Page 81 of Lane

Ulrich took his phone out and typed with one hand. Jordan’s chimed a second later.

“That’s where I want the money sent to,” Ulrich said. “All of it or Alton comes with me.” He ran his nose up Alton’s cheek. “We’ll get to have so much fun. I almost wish you don’t send it, then I can find out how Alton tastes.”

I wasn’t sure who would lunge first, Raiden or me. By some miracle, we both stayed where we were. It was so damn tempting to blow Ulrich’s head off. I couldn’t risk Alton’s life or anyone seeing us.

Jordan peered down at his phone, typing. He lifted his head. “Done.”

Ulrich’s phone alerted him, but he didn’t release Alton. Instead, he started tapping on his. A man came out of the tree line, took the phone, while Ulrich eyed us down, a sinful smile lifting his lips. We had to leave at least a couple of his men alive, or Ulrich would know we were in there too.

“All good, sir,” the man said and handed the phone back.

“Now the money is out of my account and moved to another,” Ulrich stated.

None of us said anything. He didn’t know Lawson was watching and waiting. We thought he’d do this. Lawson was ready to follow the trail and put his skills to use. He also had Greer’s number so Lawson could ask for help if need be.

“You may go now,” Ulrich said, releasing Alton but lifting his gun, pointing it at Alton’s back.

Alton took even steps, not rushing toward us. The moment he was within arm’s reach, Raiden grabbed him and put him behind us.

“I knew you’d do that,” Ulrich said, then fired at the same time I moved to block the part of Alton that wasn’t behind Raiden.

But the shot didn’t hit me like I thought it would. Instead, it hit Jordan in the shoulder. Blood sprayed, but Reghan caught him. None of us were able to protect Jordan when he dove to protect everyone else.

Ulrich ran. I took off after him, firing at two of his men before they could get me. Raiden was at my back, the sound of his boots pounding over the trail. Lucky for us, the path was clear. When Ulrich dove into the woods, we took off after him. He didn’t get far though. Not when there was a body of one of his guards there that he tripped over, landing hard on the ground. One of our men got to him first and jumped on his back.

Running, I didn’t stop until I hit the ground, my knees digging into the dirt. Bringing my hand down, I shot Ulrich in the flank then the hip. This motherfucker wasn’t going anywhere except to a building to be tortured. The shots weren’t loud, thanks to the silencer on my weapon.

More of Jordan’s guards rushed from the woods, quick to grab Ulrich and haul him to a waiting SUV. Raiden and I followed. This was part of the plan. One we wished we wouldn’t have to act on.

Whoever chased and captured Ulrich was to go with him to Warehouse Thirteen, one of Jordan’s warehouses used for this purpose, with who would fit in the SUV. Whoever was hurt, which I had a gut feeling someone would be, would be helped into the other SUV. We were going on luck that Alton would be okay and could immediately start working on the wound.

As we were getting into one SUV, I saw Alton and Jordan emerge with Reghan and Barrett.

“He has to go to the hospital,” Alton said. “I can’t repair his shoulder.”

Blood seeped through Jordan’s suit; through the shirt Barrett had pressed to it. “Go,” Jordan growled. “Finish this.”

I nodded and climbed into the SUV with Raiden.

Oleander jumped in at the last minute. “He could have killed Sheldon. I’m inflicting damage.”

We sped away from the scene.

Barrett had always planned on going with whoever to the hospital. Where Jordan and Barrett went, so did Reghan. Barrett might work for a mafia boss, but he was still a hero to many for helping others and ridding the city of a corrupt chief of police. They’d say Jordan was shot from a robbery gone wrong. Someone thought they could get the best of him and fled. It was a terrible lie, but we couldn’t come up with much on short notice in case one of us ended up in the emergency room. At least Corbin would be there, so we had someone on the inside.

Thirteen was on the other side of the city where there were fewer homes and more abandoned properties. Ulrich was brought in and kept to where the floor was concrete while cursing his head off. The room would need to be cleaned, and the body disposed of. Given the men already taken out in the woods, whose bodies would be dragged out and placed in a third SUV, there would be a staging of another incident more than an hour from here. It would have to do with a shootout between Ulrich and one of the people he was doing business with. One asshole taking the other out.

Raiden brought him in, over his shoulder, with Ulrich’s hands tied behind his back. Raiden didn’t carefully place him on the floor. He fucking threw him. Ulrich landed with a thud and cried out in pain.

Aww, he landed on his shot hip. What a fucking pity. It would really suck if I walked over there and shot him in the other one.

My feet carried me across the floor as I did just that. There was no information to extract from this asshole. Lawson workedwith Greer and found out every person Ulrich was dealing with who had connections to Jordan. The ones who hadn’t been dealt with yet would be very soon. There was nothing left we needed Ulrich for.

“How many times do you think I can shoot you before you stop crying?” I asked. “Why don’t we find out?”

I shot him in his abdomen, then in his shoulder. Ulrich screamed in pain as his body jerked on the floor with every bullet I gave him.

“Just fucking kill me already!” he yelled.

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