FALLON
My phone buzzed for the third time as I stuffed my gun into my waistband. I knew without a doubt it was De Santis. He needed me to create a distraction. How the hell was I going to create a distraction at his father’s place? The whole three-mile area around his dad’s place was locked down on an easy day for fuck’s sake. I could only imagine what it would be like at Dom’s wedding reception.
Busting in there, if I even made it past the guards, would get my ass killed. I was still working on a plan though. My issue was Hail had decided we had work to do with the De Luca guy in town. It was putting a serious damper on what I’d be able to pull off for Dominic and my princess.
I was stressed out and almost to the point of giving Stella a gun and sending her in. She’d probably be all for it if she thought it would gain her brownie points with Dom. God knew she’d break her back for him. I’d thought she had it bad for Hail, but it was nothing compared to Dominic. I knew where her loyalty was, that was for sure. She’d probably lie down and die for the kings with a smile on her face.
“You’re quiet tonight,” Hail said, loading his gun beside me.
We were at one of the warehouses his family owned in the city. Lots of bad business went down inside it, from chopping cars to drugs to murders. If Hell had a location on the map, this would be its headquarters.
“Just trying to get my head in the game,” I muttered, grabbing a blade and sliding it into my boot.
I was good with knives. I preferred them over guns, honestly. It was an ugly part of my personality I liked to keep quiet. Blood was so much prettier when it was coaxed slowly from the body with a single, precise slice. It mesmerized me. It made me feel like a complete fucking monster.
Everyone already thought I was fucked up as a lord. I didn’t need to let my lust over blood out of the cage and add to it. I wanted to be a normal guy, but that ship seemed to have sailed long ago. The best I could muster was keeping what was left of my dark soul on lockdown.
“Me too.” He crammed the gun into his jacket and grabbed another while Tate and Drake loaded up across the room. “I’m pissed we got a bad batch of sugar. That shit fucked you up. I can’t believe you woke up naked in the damn woods.”
I’d lied and said that was what had happened. The last thing the lords needed to know was that I’d slept naked on Seeley’s bedroom floor. Stella had run back to Hail, saying she couldn’t find me.
“It was dangerous. The kings could’ve fucking killed you if they’d found you alone like that. I’m not happy. Whether De Luca realizes it or not, he fucked up. He came into my territory. He’s stealing my customers. He’s taking what the fuck belongs to me, and he could’ve cost me one of my men. Not fucking happening. He and his whole crew dies tonight, or they survive with the knowledge of who they’re fucking with.”
I nodded as I stared at him. His mouth was set in a thin slit, his eyes devoid of any warmth. He was a son of a bitch when he was pissed. My rough experience with sugar may cost a few people their lives tonight.
“What’s the plan?” I asked.
“We leave a calling card. Shoot the piss out of De Luca’s crew. If there are any stragglers, they can blame the kings.”
I swallowed. “So we’re pinning it on the kings and starting a war between them and the horsemen?”
“Yep. If there are any left to start a war with when we’re done.”
For fuck’s sake. This was going to be a shit show.
“De Santis and Bianca are having their wedding reception tonight,” I said carefully, changing the subject.
Hail grunted. “I’m fucking aware. My father will hear about their nuptials soon enough. If I take out De Luca as a gift to him, I might be able to not get fucked too hard. So really, killing this horsemen crew is a damn good idea for a few reasons.”
I licked my lips, an idea forming. “If we’re going all out and you need to save your ass, we could hit De Luca and then hit the De Santis party. We might be able to kill De Santis or one of the kings, maybe all, plus his old man. Less of their crew would have to be a win. And it might buy you some goodwill with your old man. De Santis would never see it coming. Not tonight.”
Hail’s brows crinkled as he stared at me. “And Bianca?”
“We bring her back, and you do what you have to. If we kill De Santis, she won’t be married anymore. No one has to know. And if they do find out, we’ll tell them he forced her into it and you were saving your bride. You’d be seen as a hero. We won’t catch shit for it if your old man decides to flip his lid on us for attacking without notifying him first.”
Hail said nothing as he rolled my plan over in his head. He glanced at Tate and Drake for a moment before he finally called out, “Get our best disciples and our most loyal men on the phone. Tell them to meet us here in twenty. We have a change of plans.”