Page 67 of Sacrifice
"Los Coyotes, definitely. The message, the timing—it all fits." Magnus pulls out his phone, shows security footage from a building near Saga's apartment. "Vanir pulled this up for us. Two men, both Hispanic, entered the building around ten PM. Left twenty minutes later."
"Faces?"
"Working on enhancement. Should have something by tonight."
Vanir speaks up. "Elfe say anything?"
"Not much," Ivar speaks up, voice carefully controlled. "She was studying. Heard the door break. Tried to run, but theycaught her in the kitchen. They kept asking where Saga was, got angry when she wouldn't tell them."
"She fought," I add. "Doctor said she had defensive wounds. Managed to scratch one of them—they're running DNA now."
"That's my girl," Ivar says quietly, pride and pain mixing in his voice.
"So what's the play?" Tor asks. "We can't just sit on this."
"We don't sit on shit," Runes confirms. "But we're smart about it. Los Coyotes want us angry, reactive. We give them something they can’t anticipate—a plan."
"I want them dead," Rio says flatly. "Every last one who had a hand in this. I’m sick of people trying to come after our women, our kids."
"You'll get your chance," Runes promises. "But first, we need intel. Who's giving them information? How many are here? What's their real goal?"
"The drugs," Fenrir suggests. "Has to be about the Culebra shipment."
"Partially," I agree. "But this feels personal, too. They went after Saga specifically, not just any woman connected to the club."
"Because she's yours," Rio points out. "Everyone knows you've been circling each other. Makes her a prime target."
"Then they miscalculated." My voice goes cold. "Because now they've given me every reason to end them."
"Which is what they want," Magnus interjects. "You compromised, emotional, making mistakes."
"I don't make mistakes when it comes to protecting what's mine."
"No," Runes says. "You make bodies. Which is what we need, but targeted. Surgical. Find out the names of who broke into that apartment, and we start with them."
"I have a contact in Los Coyotes," Oskar speaks up from the back. "Low level, but he might know something. Let me reach out."
"Carefully," Runes warns. "Could be a trap."
"Everything's a trap if you're paranoid enough," Oskar counters.
"Paranoia's what keeps us breathing," Fenrir reminds him.
The debate continues—strategies, theories, plans for retaliation.
But underneath it all is rage.
Cold, controlled, lethal rage.
Someone came into our territory, hurt our people, threatened our women.
There's only one response to that.
"What about the drugs?" Dag asks. "If this is about the Culebra shipment, maybe we use it as bait?"
"Already considering it," Runes says. "Set up a fake sale, draw them out."
"They're not stupid," Magnus warns. "They'll smell a trap."
