Page 13 of Explode
I was alone.
I was always alone now that Kai had gone.
Chapter 4
Riley
Twodayslater,andwith no word from the Bianchis, Miles made medecide if it was time to move on to stage two of the plan. There were three names on our list of people we wanted to wipe out, three people close to Hendrix, who, without his minions, would be vulnerable. They were Carlos Rigby, the leader of The Stags, his Deputy, Markus Powell, and finally, Hendrix’s sidekick, Alex Barnes.
But we needed better intel on their movements. Intel that Apollosources couldn’t provide. We needed people closer to Hendrix’s inner circle, and stage two would hopefully achieve that.
If I didn’t fuck it up, which was a very big if.
The next stage of the plan was something I liked to call,OperationPut All Our Fucking Trust Into Four People, And Hope Like Hell They Don’t Turn Against Us.
I accepted the operation name needed some work, but the pointremained. We were putting all of our trust into four people, people close to Hendrix who would be able to provide us with key intelligence. As long as they didn’t run squealing to him the second they knew our plan. Max too for that matter. If things went the way we’d planned, we’d soon be getting a stream of intelligence on what the fuck Max was up to.
So, no pressure, but Ireallycouldn’t fuck this up.
At least we had a starting point, and it was all thanks to the Apolloguys. Over the last few months, they’d been keeping tabs on four people Miles and I thought could be trusted, and by keeping tabs, I mean they were spying on every inch of their lives.
Literallyeveryinch.
No phone call went without someone tapping in and listening to it.Their phones and vehicles were tracked so we knew everywhere they went. Their houses were bugged, so even if they tried to have a sneaky conversation in the middle of the night, we’d know about it. Miles worked his magic and cloned each of their computers so we knew what they were searching for on the internet.
It was a miracle these poor people could take a shit without usknowing about it.
It was scary how much we were able to intrude into their personallives, and it didn’t sit comfortably with me, but we had to make sure that when the time came, these were the people we could trust.
And that time was now.
By monitoring every minute of their lives, we found that not only didthese four believe Miles and I weren’t having an affair, but they also believed Miles wasn’t responsible for killing Kai. We also discovered other vital information.
Like how some members of the gang were on the verge of arebellion.
How a handful of police officers were secretly working together to finda way to remove Max from his position.
How a number of Kai’s old business associates were growing tiredwith Hendrix’s tyrant ways, and were slowly taking their business elsewhere.
And how members of the city council were fed up with the wayHollows Bay was becoming a dump.
Hendrix and Max were doing a fantastic job at ruining everything Kaihad worked hard to build, but really, the blame laid with Max. After all, he was the one pulling the strings in secret, Hendrix was just his puppet.
Before Kai died, Max had been dead set on claiming Hollows Bay, soit was somewhat of a surprise when Hendrix emerged as the leader, and Max reappeared weeks later in his position as chief. He was still sporting injuries from the beating Kai had given him but claimed he’d received them after he single-handedly stopped a burglary. Obviously, people saw him as a hero instead of the maniac he was.
Really, he was distancing himself from Hendrix and the showdown atthe warehouse so no one would be any the wiser thathewas the one in charge of the city.
It was part of the reason we had waited six months to put our plan inmotion. We wanted to see what moves both Max and Hendrix made. We wanted to give them time to think we had disappeared, and that they were untouchable, and then we’d show them how wrong they were.
But one step at a time, and for now our focus was on convincing fourpeople to put all their faith in me, which is why I found myself walking into a bar on the outskirts of Hollows Bay.
The bar had once been a hot spot for truckers on long haul journeys,but after the owner was killed in a robbery several years back, no one had bothered to reopen it, and no one paid it any mind when passing by. It was the perfect place to hold a clandestine meeting.
By the time we reached the bar, night had fallen. There were no lightson this stretch of road, the only source of light was from the bright moon lighting up the derelict bar which now looked more like a rotting shack.
The twins, Seb and Liam, had kept surveillance on the bar during theday to make sure there would be no surprises, such as a squatter taking up residence inside. Ash, Tank, Oz, and Dan rounded up those we were due to meet, and Jack and Travis stayed with Miles and me until Seb gave the signal that everyone was present and accounted for.
The four of us entered the derelict building. Rotting floorboardscreaked as we crossed the threshold, and dust hit my nostrils, instantly making me want to sneeze. The guys had set up several lights inside, bright enough for us to see each other, but dim enough not to draw any attention from anyone passing by.
