Slash.
She’s the one. She’s always been the one.
Sin drove them to ALPHA HQ in Tysons. First time for Carrera, and he chuffed out a chuckle as he eyed the ALPHA MEAT PACKING sign over the front door.
After Sin parked out back, Cooper let them in. Another windowless building with nothing in the offices to identify the occupants. During their morning meeting with Providence and Cooper, they went into detail about an organization few knew existed. After a thorough briefing, Cooper asked Carrera if he had questions.
“What’s the deciding factor in ALPHA making an arrest versus a kill mission?” Carrera asked.
“Z,” Sin replied. “He bases it on the rap sheet, on the number of arrests, DNA?—”
“If the perp escaped from prison,” Providence added.
“A lot of it depends on the actual mission,” Cooper clarified. “Some start out as an arrest, but if they open fire, it’s all over.”
When the meeting ended, Carrera and Sin said their goodbyes and left.
On the fifteen-minute ride to Great Falls, Carrera asked Sin, “When does Luciano get involved?”
“That’s where things get interesting,” Sin explained. “Luciano has a lot of connections in the underworld. He’s plugged in to the dark web, knows where to look, who to ask. He loves the thrill of the hunt, so the more dangerous the monster, the happier he is.”
“That, I knew,” Carrera said.
They’d ordered lunch from Carole Jean’s, Jericho’s Michelin-starred restaurant. When they arrived, the maître d’ hurried outside with their order. “Good to see you, Mr. Develin. Bon appétit.” He tucked the bag behind the back seat of Sin’s Mercedes-Maybach sedan.
Back on the road, Sin continued. “Luciano focuses on the monsters who harm women and children, so when he’s trackingsomeone, he’ll run the name by me. Sometimes we get a hit that law enforcement is after him, sometimes not. More guys get away with murder, rape, trafficking than are caught. If he finds them, he eliminates them.”
“He doesn’t believe in second chances,” Carrera added.
“No,” he doesn’t.” A sinister smile filled Sin’s face. “That’s what makes him so deadly.”
Sin drove off a main road, made a few turns before he entered a wooded area. Just before the road dead-ended, he turned onto a dirt road, passing a large sign.
Private Property
NO TRESSPASSING
Sin drove to the end. In a clearing stood a windowless warehouse, similar to ALPHA, though this building didn’t have a front entrance or visible signage. After driving around back, he tapped a button on his console, and an oversized door lifted, revealing a large garage with several identical black SUVs parked in neat rows.
After parking, he tapped the button, and the door lowered.
“Welcome to BLACK OPS,” Sin said before exiting the vehicle. He grabbed the food, and the men walked toward a glass door.
Sin made a call. “We’re here.”
A moment later, his identical twin, Dakota Luck, opened the door. Carrera could tell them apart by how they styled their hair. Sin wore his combed back, whereas Dakota’s was wild and unruly.
Otherwise, they were identical. Same height, same build, same eye color. Both had light beards and mustaches. Both woredark suits, white collared shirts. Sin wore a black tie, Dakota a pink one.
“Hey,” Dakota said to his brother before shooting Carrera a smile. “Let’s get you set up on the system.”
They scanned his retina, took his picture and his fingerprints. Minutes later, he had full access to a building he didn’t know existed ten minutes ago.
The building was drab, both inside and out. Concrete exterior. Gray paint on the walls, the flooring was concrete covered with luxury vinyl tile.
“I’ll meet you in the small conference room,” Sin said.
Dakota showed him the individual offices. No art, no family pics, no plants, not even a fake one. Desks, chairs, a few had a sofa tucked against the wall. The large conference room had six monitors affixed to the wall.
