“What the fuck do you mean, there is a shipment coming in?” I shout into the phone to Enzo.
“It flagged up. Do you want me to send some guys down there?” Enzo asks, and I rub my finger on my temple.
“Yes. Get Keller, Jax, and Kai down there, too. Keep an eye on police reports. Keep your guys waiting on the sidelines until we work out what the hell is going on.”
“Got it.”
I cut the call, turning to Grayson, who abruptly turns the car around in the middle of the road.
“The docks, I take it?”
I nod. “Tell me we’ve got enough weapons in this car.”
He laughs, putting his foot down on the accelerator.
“It’s a fucking candy shop in the trunk. We’re good. You think it’s Romano?”
Most likely Romano’s first power move. To remind me that he can try to take me down from Sicily. I could be wrong; it could be a coincidence.
The only downside is, we have no commissioner on board this time. We have no police units blocking the roads or the call ins. We do have Enzo, though, ready to intercept the response. The last thing I need is to get arrested again. I need Zara away from me, not even hotter on my tail.
If we are right and the Commissioner has switched sides, they’ll be waiting for me to slip up. Like hell am I letting them take my docks. So, it’s a risk we have to take tonight. It won’t be the last one either. Until Romano is dead, we have to fight. I can’t die until I end that motherfucker.
I spot Keller, Kai and Jax on the side of the road next to the entrance and G pulls up next to them.
“What the hell is going on?” Keller asks.
“We’re about to find out.” I grab the pack of cigarettes from my suit jacket and open them, offering Grayson one.
“Thanks, boss.” He slides one out and sparks it up. Keller does the same.
“You’re not wearing your famous mask anymore, Keller?” I ask.
“What do I need it for? I’m not hiding anymore. These fuckers can see my face just before they die.”
Grayson raises an eyebrow at him. I can sense the tension from here. I won’t be encouraging Keller to step back like Luca did. He’s a grown ass man. If he wants in, he’s in. I won’t say no to a trained killer being on my side. It will be good for Jax and Kai to learn from him.
“What do we think is in there?” Jax asks from my right.
“Worst case, an army of Romano’s men are sent here to slaughter us. Best case, more drugs and guns.” I answer honestly. We’ve never to this day had an unexpected shipment arrive.
Jax looks raring to go. Kai, behind him, shifts nervously from foot to foot .
“All good, Kai?”
He rubs his tattooed hand along the ink on his jaw and nods. It’s his first time up here with me. Grayson assures me he’s ready. Jax, I agree, he is ready for more. Kai may need more persuading.
“Likely, it’s the first option,” Grayson says, taking a drag of his cigarette and blowing the smoke up in the air.
I do the same; the nicotine calming the adrenaline pumping around my veins. It’s been a while since I’ve had blood on my hands. I miss it.
As I step into the yard, I spot the commissioner watching the boat come in. There is movement next to the warehouse behind him. What the hell is he playing at?
I hold my hand up to stop the guys behind me.
The first boat starts to approach. I stand in front of my men and wait. Tossing my cigarette to the ground and stamping it into the gravel, I slip out the brass knuckles from my pocket and slide them on my fingers. My right hand rests on my gun, ready for whatever surprise they have planned for me.
Here we fucking go.
The second boat stops a few yards away from the dock.
“We need to move closer.”
Glancing at Grayson, I catch his small nod.
I click my neck from side to side, unholstering my gun, leaving it at my side.
We crouch and scale the side of one of the containers, so we’re close enough to see and hear what George is doing.
“Is that?” Grayson asks.
“Yes,” I say through gritted teeth.
This confirms everything I need to know. That trip to Italy wasn’t a vacation, it was an act of war.
The lackey on the boat uses a crowbar to tear open the front of the first wooden crate. Enzo’s voice comes through the speaker in my ear.
“Armored vehicle approaching, ETA three minutes. Sending in your backup. They’ll wait at the gates.”
The last of the long nails screech as the face of the large box falls to the ground, the impact reverberating through my feet. As the choking dust clears, I can barely believe what I’m seeing.
“Oh fuck,” Keller mutters behind me.
The gathering of George and his men startles the women cowering within the dark confines. Their hands raise, blocking the violent intrusion of light as they squint before cowering in a huddle in the back.
Rage burns through me.
Those dirty motherfuckers.
“What do we do, boss? He’s the commissioner?”
My hands shake with rage as men jump off the boat and stand with George. I know we can take them out; that isn’t a question.
“Kill every single one of them, leave George alive. Jax and Kai, you get the girls to safety.” My blood boils, a stabbing feeling radiates through my chest as I think about Rosa, of everything that happened to her that I couldn’t stop.
Over my dead body will any harm come to these women. Romano knows our stance on trafficking. A big fucking no.
“What if this is a setup?” Grayson asks.
“We can’t leave these women.” I take a step forward, my feet crunching on the gravel, and George’s head turns to face me. Pure fucking horror on his features as I aim my gun at him.
“Kill him,” George shouts at the man next to him, who pulls out his weapon at me, but he’s too slow. I shift my aim and pull the trigger. The bullet hits through his cheek, and he drops without a sound. The screams get louder as our back up start to arrive, the men filtering out of the back of the armored truck just as the second boat pulls up.
We have enough safe houses while we work out where the hell the women came from. They could have information we need on Romano.
For now, we fight.
George takes his opportunity to run, but the old fucker can’t keep up with me. I catch him easily, grabbing the back of his throat, turning him to face me as I slam my metal covered fist into the side of his jaw.
“You’re going to fucking regret this, George,” I grit out, throwing him to the ground.
He coughs, spitting blood into the dirt and laughs, looking past me as more black SUVs filter in.
“You touch me again, you’ll spend the rest of your life behind bars, Frankie,” he warns.
My finger twitches over the trigger. I could end him, here and now. I look back at the men coming out of the cars. My bet–dirty cops.
If I kill him, I’m done. We all are.
