“Yes,” she said.
“Then how do we contact them to clear the shit up for Krew and Regi? We need to make sure the hitmen are focused on Jess and Maya.”
Sabrina chortled. “Dude, you’re not understanding the words coming out of my mouth… Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. But truth, you’re not understanding me. You can’t just call these people up. They are like ghosts in the network. I told you no one knows who’s a part of the organization, or how many pieces are on that chess board. I wouldn’t even know where or who to ask—and even if I did, I wouldn’t ask it. Not without repercussions.”
“Fucking Christ, Sabrina. I thought you’re on my side.”
“I am. Calm your damn jets, bossman. I didn’t say I was giving up.”
“Then how do we clear this shit up?”
“First, I went as far as to cover the trail you three left. Then, I need total clarity. I’m putting feelers out in the dark web about the confusion with these contracts. But I’m telling you, Decker, this group isn’t going to give a crap if your Krew or Regi get dead over a mishap of names. All they want is to eliminate Jess and Maya. Everyone else is collateral damage.”
“I get it about Jess. And I need to ask this, but why Maya?” Normally, I wouldn’t give a fuck about that bitch. Except, my instincts were warning me that she was far more involved than what the surface showed.
“Through the dark grapevine and a bit of hacking, I found out that Kane Maxwell was in deep with the Agonas Associates, working small bouts here and there. However, about three years ago Kane and that Jess guy became partners, and started a low-level fight ring in Chicago. Agonas heard about it, wanted in and started supplying the money and secure locations, and all Maxwell and Jess Duncan had to do was fill the rosters with fighters.”
“They wanted a cut of the profits.”
“Yes. And Kane and Jess got a much smaller cut than what they wanted.”
“I see where this is going,” I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck.
“I’m guessing that Maxwell and Duncan weren’t satisfied with their portion and so they started skimming larger chunks of cash off the top to add to the percentage they were supposed to take. And guess who was keeping the extra for the boys?”
“Maya,” I hissed her name like it was poison on my tongue.
“Right again. But somehow Agonas found out about the money and took the hits out,” Sabrina said with a hint of excitement.
In the two years I’d been working with Sabrina, I’d discovered that she had a strange fascination with chaos. In that respect, being a handler in this business of murder was a perfect fit for her.
“Maya is a bigger player than just being their bank,” I said, and something settled in my gut. Resolve? I wasn’t sure. “How are we going to rectify this? Contact them?”
“These people are powerful. They aren’t going to listen to you. They aren’t going to care.”
My anger rose, flooding my veins with venom. “I’m not going to accept that excuse.”
“Trust me, this is out of our hands,” Sabrina argued.
“Then I’m going after Maya and Jess and I’ll put an end to this shit once and for all.”
“There’s more, and you’re not going to like it,” she warned.
I closed my eyes and sucked in a breath, preparing myself for the news. “What is it?”
“As of yesterday, someone took out two more contracts. One for Regina K. Morton and the other is for Krew Matthew Gatlin.”
“Motherfuckers—There’s four contracts now—who did it?”
“Sorry bossman, the only person who has their hands in everything is none other than Maya Darvy.”
Rage exploded in my mind like an atomic blast. Even though I had always thought she was a jealous, manipulative cunt, I never thought Maya had the brains or the balls to do something so devious. She took out a hit on her best friend. Why? Did she do it to save her own ass, or was there more? And why did she want to take Krew out? None of it made sense. Again, it didn’t matter. She’d get hers, from my bullet.
“Hey, are you still there?”
“Yeah,” I growled out. “I want you?—”
“Already called shot on the contracts. But I swear I’m going to track that Maya bitch down.”
