Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 61042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 305(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 305(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Tonio steepled his fingers. “Tomorrow morning, Judge Marlin is officially on vacation for a judicial seminar in Atlanta. He is not scheduled to be seen in public for three weeks.” He looked at Veda. “In other words, tonight is the only night he can disappear before anyone thinks to check the house.”
“So we go tonight.” Knuckles cut in. “What’s the plan for Marlin’s security?”
Gunnar leaned in. “I got a list of the current guys. Half are ex-military, half are off-duty Metro cops. None of them have a reason to die for Marlin. They’re paycheck mercs. We catch them before they can make a move, we give ‘em the chance to walk.”
“If we’re surgical, it’s over in ten minutes and he never hears us coming. The only complication is if he’s got someone else inside. Sometimes he brings company.”
Tonio frowned. “He does. And that’s the problem.”
He reached across the table and picked up one of the folders. “This is what you don’t have yet. For at least six months, Marlin has been using my father’s territory and resources to move his product. Girls, drugs, whatever else he wanted. The Miles family owns the underworld of Nashville. He’s letting everyone he sells to know he’s operating under our noses.” Tonio’s calm was cool and deadly. Tonio dropped the folder on the desk in front of Knight. It landed with a slap that made even Gunnar blink. “My father is not pleased. And when he is not pleased, I am not pleased. And when both of us are not pleased, someone dies.”
Knuckles met Tonio’s gaze for long moments. “We can take care of the judge easily enough. That’s not an issue.”
“And Iron?”
Gunnar grunted, clearly not happy with something. “You know we can take care of Iron. Veda’s sister comes first. Then we’ll take care of the rest of the problem.”
Knight snorted softly. “I don’t give a fuck if you want the bastard drawn and quartered, so long as we get Veda’s sister back.”
Gunnar said, “If we’re up against cops, we need black-out masks. None of their bodycams can see our faces or we’ll all be headed back to prison.”
“Everyone will wear a mask, no exceptions,” Knight said. “You too, Veda.”
She nodded in acknowledgement but remained silent.
The screen at the far end of the table flickered. “Here’s our call,” Knight murmured as he accepted the video call everyone had apparently been expecting. The man appearing on the screen looked older, graying at the temples and salt mixed with the pepper of his short, neat beard. Seth Miles.
Tonio lifted his chin at the monitor, voice clipped. “Father.”
Seth nodded once, then turned his gaze to Knuckles. “It’s a pleasure to see you, Knuckles. I hate that we have to meet under these circumstances.” Seth spoke politely, not acknowledging anyone but his son and the ranking officer in the club. “I want Marlin alive when he leaves his estate. He does not die there. You bring him to us. His men, if they resist and know what he is, you handle them. But Marlin belongs to me and my son.”
Tonio didn’t look away from Knuckles. “You have my go-ahead. Take him clean. Bring him back alive.”
“Leave it to us, Seth.” Knuckles didn’t comment on the man basically giving Kiss of Death permission to do something. No one gave Knuckles permission to do anything. The man simply did what he wanted.
The screen went black. For a full five seconds, nobody spoke. Knight finally broke the silence. “So. Mask up. Go in soft. Take Marlin. Bring him back. Yeah?”
We all stood. Knuckles stretched, cracking his neck left and right. “Ten minutes,” he said. “Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em. Load up. Meet at the garage.”
Tonio looked at me, then Veda. “You have questions, now is the time.”
I looked to Veda. I could see she wanted to ask something, but she held back.
Tonio’s voice softened as he studied Veda. “You are welcome on the op, Miss Garrison, but this is not negotiable. You will stay with Griffin. If you get caught, it’s not just you who will die. It will start a war in the Nashville underground and that makes life dangerous for the entire city. Do you understand?”
She met his gaze. “I understand.”
Knight closed his laptop and stood. He wasn’t a big guy, but he radiated menace when he wanted to, and that had little to do with his freaky-ass eyes. “Let’s go get your sister, Veda.”
Down the corridor, I caught Veda’s wrist, pulling her aside. “You holding up?”
She nodded, but the tears were already welling up. “I have to do this. For Tessa. For me.”
I wanted to tell her she didn’t have to, that I’d do it for her, but I knew better. She’d never forgive me if I kept her from this fight. So instead, I just wrapped her tight, one arm around her shoulders, the other bracing her chin so she had to look at me.