Page 65 of More Tricks

“How dare you sit there and speak to me like that,” she finally spat out through clenched teeth. “You have no idea what I’ve just been through.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, but I’m not going to compare beatdown stories with you because it doesn’t fucking matter. What’s your answer, Betta? You gonna brush off the wounded puppy act and get to work making these fuckers pay, or should I help you pack a bag? This won’t be the last time shit like this happens to you if you stay in this role,” I reminded her.

Betta just let out a scoff and looked at her brother. “You’re not going to tell her off?”

“No, because she’s right,” he answered. “Dad’s gone, and I’m not going to shelter you from the storm that's coming. I’ll help you get out if you want but speak up now, or it’s going to be too late later.”

I had to respect Tommaso for that. He understood what I was saying and knew it was crunch time. If we were going to pull this off, we needed everyone in or all the way out.

“So that’s it? Right here, right now, I have to commit to this?” Betta demanded from the room.

Sprocket frowned at her. “The fact that you are even asking that means you’ve never been behind this choice. You don’t step up to being a leader's right hand if you’re not willing to give your life for the job. If they can’t get to him, they’ll come for you. It's part of the job.”

“Then if I say I’m out, I have to leave right now and never come back?” Betta asked, looking hurt and confused.

I shot out of my chair and walked over to her, planting my hands on the armrest, boxing her in. She reared back from me, terror written on her face. “Suck it up, buttercup. You got the shit end of the sick last night, and it’s rough to deal with when the darkness you’ve been flirting with bites back. Here’s the thing, though, unless you bite right back even harder, you will be marked weak, vulnerable, and a victim for the rest of your goddamn life. Where the fuck is the woman who fought for her place among the four? That’s the bitch we need right now. She’d know how to get the job done and stop sniveling over a split lip and a black eye.”

Rage flashed in her eyes, the most emotion I’d seen all day from her. “That’s right, get mad, build that fire up inside you. Trust me when I say it will keep you warm and motivated far better than any drug or alcohol.” Pushing away from her chair, I took my own and looked at the rest of the table. “She’s good now. We can proceed.”

Tommaso looked at his sister, then back at me, not at all understanding what just happened, but that was fine. He didn’t need to. I’d been where she was, and more than anything, I wish I had someone who would have given me that talk. Wes was like her brother, though, but wasn’t going to push me the way I needed to be pushed.

“As I was saying before,” Magnus started after an awkward pause filled the room. “Our goal is to get Diego and his son at the same time even though they are in totally different locations. Adding in the hits to some of the other places before we go for the real targets will cause so much chaos they won’t notice till it’s too late. Doing this also ensures they will put both of them under house arrest, thinking it will keep them safe. This is the protocol most people have, knowing if they’re bold enough to go after their money, why not the boss?”

Cam picked up where Magnus finished. “We will have five teams hitting various locations as well as another team going after the house in the Hamptons. Diego is staying in the city because of the fight tomorrow night, so he knows he won’t be there. It just adds to the urgency of the attack if they have to send more men all the way out there to deal with it. That group we are sending isn’t going to really have to attack the place. More like throwing a few grenades or Molotov cocktails to make it a good show, draw out the neighbors and cops.”

“That’s what you guys call not really attacking a place?” Charles, one of Tommaso's men, commented. “What does really taking one down look like?”

“Simple,” Void answered. “There’s nothing left of it, no chance of it ever coming back, just rubble and blood.”

Charles whistled, nodding his head as if he was impressed by our tactics. Each of us took turns breaking down the plan making sure everyone knew what was going on. Once they understood the basics, we moved on to planning out how many men would be going where and what we had to work with as far as weapons went. Tommy boy certainly had a pretty tight operation for someone who had been keeping this all a secret from not one but two criminal organizations.

“This is all well and good, but I don’t see where I come into play,” Betta cut in.

Grinning, I leaned forward on the table. “Oh, girlfriend, do I have a special job for you. How much pull do you have with the other three of your fight club?”

“Enough where it counts, but I would only be able to use those cards once,” she answered, her tone curious. “Tell me what needs to happen, and I’ll let you know just how many of those cards I have to play.”

“Two parts,” I announced, holding up just as many fingers. “One, I need to know how big this fight is going to be. Are we talking like the room is going to be packed with all the big bads of the world, or are we talking more live streaming to keep the world from ending?”

Pulling out her phone, she searched for something, then scanned over the information. “Looks like we are going to have a thirty-seventy situation. The lesser influential players in our world will be there at the event, but eighty percent will be online since they are the real deal. Too many people have grudges or just plain hate each other, so they won’t be in the same room with each other. The other three felt it was best to encourage many of the biggest names in the game to remain home, and they would get an official TV crew to film the fight.”

Nodding, I chewed on my thumbnail as I thought about the next part of my plan. This could only work if everything else went perfectly. Before, I wasn’t sure it could be done, but now, with how much help we had, it was looking up.

“Before everyone freaks out at what I’m about to say, just know it’s part of a far bigger plan. My end game is to back Marco into a corner he can’t get out of, and I need something that is going to push him over the edge. Taking over the cartel, then handing it off to the new player with my blessing is going to do most of the work. Yet it still needs just one more thing to put the icing on the cake,” I explained.

My guys watched me with wary expressions knowing this was typically when I suggested something out of left field and put myself in danger. Funny thing, this time, it was all about the show, playing the game that Marco started with all these crazy stunts. Now it was my turn to make a move on the chess board, putting his ass in checkmate.

“I need Diego and the bastard son who tricked Elena into turning against us to remain alive until Saturday night,” I announced. The stunned looks on everyone’s faces told me they hadn’t been expecting that. “There is an incredibly valuable reason that I need them alive, and it also means neither Void or I will be fighting. They’re going to get the bloodshed they want, but I need them alive to make it all come together.”

Betta’s face turned into a scowl. “There’s no way they will allow that. All the money we stand to make is off the fights you two are going to be in.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure they know anyone who bet against me is donating their winnings to the cause and if they don’t want to lose more than that, they’ll make sure to stay out of my way. That’s the other part… I need is a list of who bet for and against me so I can make sure to act accordingly if I were to run into them again,” I shared with a smile. “Wouldn’t want them to think they can side with the man who wants to be king over us all, now can we?”

Betta looked unsure, but she gave a groan of agreement. “While it’s not nearly what we would have made if the fights happened, it will more than cover the cost put into it.”

“Don’t forget, just because Void and I aren’t fighting, they can’t do what they planned for the rest of the night. Let everyone think things are going according to plan until it comes to my turn, and I’ll deal with the rest. The biggest thing I need is to make sure no one steps into the ring unless they are escorted, bound, gagged, and bleeding by one of my men. Oh, and the list of names,” I added.

She sighed and rubbed her forehead like I was giving her a headache. Seemed I had that effect on more people than I would care to admit. “Every bit helps to make them see reason without this burning me for good and cutting me out of the deal altogether.”