the brothers made their way toward the back of the restaurant. A black cat scurried past. Teddy thought of Sydney’s comment about seeing a black cat on Halloween.
Focus up.
As they approached the back door, Teddy’s heart rate didn’t spike. His blood pressure didn’t jump either. He was laser-focused and eerily relaxed. Going on a kill was unlike anything he’d ever experienced. For better or for worse, he’d never had any issues taking out a monster.
It was the “after” that he struggled with the most. Being an assassin came with a price. Each kill wore heavy on his soul.
At the back door, Teddy unearthed his phone?—
“Is it on silent?” Greystone asked.
“No,” Teddy bit out, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “I was hoping Mom would call and we could catch up.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Gabriel hissed. “They got cameras.”
“I turned those off,” Teddy said.
