Page 120 of The Fire We Crave

Because Rurik Zakharov needs to learn he can send his best lieutenants to Colorado, but they are going to be met with force.

“You good?” I ask Zimmer, one of the bikers from the Wyoming chapter. Turns out, the guy is a security expert in his day job. Fits alarms and shit. Knows how to turn most of them off.

“Didn’t ride all this way to sit in the clubhouse and drink beer,” he says. “Looking forward to some action. We don’t see much where our clubhouse is.”

I can’t decide if that’s a good thing. Once upon a time, I’d be all in on the action. Maybe the higher-octane days are over.Plane jumps and shootouts. Maybe it would be nice to be a little more Wyoming. Bring the heat level down for the club.

For the most part, we kept clubs together. The other members of the Wyoming chapter have gone with the Indianapolis chapter to destroy the rebuilt warehouse I saw Lev at and burn it to the ground.

The Utah and Nebraska chapters have gone after a Bratva safe house.

And we’re taking Lev’s home in three teams.

I’m with Atom, Butcher, and Zimmer. We’re going in through the front, so Zimmer, hopefully, has time to disconnect the alarm system.

Grudge, Wraith, and Catfish are going around the back.

And Taco, Jackal, and Shade are going to deal with security on the grounds.

In the darkness, we creep along the stone wall that surrounds the property.

“That’s the problem with flashy bastards,” Atom whispers. “Makes ‘em easier to find.”

Certainly, there are significantly fewer houses to sift through to find who you’re looking for.

They crave privacy.

High walls, cameras, and fences.

But it makes them more vulnerable. Less chance of any disturbances being heard. By them, or by witnesses who could call law enforcement. If we do this right, no one should know a thing until morning. All our weapons have silencers, even Jackal’s rifle.

Butcher raises his hand to pause, and I check my watch.

Three minutes until the planned attack time. We want to leave them utterly defenseless. Our suspicion is that as soon as the warehouse is raided, there will be an all-hands call made toLev Zakharov for reinforcements. But by then, we’ll already be in, leaving him unable to send additional resources.

Atom leans back against the wall and grins.

“What’s funny?” I ask.

Atom tips his head closer to mine and whispers, “Just thinking in six months, you, me, and Wraith all got old ladies. Wondering what the chances of that are.”

I shake my head. “How about we focus? And technically, she’s not an old lady yet.”

“Just sayin’,” the enforcer says. “Wanna take a bet on who’s next?”

I glance down at my watch, then gesture that he should shut the fuck up.

Atom simply grins. “Bet it’s Catfish.”

I shake my head. “You got a better chance of it being Butcher.”

Butcher gives the gesture we’ve been waiting for, and we go in our pre-determined order. Zimmer with Butcher, first, Atom second, and then I’ll cover the rear.

“Fuck,” I hear Wraith say in my headset. “Utah were spotted at the safe house and are already engaged.”

“Butcher,” I hiss. “We gotta hurry. There’s a breach.”

The last thing we need is Zakharov having the time to make calls and tell people, like his father, what’s happening. They’re so well connected, they could send a fucking drone in for all I know.

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