4. Grizzly

4

GRIZZLY

I 'm presiding over the officers-only church, anxiety running deep, though I don't let it show. I can't—I'm the fearless leader. But it doesn't really matter, because over top of the anxiety, I'm just fucking pissed off.

Once I got the informant calmed down and not scared shitless of me, thanks to a few more shots of tequila, the whole story came out. Not only did he have the information I've been seeking, but he spilled the beans about exactly what happened on the way here. Thank goodness one of the two decoys has made it back now, though there's still no word from the other.

I suspect that prospect won't be turning up again, which is unfortunate. Another reason to be pissed the fuck off.

But that's why I didn't tell anyone, not even Trap, what information this informant could be bringing. That way, there's no information to torture out of anyone. He'll just be dead, lying in some unmarked grave in the desert somewhere.

I move around the room as usual, my secretary taking notes for the minutes as we go. I can tell everyone is in a hurry to figure out why the hell I have this informant sitting here in the meeting. I think it's best for everyone to hear from him firsthand what it is he does. I don't know if I can get it out without losing my shit anyway.

So, I press on with business as usual. Brander has addressed the stalker, so Lisa is not something I have to deal with. The domestic violence shelter is doing well, with no threats as of late. The accounting looks good. We have more money this quarter than we have in a long-ass time.

All of those good things, piling on top of this growing rage within me that makes me want to act now. To go and find the brother and just take him down.

The thing is, it's not smart. And I have to keep my cool, because I know exactly how my men are going to react to the news they're about to hear.

"I know we're all wondering why the hell I went through all the trouble of getting Tag here"—I point to the guy, glad to see he isn't shaking anymore, though he's definitely red in the cheeks. Maybe I gave him a little bit too much—"and why Trap is in here. But I need you all to hear this—the reason we probably lost the prospect, the reason I've been so secretive, and the reason I brought a non-officer to this very important meeting. But I want you to hear it from Tag's mouth. He has some very vital information that all of us need to be aware of."

I step back against the wall, motioning to Tag. It takes a minute for him to understand what's expected. It's not like he's ever done one of these, and he's always struck me as this scared little thing. But he's also got some of the most valuable information we've had in a long time, so I can't exactly discount him either.

He steps out in front of me, clearly unsure of himself. I hope he won't be stumbling over his words, and I breathe a sigh of relief when he sounds a lot more eloquent than he looks.

"I've come into some information about the Bratva. It's my understanding that Grizzly and the rest of you have had some run-ins with them before. I thought you would like to know what they're planning next."

As he says this, my eyes dart around the room. I see some of the members shuffle impatiently, especially Trap. He's hiding it under anger, but he's been through hell today. I hate to do this to him, keeping him on his toes and so exhausted, but he's one of my best at lying and undercover work. He's good at planning. Hell, he's diabolical. I need him in on this as much as my other officers. At this point, if there was a position available for him, I'd give it to him.

"The Bratva deals in many illegal things, but one of the biggest businesses is trafficking. I think that's something you already know, according to Grizzly. But there've been some rumors flying around, and those rumors are true. The girls they have left, they're going to be at auction. I've been given the date and location that they're currently planning, though I know it could be a decoy. But either way, I thought you deserve to know so you can choose to make a move."

He stands in silence for a moment and then moseys back over to his seat as if he doesn't know what else to say.

I stay where I'm standing and wait for it.

The room explodes in conversation—some shouting at each other, some shouting at me. I knew they wouldn't take it well. I didn't take it well either, which is why I was fucking late for my own meeting.

I give everyone a few minutes, and when they don't settle down, I step up. "Shut the fuck up." I turn a hard gaze on everyone. I make sure to meet everyone's eyes, and most of them quickly look away.

"I'm pissed the fuck off about this. It's disgusting. These assholes went up against us. They steal young girls, and mean to auction their innocence, right under our fucking noses. It's unacceptable. So, we need a plan. A smart one."

Before I can even mention what the plan might be or how to proceed, Bane, his face twisted with rage, steps up. "We don't need a fucking plan. The plan is simple—we round up all our men and we raid the goddamn place. We save the girls. We fucking kill every last one of them except for their leader. Him, we torture, skin, and hang. There will be no more Bratva in Vegas."

Two of the other officers stand up and pump their fists in the air.

I have a good idea why Bane is thinking like this. I can't be angry at him, even though he's usurping my authority right now.

The Bratva, they hurt Harlow. And Harlow has become Bane's life, the same way she is to me. My sugarplum has managed to find her soulmates among some of my men. Bane is the most hotheaded and protective of them all, and now their children could get involved. I wouldn't expect any less of him.

I place my hand on Bane's shoulder. "You should sit the fuck down before this gets out of hand," I say into his ear. He looks at me with betrayal on his face, but then he does what I say.

"I know we're all out for blood. I am too. But this is the Bratva. They run deep. We don't know the half of it, and they know our every move. You know what happened today, how easy it was for them to figure out what the hell we were doing. And we lost a prospect. We could have lost Trap. We need to be more subtle about this. And this is why I've been preparing at least a half-ass plan, but I need you all to help me figure out the rest of it. Especially you, Trap."

Trap's eyebrows raise toward the ceiling when I point to him. His arms uncross and he comes off the wall. "Me?"

"Yeah, your name is Trap for a reason."

He smirks at me and nods, and nothing else has to be said.

"Fine," Bane says. "So, what's this half-ass plan of yours?"

"I've come into contact with someone who's serving as a mole inside of the Bratva. Well, as close to the inside as we're going to get after our more recent run-ins with the Bratva. It's not like they'd ever actually trust us. Not without a hell of a lot of work."

It's Alto who speaks up next. "Prez, what deals have you been making behind our back? Who's this guy who's supposedly going to help us get in with the Bratva?"

I don't even want to say it. It sounds so incredibly fucked-up, and it's against everything that we've always said we wouldn't do. But there's no choice here. "He's a member of the Italian Mafia—the younger brother of the head in LA. He doesn't have enough power, so he's duped the Bratva into thinking he's going to help them with recruitment and security for this event. In turn, they're going to give him more power to help him push his brother out."

Alto shakes his head. "This is a deal with the devil, Prez. Do you know what the hell you're doing here? No offense, but how can he be trusted? Mafia is Mafia."

I sigh. "I cut a deal. That's what we do. In times like these, we have no choice but to cut a deal, and the deal is the trust. He gives us something, we give him something."

"You're not turning us into fucking assassins now, are you?" Bane asks.

"Of course not. Artie told him we're not assassins, but we'll give him some kind of favor that will help him gain power at some point. It's the best I could do. Trap, this is going to be on you. We're going to get into this event, and we're going to need a couple of guys. But because of Harlow, I don't think I can touch this, and I can't let Bane or any of Harlow's other guys touch this either. Can you help me?"

Trap steps up, his face contemplative. "I'll do my damnedest, Prez. Either way, we'll fight to take these assholes down."

At least that's something we can agree on.