11. Storm

Chapter 11

Storm

W hen I get back to the office, Elio and Garth are standing around his desk, looking over some paperwork. Pictures are also spread across the surface, stills taken from the video. In one, the image has zoomed in on some blurred lettering on the wall. In another, they zoomed in on a small window just over Atlas's shoulder.

"What's this?" I ask and pick up the picture with the words. "Is there any way to clear it up so it's easier to read?"

"Yeah, I sent the video over to our tech guy. He is working on it now," Dad says and pulls over a picture I hadn't noticed. It's a close-up of a man's arms with a tattoo of an anatomical heart with a dagger stabbed through it. There is an L branded into the center of the tattoo, and my heart races.

"That's Drexel Hawthorn's mark. These guys are part of his crew?" I growl. "I thought you took care of him?"

Drexel and his men had moved into our territory just before I left. They were a small crew to start, nothing to worry about. They barely pinged our radar. But slowly, they grew and started trying to branch out. The last I heard from Dad, Drexel and his men were starting to dabble in human trafficking. Something Dad would absolutely never stand for in our territory.

"We did. Or I thought we did," Dad snaps. "Over a year ago, we ran them out of the city and destroyed their foothold here. We burned down their stash house, which had nearly two million in drugs and managed to free over fifty men, women, and children they had imprisoned. Somehow, they've tangled themselves up with Jarred. I'm not sure if they're working for him or if they came together just to try to take us out. But either way, this isn't not good for us."

"Do you have any idea about how we can fix this?" I ask.

Dad nods and gestures to Garth.

"I felt like the best plan would be to use a decoy that looks enough like Ashby that it will lure his father and his men from hiding, and then we can attack," Garth says, pulling out a file filled with pictures of different men. They all have blond curls, pale skin and short, thin builds.

"They don't look anything like Ashby," I snap, and Dad huffs, the sound full of irritation.

"They aren't meant to be an exact match, Storm. We just need them to look enough like him that it will get his dad out of hiding. By the time he gets close enough to realize it's not Ashby, it will be too late."

"Fine. Let me see those, and we can find our guy and get started planning," I say, reaching for the file.

We all decide on the best match after nearly thirty minutes of debate. My father had one suggestion Garth agreed was best, but Elio was on my side with the lookalike I chose. In the end, it was decided that since I knew Ashby best, we would go with my choice. None of them were as perfect as my Sunshine, but no one would realize they'd been set up until they were too close to back out.

"I am going to wake Ashby so he can get ready, then we can head to the park." I rise from my seat and head for the door.

"I thought you told him he wouldn't be going to the drop," Dad says before I leave.

"There is no way he would agree to stay behind, and I'd rather have him within my sight so I can keep an eye on him than here while all our best men are gone."

The halls are quiet as I wind through the massive house, but I can hear chatting as I get closer to our rooms. I knew Marry would take her chance to talk to Ashby, and I catch the last of their conversation.

"…and I need to trust you to make your own decisions," Marry says.

"Thank you," Ashby responds. "I love you, Mom."

Marry's next words are muffled, and I can just picture them holding each other tightly. I lean against the hallway wall, letting them finish, and a few minutes later, Marry emerges from the room. She smiles at me as she passes, placing a soft kiss on my cheek and patting my shoulder.

"You treat my boy right, Storm. He deserves the best," she says softly, and I smile at her.

"I will. You don't ever have to worry about that."

"I'm coming to see just how true that is. Thank you. You two be safe."

I turn and head into the room, finding Ashby sitting on a chair beside the bed, staring out the window.

"It sounded like that went well," I say, and Ashby flinches slightly, not having heard me enter.

"It did. It was hard, but she needed to hear all those things," he says and turns towards me. "Did you guys learn anything?"

"Yeah, Drexel Hawthorn, the leader of a gang that deals with drugs and prostitution, is helping your father. That's likely where he is getting the men and money to fuel this," I explain. "Everything is ready to go. If you promise not to leave the car, you can come to the drop with me and watch from the safety of the parking lot."

He perks up in his seat instantly, eyes bright. "I promise."

"Alright then. Let's go."

Ashby's leg bounces rapidly as I scan our surroundings. We parked at the end of the lot, far away from most of the people and closer to the forest's running trail. Only a handful of kids are on the playground at the opposite end of the park, their tiny bodies little blurs as they run around the playset. A few people are scattered about on blankets, having picnics or reading, and a group of college kids are playing frisbee in the open field near the play set. For midday, the park is surprisingly empty and quiet. I shiver as a feeling of wrongness trickles through me.

"You need to try and calm down, Sunshine," I tell Ashby, my hand settling on his knee to still the constant movement. "We have everything set up, your decoy is in place, and we have people hiding throughout the park, in cars in the parking lot and even a few people on bikes on the surrounding streets in case they somehow manage to get past us. One way or another, your father will be taken down today."

"Something just feels off," he says, echoing my unease. "Why aren't there more people here? It's midday on a Saturday. Usually, this park is overcrowded with people struggling to find a place to sit and kids fighting over the play sets."

"I think there was some kind of fair in the city over from here this weekend. I'm sure most people are there today," I explain, even though the excuse feels flimsy.

"How much longer do we need to wait?" he asks for the hundredth time since we got here.

"Your dad agreed to meet at one. So only five more minutes," I reassure him just as a voice cuts over the earpiece.

" Movement in the parking lot. White van pulling in ," one of Vince's men says. " False alarm. Looks like they are just here to have a picnic ."

I watch the two men move toward the empty pavilion in front of our car and spread out a large blanket. They start to pull food from a wicker basket, and I look away, going back to scanning our surroundings, looking for anything strange. The next five minutes seem to drag by, and Ashby's anxiety builds as his fingers start to pick at a hole in his pants.

" Movement on the trail ," a voice cuts through the silence. " Three hooded men heading for the decoy ."

My spine stiffens, and I turn towards the far side of the park where the forest trail is, just in time to see three large men disappear down into the trees. I wait for the signal to be called, for Dad's men to flood the trail and take down Ashby's father, scooting to the edge of my seat. Adrenaline sparks through my veins, and my body feels like a live wire.

" Something's wro …" the voice cuts off just as the sound of shots rings out in the trees.

"Wait here!" I tell Ashby, griping his chin and forcing him to look into my eyes. "Do not leave this fucking car, Ashby."

"Where are you going? What if you get shot?" His breathing grows ragged, his bottom lip trembling as tears bead in his eyes.

"I need to go make sure that the men are able to take out the threat and get your dad. We want to take him alive, but I will kill him if I need to."

I place a quick kiss on his lips and jump from the car, locking the doors. I pull a gun from my waistband and slip a knife into my other hand. With one final glance over my shoulder at Ashby, I take off for the trail. Before I even reach the path's entrance, an explosion rocks the world around me. My body goes flying, my back slamming into the trunk of a tree. My vision goes black, and I slump to the ground.

I groan, my head pounding as I regain consciousness. I'm not sure how long I was out, but the area around me is chaotic. Bodies litter the ground, smoke clouds the air, and screams pierce the fog in my head. It's not until my gaze lands on the crumpled body a few feet away that my brain comes back online.

Cursing, I force myself to stand and stumble down the trail. Debris is scattered about, making me stumble and nearly fall. I can feel blood dripping from my head, and my side feels like I was hit with a baseball bat, but I ignore it all and push forward. I scan the park and the lot surrounding me. The grass is burned, children are screaming as parents herd them away from the play set, and the group of college kids are scattered. Some are on their feet, covered in soot and blood, while others are laid out on the ground, bodies unmoving. I turn towards the parking lot and run for our black SUV. The windshield is shattered, and some of the smaller cars nearby are on their side and burning, making it even harder to see.

I skid to a stop next to the passenger side and rip the door open, roaring when I find it empty. I turn, frantically scanning the lot for any sign of Ashby, but find nothing. Hands settle on my shoulder, and I spin, grabbing the person by the throat and pinning them to the car.

"Son," my dad chokes, hands scratching at my arm. "It's me!"

I blink and shake my head, releasing my hold.

"He's not here," I say without explanation, but Dad nods.

"As I was pulling up, I saw Jarred and his men putting Ashby into the back of an SUV and taking off."

"And you didn't fucking follow them? What the fuck are we doing just standing here!" I scream.

"I couldn't get through the parking lot to follow him, and I was trying to find you. But don't worry, we had people on the surrounding streets just for this situation, remember?" I nod. "I already called them and made sure they were trailing the car discreetly. I don't want them to make a move until we know where they are taking him." Dad hesitates, and I feel my hackles rising, fury pulsing through me.

"What aren't you saying?" I demand, and Dad winces. "Tell me!"

"He didn't look good, son," he finally says, and my heart stops beating, an eerie calm settling over me. "He was bleeding from multiple places; his arm was hanging at an unnatural angle, and I couldn't tell if he was conscious or not." The more he says, the further I fall into that dark place deep inside me, the place I try to keep hidden so I don't end up in jail or locked away. Instead of keeping it on lockdown I release my hold and let the beast free.

"I'm not waiting until we know where they are taking him. I'm going now, and if I have to kill every single person I see just to get him back, I will. Give me the keys to your car."

"Storm, just wait. We have a team heading this way now, and they will go with us. You can't go alone!"

I growl and pin my dad to the car once more, ripping into his pockets and pulling out the keys. "I'm not waiting. You can follow me when the men get here, but I'm going now." I move towards the car.

"At least let some of the men here go with you!" he shouts. "I'll make sure the situation here is under control with the police and then follow you. I will have the men I called meet you there. Please be careful."

I jump into the car and hear doors open, but I don't bother looking to see who is joining me. Turning on the car, I tear out of the lot, tires squealing. The streets are crowded with traffic and people trying to get a look at what's going on at the park, so I cut down side streets and follow the GPS signal of the SUV following the van holding Ashby.

"It looks like they are heading towards the docks," Elio says from the passenger seat, and I glance over at him for the first time. "There are a few abandoned warehouses there and access to boats. If they manage to get him on a boat and out to sea before we get there, we could lose him."

"We won't!" I snarl and step on the gas. "He doesn't want to take Ashby away. He wants to use him to get to us, and I know my Sunshine. He won't break easily, so the longer it takes us to get to him, the more time Jarred has to hurt him."

"They have about an hour lead on us," Elio says, and I squeeze the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turn white and ache.

"They stopped," he calls out ten minutes later. "They aren't at the boat docks but at one of the old fishing warehouses."

I release a heavy, relieved sigh. "Good," I say.

Finally, we break free of the city and reach the long stretch of road between here and the docks. The roads are clear, and I slam on the gas, forcing the car to go as fast as possible. The trees zip past in a blur, and I ignore the cries of the men in the back, begging me to slow down and drive carefully. We make good time, and the docks come into view, seagulls dotting the sky. I slow as we get closer, unable to maintain the breakneck speed in the crowded space. I pull up next to the follow car.

"Which one is he in?" I demand.

"They went through there," the driver says, pointing to a building that looks like it's seconds from collapsing. The metal walls are covered in rust, and the windows are foggy from saltwater buildup. There is a sign hanging crooked; ‘& Co. Fishng & Crb' are the only letters still visible.

"According to the internet, sailors would bring their fish and crab hauls here to sell. They processed the fish, packaged it, and shipped it to different restaurants across the country. It's been shut down for about a year after it was found that the owners were using it to smuggle drugs. I bet you can guess who they were moving drugs for?"

"Fucking Hawthorne," I snarl and rev the engine.

"We should get out and look around, find the best entry point and call your father to let him know the plan," one of the men in the back says, and I scoff. "We can keep an eye out to make sure they don't move while we wait for backup."

"No," I snap, my lips pulling into an excited smile. "We aren't waiting for anyone. My Sunshine is in there."

I press the gas, screams sounding from the back seat, but I ignore them, laughing wildly. I roll down the window and let my head hang out. "Woohoo! I'm coming, Sunshine!" I holler, slipping back in just as the SUV slams into the side wall, the metal crumbling around us. I jump from the car, a gun in each hand and smile at the group of stunned men staring back at me.

"Who's first?" I ask and start shooting.