Page 54 of Hostile Cravings
“Asshole. When we get through this, it’s you and me in the boxing ring and I’m gonna mess up that pretty face of yours. Don’t ever use my girl as a pawn again,” I said, slipping from the car.
We moved to the shadows of the alleys, skirting the buildings until we were close enough. I was coming to realize the Bad Omen were arrogant sons of bitches who thought they were invincible but were making lethal mistakes. They hadn’t anticipated me coming for Angie, or Mason wanting Tirenti’s head for turning on him. And they were too easy to spot.
“I didn’t use your girl. And since when did you start calling her your girl?” he muttered.
“I don’t know, but I like it.”
“What’s the plan, guys?” Breck asked.
“Yeah, we’re running out of time,” I noted, trying not to think of Angie in there taking vows with Joey.
“Tell Finch to take out the two in the back of the church and scout for any others. Stay silent, break their necks if necessary, but tell them not to make a scene.” He gestured for Breck to come closer. “Send Creek up to take the guy on the corner out. You take the one closest to us and let me and Tyson handle the other two. Silencers on, I don’t want the men in the church knowing anything is going on out here. I’m sure they have more inside.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Beck made the call, and I scanned the area, seeing the shadow of the one hidden from view. The other two were in plain sight, but acting like they were undercover, one was reading the paper, the other playing on his phone. Both had their hands on their guns, ready to kill if anything went down.
I spotted Creek, and Mason gave the motion for the three of us to go. Just as Creek shot his man, Breck grabbed his and put him in a neck hold. The one in the alley stepped out and my shottook him down at the same time Mason landed a shot in the neck of the other. Both men stumbled, reaching for their guns, but the second bullet did the job.
“Does this seem too easy to you?” I asked Mason as we took the weapons from the bodies and moved closer.
“Entirely. Either they’re hiding more in the church, letting us think this is easy, or they’re off their game.”
“Again,” I noted.
It surprised me that each time we’d had a run in with the Omens, they weren’t up to their reputation. They went down too easily, and that didn’t seem right. The Omen were like ghosts you didn’t see until you were taking your last breath. They didn’t stand on corners trying to blend in. They were in the shadows, ready to pounce.
Mason had mentioned the same thing. Either they were getting sloppy, or every move so far had been a way to boost our confidence and ensure we grew complacent. I had suspected the latter was the case and when they chose to really strike, it would be lethal, but now I wasn’t so sure. This situation was one that warranted that deadly reputation they’d earned, yet we’d taken every one of their men out with ease.
“How are we doing this?” I asked Mason as we approached the door to the church, still staying low on the side of the building.
“I’ve got us covered. Donelli’s men are standing guard. Tirenti would have agreed, thinking the Omens would take them out first. We’re going to surprise Tirenti and walk right in.”
“Shit, how did you get this devious?” I asked. Mason amazed me every day with how good he was at this stuff. I was good with my fists, but his brain was his power.
“It’s not devious, it’s strategic. Ready to win back your girl?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
“You’ll go down the aisle and get her. The rest of the team will take the back and side entrances.”
I should have known he had it all planned. Here I’d been thinking this was a risky venture and Mason already had everyone in place to strike. There was still risk. I’d be walking in alone. A target that Tirenti or Joey could easily take out. A distraction while Mason, our men, and Donelli’s set the trap.
We walked into the church vestibule. Donelli’s men were on guard and gave us an understanding nod. I rolled my neck and shoved the sleeves of my shirt higher to show my muscle then walked into the main part of the church, leaving Mason behind. I kept my steps steady, my shoulders back, even though I knew I was vulnerable, that any of them could take me out.
Angie turned toward me, her brown eyes growing large. She looked stunning, her hair done up in curls that were piled on her head, her veil pinned within them. The dress she wore left little to the imagination, and I tried not to question why I could see right through it and that she clearly had no underwear on. Maybe I’d been wrong, and risking my life like this for her was a tragic mistake.
“Get your hands off my wife!” My voice resounded through the church, cutting through the sound of Tirenti’s men raising their guns.
From the corner of my eye, I saw movement in the rafters, but I kept my eyes ahead. If it was Mason or any of our men, one flick of my eyes to their location would give them away. If it was Omen, I was dead.
“What’s the meaning of this, Raines?” Joey snarled.
“You’re touching my wife, and I can guarantee she doesn’t like that touch, not as much as she likes mine.”
Tirenti drew his gun, and he moved to the aisle. I was confident he wouldn’t shoot and risk Mason’s wrath, not without the Bad Omen backing him up. “Go home, Raines, before I fill you with holes. We annulled your marriage. You have no claim here, and she doesn’t want you.”
I continued forward, wondering where Mason and the otherswere. No gunshots had penetrated the uncomfortable silence that hung in the air after Tirenti’s threat. That told me either our men had discovered no Omen or had, once again, dispatched of them too easily. The latter I’d contemplate with Mason when this was over.
My instincts were on edge until I spotted Tony pulling his gun out slow enough to go unnoticed by everyone else because their eyes were on me. He was ready for a fight, just like Mason had said. I was still a walking target, so I stopped midway through the building.
