“Alive doesn’t mean whole.” She smirked, licking her fork. “The feds will capture him alive but seeing as how we nurtured him into the big bad wolf he is, I think for his final chapter, we should help him live up to his new reputation.”
“This might be more than his reputation can handle,” I said, looking at all the bombs.
“It was Darcy who gave me the idea with his little stunt,” she replied. “Besides, you need the time, while all the…good ones in the city are searching for their loved ones, your people can do what they have to do.”
I paused, looking down at all the houses again. My eyebrow raised as I realized these weren’t just any hostages—they were the families of police officers.
“The police are not the best negotiators when civilians are on the line,” I muttered.
“Which is why you have to use their family…or families,” she answered.
“And how do you know he will say what we want him to say?” I asked her.
“Those who want to live will do anything to survive. Especially if they’re strapped to a bomb,” she muttered the last part behind her cup. “Would you like to do the honors? The code is our anniversary.”
“Which anniversary?”
She shrugged. I glanced up at Dino, who had stood like a statue, blocking the view of the phone and myself from the rest of the restaurant with his body. Taking out my own phone, I typed a single message. “Be ready.”
I touched one of the houses, there were two old men strapped to their chairs; it was in the northern part of the city in Rearden. A small box on them appeared, and my hand trembled, but not from fear—typing in the code was too easy. One minute they were there, and the next, the screen was disconnected.
“There are a lot of upsides to being Mrs. Callahan,” Calliope muttered gently, looking out the window. “Those things lose all their charm when you are so far away. I mean, I planned so much, and I cannot even see the flames.”
“It’s beneath our pay grade,” I said, putting the phone the table.
“I know.” She pouted, looking at me. “But it’s not as fun.”
A second later, all around us, like a descending army, were sirens; all throughout the restaurant, people turned to face us. And we pretended as if we did not notice, or they were only looking out the window…as we were. The armored cars rushed past the restaurant and down the street. Seconds later, alerts pinged from our phones.
Alert: Bombing in Rearden.
“Excuse me, can we get another cup of coffee here,” Calliope asked calmly.
I just smirked.
This was the Calliope I knew.
CALLIOPE
“Johnson, after eight hours, the standoff between Miguel Munha, head of the Rocha Cartel and over a hundred FBI, ICE agents, as well as local police, has finally come to a gruesome end. As of now, the body count has reached twenty-seven dead and several others wounded. Miguel Munha held numerous family members of law enforcement captive, strapped with explosives, demanding a private car to the airport and a jet to Venezuela. To prove he was serious, Munha kept the hostages at different locations, spreading law enforcement across the state.
“When negotiations either failed or reached a standstill, it was said that members of the Rocha Cartel detonated the explosives. Law enforcement said it was only by accident that Munha detonated his own device, giving them a chance to save the other victims. There are conflicting reports as of now, some saying that Miguel was killed in the blast, others saying he was taken into FBI custody.
“Neither the interim Governor, Sofia Lambert or Mayor, Alro Conway have provided statements on this breaking news. However, with the suspect of Illinois’s most heinous crimes now in federal custody, all eyes are once again on Chicago. For decades, the city has been plagued with the reputation of death, corruption, and violence in which they have tried so hard to shed… And at one point, for a few brief years, it seemed to have changed altogether, with growth in both the city’s technological
and pharmaceutical fields. However, after the past few months, violence in the city is at an all-time high. There was the bombing in St. Peter’s Cathedral, followed by the assassination of government officials due to the corruption of one of those same officials. We must ask, is Chicago forever doomed to be the most dangerous place in America—”
“Excuse you! I was listening to that!” I snapped.
He turned back at me, his green eyes meeting mine. And it was annoying how effortlessly handsome he looked…especially when he was happy. “I think you’ve basked in your victory long enough.”
“There is no such thing.” I huffed, coming over to stand next to him he stood at the top of the warehouse office, looking down as one by one, men brought all the drugs back. “You are welcome, by the way.”
“It was a team effort.”
I wanted to kick him and that arrogant grin on his handsome face. “When I screw up, it’s me on my own. When I get the win, it’s a team effort?”
“That sounds about right—Ah…”