Page 94 of Waging War
Félix rattles off the plan one more time. “My team is approaching the silos in less than ten. We’re going to wrap the building. Ben will go in first to catch him off guard and provide a distraction for us to pick off any other guys he has around. Once he gives the signal, we’ll swarm. Kill anyone who becomes a direct threat, but leave Diablo alive.”
Hazel’s body goes rigid. “That wasn’t part of the agreement—”
“You heard me, wolf. That’s an order.”
She slaps her handlebars with a growl and swivels toward Kenneth. “I want him dead. He can’t get away with what he’s done.”
Kenneth shakes his head. “He’s going to pay for what he’s done, but we can’t risk the protection you bargained for, baby girl. Swallow your pride, and let’s get in and out alive.”
Kicking up the stand under her bike, she readies us to move. “Fine,” she grunts to Félix.
“Good. Trail behind us fifteen minutes at least, and park far enough away that your bikes don’t alarm him. You’ll go forward on foot.”
With a nod from their leader, she pushes off, and one by one, the rest of the Wolves fall in line. Seamlessly, the formation rolls from a straight line onto the highway to a wideV. I wind my hands around her waist, pressing my thighs around her and soaking up what little warmth her body gives.
The wind whips at our jackets and legs as I wonder what life will be like once this is all over.
Hazel was expected to move in with Cooper, and even though I feel like that’s no longer an option to her, it doesn’t change the fact that I have no house to call a home or that I’m going to have to rebuild my life from the ground up.
Is it fair for me to expect her to leave something so stable for someone who has next to nothing to his name?
I squeeze her tight, burying my worries down under the pressing hollowness already residing in my stomach. With the setting sun, we should have plenty of night coverage by the time we get to the silos.
The silos…Fuck. Why can’t I wrap my head around Bruce using that location?
I didn’t think much of it when Félix mentioned it the first time, but now, that hollow pit has turned to full-blown anxiety clawing at my insides.
“Something doesn’t feel right about this,” I shout to Hazel.
“What is it?” she calls back over her shoulder.
“It almost feels… too easy.”
My gut says Félix isn’t setting us up, but that yawning pit refuses to calm.
The grain silos have been abandoned for years, with no electricity and no running water. Why would Bruce have his equipment dropped there when he would need at least two of those things to manufacture Remi? Storing the drug there would make sense, but if he’s storing the remainder of his supply at The Pound, then manufacturing at the silos doesn’t add up.
I relay my concerns to Hazel. “Félix may have been given false information.”
Hazel shakes her head. “Are you sure? This may be our only shot. If he’s getting the shipment tonight and we’re not there, we’ll miss the opportunity to catch him.”
I’m not totally sure, no. But I know what goes into making Rhyomine, and I know he’s not going to get what he needs at the silos.
I click on the device and call to Félix. “I think we’re being set up.”
His voice sounds in my ear. “What do you mean? What’s wrong?”
I’m about to respond when Hazel stops me.
“What do you know about the Rosenburg’s distillery?” she shouts over the wind.
That’s the spot where I shook down a man named Tony for stealing from Diablo’s casino.
“I overheard one of the guys at The Pound say he had an upcoming ‘date’ at Rosenburg’s,” she finishes her thought.
My blood pounds. “You’re sure that’s what you heard?”
“Yes. I thought he meant for himself, but could he have been talking about the equipment drop?”
