“All right,” Hero barked. “As we know, Casso is finally heading our way. Ciro has eyes on him and will alert us when he enters our territory. There are now only seven in total, Casso and six others.” He scratched his chin.
“I thought there were eight?” Lynx asked.
“Not anymore. Ciro confirmed Casso killed Tony. The motherfucker chopped him up. So don’t anyone take any chances with this nutjob. We’re going to play this like that animal. Shoot first, ask questions later.”
Fists pounded the table.
Raul raised his hand to silence everyone. “With the club’s businesses closed, the Fallen Soldiers are patrolling the town. Ciro has some men coming to help in unmarked cages. I’ve moved my family into the unit behind the clubhouse in case that fucker tries to blow this place up.”
That shit scared the fuck out of me. It was no secret Casso used bombs as a method of dealing with issues. Eliminating them entirely.
“I’ve done the same. All the women and children are safe.” I stood, bracing my hands on the table. “I expect Casso to demand we give him Aspen. When we tell him no, he’ll retaliate immediately. So be prepared. Any questions?”
Silence.
My brothers had been working around the clock the last several days to get our businesses in order. They were tired but not so much they didn’t salivate on cue when Casso’s name was mentioned. It was like they knew, without being told how much Aspen meant to Boxer. She hadn’t been claimed. Had only been in the club a little more than a week, yet she had my band of brothers taking up arms to defend her.
What the fuck? I’d been the only one who kept her at a distance. I felt a smidge of guilt for it.
“Let’s get armed for war.” I hit the mallet to end church.
Two and a half hours later, I was on the phone with Ciro. The call came just as we were about to have supper. Hero and I ducked out of the kitchen to deal with it in my office. I had it on speaker so we could listen to the latest update.
“What do you mean, two cages met up with Casso, then they split up?” We knew he was expected to arrive tonight. But two more cages?
I felt it in my gut. Everything was about to go to shit.
“Storm, I said cars. Not cages.”
“Dammit, Ciro! A cage is a car. What direction are they heading?” I squeezed my cell phone, eyes narrowed at Hero.
I hated dealing with the fuckin’ Mafia.
“When they arrived in Nebraska, two cars went toward South Dakota. The others stayed on track for Minnesota.”
Hero’s eyes went wide.
I slammed my hand on the table. “Fuck! South Dakota is where they’re at! If you’re fuckin’ with us, I will destroy you.”
Ciro sighed. “Why would I fuck with you? I want him dead. You probably have a mole who knows about the reward.”
“No fuckin’ way.”
“Then I don’t know what to tell you. Casso’s either heading for you or for South Dakota. My men couldn’t tell which vehicle he was in. What are you going to do?”
“Not fuckin’ tell you.” I ended the goddamn call and dialed my dad.
“We still need him,” Hero reminded me.
“Then you can deal with him after I make this call.”
“Storm?” my old man answered.
“Casso has men heading your way.”
“How the hell did he know they were here?”
“Excellent question. You tell me.” I glanced at Hero, shaking my head. It hadn’t even been six months since I let my old man back into my life. Not sure why he would double-cross me, but it was too soon to fully trust him. If I made the wrong decision, sending Boxer and the others into a trap, I would never forgive myself.