Chapter 20

He didn't want to be there, but Luke knew if they didn't do this job now. It would never be over.

He squatted behind a stack of pallets with Rook. When Jud and Cameron made the plan, they'd included everyone so Luke wouldn't be alone. It meant if they went down, the entire plan would be screwed.

Raymond had come up with a signal. He and Andreas would clear the perimeter then let the others know everything was okay. The rest of them would slip in and try to get evidence and the shipping manifests. If they could get those, they could show where they were getting ready to ship their trucks.

Winston and Queenie were manning the getaway cars in the woods just across the creek. It would be too chaotic with everyone involved. Queenie couldn't keep her mouth shut, and Winston was too slow to pull off things like this. So he had a couple of drones in the air keeping watch over the perimeter. They would alert if someone showed up.

In all honesty they were hoping they did. If they did come through, Rook was to make Luke disappear. Andreas and Raymond could handle most of what was thrown at them. Luke would be the one in the most danger.

He felt a soft pat to his arm. He looked over to see Rook staring in the direction of where Andreas had disappeared. She was trying to keep an eye on everyone. Rook was always someone he wanted in his corner. She was quiet and effective, opting to move with grace rather than rushing into things. She was also able to sense trouble far better than anyone he knew.

They sat hunched together, waiting as patiently as they could. It was a little cooler than it was supposed to be going into April, but at least the pollen count wasn't as bad. They weren't sneezing every five minutes like they were during the day when big, white flakes of pollen flowed through the air.

There was some static in their earpieces. They both paused as they waited to see what was going on. Were they in, or had the other two been caught? It was a long thirty seconds before they got their answer.

"We're in," Andreas whispered. "Come to the back left corner. We have a way in there. Use the shrubs to keep hidden."

Rook was up and moving. Luke watched her back and moved as quickly as he could. He grabbed the hem of her jacket to keep her from moving further away from him. They couldn't separate right now or they'd be caught. Rook might be one of his favorite people, but sometimes she jumped the gun. Even when they played games, she never really listened to rules and did what she wanted.

Slowly, they made their way to the warehouse. Rook for once followed Andreas's exact instructions and was able to lead them to the correct corner. There was an invisible door on the left corner, only being able to enter if they knew where it was. Andreas had it cracked otherwise they would never be able to see it.

Luke pulled it to and looked around. Raymond and Andreas stood in front of him, concern written on their faces. They weren't used to sneaking around like this. Usually when they went on this kind of adventure for Amos, they knew where they were walking into one of their businesses and getting ready to turn over everything. They knew the people they were against and knew how to deal with them.

With this, they were walking into enemy territory even though it was technically in Baymont. This warehouse had been vacant until three months ago when someone had randomly started renting it. Winston had done the research, but whoever had rented it paid in cash every month so there was no paper trail to follow. However, Winston was not to be deterred. He put feelers out, and he was amazed to find someone connected to Arturo had been coming in and out since the building had been in use.

"Everything is clear through the offices," Raymond whispered. "We have to go to the main portion of the building and see what is being held there. If it's something we can get samples on, then we'll do that."

Rook looked around. "How do you keep a massive place like this a secret for so long?"

"That's what we're going to find out."

Luke watched Andreas check his weapon. A cold feeling overwhelmed him and he felt his lungs seize. Raymond patted his back, rubbing it gently. The Prince looked at his closest friend, at the reassuring look on his face. They all knew how to use weapons. Luke had made it a point never to really learn. He knew the basics in case of an emergency, but he didn't usually carry all the time. And now after everything else…

They started moving towards the main portion of the warehouse. Raymond led the way while Andreas watched their backs. If there was anything that could describe the scene they were in, it was that one scene in 'Sons of Anarchy' where they were sneaking into enemy territory to take revenge on the Mayans attack. That could be any scene in that show, so it really was that stressful. Except they didn't drive motorcycles.

His heart was pounding out of his chest. He hadn't done this type of work before but if it helped save his family, he would do it again.

Raymond cracked open a door and immediately shrank back. Two guys walked by chatting. They had to wait until they passed, but the hardest part was keeping their breathing under control. The more high risk the situation, the more their hearts beat out of control.

"I thought you said there was no one here," Rook whispered harshly.

"There weren't any out in the hallway. We couldn't get this far without being detected if there was someone lurking about," Andreas answered.

Raymond held up a hand and they fell silent. He watched the hallway closely. When he was satisfied, he motioned them out. They slipped through the door quickly and quietly.

Luke glanced around. He really was out of place, but he was trying his best to make it through. He didn't like this yet he was here doing what he could. His heart was beating out of his chest. It was so hard he was sure Winston and Queenie could hear him in their hiding spot.

They followed the long hallway until they came to another door. Raymond somehow picked the lock only to be met with a passcode lock after. He laughed humorlessly then waited for Winston to run the codes. When they had it, there was a ring as it unlocked.

"Where is this place?" Rook asked.

"It seems it's been modified from the original floor plan," Andreas said. "There shouldn't be any more walls than those put up when it was built."

"It's down this way," Raymond said. He took a left and went down the hall.

Luke felt something creep down his spine. Something was wrong. There shouldn't be someone here. Their last recon of the building had been a quiet one. No one had been around, but then again they had only looked at the back. There was no telling what was going on in the front. They could have completely missed the signs that this place was fully armed.

He followed Raymond though because he knew Raymond would try to keep him safe. Whatever was going on, it had all of their shoulders hunched as they waited for the shoe to drop.

They opened the last door and stopped just inside. Pallets after pallets after pallets of wrapped product were lined up along a massive one hundred foot by one hundred foot space. They were wrapped in butcher paper then wrapped in shrink wrap. The pallets were butted up against each other.

"How many do you think there are?" Rook asked.

"Easily over thirty million dollars worth, but I'm not sure how much this goes for on the street," Andreas replied. "We need a sample for the police. It's the only way a charge will stick."

"When is Cameron going to send in the calvary?" Raymond asked.

Luke shrugged. "I'm not sure. He just said Winston was going to give him a signal and he would send in his team." He looked around, deciding on a pallet that had the most coverage. "Let's get this over with so we can figure out the rest. I want to go home."

He did. He wanted to go home and check on Jud. He hadn't wanted to leave him behind. This was supposed to be his job. He was supposed to be the one who could sneak into other facilities and get the samples he wanted. He was the cop; he was the one who had the training to do it all. But he was laid up at home because of one raid that had ended with Jud laying in the street in a pool of his own blood.

Luke left the faety of the group and went to the corner of a pallet. He pulled out a pocket knife and sliced into the shrink wrap. He made a little diamond shape that wouldn't be noticed. Instead of getting a sample, he pulled the whole brick out. Raymond made a noise in his ear that told him he was going off the script, but Luke was tired of the constant battle with South Bay and Baymont.

He tucked the brick into his jacket and turned back to his group. They took several pictures and headed back the way they came. It was smooth sailing until Andreas tripped over a pole. It clattered to the concrete, and they all stopped.

It was like the parting of the Red Sea again. People poured out of every orifice possible. They were surrounded within a matter of minutes. Their reconnaissance had been faulty. Raymond hit the emergency button on his earbud then stood at ease.

"Look who it is!" some random guy spouted. Luke looked over at him. "The Prince of Baymont here in our own backyard."

"Last time I checked, Baymont was our territory," Luke said.

"Not for much longer." The mouthy man looked him over. "Damn, Luke. You look like you came in for war." His laugh echoed in Luke's ears and grated on his nerves. "Are you that distraught over that man's death? The cop's? Did you have a personal relationship with him and that's why when I shot him you were so torn up?"

Heat raced through Luke. Anger slowly built up, traveling up his body like a raging fire. He looked at Raymond, and his friend knew that the time for talking was just about over. The only problem is they were outnumbered. Luke needed to watch what he said.

"You're Eddie Jones?" Luke asked.

The guy smiled. "The one and only. Geez, do you know how good it felt to watch him fall then hear the news of his death. That captain had shut down every warehouse we had ever built in Baymont. As soon as we moved in the product, the place was raided. Imagine my surprise when he raids the one building I'm sent to watch. It was a prime moment, and I took it. But what was even more surprising was you."

He walked forward and flipped Luke's nose. "Had I known you and that cop were an item, I would have made him suffer instead of taking him out in one shot." He got in the man's face. "Tell me. How did you sound when he fucked you senseless."

Luke didn't wait anymore. He laid the fucker out with one punch. But that started a whole riot. They were overwhelmed immediately. Luke was snatched away from his friends and forced to his knees. He didn't care. He finally got a shot in on the asshole who had shot Jud. Nothing that happened after this mattered.

Eddie laughed and wiped his bleeding mouth. "I guess I deserved that. But now, I'm going to have fun making you suffer."

Raymond and Andreas did their best to get to Luke, but with the eight to one odds, they weren't going anywhere. And there was Rook as well. They had to decide who to protect. Luke was at least the same size as most of the men. Rook was not. She was half their size against even the smallest one.

Luke could endure a lot. So when Eddie started his torture, he didn't make a sound. Nothing hurt more than that night. Now Luke had a face to the person who did it. He could handle this.

There was a commotion in the back. Luke didn't have time to look around. He was too busy taking a punch to the face. He gave him a minute to reconsider before he broke free from the two holding him.

Luke didn't typically fight, but that didn't mean he didn't know how to. He shouldered the two men in the ribs and launched himself at Eddie. He got his knees on his shoulders and delivered three successive blows to the man's face. When the other two tried to pull him off, he slammed their heads together then stood.

When he turned around, he saw Raymond and Andreas fighting. Rook made her way over to Luke and pressed her back to his. They watched out for the others, making sure no one snuck up behind them. Who in the hell was doing this and making their getaway even worse?

When the chaos somewhat died down, Luke looked around. Thirty people had been taken out with insane precision. Eddie and a couple of other guys stirred a bit. Raymond called out, and Luke turned just as one of Eddie's lackeys atccked him.

A black figure stepped between Luke and slammed a flat hand into his neck. The guy crumpled and lay in a heap.

Luke looked around then back at the person who had just randomly showed up. He tilted his head despite all the movement and groanings behind him. In the distance he could hear sirens, but his focus was on the man before him.

Typically Luke didn't play into coincidences, but this was far more than a coincidence. He looked at the person intimately, trying to figure out what was going on. He looked over his body, noting the planes and divots well. It didn't take long for him to make it to the face. The green-grey eyes were the giveaway.

"You can uncover your face now," he whispered.

The man didn't argue. He pulled the black ball cap over his head followed by a balaclava. The green-grey eyes fit into the face that was technically supposed to be dead.

"Hey, Jud," Luke said.