Page 90 of Cut Me Down

“Final inspection is scheduled for next week.”

“The Attic?” He leans in again. “New HQ.” He whispers and I nod again. I love how he’s keeping me in the loop of everything. It’s not like I’ll ever really need this information, but I know way too much for him to ever get rid of me. So, it definitely adds to my sense of security in our relationship.

“Almost ready, finishing the final touches on the security system this evening.” Damien smiles that mischievous grin.

“You’re amazing, Carter.”

“Yeah I know.” Damien playfully slaps him on the shoulder and nudges his head towards the door. Signaling that we turn to leave. “Wait, D. Check this out.” We turn back to what looks like a live feed pulled up on his main screen. “They’re loading trucks. Two of them.”

“We’re going to have to deal with that, we can’t wait to see where it ends up.” Carter nods.

“I agree.”

“Who’s on rotation?” Damien asks.

“For Operation Transfer? Will and…Henry.” There’s a quiet moment, about three seconds long, and I see pain flash across Damien’s eyes. His body tenses up and he blinks quickly a few times to hide it.

“Call Alex, tell him I need him to come in. Who’s on ladder?”

“Oliver, Chris, Ben, and Ezra.”

“Perfect. Tell them we head out in twenty.”

“You got it.” He turns to me and gently cups my face with both of his hands.

“I want you to stay in the apartment tonight, okay? Don’t be out on the street.” His concern worries me. Is he going to come back in worse shape than he’s in? What the hell is Operation Transfer? From what it sounds like, they’ll be trying to take out those trucks.

I look up at him and see the true concern in his eyes. Could he really believe whatever he’s about to do could end this badly? Does he want me to stay in because whatever they’re about to do makes it too dangerous to be outside, or does he just need to know where I am?

“I won’t.” I say reassuringly, deciding it’s best not to as questions. He reaches down and kisses me. Moving our lips in a slow dance before pulling back. “You sure you’re up for that? You're hurt.” I lightly pat his chest to drive my point home.

“Don’t worry about me, little wolf. The only thing that can hurt me at this point is you.” He moves close to me, about an inch away. Making me look straight up at him. With him being an entire foot taller than me, this angle definitely makes him look dangerous, but I’m not going to lie. It also turns me on. “Are you going to hurt me, Ashia?” I wouldn’t dream of it. Hurting him is the last thing I ever want to do. Him being this close doesn’t intimidate me anymore, its actually kind of sexy.

“No.” I smile as he smirks that devil’s grin at me.

“Good.” He leans down and places a gentle kiss on my forehead. Then, he turns back to Carter. “Can I use your car to drive her back?” He asks with that tone that doesn’t really make it seem like an option.

“Yeah dude, you paid for it.” He tosses him the keys, and Damien catches them with ease.

Chapter thirty-three

Damien

On the way back, Ashia called Serena so they could hang in the apartment until we’re finished. While they were on the phone, I made it very clear to her that no matter how drunk they get, they were not allowed to leave. I don’t want her out and about while there’s car chases and bullets flying. She needs to stay in the apartment and away from the action.

I don’t know where they planned on sending the guns and drugs, but it won’t arrive there. With the amount of security this new warehouse has, it definitely causes problems for a raid. After the one last night…fuck, my spine creeps… After the one last night, we can’t take any chances.

They were waiting for us. As if they knew we would be coming. They had way more men and way more weapons than they’ve ever had before. Plus, they had secondary cameras that they didn’t even activate until we were already in the building last night. So, it took Carter longer than usual to deactivate their surveillance.

I should have known better. Should’ve known something was off or that getting inside was too easy to keep happening that way. With Dust having more connections, more buyers, more resources, I should have known that they would only escalate their security measures and men. We should have been more prepared, and I take full responsibility for Henry’s death.

We surveyed that warehouse for a week. Nothing looked unusual and the way they set up the warehouse was no different than the others. Hell, we didn’t even notice the extra men arriving to warehouse. So, where the hell did they come from? Carter is going over the surveillance feeds to see what we missed and how we missed it. It doesn’t change anything…it won’t bring Henry back…but it will help us adjust and prepare for the next steps in Dust’s ascension to power.

Alex and I are in one car about five blocks from the warehouse, while Will and Ben are in another car about five more blocks down. Ezra and Oliver are about ten blocks from that, and Chris is in his own car pending back up. We’ve only had to do Operation Transfer a few times, and each time didn’t take long, but I imagine this will be a little different. This Dranan guy knows that we’ll be coming for his inventory, and that we plan on taking them out. He won’t be as stupid as the few before him.

“Alright everyone, lock it down. They’re pulling away.” We hear Carter come through our earpieces.

“You good Alex?” I look over to him to check. Alex knew Henry just about as well as I did, and it’s hit him just as hard. I know the anger he’s feeling, and the revenge we want to enact is the same, but he needs to know that this isn’t the right time.

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