Page 28 of Kane's Kingdom

"Bodies aren't the objective," I say. "The operation is. Vehicles, product, money, weapons. We take away every reason they came here."

"And Dekker?" Judge asks.

"He leaves breathing."

Griz shifts. "Doesn't that make us look soft?"

I shake my head. "No." I meet his eyes across the table. "He carries the warning."

Nobody says anything after that. We ride out thirty minutes later.

Not in one roaring column, the way King would've done it. We split before the highway, approach from three roads and kill our lights before we reach the depot.

The night is thick and warm beside the river. Insects grind in the weeds, and water knocks softly against the pilings beneath the old loading dock.

Wilder cuts the power at one fourteen. The building drops into darkness.

Cash is through the side gate before the backup lights come on. Tank reaches the dock and deals with the boat. Judge and six brothers move on the front entrance while the rest close around the yard.

By the time Dekker's men understand they're surrounded, their vehicles can't move and their only open exit leads straight to me.

One of them comes through the side door carrying a shotgun. Griz puts him on the ground before he can raise it.

The next man is smarter and drops his weapon. The third tries to run toward the river and meets Tank.

It's over quickly, though not quietly. There are a few punches, one gunshot into concrete when a man's hand jerks the wrong way, and bodies on the ground, conscious enough to understand what's happening and hurt enough not to interfere.

Kingdom Come moves through the depot with the efficiency of men who've spent years doing worse things for worse reasons.

Cash and Wilder empty a safe. Judge collects documents and phones. Brothers destroy enough product to wipe out months of profit. Dekker watches it happen from his knees in the middle of the warehouse. Blood runs from his nose onto the white shirt he wore when he met me upriver.He looks less expensive now.

I walk toward him. One of his men groans nearby. Another curls around a broken arm. Dekker lifts his head. "You made your point. You said I'd get a warning."

"You got it."

I stop in front of him. "You put a rock through her window. And you tried to run her off the road. Then I stood in front of you and told you exactly what would happen if you touched her again."

His gaze flicks toward the yard, where his operation is being dismantled piece by piece.

"She's alive."

The sentence is a mistake. I hit him hard enough to turn him over. He catches himself on one hand and tries to rise. I kick his arm out from under him, then haul him upright by his shirt.

"She was inside."

"I didn't order--"

"You ordered the pressure. You picked the target. Everything after that belongs to you."

He swings, slow and desperate. I block it and drive my fist into his ribs. Something gives beneath the blow. He folds, but I don't let him fall. The rage stays exactly where I put it, neither wild nor blind, but aimed.

I hit him again, and the memory of Bella on the ground outside the Landing flashes through me. Soot in her hair. Her cough. Her hand lifting to my face because she saw my fear and tried to comfort me while her cafe burned behind her. Another blow drops Dekker to one knee, and I drag him back up.

"You thought my father dying made Ransom available."

Blood coats his teeth when he breathes. "You're proving me right about the club."

"No." I drive him into the concrete pillar behind him. "I'm proving you wrong about me."