“Did your cousin know where this meeting was taking place?” I demand.
“What? No, I don’t know. He didn’t say. Dani, what’s going on?”
“I’ll explain later, I have to go.” I hang up and dial Tommy’s number. No answer. I didn’t really expect him to answer, so I try not to read into it. He’s got more important things to focus on than his phone. I dictate a text telling him everything I’ve just learned and send it. There’s nothing more I can do except pray that he and his men have the situation covered.
CHAPTER 39
TOMMY
I saida thousand meters was my sweet spot. Biba’s chosen a meeting site where the closest I can get is twelve hundred. It’s still doable, but I’m not thrilled. While the distance isn’t ideal, the location is otherwise superb. The exterior walls of the abandoned factory where I’ve set my perch extend up about four feet past the roof, giving me plenty of cover to hide behind. The meeting will take place outside at the back end of a parking lot. I have my gear situated and calculations made to adjust for the coastal breeze. I’m set up and ready, which was the plan—I wanted to get here as early as possible—but that means a hell of a long wait.
Every few minutes I run through a series of checks to help settle my brain. Now that we’re getting closer to meeting time, I keep my eyes trained on the ground below. There’s no obstructions. Trees along the building’s exterior help give me cover, though they don’t actually impede my shot. I’m feeling relatively confident about the operation until my phone starts to vibrate. Last minute information is rarely good.
I turn to grab my phone from my bag and discover I’m not alone. The man across from me looks just as surprised as I am as he draws a gun from a thigh holster. He’s carrying a rifle casein his other hand which tells me this man likely works for The Reaper. He’s planning a takedown the same as Biba.
I roll to the side away from my rifle and pull a throwing blade from my combat vest, flinging it at the guy the second he’s back in view. He drops the gun case and recoils from the blade now lodged in his shoulder.
“Motherfucker.” He yanks the blade out with a curse. He’s tough, I’ll give him that, and he looks the part. He’s probably ten years older than me, tattoos all the way up his neck, and a black glare sharp enough to cut my throat if he could.
The moment it takes him to pull out the knife gives me just enough time to tackle him before he can raise his gun again. I’ve got a gun on me as well, but I’d rather not alert the entire world we’re up here. I can still pull this off if I can just get this asshole subdued.
The guy is skilled. We grapple for what feels like ages. I take several good hits, including a headbutt to my nose that sends blood gushing everywhere and hurts like a sonofabitch, but adrenaline does wonders for that sort of thing. The pain is there yet hardly registers. What does register is that time is ticking by, and if I miss this opportunity, I may not get another one.
Skill is helpful, but this guy isn’t motivated the way I am. I’ve got a wife to protect.
I manage to roll us to the brick exterior wall bordering the roof and gain the leverage to slam his head against it hard enough to stun him. It’s the opening I need to gain the upper hand, and in a few quick movements, I’ve got him on his stomach with his hands behind his back.
“Don’t have time for this shit,” I grumble as I pull out the zip ties I keep in one of my vest pockets and secure his hands and feet. His resistance is feeble. He’s going to have a bitch of a headache tonight. Judging by the ache radiating from my nose, Imay not be much better off, but if I accomplish my mission, it’ll all be worth it.
Once I’ve taped his mouth and am confident he’s been neutralized, I head back to my gun and check my site just as a black Cadillac appears. I can’t see in the tinted windows, nor does anyone exit until a second vehicle arrives. Biba and his two sentinels exit the first car, all wearing suits and looking like the fucking Goodfellas. The two men who exit a Range Rover are much more casually dressed but have their backs to me, preventing me from making an ID. If Reaper has a scar on his neck, I can’t see it from this angle.
They slowly approach one another. Biba waves his hand toward one of the two men opposite him. I swear to Christ, he might as well be holding a sign saying shoot this guy.
Time to get this over with.
I take aim in time with my inhale, then pull the trigger in the instant before I exhale. A heartbeat later, Biba is flat on the crumbling asphalt, blood pooling beneath him. His dumbass thugs stare at him in shock. Reaper and his man aren’t the least bit surprised, likely assuming their guy did his job. They pull out guns and take care of the two remaining Russians before those two idiots know what hit them.
I take one last second to revel in a job well done before packing up.
When Renzo suggested we double cross Biba after our video call, I was shocked. I’d considered it myself, but I never thought my brother would be on board with something so potentially dangerous. Renzo acknowledged that Biba would never let Danika be—or any of us, for that matter. He was willing to chance further escalation with the Russians to free us from Biba. And what’s more, he put all his trust in me to make it happen. I will forever be grateful to Renzo for what he’s done here.
As I walk toward the bound man, he fights against his bindings and spits unintelligible words behind the tape on his mouth. Reaper knows he’s up here, so I’m confident his crew will find him … eventually.
“Tell your boss I said you’re welcome.” And with that, I walk away.
CHAPTER 40
DANIKA
I’m goingto kill your father.
When Tommy said those words to me a few days ago, he was concerned I’d have some sentimental tie to the man and reject the idea. The only thing I was worried about was the danger to Tommy. And when Gran told me there was a leak about the meeting, I was terrified Biba knew it was a double cross and had something planned in retaliation.
Lucky for us, that wasn’t the case. Tommy’s plan worked perfectly.
Biba Mikhailov is dead.
No matter how many times I say the words in my head, it still doesn’t seem real. I’m not naive enough to think all traces of danger are gone. Biba has sons. Loyalists. And there’s always a degree of threat that comes with being part of the Moretti Family. Our lives will always be woven with danger, but one of the most vile, cancerous threats has been extinguished. I have been over the moon since Tommy came home two days ago and told me the news.
