I grip my water bottle hard, fear and determination steeling my spine.
No matter what Tane does, I'll keep Angel and the rest of the Brixtons safe. Whatever it takes.
Chapter forty-eight
The shadows dance across the dimly lit walls as I take my seat at the table with the others. Just when I think Aidan couldn't look more intense, he manages to, as he prepares to give us a rundown of what he was able to find out after Dom shared his news. His dark eyes meet mine, filled with that familiar sense of purpose and caution.
"So what's the plan, boss?" Brick asks, leaning forward eagerly. His rugged features are taut with anticipation.
Aidan runs both hands through his hair. "Tane's losing his grip even more now. It's time we make our move." His gravelly voice fills the room as the rest of us listen intently. "We have to act fast, because everyone else is likely hearing exactly the same information. We could set ourselves up for a bloodbath if we don't get in and get it done. We have one shot here."
A flicker of unease twists my gut. Tane won't go down easy. But the thought of finally taking him out, of watching his empire crumble...it makes my blood burn.
"Tonight'sthe night," Skyler says, his piercing gaze sweeping over each of us. "We've done the groundwork, and now we strike hard and fast before he has a chance to slither away."
Adrenaline surges through me as I picture wrapping my hands around Tane's throat. I want to be the one to squeeze the life out of him.
Dom grins, cracking his knuckles. "Let's do this."
I nod, resolve steeling my nerves. Tonight, Tane's reign of terror ends. By our hands.
I take a deep breath as I stare up at the looming silhouette of Tane's compound. Floodlights bathe the perimeter in harsh white, guarded by men with guns and snarling dogs straining against their leashes. Dom and the others fan out, melting into the shadows. My heart hammers against my ribs.
It's time.
I raise my hand in signal and the Snakes and Brixtons slither forward, dispatching the guards with quick efficiency. Screams and gunshots pierce the night but we move fast, swarming the grounds like a tide of vengeance.
Out of the corner of my eye I see Dimitri, his chiseled features set in a mask of cold determination. Our gazes connect for a brief moment before he disappears inside.
I follow close behind, my senses heightened. The interior is eerily quiet, like a held breath before a plunge. We clear room after room but find no sign of Tane.
A door creaks open at the end of a long hallway and I freeze. The barrel of a gun glints in the darkness.
Before the guard can fire, I lunge forward, knocking the weapon away.
We crash to the floor in a tangle of limbs.
I wrap my hands around his throat, squeezing until his struggles cease.
Panting, I get to my feet. A muffled shout echoes from behind the door and I feel a spark of savage delight.
I've found him. Tane's fate awaits.
For all of his power and self-belief, it doesn't take us long to subdue Tane. It makes me realize that he's not the giant monster character he'd become in my head. His power was bolstered by ruling a bunch of strong and loyal men. But loyalty only lasts so long when there's little payoff. And that's about to be Tane's fatal lesson.
"Oh, we're back here again? You idiots trying to get me?" He tries to play it cool as he glances around, no doubt willing his men to enter the room and save him in a hail of gunfire. "It didn't work last time, and it most certainly isn't going to now."
I smirk. "Dude, you're hardly in a position to negotiate." I gesture at his situation—tied to a chair in the middle of one of his ops rooms. Whiteboards line the walls, dotted with diagrams and dollar figures. But whatever dark deeds they're in reference to doesn't really matter. Not any more.
"Oh Tane, you think we came across you by accident tonight? That we haven't been planning this for a while?" Brick smirks.
"Well, your little plans didn't work last time and very nearly got the lot of you killed," Tane snarks back. What's the difference now?"
"You're hardly in a position to negotiate, bro," growls Brick. "Look at you in your tiny little chair."
Tane scowls and wriggles in his restraints, but there's no give and he quickly stops.
"Whatever. You guys are nothing. You run a tiny part of my operation. There are many men stronger than you, in mind and body. And I can't wait to watch you be crushedlike the tiny little ants you are." He spits, and a glob of his saliva sails a few feet and lands on the tip of Brick's shoe.