Chapter Three

“Damn it!” Clint bursts out, pacing the room. “I didn’t see this coming. The damn ~DEA~!”

I’d sent Mia to take Trinity back to the house, leaving just Clint and me in the warehouse. We’re waiting for Dave and Chad, and I’ve called the rest of the crew for warehouse duty tonight.

“I knew we were overlooking something,” I admit. “I just didn’t think it would be a cop.”

“Your girl shot him. ~That’s~ what I didn’t expect. She’s not as delicate as you think, man. It takes guts to pull a trigger.”

I mull over Clint’s words. Sure, especially the first kill. But I didn’t want this for her. I’m angry at myself for pulling her into this mess.

“Man?”

“Yeah?”

“What’s up?”

I shake my head. “Just figuring out our next move. Roll us a smoke, buddy. I need to think before the guys get here.”

Clint and I sit out back, and I fill him in on what Trinity told me.

I also tell him how Mike, or whatever his real name is, was furious we were closing up shop because they didn’t have enough evidence to pin anything on us yet.

The only fingerprints or evidence they’d found on the bricks were Chad’s, since he was the one who handed them over.

Since we all live here, there’s no way they could link any of it back to anyone but Chad right now.

I clap my hands. “That’s it!”

“What is, buddy?”

“I know what we do!”

“Care to share this plan?” Clint asks.

I explain my idea to Clint. It’s pretty straightforward. And the best part is, it forces everyone else to show their cards instead of us. It also protects my girl, which is my top priority.

“That’s pretty damn smart,” Clint says, smirking. “Beat the bastards at their own game.”

“Exactly! But I want to put the drops on hold for tonight.”

“Okay…”

“From what Trinity said, Mike was livid about us shutting down because it ruined his two-year undercover operation, right?”

Clint nods.

“So, he would’ve tried to set up a sting for tonight if he thought it was the last drop, right?”

“Yeah, man, that makes sense.”

“So we don’t do it tonight,” I say, crossing my arms. “But I want everything moved off the property, just in case. Move it to the yard and I want Chad driving that truck with some of the night crew.”

“If they’re going to intercept the truck when it leaves the property, I want Chad in it. He let the dog into our house, so he can take the fall.”

“Just don’t let him know yet. We need him for this plan to work, so I don’t want him to know we’re onto him yet.”

“Got it, boss.”

“I want Mike’s body cleaned up by the warehouse crew and in that truck. Also, I’ll talk to Barcelona to get the dog moved off our property and disposed of.”

“The cops will still come knocking, you know,” Clint says. “It’ll raise some eyebrows when one of their own doesn’t check in.”

“Oh, I know they will,” I say. “I’m counting on it.”

“Yeah, so then what?”

“Then they give themselves away, don’t they?” I ask. “After all, Chad’s the only one who knows the cops are involved, right? If they come knocking, they blow their cover.”

Clint hums in agreement. “Smart, man.”

“In the meantime, we get the crew to move the stock tonight and then transform this warehouse. We’ll go legit from tomorrow, okay?” I say.

“That was the plan anyway,” I add. “I’m going to look for more opportunities to expand Capulet and this will be our distribution center and my main office.”

“It’s a good plan, man,” Clint says. “How long before we start to cover tracks on Mike?”

“Who knows? That depends on when the boys in blue decide to make their move. In the meantime, though, I’m going to focus on my girl tonight.”

“I might even take her away for a few days, get her away from the scene. Although convincing her to take time off work might be tough,” I add.

“I’ll get Mia to help with that and we can watch things here while you go. I’m glad our girls get along so well, it makes life easier and it’s good they have each other for support.”

“Yeah, same here, man.” I pause, a plan forming in my head. “Actually, I want you and Mia to come.”

“Really? Think you’ll get less of an argument if you put it that way, huh?” Clint laughs.

“Yep, I’ll get Dave to oversee things and run Capulet while we’re gone.”

“That gives him a cover for his movements if he gets the guys set and moving from the yard to do the last drops, then head over to Capulet as there is plenty of CCTV there,” I explain.

“Which leaves Chad fully implicated,” Clint adds.

“Karma's a bitch.”

We both laugh and finish our smokes. I waited with Clint for the boys to show up then explained to them all what was happening and got them set to task.

I was sorting through some important files at my desk while the boys were loading the truck with that dog Mike and the supplies when I heard Clint on the phone.

“Okay baby, we’ll finish up here, give us ten minutes tops, okay? I’ll let Stephen know now. Love you too, babe.”

He hangs up and walks over to me.

“The girls okay?”

“Mia mentioned that Trin’s tried to come back down twice now. She’s getting herself all worked up again. I think we should head back up. She’s going to need you tonight to help her stay grounded.”

“Understood,” I reply, nodding. “Let me just pass things over to Dave and we can head out. We can also take a quick look and book a place for tonight. That way, we can leave by lunchtime or afternoon tomorrow.”

I turn to the others. “Dave, can you come over here? I need to talk to you.”

I fill Dave in on everything that needs to be done tonight and then tell him about our plans to take the girls away tomorrow, given tonight’s events.

Dave is grateful for the opportunity to step up and help. I assure him that I’ll need him to manage Capulet while I’m away.

I’m confident he won’t have any issues, and it eases my conscience to keep him slightly out of the loop on the bigger plan. It means he’ll have a solid alibi when the heat comes down.

I tell Dave to text me once they’re done here and ready to roll out.

Clint and I make our way back up to the main house. As we get closer, I see my girl pacing back and forth. She looks like she’s having trouble breathing and seems dizzy.

The moment I see her doubled over, gasping for air, I rush over and wrap my arms around her waist.

“Baby, I need you to listen to me. Stand up straight for me, okay? I’ve got you, I’ll hold you…”