Page 163 of With A Little Luck
I’m overthinking everything since Quincy came into the picture. Either way, I won’t be dying tonight.
Keir is my partner for this exchange that will end in a bloodbath. He drives the car into the warehouse, and I begin to wonder what the building was used for before it became old and dilapidated.
The bay openings are large enough for a semi-truck to pull in with a storage container on its flatbed, but that’s convenient since it allows us to drive inside.
Not that the car will give us any additional cover, but hopefully it will allow for a faster exit.
“Don’t forget your mask,” I murmur to Keir as he puts the vehicle in park.
The SUV that must house Costa and his men is a few feet away, but the windows are tinted, making it impossible to tell how many individuals might be inside.
He demanded I come alone, but Easton wanted someone else “boots on the ground” with me. Even as I appraise the scaffolding, I can’t make out the snipers that are meant to be watching our backs. That’s a good thing, though, as it indicates Costa won’t be able to spot them either.
“Got it,” Keir replies. “I’ll retrieve the head from the trunk.”
Nodding, I unbuckle my seat belt and toss the passenger door open. “Thank you. I’ll be waiting by the hood.”
Although Keir and I had a moment of mutual distaste outside of his office when Quincy and Ridge bonded, I can appreciate him as a partner.
It’s time Costa Maloney became an issue of the past.
The three faces of the men who approach with Costa are familiar. They’re the ones I flagged as being in town, which is a solid reminder that I’m good at what I do.
“I told you to come alone,” Costa says as he comes to a stop five feet away.
“I work alone.” I shove my glasses up, gesturing to Keir as he comes around the front of the vehicle. “However, I don’t conduct face-to-face transactions without backup. You felt the need to come four deep to a hand off. I brought one associate.”
“We’ve got a vehicle approaching,” Calder says through my earpiece. “One SUV incoming with… One, two, three…could bemore guys. It’s impossible to tell with how dark the windows are.”
“I’ll check it out,” Ridge says.
“Fuck no,” Easton growls in response. “I’m circling the building to appraise the threat.”
“He’s already climbing out of the van,” Calder says, and we can hear evidence of that over the feed.
Jesus Christ.
Ridge is still healing.
That pain in the ass.
Now I need to conduct this business quickly so I can get out there and ensure he doesn’t die when I promised Quincy I would keep him alive.
“All right, let me see it.” Costa rocks on his heels, shoving his hands into his pockets. “The transfer won’t proceed until I give my accountant the go-ahead.”
“The package,” I say to Keir, holding out a hand.
It’s more like a small plastic bin with a box and wrapping inside.
It does contain a head.
That head just belongs to David.
It seemed fitting to serve Costa the severed head of one of his minions, but I’m grateful that I wasn’t the one who handled the beheading. It’s messy and gruesome, no matter what steps you take to try to prevent a grisly outcome.
“I swear to fucking Christ, I’m going to shank you myself if you step around that goddamn wall before I’m at your side,” Easton hisses through my earpiece. “Leo, if you can provide us with coverage from your position, I wouldn’t turn it down.”
It’s quite difficult to keep my face placid, but Keir steps forward, shoving the container at me.
