CHAPTER TWELVE

RITCHIE

THE AMBUSH

T ori’s skin surrounding her wound appeared inflamed. I placed her on the bed and tucked the sheet around her waist. Her head thudded the headboard as she stared into my eyes.

“Brock just pulled into the parking lot. I’ll be right back.” I pressed a kiss to her lips.

Her eyelids hooded. “Ok, Ritchie.”

Tori was exhausted. I’d feed her a few bites before she dozed off.

My phone buzzed in my pocket again. If it was Brock, he could wait.

Tapping the screen, I glanced at the text and halted.

“What the fuck?” I muttered.

Catch: We’re being followed.

My heart lurched in my chest. Fuck, I couldn’t let anything happen to Catch and Bianca.

Me: Where are you?

Catch: Headed north on I-Ninety.

Me: We’re on our way.

I shoved my phone into my pocket and retrieved my Glock from my waist holster.

“Romeo, Rémy, and Ezra, I need you down here now,” I roared.

I glanced at the security cameras to my right. Brock stood by himself at the door.

Yanking the door open, I waved him inside.

The guys ran toward me, clutching their guns.

“What’s going on?” Brock asked.

“Catch and Bianca are being followed. We have to get to them now.”

“Fuck Rémy,” growled.

Everyone scattered, climbing into their clothes and loading weapons into duffel bags.

“We have tons of ammo and weapons in the Suburban. Boss, we’re ready to roll,” Brock stated.

I nodded. “I’ll be right out.”

“Ritchie, what’s going on?” Tori asked, gripping a Glock in her hand.

“Catch and Bianca are being followed. I don’t think he told her what was going on. Because he sent a text instead of calling.”

Her eyes widened. “We have to get to them.”

“Tori, somehow we will. You and the girls will have to come with us. Not sure when Catch noticed they were being followed.” I ran a hand over my brow.

“Guys, the ladies have to come with us,” I shouted throughout the warehouse.

“We don’t know if we’ve been compromised. I won’t take any chances. Every one grab at least two weapons. We’ll need all the firepower we can get.”

Asia and Simone jumped into action, not hesitating to grab their duffels loaded with rifles and ammunition.

Once we were on the road, I called Kagan.

“Hey, I need you to get eyes on Catch. I need his exact location. He’s being followed. We have to protect Catch and Bianca.”

“I’m on it, Ritchie,” he said.

A few minutes later, I received another text.

Catch: We’re walking into the restaurant now.

Me: We’re en route.

Catch: We’re in the restaurant. I want my fiancée to enjoy a nice dinner. Keep the assholes out, please.

“Catch is such the fucking romantic,” I muttered.

Me: Yeah, got it.

Brock peeked at me. “Why did you say that?”

“He wants Bianca to enjoy dinner.”

A chuckle fell from Tori’s mouth.

I glanced over my shoulder at my woman. “You think that’s funny?”

The streetlamps dotting the side of the highway cast shadows over her face. Putting her beauty on full display.

“Yes, but it’s also cute.” She leaned in, pressing her lips to mine.

“Put on the bullet-proof vest and a baseball cap. I don’t want anyone recognizing my pretty little woman.”

“Your pretty little woman ain’t afraid to bust a cap in somebody’s ass.” She winked.

And instantly, I wanted to take her back to our home base and fuck the shit out of her.

Focus, Ritchie.

My tongue slicked over my lower lip. “Don’t I know it.”

My phone vibrated. I peeked at the screen. Kagan texted the name of the restaurant. I flashed the screen at Brock before I entered the address into the GPS.

We were three SUVs deep. Ezra and Simone drove the Tahoe directly behind us. Romeo, Rémy, and Asia were in the last Tahoe.

I tapped my earbud so I could communicate with the team. “Use silencers. I can’t imagine the suburban police taking more than five minutes to respond. Ezra, once we arrive, find a place to set up. We can’t afford to get in trouble with the suburban police. Not sure if we can easily pay them off. Chicago police are corrupt as fuck. They accept our pay offs. Also, no headshots if we can help it. We are shooting to put them down temporarily,” I barked out.

“Understood,” Ezra and Rémy stated.

Brock rolled into the well-lit parking lot.

“Everyone fan out. We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves.

“Got it, Ritchie,” Ezra said. He turned to the right in the oversized parking lot littered with cars in almost every row.

Catch chose a popular restaurant. Good. Maybe we can apprehend the assholes before we have to wreak havoc.

Brock drove down the main aisle toward the front door of the restaurant. I scoured the cars for suspicious characters.

My eyes landed on an SUV with tinted windows.

“Brock, stop at the door and let me out,” I stated, sliding the muzzled Glocks into my shoulder holsters inside my blazer.

A dark cap, a black blazer, and charcoal grey cargo pants really wasn’t my look, but we were in a hurry. I didn’t have time to climb into a suit. So I improvised. If it were cold outside, I’d conceal an AR fifteen inside a full-length coat. The old school gangster ways worked very well.

“Ritchie, please be careful,” Tori stated from the back seat. Worry was heavy in her tone.

“I will, baby.”

Opening the door, I ran a hand down the front of the blazer. “Brock, keep my woman safe. “

“I will, boss.”

I closed the door and walked down the aisle at the rear of the SUV.As I strolled along, I peeked into the parked cars.

Four men sat in a sedan. Curls of smoke left the windows. The strong scent of weed wafted through the air. Smelled like a skunk had lifted its tail.

“So far, I may have found two vehicles,” I whispered so only my men could hear over the earpiece.

“We have a problem, Ritchie,” Romeo stated.

“A group of men entered the back door.”

“Shit. Follow them but keep a low profile,” I ordered.

They thought they’d brutally attack my cousin and his fiancée. They didn’t know Catch was always ready for trouble.

I walked alongside the SUV I saw earlier, gripping a Glock behind my back. My heart slammed against my ribcage. Their windows were tinted like ours; they could see out, but someone walking by couldn’t see inside. My knuckles rattled against the driver’s side window. This wasn’t safe. I didn’t have backup.

My heart felt like it beat inside my throat.

The window lowered. A sawed-off shotgun stared back at me. The dark-skinned driver gripped the weapon tighter as he stared at me with a menacing scowl.

From my peripheral I noticed the back seat was empty.

“What the fuck you want, white boy?” The driver bit out.

“I have a flat tire.” I pointed across the lot.

“I was just looking to borrow a jack.”

The passenger narrowed his eyes. “Hey, you’re the motherfucker who kidnapped Rosco.”

Fuck, I thought we killed all of his men. And how would they know how to find us?

I knew who the culprit was.

“Again, I’m just looking for a jack.” I took a step back, raised my Glock, and pulled the trigger. One of the bullets hit the driver’s chest before he could get a shot off. Nothing fatal. The sound of my silencer wasn’t noticeable. My eyes widened as the passenger raised his gun just as the woman standing on the other side of the SUV yanked at the car door, causing a distraction.

My woman was definitely my prized possession.

He kept his Glock steady on me.

“Lower your weapon,” I ordered. “If you shoot me, she’ll definitely shoot you. Surrender. And you don’t have to die,” I said, not finishing that sentence.

He wouldn’t die right now. But I’d kill him later.

His finger wasn’t easing up on the trigger. So I fired a round, hitting his shoulder. He dropped the gun like it was hot steel. I reached inside the vehicle and unlocked the door. Tori opened the passenger door and zip tied his hands and feet.

“You can’t stop the show. My boy planned a big finale. Just for you,” he grunted.

“Let me guess, Daryl?” Tori asked.

He chuckled instead of answering her.

Gunfire rang out in the row behind us, followed by four tiny pips.

Maybe that was Ezra or Brock.

Great, someone was going to report a shooting.

The unconscious driver was of no threat after I zip tied his wrists and ankles and gagged his mouth. I rolled up the window, then lowered both of their seats before Tori and I stalked toward the other car. An older white man walking with his wife smirked at me.

“Good evening,” he said.

“Good evening, sir,” I replied, tipping my hat.

Glancing to my left, I didn’t notice smoke coming from the windows.

“Ezra, come in?” I stated.

“Where are you?” I asked.

“Not far from you. Simone and I are keeping a low profile.”

“Good.”

A sharp screech of tires broke the silence of the quiet restaurant parking lot, and I quickly pulled Tori close to me as I glanced over my shoulder. A large black and orange monster truck with gigantic tires sat at the beginning of the row, its engine revving loudly. The driver peeled rubber, then sped down the aisle. They pointed an AK-forty-seven out the driver side window.

“Tori, run!” I ordered, turning my attention to the older man and his wife. “Sir, get in your car and stay low,” I warned.

He nodded, pushing his wife into the car.

Gripping one of my Glocks tightly, I aimed at the huge truck and fired several rounds. A second later, an explosion shook through the air like thunder as a truck flew into the air and erupted into a raging fireball, crashing back down with a loud bang that sent shards of burning hot metal scattering in all directions.

So much for keeping a low profile.

I kept my stance firm as the truck came to a stop right in front of me.

I stood my ground as the truck stopped in front of me.

“Brock, get over here. Pick up the girls,” I demanded.

He didn’t hesitate peeling to a stop to my left. “Get in the truck with Brock.”

Tori didn’t argue. She did as she was told. Well, I guessed she did. I couldn’t exactly take my eyes off the truck.

“Romeo, tell Catch it’s time to go.”

“Got it,” he responded.

“Time to die, Ritchie!” the man shouted from the driver’s seat of the towering monster truck.

I pulled a metallic cylinder from my cargo pocket. “You first.”I yanked out its pin and threw it underneath the truck. I quickly dove between two cars, covering my ears with my hands as an earth-shattering boom tore through the air. Bright flames erupted out of the back of the monster truck, engulfing it in smoke and debris. The ground shook beneath me, and a sharp ringing filled my ears.

Sirens faintly sounded in the distance.

Ezra crawled in front of me. “Let’s go,” he mouthed.

Shaking off the rattling feeling in my body, I stood to my feet. We ran toward Catch, who was standing near our SUVs holding an AK-Forty-seven shooting at a second monster truck.

“We have to get out of here!” I yelled, placing a grenade in his hand. He yanked out the pin and threw it under the truck before we jumped into the SUVs just as police cars entered the parking lot.

Brock drove to the other side of the building, tearing through an adjacent parking lot before heading for our warehouse hideout.

I glanced into the back seat. Tori and Bianca held their Glocks firm in their laps, ready for whatever was to come.

“Catch, you need to call in a favor,” I urged.

He slammed his hand against the door. “Fuck, I know.”

Uncle Callum would have to clean up this shit show. I could’ve called Nick. But Arlis and Callum Sr. had mafia connects here like my father.

“I think it’s time you bring uncle up to speed as well,” Catch snarled.

Fuck, he was right. It was time to call dear old dad.