Page 281 of The Tempted

Five minutes went by, followed by five more. I was about ready to grab Vinny off the street and beat him senseless for lying to me when a fully loaded Expedition pulled around the curb and stopped in front of him. A man wearing a hooded sweatshirt jumped out of the driver’s seat and rounded the truck walking toward Vinny and instead of greeting him, he slapped him hard across the face. Another man stepped out of the truck and they took turns beating Vinny.

“Shit,” Anthony hissed, his hand moving to the handle instantly. I grabbed him by the back of the shirt and reeled him back before he did something stupid.

I took hold of my phone, dialed Pipe and waited for him to answer. “Now. Go!”

The back doors of the van opened and even with their ski masks on and their guns cocked, the four men were recognizable to me. Adrenaline pumped through my veins and regret filled my conscience as gunshots sounded on the silent streets of Brooklyn, my brothers fired back, grabbing the two drug dealers and Vinny. Mike turned the headlights of the van on and pulled it up to the corner. One of my boys opened the back doors of the van and threw Vinny inside. I watched as they stripped the dealers of their weapons, phones and products before shoving them inside the back of the van with Vinny and closed the doors.

Bianci turned, handed me the keys to his truck before reaching for his door.

“I’ll call you when I’ve got the meet set up,” he said, opening his door and climbing out.

“Bianci,” I called, causing him to glance over his shoulder at me. “Stay safe, brother,” I said sincerely.

“You too,” he replied, before turning around. He switched places with my club, jumping into the van with Mike. The plan was for Mike and Anthony to work the dealers and get them to meet with Jimmy by lying to him and telling them they needed more product. If all went according to the plan, Jimmy or one of his guys would meet with Vinny’s dealer and we’d grab the motherfucker and torture him until he told me where Reina and Blackie were. But things rarely go accordingly for guys like us, so, we had a back-up plan.

Pipe jumped into the front seat.

“Keys,” he demanded.

“I’m driving, move over,” I ordered. We switched spots as Bones, Riggs, and Wolf climbed into the back seat.

“What time is it?” I asked, turning the key in the truck.

“Don’t look at the clock, man, just keep moving until it’s over,” Pipe said, pulling his mask over his head and lifting the flask he hid in his back pocket to his lips. “Fucking hell,” he hissed, as the liquid burned his throat.

“Just keep moving,” I repeated, peeling away from 23rdAve and Cropsey.

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