Chapter 1:

The dim light from the fixture hanging above our table pretty much summed up how we were feeling about the current situation at OPS. I glanced at Jack and Jason, seeing the same ominous feeling in their eyes. We were in for a world of trouble, and Rafe was at the epicenter of it all. 

It didn’t matter what information Knight gathered on our fearless leader. We were always one step ahead, keeping in contact with him and gathering information as he needed it. Cash wasn’t aware of just how much we stayed in contact with him, but he knew we hadn’t completely severed ties, and we never would.

Jack’s cell rang, and each of us activated our earpieces. I glanced around the bar one last time, making sure no one else came over to sit with us. Not that they would. The fuck off vibe constantly coming off us was enough to keep everyone else away.

“Rafe,” Jack answered.

“Are you all there?”

“Yeah, we’re here,” Jason answered. “What do you have for us?”

“Rico Gelbero. He’s the son of Baz Gelbero, the arms broker in Canada. His son is currently in prison for murder. He’s been in for about one week, and he’s going to need some protection.”

“Which prison?” I asked.

“U.S. Penitentiary Beaumont,” he answered, not even hesitating as he spoke of one of the most dangerous prisons in the United States. But that was Rafe. There was a job to be done, and anything could and would be sacrificed to reach our end goal. And the stupid fuckers we were, we followed him into every situation. 

“Texas is…” I glanced at the others, seeing if they reached the same conclusion.

“Dangerous as fuck,” Jason finished. “That’s a death sentence waiting to happen.”

“This is the only way to get to Baz. We get in good with the son, the father will be indebted to us.”

“Or whoever is in there keeping the son safe,” Jason surmised.

“Precisely.”

I looked to Jason, shaking my head. “It can’t be you. Your tats would get you killed.”

He nodded slightly, a frown marring his features. Jason had the most patriotic shit tattooed on his skin, and as great as that was, it would get him shivved in prison. “I’ll do it,” I volunteered. Jack had already gone undercover once. It was time for me to step in.

“The fuck you will,” Jack said, chewing on his toothpick. “You look too much the part.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. I look too much like a dangerous motherfucker, so don’t send me in.”

“He’s right,” Rafe answered. “You look more like you’d fuck anyone up that came near you. There’s no way you’d protect someone in prison. You’d sooner kill them.”

I made eye contact with Jack, shaking my head in disgust. “You know I should take this job.”

“I know you’d get yourself killed,” he said bluntly. “Killing Rico isn’t going to solve the problem.”

“I can handle not killing him. And I’m guessing the usual deep cover shit won’t work this time.”

“It’s going to have to be a big target,” Rafe confirmed. “I can’t make it up. Whoever goes in will have to make the killing very public, ensuring a swift prison stint.”

“Rafe, you know I’m with you, but Texas could ask for the death penalty, and with such a public killing, you know they’d get it.”

“Let me worry about the death penalty. If you get in good with Rico, we won’t have to worry about any of that. Baz will take care of everything.”

“And if he doesn’t?” I asked skeptically.

“It’s fine,” Jack cut in. “Let me worry about Rico. Send me the details of the hit, and I’ll take it from there.”

“Libby’s working on it now.”

“How are things in paradise?” Jason asked, grinning from ear to ear.

“She tripped me after we blew up a shipment,” he grumbled. “And when I asked her why she tripped me, she said, ‘Somebody’s got to be the bait.’ God, I love that woman.”

“Figures, only she would try and kill you, and you’d fall for her,” Jack laughed.

“Hey, what’s the status on Ebarardo Zavala?”

“He’s being handled,” Rafe said bluntly. “It’s not a problem.”

“Knight seems to think it is,” Jack countered. “He said you kicked over a hornet’s nest.”

Rafe was silent on the other end for a beat, which was unusual for him. Normally, so blunt about everything, it was odd to not have him be one hundred percent honest from the get-go.

“Zavala isn’t the issue.”

“Then what is the issue?” I snapped, getting tired of this guessing bullshit.

“Shadow,” he answered. “We knew going after Zavala would draw him out.”

“Shadow is supposed to be on our side.”

“He’s on the side of keeping things working in order. If anyone steps out of line, he goes after them.”

“Yeah, right now Knight is pretty sure you’re too fucking close,” Jack answered. “And since you’re so fucking hard to find, the next target is your brother.”

“If he can find him,” Rafe retorted.

“Look, we’re not exactly hidden from the world here,” I sighed. “For average people trying to find us, they’ll think we’re still in California, but for these guys? Our cover was blown long ago.”

“Keep it under your hat. I can guarantee Cash already knows something’s coming. Don’t piss him off by telling him more than he needs to know,” Rafe snapped.

“I think you have that wrong,” I laughed. “I’m pretty sure you’ll piss him off by not telling him what he needs to know.”

“He’s used to it. I’ll check in when I get to my next location. Jack, get working on research as soon as you get my info. I want your plan by the next time we speak.”

“Copy that.” He hung up the phone, quirking his eyebrow at me as I glared at him. “What the fuck is your problem?”

“My problem is that you just put yourself in the shit after just getting out of the shit.”

He rolled his eyes dramatically at me. “It’s been long enough.”

“You shouldn’t have volunteered. I told you I had this.”

“Look,” he said, shifting in his seat. “The fact is, you’re too…”

“Too what?”

“Mean, okay?”

I burst out laughing. “Are you fucking serious right now? I’m too mean?”

“Yeah, if you want to know the truth. Ask Jason if you don’t believe me.”

I turned to Jason, who nodded in agreement with Jack. “It’s true.”

I huffed out a laugh, finding the whole fucking thing so ridiculous. “What next? Are you going to tell me I need to kill people in a nicer way?”

“Look,” Jack said, leaning toward me. “The fact is that this guy is going to need an ally. There’s a fine line to getting this guy to like you, but also be terrified of you. We need him to go back to his father singing your praises, but also having a healthy dose of fear for what will happen if he crosses you. Frankly, making friends isn’t your strong suit.”

“I had no fucking clue it was yours.”

“Alright,” Jason cut in. “It doesn’t matter. The fact is, Jack already said he was doing it. It’s his choice. Let’s move on. We have to figure out what the fuck we’re going to do about Cash.”

“Rafe said to leave it,” Jack said, taking a drink of his beer. “We can’t risk ruining his op over something that may not happen.”

“And if it does?” Jason asked. “Are you really okay with being responsible for potential deaths around here? We work with these guys.”

“We’re on the outside,” I pointed out. “They all look at us like we’re Rafe’s guys. We’re no more part of their team than we were when we tried to keep Eva at the facility.”

“Still,” Jason shook his head. I could tell by the way he fiddled that he wasn’t entirely comfortable with the way we were handling this. I couldn’t blame him. It was hard to play both sides and still come out feeling somewhat in control of the situation that surrounded you. “This doesn’t feel right.”

“What else could we—”

A loud explosion ripped through the night, shaking the very ground we stood on. The bottles rattled on the table from the force of it, and glass shattered as the windows were blown out. I jumped to my feet, along with all the other guys in the bar, and raced for the door. Cash was the first outside, immediately taking cover behind a vehicle as gunfire erupted around us. I pulled my weapon, sharing a warning glance with Jack for just a moment. 

“Spread out!” Cash ordered. “Lock! Get your team over to that vehicle and make sure no one’s inside!”

He turned and aimed in the direction of the gunfire. As he laid down cover fire, I ran further into the parking lot, staying low and using the vehicles as protection. Jack and Jason were by my side as we took turns firing at the unknown assailant. 

“I guess Rafe underestimated just how much this trafficking ring hates him!” Jason shouted over the chaos. 

In the distance, I could hear the sound of sirens. If they came any closer, they’d land smack dab in the middle of a gunfight they had no hopes of winning. I tapped Jack on the shoulder, signaling for him to cover me. He gave a tight nod and turned, firing off round after round as I sprinted across the parking lot toward the road. Bullets pinged off the ground around me, but never came close to hitting their intended target. 

A police cruiser was headed right toward me, completely unaware he would be shot up if he came close to the scene. Our anonymity in this town was about to go up in smoke. I hauled ass for cover in the ditch, then waited for the cruiser to get closer. With my finger on the trigger, I took a deep breath, then fired off round after round until a bullet pierced the tire and sent the cruiser off into the ditch.

With one problem solved, I went on the hunt. “Jack, I’m finding these fuckers,” I said into comms as I ran through the trees to find where the shots were coming from.

“Don’t get dead.”

“I never make any promises,” I huffed as I ran off into the night.