Page 62 of Castling the Rook (Checkmate 3)

19

Riley

Judgement Day

“Cruz! I need you on guard.” As soon as I walk off the dock and into the police station offices, Alex moves past me with the rage of a tornado. He’s always serious, but this is different. When he stops at his desk and clips an extra gun to his thigh, my eyebrows pop at the adrenaline that flings through the room.

“Ah… something wrong, Chief?”

“Hayes’ shipment is moving tonight, and Bishop’s gonna be at the drop. It’s time to end this.”

My heart slams against my chest. I know he means Kane, but after last night with Jay, my heart races at the reminder my boss believes the Bishop brothers are our enemy. “Where?”

“Paddy’s truck stop. Tip said two a.m., so Oz and I are gonna be there from midnight, then we’re ending this shit. Abel Hayes is a fucking cancer on this town, and Kane Bishop is his right hand. They both need to be shut down.”

I pretend to be cool, I pretend to not care that my boss hasthatlook in his eyes. “Will Hayes be there?”

“Dunno.” He snaps a fresh magazine into his gun and clips it into the holster on his hip. “He’s a slimy fuck, so I doubt it, but I’ll take Bishop, then I’ll trade him for Hayes. Bishop will squeal like a pig when he’s locked up.”

I seriously doubt that.

“Can I ride with you? I’m invested in this too, so I wanna be there.”

“I need you here.” Dismissing me, he blows past and moves down the hall toward the cages that hold way too much firepower for such a small town. Snagging a pair of night-vision goggles from a cardboard box with fresh stamps, then a second pair for Oz, he turns back and stops when he remembers I’m right in front of him. “It ends tonight with or without Abel, so I need you to take care of shit here. Oz is coming with me, and I have two more riding along for backup. Tate will be here with you.”

“She was on day shift.”

“I sent her home early so she could sleep, with orders to be back by twenty-one hundred.” He drops the goggles onto a steel table lining the wall, then pulls down a black vest and straps it on. “We’ll be on radio the whole time, so you’ll know what’s happening, but I’m not taking more than I need. I’m not putting my squad in danger.”

“What about Oz?”

“He’s my best friend. He’s my deputy.”

“He demanded to go.”

He snorts and pulls the vest tight. “Stubborn fuck can’t take a direct order to save his life. He’s got kids at home, a wife, a reason not to be a dumbass. He shouldn’t be coming, but he’s had a lifetime of not listening to me… so he’s coming.”

“Youhave a wife and a baby on the way.”

He stops and turns to me like I’ve lost my mind. “I’m the chief. Who the fuck else is gonna do it?”

In a rare show of insubordination, I throw my hands up and surprise my boss. I’ve always been the quiet one, the goodie rule follower in their eyes. “I just offered! I have no wife, no kids, no reason keeping me here. You know I have the skills, the patience, thecajones. Let me go.” Bishop won’t hurt me, so my only enemy out there is Hayes, but Alex doesn’t know that, and I don’t particularly want an undercover officer shot by my squad.

Jay needs help. He needs his brother.

“Not happening, Rook. No way am I sending one of my men out while I stay home with a hot cup of cocoa. But I appreciate the offer.” Stopping, he smirks. “And thecajones.” He grabs a second vest, then the goggles, then just for fun, a couple M4’s and pushes past me back into the office. Dropping his cache to his desk, he tosses the vest across the room when Oz steps in. “Put this on, Franks. Nice and tight, then grab another and wear it over your face. If you get shot tonight, I’ll kill you with my bare hands.”

Chuckling, Oz slips the vest on and goes to work with the straps. “Jules tucked away for the night?”

“She’s at home waiting on my call. If I die tonight, she’s gonna be pissed.” He pushes into the boardroom and snaps a photograph from the wall as Tate follows me in. “Abel Hayes.” His eyes move around the room and lock onto each of ours. “Abel is our primary target, but I’m gonna put good money on him not being there.” He takes another image, an image that sets my blood on fire. “Kane Bishop, second most wanted. He’s armed, he’s dangerous, he’s has no conscience. We bring him in, preferably alive so we can get information, but I’m at the point of not giving a fuck anymore. We disable him – however that happens.” Another image. “Flynn. He’s right up there with Bishop, though Jess says he’s not top dog anymore.” He speaks of the local lawyer in monotone, but fails to mention Jess Lenaghan is basically his little sister. Alex has a lot on the line with this case, too many players, too many connections for his comfort. “Jess is at the Roller compound behind a massive fence. She’s out of the picture and safe. Jules is at home, safe and sound with direct orders not to move her fucking ass.”

Oz grins. “How’s that worked out for you in the past, X?”

“Shut up. The drop is twenty-five minutes from here. Everything stays there, away from town. Keep it that way.”

“Yes, Chief.”

X casts a slow glance around the room. “Do we all know our roles? We have no room for screw ups.”

---