Page 28 of Concealed Deception

I don’t care either way.I’m their boss so they play by my rules.

“Is everything ready—” I’m cut off by the catastrophe coming from the foyer.

“You call and I shall appear.What’s happening?Why do you look so pissed off?Wait, don’t answer that.You’re always pissed off lately.”

The barrel of my pistol presses against Antonio’s forehead as he stops in front of me.

“Oh, come on, Xander.It was a joke.For fuck’s sake, put that thing away.”He pushes it away, then shoves past me.“Would you care to enlighten me on what I’ve missed, or do I have to guess?Let’s see…” He puts his thumb and finger to his chin in a thinking pose.“You fucked her again and now you’re taking it out on everyone else.Am I right, Vince?”Vince keeps his stoic expression.He knows better than to encourage Tony with his games.

No matter how powerful I am, Tony has always had my back.I have to let his jibe go, otherwise, I’ll likely pull the trigger for real.

“Xander, you know she’s getting to you.The sooner you realize that the better for all of us.”

I don’t want to admit to anything.Like I said, emotions get you killed.

“Are you quite finished?We need to get to the warehouse to assure the freight is moved safely.I’ll catch you up to speed with everything else in the car.”I hand him another pistol.I’m not past this being a set up, but if what my informant said on the phone is true then I’ve got limited time to move everything then be back here to prepare for taking William out.

“Knox is waiting in the garage for us.He said he’s got all he needs.Now I understand what that meant.Xander, are you sure leaving Camille here with Ava is the right thing to do?What if she tries to escape?”

My glare is answer enough.

“All right then, let’s go move some product.”

“Keep your head on, Antonio,” I warn.His jacked-up state isn’t lost on me.

“Oh, boss, you wound me.”He covers his heart in a mocking manner.He’s being a fucking moron.But I know that while he’s high, more will get fucked up if everything turns to shit.He’s a weapon in himself.

As we drive through the streets of New York, I tell Tony everything there is to know about the call with my informant.“William is pissed I still have Ava and is coming after my warehouse.I plan to have everything moved and be back to her, ready and waiting for him.”I leave out the part about what he plans to do with Ava if he gets his slimy hands on her.“I already have men working at the docks.Ava overheard the last of my conversation, so she knows something is amiss.I had her detained, so she won’t be a problem.Camille is watching over the monitors and I have men surrounding the building.That includes inside the suite.No one’s coming in, no one’s getting out.”

“Okay, and what about William?”Tony’s hands ball into fists at his mention.He’s despised the bastard ever since he got kicked out for smoking weed inside the house.

“I’ve heard nothing from Griffin.And there seems to be no movement yet, but that doesn’t mean he’s not watching and waiting, hence the three cars leaving at once.The only reason I’m going to the warehouse is to personally make sure everything is secured and moved without a glitch.I know it’s a large risk, but I can’t bring Ava with me this time, it’s too dangerous.”

“If your informant is lying?”Tony asks.

“If he’s lying, he’s a traitor and we’ve become sitting ducks.”I don’t sugar coat it.This could all go terribly wrong, but I’ve never been led astray with my inside guy before.

“He’s not to lay a finger on what’s mine, Tony.That includes my club, drugs, and Ava.If he does, I’m burning hiskingdomto the fucking ground with him inside.”

It’s dark as we arrive at the port in Philadelphia.Up ahead, I see my men have also arrived and are parking in the warehouse.

We pull to a stop around the side of the building.This site has been abandoned for well over ten years, and with it being under an alias, no one is the wiser.It makes for a perfect location.

“I don’t like this, boss.Something feels off.”Knox comes up beside me, scoping out our surroundings.

“Neither do I, but I have no other choice.We made sure we weren’t tailed, so unless we have a rat, no one should give us any trouble.Call the house and see if everything is still in order there.I don’t want to raise suspicion if I don’t need to, so make something up.Tell Camille to take some food to Ava’s room, I don’t care.”

My cell goes off in my pocket as we walk into the warehouse.Looking at the screen, I curse the damn thing before answering.

“Doug, what have you got for me?”I demand down the line.Doug is my inside informant.He’s the reason I’ve held the upper hand with William for so long.

“He’s on the move.I don’t know where he’s going, and he’s not said a word to me.Something’s not right.”

“Fuck.”Aggravated, I look from left to right, fisting my hair, then look around again.“Tell me what the fuck is going on, Doug.You told me I had a twenty-four-hour window, and I’m fucking taking it as twelve.I’m holding you accountable if anything happens to her.”There’s no room for misinterpreting how angry I am.I can feel the vein in my neck protruding.I’m seconds away from losing my way if someone doesn’t get a handle on where my asshole father is.

“Leave it to me.I’ll find out what he’s up to.I’m sure one of his men will be more than willing to let slip if the plan has changed.”Heavy breaths come down the line, and I know Doug is already on the case.

Being in Philly is a less than ideal situation, as it’s over an hour away from home.If anything does happen, I have less of a chance of getting to her.Though I have full faith my men will keep her and Camille safe.I must stay focused if I’m going to win this fight.

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