Page 11 of Chief's Addiction

“My intel was solid,” Zero growled in our ears. “Something else must have changed.”

I weighed our options. We could abort the mission, regroup, and try again another night when everyone was on site. Or we could proceed and hope that Spike was inside. That was the mother fucker we were after. Cut off the head of the snake and the body would die.

“We move forward,” I decided. “Rage, you’re still on point at the front. Killer, take the back as planned. Everyone else, stick to your assignments. If there are fewer of these fuckers inside to kill, then fucking great.”

My men nodded, checking their weapons one last time.

“On my mark,” I said, eyes on my watch. “Three... two... one... GO.”

We moved as a solid unit, silent and deadly.

Rage, Morph, Dread, and I headed for the front entrance while Killer, Havoc, and Reign circled around to the back. Zero stayed behind in the van, monitoring police channels and security feeds.

The lack of sound from inside was unnerving as we approached the front door. Zero was right about one thing. Something had clearly fucking changed.

Dread positioned himself just to the side of the door, his shotgun locked and loaded. I nodded once, and he delivered a brutal kick that splintered the lock. The door crashed open, and we surged inside, weapons raised and ready to shoot.

“Payback time, motherfucker!” Dread bellowed, already firing at the first man with a Talon’s patch that he saw. The skinny fucker barely had time to reach for his piece before the shotgun blast ripped through his chest, painting the wall behind him red.

From the back of the warehouse came the sound of the rear door being breached, followed by gunfire and shouts. Killer and his team were in.

I followed behind Dread through the front room, my Glock finding its target in a tall fucker with a shaved head who was fumbling with an AK-47. Two shots center mass dropped him where he stood.

“Clear!” Dread called from my right, having checked behind the bar.

Gunfire erupted from upstairs, followed by a strangled scream that cut off abruptly. Killer’s voice came through the comm. “Second floor, east side clear. Two targets down.”

“West side clear,” Morpheus added seconds later. “Found their stash room. Nothing major; some blow, pills, couple grand in cash.”

I moved toward the hallway, stepping over the bodies. Before I could reach it, a door flew open, and a heavyset man with a Talon cut stretched across his shoulders came barrelling out, firing wildly.

Shit.

Thank fuck for fast instincts. I dove behind a table that had been flipped over just as bullets splintered the wood above my head.

“Fuck!” I growled, feeling a sharp sting as a fragment of wood sliced across my cheek.

Rage appeared out of nowhere and I’d never been more glad to see the big bastard. His eyes flicked to the scratch on my cheek. “You hit?”

I lifted my hand and touched the spot. A little sting, but I’d had worse. “No.”

He nodded and with little concern for his own safety, he jumped out from behind the table and charged the shooter.

Tubby managed to get off one more shot, thankfully missing his mark, before Rage was on him. In the blink of an eye, Rage drew his knife and thrust it into Tubby’s throat, twisting once before he yanked it out. Completely unphased by the gnarly arterial spray, Rage was back on his feet.

“You sure you’re good?” he asked, already moving on to the next threat.

“You’re fucking crazy.” I shook my head, pushing to my feet. “What’s behind door number two?”

“Door number two?” Dread eyed the gash on my cheek as he came up beside me.

I motioned to the door big Tubby had slammed shut behind him after he came flying out of it. “That big fucker was in there.”

Stepping over Tubby’s lifeless body, I tested the handle.

Locked. “Need a key or something.”

Dread moved past me, eyeing the lock. “Let me try.”

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