He led the men down the hall toward Alejandra’s apartment. No one questioned him or disputed the new plan. He knocked as the three armed men with him stood quietly but cautiously. Alejandra opened the door in one of her standard you-can’t-resist-me outfits. Her see-through blouse was unbuttoned to her navel, revealing a lacy bra. Her jeans were so tight and had so many tears and rips that Ty wondered how she even got them on. Instead of staring like most men did, Ty looked into her excited brown eyes.
“I’m sorry about the hour. I don’t mean to be disrespectful,” Ty started.
“Ahh, Papi. You bring me so many at one time.” She smiled, peeking around Ty to get a better view at the giants standing with him.
“We’re trying to avoid an unnecessary meeting. May we use your fire escape?”
Her smile got wider and so did the opening of her door. “Yes. For you, I will do this.”
“Thank you.” Ty stepped aside and let the men in first. He noticed none of them, not one, gave Alejandra a second glance. Either they were immune to her sumptuous beauty, already smart enough to see her con, or they were that damn focused. He liked both reasons. Ty pointed toward the dining room. “Toward the kitchen. She has the only window on the side of the building, her fire escape will put us in a decent position not to be seen.”
“Good thinking,” Brian commended him, quickly getting the window open. The men moved like they’d been doing this together for years. As if it was choreographed, the commander stepped up and peered down to the street, before he gave the ‘all clear’ signal. Brian followed next and then his brother.
Ty turned to Alejandra who stood by the window expectantly. “You will remember I did this for you, yes?” she said in her thick accent. “I’m your woman. Your ride-or-die chick.”
“I will remember,” he promised. And that was all he could say. She wasn’t his woman, not even in the sense that she wanted to be. She was a free spirit and incapable of being tethered. She gave many men her time, claiming she had enough goodies for each of them. Ty didn’t want some of a queen, he wanted all or nothing. “No blood will be shed on the block tonight because of you. Thank you.”
Ty climbed out of the window and hurried down the steps to his awaiting army. They loaded into a large black F350 parked at the corner, the commander in the passenger seat with the business end of his Smith and Wesson pointed in Ty’s direction. He almost smiled to himself. It looked as if the weapon was pointed at his head, but he knew the man was watching for anyone trying to sneak up on Ty’s back. Just that thought had him walking with a new level of confidence.
He was a part of a brotherhood, now. These men weren’t stalkers. They’d come for him, but not for the reasons he thought. They’d come at his father’s instruction. After all the years he’d been gone from Ty’s life, he was still watching over him. He’d sent Ty an army as havoc descended on his head. Perfect timing, Dad. His father was even more powerful as an angel.
Kell
Kell trudged back to the wood shed behind Duke’s building to gather more firewood. It was going on ten o’clock and they’d already used up what he’d hauled in earlier. Ordinarily, he’d be home by now. This would be the hour he’d meditate but his sensei had made it clear that Kell’s hours, his time, no longer belonged to him. Bounty hunters operated at all hours.
He balanced some thick pieces of wood on one arm, pushing his bicep muscle to the max. It’d been ages since he’d been the new guy, the one responsible for the grunt work. He’d begun the study of martial arts under Quick when he was eight. He’d only ever had one job, and that was at the dojo, when he’d turned sixteen. By age twenty, he was a master and able to teach the art to others. He loved it, but he knew he could do more with his skills, make a real difference using the law instead of abusing it. He’d help put scum away—like the kind he’d come across this morning—and let karma take it from there.
He heard tires moving slowly down the long driveway to Duke’s before the headlights cut off and four men got of the heavy-duty truck.
Four now… not the three who’d left. Kell deduced that the intense hunter they called Brian had caught his man. Since Kell was at the back of the property, he couldn’t get a good enough look at the new guy, but from what Kell could see he was tall, built and walked with as much confidence as the men with him. Kell shivered a bit at the drop in temperature, pulling his scarf over his mouth to keep from breathing in the frigid air. He doubled his efforts, needing to get back inside and meet his new partner.