Page 98 of Bitter Arrangement

“Sure, it was basically a guy that pinned a crime on an ex-girlfriend or some shit like that, right?”

“Exactly.” I stare at Navarro’s house for a little bit longer as the idea snaps into place. “Let’s head back to the bar. I want to talk to the group.”

Eric starts the car and drives. I close my eyes and let the details of the plan begin to take shape. I’m thinking about Riley too, about her moans, about her wanting to get pregnant, about our life together, the future we’re going to have.

If I can pull this off.

Daron and William are waiting at the Pomegranate House. They’re sitting at the bar watching an Orioles game and making bets on their phones. I sit down next to Daron and Eric sits on the other side of William, and all three guys turn in my direction.

“I have a job for us,” I say to them. I feel a strange pang of eagerness flit into my stomach. “But I want you all to understand the full scope before we get started.”

“We know it’s Los Sombras,” William says with a shrug. “It’s no big deal.”

“Not just Los Sombras. This is going to include Black Mantis as well.”

William and Eric both look surprised. But Daron only sighs and takes a long drink of his beer.

“Explain,” Daron says.

“I don’t have the details yet, but it’s going to be a big score. If we pull it off, Mantis is going to pay us good money, and it’s going to deal with Los Sombras and get them off my brother-in-law’s back. You three will split the full take from Mantis. My payment is keeping my family safe.”

Daron grunts and seems to soften a bit. “That’s generous. How much we talking?”

“Twice my usual fee. That’ll be a solid win for you three.”

“All we have to do is go up against two of the more violent gangs in the region,” Daron says with a sigh. “Yeah, sure, why the fuck not?”

“I already said I’m in.” William raises his glass. “To our first job as a crew.”

“Here’s to that,” Eric chimes in.

I sit back and study the three men. They laugh together, and Daron starts telling a story about the time he hacked into a heavily guarded bank system as a teenager and nearly got caught. It’s probably bullshit, but it gets everyone laughing.

I can feel it then. Everything coming together. The light at the end of the tunnel. The only way this is going to work out. I need all my skill and a whole lot of luck, but this is possible.

Probably, at least.

* * *

“You’re fucking insane,”Riley says, pacing back and forth across the basement. She’s got paint swatches, lamps, bits of carpet, and thrift store paintings scattered all over the place as she tries to figure out what she wants to do with the area.

“It makes sense though, doesn’t it?”

“To a crazy person, sure.”

“Come on. Think about it. We need to get Los Sombras off your brother’s back, and we need to find a way to get rid of the damn watch without Mantis killing us. What better way than to pin it all on Diego Navarro and kill two birds with one stone?”

Riley laughs and gestures in the air. “How in the hell do you plan on pulling that off?”

“Easy. I’ll break into Navarro’s house, plant the watch in his safe, and create a fake trail of chatter on his home network. I’ll build up just enough proof that Mantis will buy it, all while making sure they won’t believe Navarro when he denies everything.”

“And how will that help Brenden?”

“Mantis will kill Navarro. Los Sombras will go to war with the Black Mantis, and at that point, they won’t give a shit about your brother anymore. Mantis will dismantle those fuckers.” I spread my arms, grinning like a lunatic. “The enemy of my enemy and all that.”

She rubs her face with both hands and groans. “It’s crazy. There are so many ways that can go wrong.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right, but if I pull this off, it’ll be the perfect hack.”

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