Fernanda moved first, gracefully, like a ballet dancer. Luna went next, with a casual air only she could pull off.
The first two buildings were a bust. They were abandoned. Empty. On the verge of demolishment. Normally, this would have made for a decent place to stash a child. Unfortunately, from what I knew about Ling, she was the ballsy kind. Cocky. She liked to put on a show. And although we hadn’t done a full sweep of the building yet, I knew she was in there somewhere.
In the fully occupied apartment building.
It made it harder for us to do what we needed to, but it didn’t mean shit, because we were the notorious Vegas. We could get any job done for the right price. Alone, we weren’t worth much, but as a family, we were priceless.
Each of us brought something different to the fold; each of us brought something important and necessary. Together, my sisters and I were invincible. Regrettably, that meant we often had targets on our heads. This was why we chose to stay underground for the most part.
This was also why Luka banished us.
I wasn’t a stupid man by any means. Being banished only did two things to our business. One, it raised our fee to astronomical proportions. And two, it kept Fernanda safe. And safe was how Luka liked his woman.
Yeah, he was pissed at her, but Luka Pavlovic adored my sister. He adored her so much that even though it likely killed him inside, he sent her to live half a world away from him.
And with that decision, he had my respect.
What can I say?
I definitely preferred my sisters safe than dead.
A number of minutes passed before a hushed voice sounded within my ear.
“I’m in place,” said Fernanda.
“So am I,” uttered Luna.
My eyes scanned the darkness surrounding me. I walked the parking lot, taking in every car I passed. “Find her,” I told my sisters, and they had my complete faith. I trusted them like no one else. They were clever and accomplished and talented, my sisters.
I trusted them with my life, which was lucky because oftentimes, during the jobs we pulled, it was crucial.
My feet moved silently along the cement flooring as I went from one floor to the next, surveying car after car.
“Uh, guys?” Luna whispered. “I think I’ve got a visual.”
“What?” Fernanda sputtered in disbelief. “How?”
Luna chuckled. “Eat shit, Fern. I got here first.”
“Where are you?” Fernanda never did like coming in second.
“Scaling the building,” Luna said so matter-of-factly that I smiled.
My sisters were nuts.
“Where are you, Luna?” I asked quietly as I continued to walk the lot.
“It’s hard to say,” she uttered softly. “I think it’s the tenth floor. I don’t know. Waiting to confirm visual.”
“Waiting for confirmation,” Fern moped, trying to sound professional.
I kept walking as I smiled. They were the only two women in the world who could make me laugh. Shit. They were the only people in the world who could make me smile. I loved them dearly, my little sisters. And I wouldn’t let anything happen to them.
As my eye caught a silver SUV that could have been the same one from the surveillance tape Twitch had obtained, I approached cautiously, my brows lowered. Taking out my phone, I looked over the images saved onto my cell, comparing them to the car in front of me. Peering over every inch of the car, I took a step back and sighed.
That was when Luna said the magic words. “Visual confirmed. I have both Ling and the boy in sight. I repeat, I have the boy in sight.”
Fern crowed in my ear. “Hell, yeah, baby. That’s how we do.”
“Nice work,” I told them. “I’ve got the car. I’ll call Luka.” Taking a deep breath, I muttered, “Let’s take this bitch down and get the boy home safe.”
“That’s the plan,” stated Fern, before asking Luna, “Yo, Lulu. What do you need?”
Luna hesitated only a moment, before she said, “Access to the roof. I’ve got a plan.”
***
Ling It had been a long couple of days, and between the lack of sleep, the anxiety that ran through me with every ticking second of the clock, and the ominous knowledge that my time with my heir may be cut short, it rattled in a way that had me panicking.
“Hey, sweetie,” I uttered with a smile as I came to kneel by him. “I brought you something.”
As I handed over the blue and white chocolate bar, he frowned down at it. “What is it?”
“It’s candy. American candy. It’s called an Almond Joy. Sort of like a Bounty, but with an almond on top.” He watched me warily. Yes, he had the right to watch the way he did, but that didn’t mean I had to like it. “I thought we could eat one together before bed.”
My little Itch, he looked down at the candy bar a long moment then back up at me. “No, thank you.”
I made myself look sadder than I was. “Oh. Okay. It’s no big deal.” Taking my time, I ripped open the wrapper on one bar and bit into it. I chewed slowly and moaned, closing my eyes. “Wow. It’s been so long since I had one of these.” I made a happy face and nodded. “It’s really good.” I licked my lips and asked slyly, “You sure you don’t want one?”
Of course he wanted one.
He was all but drooling for it.
But, like most mothers had, I was sure Lexi had taught my son to not take candy from strangers.
So when I bit into the candy bar again and smiled blissfully, it was only a matter of time before he gave in. Unfortunately for him, the temptation was too strong, and when I opened the second candy bar, holding it out to him, he took it slowly, studied it carefully, and then bit into it. Once the chocolate hit his tongue, I watched him chew eagerly, and when he swallowed the first bite, he went in for a second rather quickly. And at that moment, I felt my heart swell at the very same time my stomach ached.
Because he should have listened to his mother.
“It’s good, right?”
He nodded enthusiastically and my insides coiled tight.
You should never take candy from strangers.
Chapter
FortyThree
Twitch
My heart raced the entire way over. Once Thiago had confirmed the visual on A.J., I could think of nothing else than holding my son again but silently fearing I might be too late. The car pulled up and Luka twisted back to face us. “You good?”
“Yeah.” I wasn’t though. Not even a little bit. And from the looks of my woman, neither was she. “We good, angel?”
She blinked up at me, but her movements were slowed. She was beyond exhausted, and I wished she would have just let me do my thing. I got why she couldn’t do that, but it would have been easier for me if I didn’t have to also focus on her tonight.
“Yeah,” she spoke timidly. “I’m ready.”
Luka’s gaze drifted between the two of us. His lips thinned and he nodded slowly. “Okay. Let’s do this.”
It was close to 3:00 a.m. It was important to have the element of surprise on our side. Not that it mattered. Ling would be waiting. Ling would be ready for us.
And a sleeping snake still had fangs.
Happy, Julius, and Zep were already waiting. Soon, Evander and Manda joined them. And when we got out of the car to join the ranks, Luka checked his messages and spoke to the small crowd gathered at the entrance of the apartment block. “Thiago, Luna, and Fern are ready to go. Happy, you got something for us?”
Happy handed out small, black plastic-looking things. “Put it in your ear. This way, we’re all connected. You won’t be able to talk to the Vegas, but you’ll be able to hear them. Only Luka will be able to communicate directly.”
We all put the earpieces in and listened to Fern sing “Another One Bites The Dust.”
Luna’s teeth chattered. “It’s fucking freezing up here, guys. Make a move already.”
Happy turned to face Luka. “When you’re ready.”
“We’re ready,” he said with a curt nod.