Page 6 of Knight's Journey

“I’m sure you’ve heard we’ve had a run of bad luck with moles in the organization.” Armando paced a few steps to the left before turning to go back to the right. “I have to be very cautious. You understand.”

“No one has told me anything about moles. But considering I was told the wrong time to be here tonight, I can believe you have some problems. Maybe you should investigate the ones who wanted you to be here without back-up.”

“No.” Armando stopped and pierced Black with his dark stare. “I’m looking at you.”

“So I noticed.”

“You’re not a cop or a fed. I would know if you were. I have eyes everywhere. That means only one thing. My enemies sent you to spy on me.”

“Who sent you here?” Elian stepped directly in front of him, baring his teeth in anger. Black snarled.

“You told me to be here. Cut the bullshit.”

“It has to be Russo,” Elian taunted. “Si? He’s been after us for years, and he would send in an…amateur.”

Black didn’t move. He refused to be baited, so he waited. A few more minutes were all the time he needed to stall.

“No, not Russo,” Armando said curtly. “He doesn’t have the balls to take such a risk.”

Elian’s responding smile was cool enough to send a chill through his blood. “That leaves Morrison.”

Black was familiar with the drug dealer Cal Russo, but the name Morrison was a new one on him. It didn’t matter. Neither applied to him, so he didn’t react. But someone did.

He saw it out of the corner of his eye. Standing to the side close to the boss, Thumper jerked at the mention of Morrison’s name. He wasn’t within anyone else’s line of sight for the reaction to be noticed. But Black didn’t miss it. Father and son were on a fishing expedition, but they were casting in the wrong pond.

Elian stayed in Black’s face, trying to unnerve him. “You’re going to tell me everything.”

Black detected a note of insanity in the depths of Elian’s eyes. The man was unafraid, convinced no one would touch him — the great chosen son of the De la Peña organization. Black’s hand twitched with the urge to punch the man to show him how vulnerable he really was.

“I can tell you that you’re an idiot. One of the strongest crime organizations in the country, and you can’t even spot a traitor among your ranks.”

“We’re familiar with this tactic,” Armando replied. “Pointing the finger at someone else to take suspicion off you. It won’t work.”

“How could it? When you’re too stupid to see the truth.”

Elian whipped out a gun and placed the muzzle against the center of Black’s forehead. “Keep talking, and this will be over before I’ve had my fun.”

“Shoot me. No one’s going to miss me. No one’s going to hunt for me. But your problem will still be here. I’m telling you, you’re looking at the wrong man.”

He saw Thumper move closer to Singer and give his partner in crime a nudge in the side with his thick elbow. Singer’s response was narrowing his eyes as he stared at Black.

Black stiffened and tried to guess what was running through the enforcer’s mind. Was he in on the double-cross with Thumper? Or was Thumper using the man to cover his ass? Singer didn’t seem like he could be easily duped, especially by someone like Thumper who was more follower than leader. The two had to be working together.

“Elian!” Armando voiced his command expecting it would be obeyed. Though indecision flashed across Elian’s face, he lowered his weapon.

“We may be looking at the wrong man,” Armando addressed Black this time. “But I don’t believe you are innocent. And as you said, no one will come searching for you. I figure I can kill you and cover my bases. You know, just in case I’m wrong about your guilt. Don’t you agree, Elian?”

“As long as I get some time with him first.” Elian’s sneer twisted his face to seem more monster than man.

“No! We still have business that needs our attention. Let Singer handle this.”

Black narrowed his eyes, his hatred for the man in front of him shining through. “You’d better go, Elian. Follow Daddy’s orders like the little bitch you are.” His words were low and measured, earning him the response he was hoping for.

Known for his temper, Elian’s outrage soared. He whipped out his gun in a surge of fury, and Black took advantage of the crime lord’s loss of control. He leaned to the side and twisted at the waist. He grabbed Elian’s arm and jerked it over his shoulder, throwing Elian off balance until the man fell against his back. Black flipped him over to the ground, unarming him in the process. He whirled around with the gun pointed to find Singer had closed the distance between them.

Before he could react, Black felt a shocking pain in his stomach. He shoved Singer away enough to take aim and fire a shot he meant to hit the man’s chest. As he felt the intense heat spreading through his abdomen, he saw how his hand shook, causing the gunshot to strike Singer’s shoulder instead of imbedding in his coldblooded heart. Singer dropped what was in his hand, and Black barely registered the blood-covered knife clanking against the cement floor.

Adrenaline pounded in Black’s ears, drowning out the sudden shouts bouncing around the warehouse followed by the boom of a flash grenade. He fell to his knees. The hand holding the gun tried to protect his ear while his free hand touched the wound in his abdomen. Everything around him seemed to fade into a blurry mess, his gaze fixed on the sticky red liquid staining his hand when he pulled it away. He swayed and fell to his side on the ground.

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