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“No.”

I could push it, but instead, I make a mental note to keep an eye on them. I don’t have the time or notion to take over their operation, but sacrifices can be made.

“Fine. I’ve already sent correspondence with proof to all crime families with a warning, so the point is moot.”

That bomb has Reaper jolting, Hunter grinning, and Mishka looking stoic and unsurprised. Reaper’s mouth opens to argue, but I ignore them and continue. “The dark web is already full of groups trying to figure out who did it, how, and why. Many are accusing others, and it’s creating the exact instability that we need. They are making mistakes, and we start making our point. They don’t need to know who we are yet, but they need to know we’re out there. We start with our list of targets, and we move fast. We’re going beyond Russia. We’re going to them all.”

“Oh, this is gonna be fun.” Hunter rubs their hands together. “Who’s our first target?”

“We hit multiple at once. Teams will divide up. And we go after the big players. The ones that rely on their shipments of young girls to get where they’re going for all their money. We make their buyers question if they’ve been double-crossed.”

“You want to start a bunch of wars?” Reaper gapes. “Are you insane?”

Mishka snorts, but I ignore him. “Wars are a part of the world we’re in. Shit happens, and in this one, we’re not the ones who have to worry about being on the wrong end. We make others handle the work we don’t have the time or manpower to deal with. I’m not seeing a problem.”

Reaper remains silent. They know I’m right, but they don’t like it. They’ll get over it.

“We watch, and we slowly make them know who we are. Eventually, they’re going to realize we’re a threat. Then we start our next phase.”

“Taking these assholes out?” Hunter asks.

“If they need to be, then yes, that’s possible. But we’ll start making them aware that they play by our rules, and if they don’t, then we take action and they pay for it.”

“So we’re not doing some big ransom and production of this?” Hunter asks, frowning.

I give them an are-you-stupid stare. “We operate in secret, and doing that is the complete opposite of what we’re trying to accomplish.”

“I like the idea of them realizing who’s in charge, but yeah, got it. I’ll just fantasize about it, then. I have a few new toys I’ve been wanting to try out.”

“We don’t need to know that shit,” Reaper gripes.

“Sounds like someone needs some recommendations,” Hunter taunts.

“Children, please.” I sigh. Really, this is how my life is going?

I’d rather be in Ilya’s bed being dicked down until I pass out than deal with this bullshit. Which reminds me, I have to get things prepped for when I eventually go back. I make a mental note to have my contacts get in there and get things ready for me.

Ilya’s going to be pissed when I tell him what I’ve done, but he’ll get over it. If he doesn’t, I’m sure I can convince him.

I pull out two folders of my own. “Hunter, you will handle the assignment in Mexico. The cartels are big on the drug trade, but they’re also big on trafficking and won’t see this coming. All the details and your assignment are in there. Make sure your team doesn’t fuck this up.

“Reaper, your assignment is going to be the Albanians, and you’ll need to move fast. My information is that they’re getting ready to send a shipment to South America, and we don’t want it to make it there. There’s talk of over a hundred children ranging in age from three to fifteen. It is not to make it there.”

Reaper sits up straighter, eyes sharp. “When does the shipment leave?” they ask.

“Twenty-four hours, so you need to move.”

“We’ll be ready.” Determination radiates.

“Good. Enforcer, your assignment is to deal with the mess in California.” Mishka looks like he wants to roll his eyes at me, but he simply nods. “Good. I have a few things to clear up. Keep me updated on the status of the job assignments.”

“I’ll be a week for mine, based on this,” Hunter advises. “But yeah, I’ll be in touch.”

“It will take time for me to reroute the kids, but I’ll be finished in a week,” Reaper agrees.

“Good. We land in twenty minutes, and then we get to work.”

When we land, everyone disperses, and I double back to meet Mishka at the secondary plane waiting. The very one that will take us to his territory.