“This sends a powerful message,” Gabriel continued. “If they’re smart, the Bratva will move on. If not, we continue to slaughter them.”
“Love the plan,” said one of his men.
“Simple and clean,” said another. “Glad to have you back, Boss.”
He eyed his team. “We good?”
They were.
“Starting tonight, body armor.” Gabriel banged on his chest. “If I’m in it, so are you.” He shifted toward Carmelo. “You understand?”
“No problem, Boss,” Carmelo said.
None of his other guys had an issue with it.
“Not me. I’m out,” said Diego.
Gabriel eyed his bodyguard. “You won’t wear armor, you can’t work for me.”
Diego chuckled.
No one else did.
“You’re messin’ with us, right?” Diego asked.
Gabriel swept his gaze over his team. “Angelo got hit.” The words burned like acid on his tongue. “Two in the chest. He didn’t make it.”
Silence while they absorbed his words.
“No,” Diego blurted. “Not Angelo.”
Everyone expressed their condolences, surprise, sadness.
“You’ve all been with me for years,” Gabriel said. “You’re the smartest, the toughest, the most ruthless.” He stood, cast his gaze over them. “I won’t lose anyone else.”
“Time to weapon up,” Carmelo said, “and that includes body armor.”
Gabriel walked to the metal door in the back of the room, unlocked it with a key, and entered a large supply closet. From there, he found the hidden button behind the bleach cleaner, tapped it and shifted toward the surveillance camera in the corner of the ceiling. Once it captured an image of his face, the door slid open.
His safe room.
He made his way to his locker. While he got ready, he stayed keenly aware of his team. A glance this way or that, but he was doing more listening than watching. He swapped his dress clothes for black pants, black sweater, black boots. Only the body armor remained beneath his clothes. When finished, he pulled the helmet from his station.
When he faced his team, pride filled him.
No one—not even Diego—had quit on him.
He strapped on his helmet, confirmed his magazines were loaded before holstering his pistols. He pulled his long rifle from the shelf, checked for bullets, then pocketed two additional clips, fully loaded.
He handed Carmelo an earpiece. “We stay in touch.” In the past, Angelo had received that communication device.
“Thank you, Boss.” Carmelo inserted it into his ear.
That simple gesture was a big shift in power. Gabriel needed a new underboss. Carmelo was being tested, and he knew it.
One by one, the men returned to the first floor. They flipped down their goggles, left out the back door. Diego drove him in his Mercedes. Carmelo was in charge of the rental truck. Therest of his team jumped in vehicles and the group drove into the silent night.
The calm before the storm.
