Page 46 of Last Hand

“I don’t see much reward in this for me when I would have the cartel hunting me! Why give this to me?”

“Because I need it hit clean. No mess. No noise.”

He snorts. “Bullshit. If I jack this load, my name’s the first one Santos whispers when he loads his next clip.”

“No,” I say. “He won’t suspect you.”

Reyes scoffs and folds his arms across his chest.

“It will look like it wasMikhail’s men.”

That gets his attention.

He unfolds his arms. “Say that again.”

“I want you to take the shipment. I’ll make sure Mikhail’s crew gets spotted near the docks. Cameras. Witnesses. The usualmisdirection. When the smoke clears, Santos is going to think the Russians stole from him.”

“And when he retaliates…” Reyes begins, the pieces clicking together.

“He hits Mikhail. Not you.”

He sits back, thoughtful now. The greed’s still there only it’s guarded.

“You want them to tear each other apart.”

“I want them distracted,” I say. “And when they are? Their borders loosen. Their eyes drift. And that’s when you move in.”

“On what?”

“Turf. Distribution lanes. Santos won’t be able to hold them and swing at Mikhail. You’ll have just enough time to dig your claws in, and I get the strip without having to make a deal with Santos.”

“And if I say no?”

“Then you stay a mid-level pusher with a few dozen junkie runners and a dream that never gets out of the basement.”

I let that sit. He glances down at the paper again, and this time greed wins. He folds it, pocketing it like a ticket to something bigger.

“This better not be a goddamn setup.”

“If it were,” I say, “you’d already be dead.”

“We’ll need at least fifteen men,” he says, already planning. “Heavy weapons.”

I nod, as if this detail matters to me. In reality, the more men he brings, the more Santos will eliminate when they walk into the trap.

“Do what you need to do,” I tell him. “Just make sure it can’t be traced back to me.”

We flesh out a few details and Reyes leaves with a newfound swagger in his step, already counting money he’ll never see. Once he’s gone, Milo locks the door behind him.

“You think he bought it?” he asks.

“Completely.” I stand, brushing dust from my sleeve. “Greed makes men stupid, and Reyes was stupid to begin with.”

“And when Santos’s men kill them all?”

I shrug. “Mikhail said steal the shipment, he never said how.”

Milo nods. “And Reyes’s territory?”

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