CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Torro, Milo, Chase, Sebastian, and Emelia were lying on a rooftop, two warehouses from the one they were watching. There’d been no movement other than a shift change, which brought in four new DEA agents.

“Is four normal?” asked Chase.

“I don’t know about normal, but it seems reasonable. This would be a shitty job if you’re an agent. You’d want to be out with the action, not babysitting a warehouse. That only tells me there’s something worth watching in there,” said Emelia.

“How’s Christian doing?” Sebastian asked Milo.

“Good. At least, we think so. He doesn’t call home as much as he used to. I think when he first left for Corps, he was lonely as shit and scared. We all know what that feels like. Now, according to the tech team, he’s on a special team, and he’s doing well. He just doesn’t tell us about it.”

“I wouldn’t read too much into it, brother,” said Torro. “We all kept shit from our families when we were in. Even families like the one we belong to now. It was stupid.”

“I know that better than anyone,” said Chase. “I mean, fuck, my old man was one of the baddest fucking Marines on record and a badass with Steel Patriots and REAPER-Patriots. Yet I felt like I needed to shield him from something. It was so fucking stupid.

“Meeting Maeve the way I did made me realize that secrets only get people killed. She made me more open with Mom and Dad. My whole fucking world changed when that woman saved my life. She skied with my big ass for miles,” he said, shaking his head.

“That’s hard to believe,” smirked Torro. “I’ve had to carry your big ass.”

“Shut up, asshole,” he laughed. “She’s my whole world, brother.”

“You guys don’t regret not adopting?” asked Milo.

“No. Not at all. It might sound selfish, but we like our alone time, and when we want the kids around, we can just pick ten or twenty from any number of houses a stone’s throw away. There’s always a kid to borrow so that you look normal at the carnival or fair or some stupid-ass Disney movie.”

“You go to Disney movies?” smirked Emelia.

“Hell, yeah. That shit is amazing.” The others just chuckled, shaking their heads at their friend.

“Lia’s old man was a piece of work. An FBI agent that was the worst of them all,” said Milo, shaking his head. “I wasn’t sure she’d ever want to have kids after all that. Then we had Christian. Our entire world changed.”

“After you had to deal with her father,” said Sebastian.

“Yeah, brother. That was some shit.” He looked at the faces around him and smiled. “Do you ever think about all the shit we’ve been through? All the shit we’ve put our parents, grandparents, Mama Irene, and Matthew through? It can’t have been easy for them.

“I mean, think about what you went through with Maeve,” he said, looking at Chase. “Imagine how your parents were feeling after what they experienced before they got married. The two of you, your parents. Hex and Gwen, Chief and Rachel. I mean, damn, that was some shit they had to come through to make it where we are today.”

“Yep, but they did it,” smiled Emilia. “They did it because they believed. They believed in love, themselves, their country, all of it. We saw it. We experienced it. All of us. I won’t ever lose that feeling. Not ever. I will always trust Sebastian to save my life, and I hope he knows I’ll do the same for him.”

“Always, babe,” smiled Sebastian.

“Good because we’re about to have some issues.” She nodded toward the warehouse below and watched as Jeffrey Banks stepped out of a small rental car. He looked casually behind him, and they followed his gaze.

“Between the other warehouses,” whispered Sebastian. “Team Charlie to Alpha and Bravo. We’ve got ‘em. Get here fast.”

Jeffrey ran his fingers over the keypad, pretending to press in the numbers. He knew that the DEA agent would be walking around the side of the building any second now. Sure enough, he appeared right on time.

“Stop right there. Hands up,” said the agent.

“Brother, I’m Baltimore PD, picking up evidence for a trial tomorrow,” smiled Jeffrey. “I’ve got my badge in my pocket.”

“Slowly,” said the agent.

He carefully pulled out the badge and ID, hoping to keep his finger over the name so that the agent wouldn’t make a connection. As he held up the badge, a man from behind cracked his skull open with a massive wrench.

“Move it the fuck along,” growled one of his brother’s men.

“You didn’t have to hit him,” said Helen. “He was cooperating.”

“Bitch, shut the fuck up, or I’ll do you next,” said the young man. Helen just stared at him, unfazed by his actions. She’d been around crime a long time, only just recently as a participant.

“Open the fucking door, Jeffrey,” said his brother.

“I have to do this carefully,” he said. “You need to step back, or the cameras will see you.”

“I don’t give a fuck,” snapped his brother, waving at the camera. The others just snickered at their boss’s brazenness.

“Ryan, let me handle this,” said Jeffrey.

“Get them to open the fucking door so we can get our shit,” growled Ryan. Jeffrey stared at him, then back at his three remaining friends. Suddenly, Myrtle stepped forward, gripping his hand.

“Jeffrey. Don’t. Don’t do it. We should leave now before this gets out of hand. We’ll do another bank. Not this,” she pleaded.

Without a thought. Without hesitation, Ryan put his gun to her temple and fired. Helen and Ed both screamed. Jeffrey jumped, cursing under his breath.

“You fucking idiot! Honestly, do you believe they’ll open that door now? They see us. They see all of us.”

“Eyes on the target,” whispered Sebastian.

“Fire when you have a clear shot,” said Emelia calmly.

He had Ryan in his crosshairs, and without a second thought, he fired, hitting him in the back of the neck. He dropped, and gang members started firing wildly in the air. Jeffrey grabbed his brother’s shirt collar and pulled him to the side of the building.

Two men turned to Ed and Helen and fired a bullet into their chests, then ran along the side of the building.

“On your left,” said Chase from the building beside them. “We’re jumping to the next building and getting closer. Stay where you are.”

Jeffrey stared down into the face of his brother. The bullet missed his skull but hit the top of his spine. He knew that he was paralyzed, but his fucking mouth sure wasn’t.

“I’ll kill you when I get out,” he seethed.

“God, you’re such a fucking dick, Ryan! You did this, not me! Do you see this fucking mess? You did this! All for your damn drugs and guns.”

“Don’t forget my money,” he smiled with a bloody grin. “Get me out of here.”

“I’m not leaving without the others.”

“The others are dead,” he slurred. “I told them to kill everyone if something happened to me. My men follow orders.”

“Your men? They’re not your men, Ryan. They’re a bunch of drug-addicted derelicts who are in it for the powder and the cash. That’s all. That’s why they stay, not out of loyalty to you.”

“Fuck you,” he gasped. It would be the last words his brother ever heard from him. As two of his men walked toward him, he knew it was over. He was glad.

“Boss said to blow your brains out,” smirked one of the men. “I’m going to enjoy this.”

Jeffrey didn’t close his eyes or look away. The bloody head of his brother was still in his lap, soaking through his trousers. He heard two shots fired but felt nothing. Looking up, he was shocked to see the FBI agent.

“You?”

“Yeah. Me,” said Emelia. “You’re under arrest, Jeffrey Banks.”

“I’ll be dead by morning,” he said, shaking his head. “Do you know how many of his men are already in jail or prison? By now, they all know to kill me if I show up.”

“They’ll put you in solitary,” said Sebastian. Jeffrey just laughed, shaking his head.

“You really don’t get it, do you? Between him and Mom, they have an entire platoon of people waiting to take me or anyone else out. Anyone who ever did them wrong in their eyes.”

“I wish I could feel sorry for you, but I can’t,” said Emelia. “You broke your oath. You took advantage of these people.”

“I helped them. I helped them to get the money they wanted and needed, and in turn, we helped dozens, if not hundreds, of people get the care they needed.”

“Keep telling yourself that story,” said Chase, walking up to them.

“I need to tell you something,” said Jeffrey, staring at Emelia. She kneeled beside him and his dead brother as the man whispered to her. She jerked back, not believing what he was telling her. Shaking her head, she didn’t believe it. She couldn’t believe it.

They heard the door to the warehouse creak, and two DEA agents stepped out. A third was behind them, and Milo saw the weapon.

“Gun!” He fired twice, killing Jeffrey, but the six bullets fired by Milo killed him. He was the connection that Jeffrey was using for the warehouse. Of course, he didn’t realize that his own brother had paid the man as well. To kill him.

“What a mess,” said Emelia, looking at the dead bodies. Not one of the gang members was left alive, and all of the elderly had died. Ambulances, coroners, sheriffs, police, FBI, DEA, and every other letter in the alphabet soup was on scene.

It would be noon the following day before they returned to the hotel, showered, and slept for more than twenty-four hours. They couldn’t leave yet.

There were still things to work through.