Page 47 of Wick
"I don't know who the hell you think you are talking to, Malik, but…"
"I know who I'm speaking to, and I'm telling you to get back over here. If you think I'm going to let you go into a situation half-cocked without a plan of action, you are out of your damn mind." I watch Vayda grit her teeth. She remains quiet as I continue. "Do you remember what we just talked about tonight?"
Vayda doesn't reply, but I know she remembers. "Prez is lettin' you sit in on church as a courtesy because Sydney is your niece, and he knows you are going to act whether or not you have the club's permission. The least you can do is work with us. It's not just you going in to get Sydney back; we all are. Without a plan, you risk not only Sydney's life, but yours and all my brothers. So, no matter how pissed you are at me right now, you need to sit down while we work together as a team to figure out how to bring your niece home. You can rip me a new asshole later."
Vayda takes a moment to consider my words. My calling her out like this in front of the guys will no doubt put me in the doghouse, but she knows I'm right, which is why she steps away from the door and makes her way back to her seat. When someone we love is in danger, we sometimes throw logic out the window. It's happened to us all. Hell, it's happened to me a time or two. Lucky for me I've had my brothers there to pull me back. Once Vayda calms down, she will see logic.
Thankfully, Riggs continues, and nobody acts as if I hadn't just royally pissed off my woman and landed myself in hot water. Although, I happen to catch a couple ofI'm glad I'm not youglances from the guys. "Kiwi. Have you been able to tap into the feed over at the train yard?"
Kiwi grins. "Yep. Fuckers are smart. Whoever Cortez has on his tech team is good. Not as good as me though. They caught us by surprise, but now that I know what channel his guy is using to operate the override of the security system down at the yard, I can tap into his feed. His eyes are now mine." Kiwi taps the keys on his computer, and the TV splits into four different views of the train yard. "Bottom right corner you have the entrance of the yard. The Gate is closed. You'll notice here," he points, "there are two-armed men stationed there. Both wearing Los Demonios cuts."
Kiwi is right. The image is a bit grainy with it still being dark, but there is no mistaking the cuts the two men are wearing.
Kiwi continues. "Top right feed is of the control tower. It looks empty. Next to that, we have a view of the entire yard itself, and as you can see on the bottom right is what looks like an office. I'm guessing that is in the main building."
"Wait for a second," I cut Kiwi off when I notice the door to the office swing open, and Cortez, along with two other men walk into frame. One of those men has Sydney in his grasp. Vayda tenses next to me as she reaches out, clutching my arm. I place my hand over hers in a reassuring manner.
"Prez. How are we playin' this?" I ask.
"From the evidence, Kiwi has gathered, Cortez has two men at the gate, and two with him and Sydney. He didn't give us a location, so my guess is he's flyin' by the seat of his pants and doesn't have a well thought out plan. That and he might be callin' in backup."
"You think he's waiting on more men?"
Riggs nods. "I think that's what the bastard is doing. Only we aren't waitin'. We're going to ambush his ass."
"Fuck, yeah!" Nova pounds his fist on the table.
Riggs looks to each one of us men, including Vayda. "Suit up. We ride out in thirty."
Twenty minutes later, the guys and I are locked, loaded and ready to hit the road. I look across the clubhouse to where Vayda is standing by the bar, strapping a holster to her thigh. She reaches into a duffle bag sitting on the bar, pulls out a pistol, shoves a clip in the end, checks the safety then straps her piece into the holster on her leg. Fuck me, I have never seen anything sexier than my woman preparing for battle.
Turning my attention away from Vayda, I look to Riggs. "Who's stayin' behind at the clubhouse to watch the women, Prez?" It hasn't escaped my attention Riggs has all us men suiting up. No way is he leaving the women and children unprotected. Just as the question leaves my mouth, Abraham LeBlanc, Riggs' grandfather strolls through the door of the clubhouse with his shotgun hoisted over his shoulder.
"I'm here for the party," the old man sing songs. I shake my head and eye my President.
"I called in reinforcements," Riggs announces with a grin.
"Hey, Pop!" the guys thunder in unison. Don't let Mr. LeBlanc's age full you, the older man is retired military and an excellent shot. Also, Riggs has set up several tripwires along the parameter of the clubhouse. Anyone who attempts to come onto the property will be picked up in pieces. There will be no chances taken when it comes to the safety of those we love, especially with Riggs' pregnant woman and Nova's daughter inside. As I walk out of the clubhouse behind Riggs and Nova, I steer Vayda over to my truck where she opens the door and climbs into the driver's seat, her demeanor full of grit and determination.
"Babe," I grip her chin, bringing her face toward me. "Stay close. Be safe and be smart."
"I will, Malik."
With my grip still on her chin, I bring her lips to mine. When we part, I step away. "Let's go get Sydney and bring her home." I close the truck door.
Mounting my bike, I fire it up. Riggs, who is beside me on his bike whistles, sticks his hand up in the air and gives us the signal to roll out. The rumble of our engines fills the night air as we ride out of the compound.
The streets of New Orleans are empty as we make the ten-mile trek to the train yard. There is no hesitation, and there is no slowing down as we approach our destination. Kiwi, Fender, and Everest break off from us and turn right just as we hit Jasper Road. By turning right, they will breach the backside of the yard where the control tower is located while Riggs, Vayda, and myself will go in from the front. The plan Riggs laid out before leaving was to attack from both ends of the property. Kiwi checked the camera feed again before leaving the clubhouse, and there were still no signs of Cortez's backup. We have no way of knowing who or when his men will show, and no time to consider the what-ifs.
As soon as the gated entrance is in sight, Vayda, who is behind me and Riggs guns the engine, flies past us in the truck and aims for the closed gate. The two Los Demonios who are guarding the entrance appear and startle as they fire their weapons. Riggs and I reach into our cuts at the same time, drawing our weapons, returning fire. Both men go down just as Vayda drives the truck straight through the metal gate, breaking it open. Vayda drives several more yards before slamming on the brakes, bringing the truck to an abrupt stop in front of a large metal building, the one where we assume Sydney is being held. I pull my bike up next to the truck just as Vayda hops out. "Nice work, baby." Vayda and I take off toward the side of the building where we see a door with Riggs watching my six.
The three of us work together in unison just as we would in the field on a mission. Weapons drawn, Riggs and I stand at both sides of the door. Vayda stays to my right, watching our backs. I give Riggs the signal just before I breach the door by kicking it in. "Clear," I call out, and Vayda steps in behind me, followed by Riggs. The place is dark, and no sounds can be heard. Suddenly, Kiwi's voice comes in over my earpiece. "I can see you, brother."
"Where are you, man?"
"I ducked down behind the tower so I could pull up my phone and access the camera feed. We took care of the two assholes out back. Nova and Fender are making their way toward you guys, and Everest is here covering my ass while I navigate you." I look to Riggs to see if he can hear Kiwi. He gives me a nod.
"Copy that, brother. Where is that motherfucker Cortez at?"
