Page 55 of Soulless Angel

On the count of three, we opened the doors and rushed from the vehicle. Havoc and Gage led the way. I was happy to have their backs instead of being the first one inside.

They tried the door, finding it locked. A couple of shots took care of that. We burst inside with guns ready. Four men sat around a cheap folding table, a pizza in the middle. A dark SUV had been parked near the large loading door at the back. Other than a few blowup air mattresses and some household items like a coffee maker and air fryer, the place was relatively empty.

All four men froze. Two handguns lay on the table. They seemed to know if they reached for them, they would get a bullet right in the brain.

“Don’t fucking move until I tell you to move,” Havoc shouted. “Got it?”

They exchanged looks with one another before nodding. They all looked pretty shifty to me. I was ready to blow someone’s brains all over the place.

“Now you’re going to get up one at a time and come kneel on the floor in front of me.” Using his gun, Havoc motioned to a larger man. “You first. Don’t make any sudden moves.”

The big guy slowly rose and did as he was told. One by one, Havoc made them line up on their knees before us. He insisted they keep their distance from one another. Then he slammed his gun into the side of the first man’s head, making him fall over on the hard concrete floor.

“Where are the drugs and the cash you stole from Desmond?” he demanded. “This would not be a good time to lie.”

They all hesitated. Nobody said a word. The rest of us stepped forward in unison, each taking our turn inflicting some pain. A flurry of punches and kicks had them all sprawled on the floor groaning. Blood soon stained the floor beneath them.

“Did you really think you’d get away with stealing from Desmond Monroe?” Gage’s maniacal laugh echoed through the warehouse. He grabbed one man by the hair, slamming his head against the floor.

“Fuck Monroe,” one man gasped after being kicked in the ribs. “He had it coming. He screwed us on a job.”

“Nobody gives a shit what you think of Monroe or why,” I snapped. “We’ve been authorized to kill all four of you if you give us trouble. Start talking or die bloody.”

They took a few more punches and kicks before one of them finally said, “It’s in the SUV. All of it.”

While the rest of us kept them on the floor, Cash went to check out the SUV. He opened the back door and dug through a few large duffle bags before nodding. “It’s all here.”

I found myself feeling a little disappointed. I’d hoped these guys would put up more of a fight. The craving for blood and violence lived in my veins. Nothing would purge this ugly sensation other than leaving four corpses behind.

Gage seemed to feel the same way. He tackled one man to the floor, slamming his gun over and over into the man’s skull. Havoc shouted for him to stop, but it did nothing to slow down his assault.

“Fuck that,” Gage snarled. “These guys are fucking traitors. A traitor doesn’t deserve to live.”

I shrugged, seeing his point. “I can get behind that.”

Without warning, I raised my gun and fired at the man closest to me. The bullet hit him in the face, making him a bloody, unrecognizable mess. That felt so damn satisfying. Gage followed my lead, putting a bullet in the man he’d attacked.

Havoc seemed to know there was no going back now. He shot the remaining two men. “Make sure everything is taken from the vehicle. Let’s get out of here.”

We loaded the duffle bags into Knight’s Jeep, not wasting any time. Once we contacted Desmond and let him know the job was done, he gave us instructions to meet him at one of the legitimate businesses he owned downtown. We were to pull up in the back alley and use the rear entry.

As we drove to Desmond’s liquor store, I couldn’t shake this nagging feeling that we needed to get back to the house. Pulling out my phone, I checked Clover’s tracking bracelet. She was still at the Gods’ house, right where she was supposed to be. I was probably being paranoid.

Desmond was waiting for us when we arrived at his liquor store. The store was still open and operating when we arrived. A clerk worked the cash register while customers browsed the aisles. We entered through the back, following him into a stockroom filled with boxes of liquor bottles.

“Put everything in here.” He pointed to several empty liquor boxes. “I’ll have some guys come by later to move them out.”

It amazed me how nonchalant he was about the entire situation. He’d been doing this for decades though. Plenty of mob guys ran legitimate businesses to cover up their more illicit activity. Desmond seemed to be an old pro.

When we finished emptying the duffle bags into the liquor boxes, Desmond accompanied us out back. He pulled a small box of cigars from the inside pocket of his suit jacket, offering one to each of us.

“Thanks for getting that done, guys. I appreciate your prompt efficiency.” He sparked up a cigar of his own, puffing out smoke. “I hope you don’t mind working together. I think the six of you make a great team. There haven’t been any problems, have there?”

The six of us shared a look. Gage and I stared hard at one another.

“No,” Havoc answered. “No problems. Raina and Clover have been quick to whip our asses and keep us in line.”

Desmond chuckled. “That’s my girl.”

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