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All hell breaks loose. My guys are shouting at the bikers who stand there looking stunned until one has the good sense to toss his gun to the floor. The other follows suit, and they end up on their knees, hands behind their heads, as I wrestle their leader to the ground. I keep a knee in the small of his back, hold a gun to his head, and yank off his helmet.
A shock of black hair. A pained grimace.
“Fucking Matteo,” I say as I recognize the Italian thief.
He shows his teeth. “Get the fuck off me, Ronan, you prick.”
I jam my gun against his temple. “Tell me why I shouldn’t just end you here and now.”
“You fucking know why.” He twists so he can get a better look at me. His grimace turns into a smirk. His eyes are wild with fear. “You want something. I can hand it over.”
“No games,” I say as I lean forward. “Tell me where Cormac’s hiding.”
“I can do you one better. I’ll tell you where Cormac’s atandwhere you can find your drugs. But first, you need to let me go.”
“Actually, I’m thinking you either tell me right now, or I kill you and ask one of your men.” I glance over at the other Italian thieves. They’re still wearing helmets, but I can imagine the looks on their faces: eager and ready to spill their fucking guts.
This is the problem with employing mercenaries. They have no goddamn loyalty.
“Fine,” Matteo snarls and grunts as I put more pressure on the knee in his spine. “Fuck, I saidfine, I’ll tell you. There’s an old trucking depot that closed down last year right here in the city. Cormac’s got your goods stashed in a truck there.”
I let out a harsh laugh. I know exactly the place he means. “There have to be fifty abandoned big rigs out there. How the fuck am I supposed to find Cormac’s?”
“Lot A, space C-16. I fucking parked it myself.” He groans as I roughly shake his shoulder. “I’m not kidding!”
“Okay, fine, that’s the drugs. Where thefuckis Cormac?”
“You’re not going to believe it.”
I lean down. I’m so fucking sick and tired of this whole game. All I want more than anything in this world is to finish this stupid rebellion, cut Cormac’s throat myself, and go back home to Valentina.
“Try me,” I say in his face.
And Matteo starts talking.
Chapter 47
Ronan
Isit low in the front seat of my SUV and watch the gate to the trucking depot. It’s late, after midnight on a Tuesday, and the whole block is quiet. There’s not much going on past the chain-link fence, only a smattering of rusty cars left there to rot, and a single semi in good condition standing out among the overgrown weed-strewn pavement.
We planned this for two days. Mostly it was Valentina’s idea with some input from Julien and the uncles, and now that we’re here, I feel only the excitement of anticipation. I keep the secure text channels open to Niall and the other cousins, but mostly I sit and I wait, even though I’m bored out of my mind.
I think about Valentina to pass the time. I think about her mouth on mine. I think about her laughter in the shower. I think about the way her body feels pressed against mine, and how easy it is to tell her things I never thought I’d tell anybody. My insecurities, my fears. My worry that I’ll never be enough for the family. She listens and understands, and she doesn’t feed me a bunch of bullshit about how everything’s going to be okay.
Instead, she tells me how we’ll fix it together. How she’s in this with me. How she’s by my side, no matter what happens, and it’s her belief in me that gives me more strength than I thought I had.
My phone buzzes. It’s Niall, calling on an encrypted line. “He’s on the way,” he says when I answer. “You all good?”
“I’m good. Took him long enough. The asshole’s going to be late.”
“I bet he’s doing it on purpose. Make them sweat a little.”
“Yeah, well, I’m ready to get this over with.”
“Five minutes out. Keep your eyes peeled.”
We end the call, and I reach across to where my gun’s sitting on the passenger seat. I pull back the slide and make sure it’s loaded.
