Own the Wind(104)

“She’s got protection and part of that is sleepin’ with a cop,” Delgado returned. “The rest of it is me.”

This was formidable. They all knew that.

But so was Benito. They all knew that too.

“Now we know the lay of the land,” Lawson pointed out. “We also know that the time has come to put an end to Benito’s operation.”

“That time came about two years ago,” Hop threw out.

“Not gonna argue that,” Lucas stated. “But that didn’t happen and I think it hasn’t escaped anybody that this shit was simmering. Now the situation is all kinds of hot.”

“Extreme,” Tack agreed, then declared, “War.”

“Chaos and Delgado,” Shy added, looking at Hawk. “I think, man, Benito’s more pissed at you, and he’s a weasel. Have a mind to your back.”

“I always do,” Delgado replied.

“Then have a mind to everything,” Shy went on. “Weasels are slick motherf*ckers who can go underground. He might not come at your back. He might dig up from underneath.”

“Not tellin’ me somethin’ I don’t know,” Delgado said.

“What he’s tellin’ you that you don’t know is this is now a team effort,” Tack announced. “That’s why we called this meeting. You’re a target. Elvira’s a target. Chaos is a target. Benito’s an anything-goes man, so right now it is all eyes, all ears, all hands, all firepower…” Tack looked to Lucas and Lawson and finished, “… all in.”

Shy looked through the men and was not surprised when not one said anything.

Tacit agreement.

Lucas and Lawson might be cops, but their bond with Tack was such that it wasn’t just about taking down a drug-dealing porn producer. With Chaos in Benito’s sights, it was more.

Delgado and Tack were always butting heads, but Tack took Delgado’s woman’s back during an intense situation, which meant he also took Delgado’s. In return, Delgado took Tack’s back when things got extreme with Cherry. Shit like that didn’t go down without ties forming. Ties that bind.

Thus, with no further words, the meeting ended. Jorge and Delgado moved to the Camaro, Lucas and Lawson angled into the unmarked cop car.

The three brothers watched them leave, and when they lost sight, they moved to huddle.

“Rush is not gonna be happy about this shit,” Hop noted, and Tack sighed.

“Already isn’t. We had words,” Tack told them. “He thinks we should lay it on Lucas and Lawson and back off. I told him that’s not gonna happen. He knows this is gonna get messy. Says it proves his point.”

“He’s wrong,” Shy remarked, and Tack looked at him, nodding once.

“He is,” Tack muttered then, “He’ll see.” He lifted a hand, curled it around the back of his neck, looked into the distance and finished, “We’ll all see.”

They would. That message was made clear last night.

Take Natalie, declare war.

They took Natalie.

They had war.

Now it was only deciding who would strike first.

“Need to get back to Tab,” Shy murmured, Tack dropped his hand and looked at Shy.

“Right,” he replied then Shy watched him draw in another breath before he stated, “She’s mine, but I get she’s yours in a way I don’t have anymore. Respect, but I’m askin’ you to carry the burden and let her breathe easy.”

“She’s yours, Tack, which means she’s not dumb. That bitch called her direct.” Shy lifted a hand to indicate the bandage on his neck. “Last night was not lost on her. She knows we bought trouble.”

“I get that, brother. I’m not sayin’ that. I’m sayin’, you carry the burden and let her breathe easy. Are you getting me?”

Shy held his gaze before he nodded.

Tack drew in another breath, this one he didn’t hide that, when he let it out, it was relieved.

“Lanie,” Hop muttered, bringing the matter back to hand that they needed to get back to their women.

Tack turned and nodded to Hop.

“Right,” he repeated. “Later, brothers. Have a mind, it’s early, he won’t move this quick, but watch your backs.”

Shy nodded. Hop did too.

They swung on their bikes and roared off to get to their women.

* * *





Tack


Tack Allen watched his brothers go.

He didn’t move as he did. He didn’t move for long minutes after they disappeared.

He stood there knowing.

Tyra, Tabby, Lanie, Sheila, the entire family.

Benito Valenzuela was hardcore cracked. Void. Empty. No emotion. No loyalty. No nothing.

Empty of everything but greed.

A man who felt nothing but greed, he gave you only one option for leverage.

But he had many.

“Fuck,” Tack whispered, closed his eyes, felt the pit weigh heavy in his gut and opened his eyes.

It wasn’t over.

It was never f*cking over.

“Fuck,” he repeated, moved to his bike, swung his leg over and roared off to get to his woman.

* * *





Shy


Shy opened the door to his room in the Compound, stepped through, and stopped dead at what he saw.