Page 92 of Waging War
Jack swallows.
“I wouldn’t change it.” He turns guarded eyes toward my father. “I regret what happened to you, Kenneth, and the death of our chief—even what’s happening to The Pound right now—but I don’t regret the sacrifices I’ve made to keep our families safe for as long as I could.”
Cassidy makes a strangled sound from beside me as Jack crosses the room to his brother.
Placing one hand over his shoulder, he shakes him, sharing Ben’s pained expression. “I know what you’ve been through hasn’t been easy, but I want you to know that we forgive you, and I appreciate what you’ve sacrificed.”
Ben gives him a somber smile as Dad interrupts, cutting right to the quick. “Hazel just informed us that Barron has been murdered.”
Jack’s icy eyes find mine. “What?”
An incessant pressure builds between my shoulder blades as I spread my palms across the table and lean my weight against the edge. “I came here to ask you—my family—to join us in taking Diablo down for good.”
“The Wolves have washed our hands of Diablo,” Lucas says. “Getting involved in whatever plan you’ve concocted could lead to more death.”
Cooper raises a hand to silence him. “I’d like to hear what she has planned.”
I give him a nod before shifting my gaze around the table. I rap my nails against the hard wood, unsure that this plan is any better than the first, but I’ve got to give it a try. “I suggest we draw Bruce out ourselves.”
Groans and grumbles sound across the table, but I continue talking over them. “We can target one of Bruce’s larger casinos, placing explosives while we create a diversion to empty the place. Once that’s done, we light it up and catch Diablo when he comes to investigate.”
Loud chatter clashes as they argue my plan.
“That will never work.”
“She wants us to go on a suicide mission!”
On and on they argue. Sweat gathers at my temples as my pulse rises. A warm hand closes over my bicep, gently nudging me to the side. Jackie bangs on the table until they’re all silenced once more.
“Hazel,” he says, turning back to me. “Respectfully, what you’re suggesting is… absolutely insane.” I narrow my gaze. “But it is admirable.”
“Jerk,” I mutter.
With a wink, he turns toward my father. “Hazel’s on the right track with smoking him out, but I’ve got an offer I know you won’t refuse.”
The Hispanic male who accompanied my friends steps forward as Jackie finishes his thought. “Félix and I have been working together to build a solid case against Diablo and his underlings.”
He flashes his badge, and the Wolves recoil quickly.
“What the fuck, Haze?” Cooper asks, wide eyed.
“I don’t care about your gang,” Félix says. “It’s Diablo that I’m after.”
Once they’ve settled down, he continues. “I was assigned this case undercover to gather intel, but the man’s smart. He never gets his hands dirty and has a knack for destroying any evidence before we’re able to get a hold of it.”
Félix addresses me. “Now that Lucky’s is gone and the chief’s been murdered, we need to act fast. He suffered a major profit loss when he destroyed his only manufacturing source, which means less money to not only his men but the influential people in Mackville helping to hide his dirty work.”
I glance at my dad, receiving a nod for me to continue before turning back to the agent. “What can the Wolves do to help?”
“He’s desperate to start making Rhyomine again. From the information I received from the men Sasha and I took down, he’s having all new equipment set up in a storage unit outside the grain silos two nights from now.”
Félix pauses. “I’ll have a handful of officers with me, but I feel having two teams will give us a greater advantage should my hunch be correct. Besides, I need men—and women—who don’t mind getting their hands dirty should I require the need.”
“You mean, killing these pricks?” Cooper asks.
“The bastard’s using my daughter as collateral,” Jackie interjects, shocking the room silent. “And I want her retrieved by any means necessary.”
“Wait.” I shove a finger toward him and Félix. “My family isn’t agreeing to anything unless we’re given full immunity.”
