Foxy In Lingerie (Lingerie 10)

“This is the new plan,” Cane said, keeping me grounded. “We get Conway first. He might know something.”

“He doesn’t know anything,” I hissed. “He’s completely unaware.”

“I mean about Sapphire. He might have a tracker on her. I’ve still got one on Adelina to this day.”

And I had one on Button. It wasn’t about crazy possessiveness, but for situations like this. I’d worked so hard to have a quiet life, and now all that had been taken from me. I wanted to raise a family and keep them safe. But no matter what, I kept getting dragged into this. I got rid of Bones, and I still wound up here. “You’re right.”

“I know I am. Now let’s do this.” He pushed the door open and hopped out, his automatic rifle held at the ready.

We met with the second group of troops, making twelve of us altogether. That was all I could round up on such short notice. There were more men, but there weren’t enough of them who wanted the money enough to risk their lives. I hadn’t lied about the situation we were getting into, so some of them turned down the offer.

But when it came to Cane and me, we were as strong as five men each.

Especially when my son’s life was on the line.

Silent and with impeccable stealth, we moved down the street and approached the banquet from the back entrance of the building, knowing they would strike from the rear instead of completely in the open. They would probably lure Conway out the side entrance by pulling some stunt.

Unless he finally looked at his phone.

We stopped at the corner and peered across the street. Just as I expected, there were black cars parked everywhere, providing adequate coverage on every single corner. We were surrounded on all sides. Our only option was to break into three different teams and move simultaneously.

“Fuck,” Cane said. “They don’t give a shit, do they?”

“No…they don’t.” These guys were willing to take down a celebrity even when hordes of people were gathered at the entrance on the next street. They obviously thought they were above the law, that they could disappear into the night without any questions asked.

Who were we dealing with?

“Did Bones say who these guys were?”

“No.” But in his defense, I didn’t give him much of a chance. “We’ll break into three teams. I don’t see any other way around it.”

“Neither do I,” Cane said. “But I’ve got to say…the odds aren’t in our favor. We’ve been through some tough shit, but this…I’ve got a bad feeling about it.” He stared out at the street, his jaw clenched tightly.

“You don’t have to do this, Cane. I know you have your own family.” I wouldn’t judge him if he backed out. He had a wife and two kids, a family that would be devastated if something happened to him. “But I have to do this…even if I don’t make it.” I wouldn’t turn away just because the odds were overwhelming. I’d rather die saving my son than live a life without him.

Cane turned back to me, a pained look still on his face. “No. Conway is like a son to me. I’m here to the end. I just don’t have high hopes this time…not that I ever really did before.”

I nodded, appreciating what he said more than I could articulate in words. I extended my hand.

He took it then pulled me in for a one-armed embrace. “If we don’t make it—”

“I know.” I patted the back of his head. “I love you too.”

Four

Bones

When Max and I arrived, the gunshots were already flying.

Police stayed back, understanding this wasn’t their fight, and if they wanted to go home to their families, they needed to keep looking the other way, even if the media didn’t understand what was going on.

Men hid behind their cars, firing shots across the street. When Max and I came onto the scene, heavily armed with every intention of killing everyone on that block, people had already broken into three different groups. The right corner had two sets of men firing back and forth from their Hummers.

Another car was situated next to the back alley, and as we turned the corner, we saw two men drag Conway by both arms out of the alleyway. Conway was beaten up pretty badly, bleeding from his nose and mouth with two black eyes. He’d obviously put up a fight before they finally beat him into submission.

Max crouched beside me, eyeing the scene from behind the dumpster. “Looks like they got him.”

“And we can’t let them get away.” I watched them shove Conway’s body into the back of an SUV, his arms cuffed behind his back like a criminal. Once those guys were on the road and out of the city, they would be untraceable.

“Where are the Barsettis?”