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With the last of the crates finally loaded, he handed out car assignments and gave them the same spiel. He was just about to send them off when his phone signaled, and he motioned for them to wait when he saw Declan’s face flash across the screen.
“What’s up?”
“Second team left yet?” Declan’s voice was tight, and James straightened.
“Not yet. Problem?”
“Maybe. Niko Ivankov just showed up at this event to inform me his father would like me to know about a possible ambush.”
“An ambush? By who?” The group standing around him all jerked to attention. “I haven't heard anything from the first team.”
“He was light on the details. Apparently the Russians in New York want to test me. They reached out to Ivankov for assistance.”
James swore under his breath. “How long ago did they do that?”
“I don’t know. For his sake, I hope it was only today, or he’ll be down another finger—or worse.” James heard the lethal threat in his cousin’s tone. “I’ve already notified your father, but I want you to put the first team on alert for any kind of Russian interference. I want all my product to arrive safely in New York, James.”
“Absolutely. We might want to have Brogan expand his monitoring. See if he can find his way into some databases in New York to keep an eye on things.”
“Yes. Aidan is already on that. I’m stuck at this fucking thing a bit longer before I can bow out without causing a scene. Keep me posted.” Declan didn't wait for a response before disconnecting the call.
“Looks like New York’s Bratva haven’t learned it’s best not to fuck with the Callahan syndicate,” James said. “Rumor is they might be attempting an ambush. I don’t have any more than that,” he added over the questions.
“My father’s aware in New York, and I’ll put the other team on alert. They should be making contact for their first check-in any minute. Which means you need to roll out and watch your six.”
“We could delay by a day or two,” one of the Gallagher cousins suggested.
James shook his head. “That only gives them more time to plan and strategize, which might be exactly what they’re hoping for. There’s no other way to get the product there under the radar, and splitting it into smaller shipments only makes for more targets and divided resources.”
“We could take the longest route, throw them off,” Liam suggested.
“Yeah,” James agreed. “I think that’s the new plan. Plus I want the cars around the truck in a diamond. One in front, one behind, one on either side. You’ll have a better view that way. Check in every thirty minutes instead of every hour.”
His phone chirped as the men split off toward their assigned vehicles—an incoming call from the first team—and he swiped the pad of his thumb across the screen.
“Hey, we’ve got an issue. I need you to—”
“We’re being tailed,” Maguire said.
“Fuck,” James muttered. He didn’t need to ask if Maguire was sure. Their men were trained well enough to spot a tail. “For how long?”
“About twenty minutes. Two light-colored SUVs. New York plates.”
“What’s your location?” He secured the warehouse while he listened to the answer. “Why are you still so close?”
“Because I’ve been leading these fucks in circles as far out into the middle of nowhere as I can. I wanted to confirm before I reported in.”
“Okay. Good. Keep circling them. I want to make sure we’re covered from retaliation in New York before we take them out, but I’m on my way and calling in another team. I can be there in less than thirty minutes.”
James jumped into his car and gunned the engine, peeling out of the parking lot. “Maguire, get your second lead car to break away and come up behind them. We’ll flank when backup gets close.”
“Copy.”
The line went dead, and James punched in Declan’s number. “We’ve got a problem. A tail on the first shipment.” Declan bit off a curse. “New York plates, so I’ll hazard a guess it’s not Philly Bratva. Two SUVs. Maguire is leading them through the middle of nowhere. I’m heading up there to intercept and calling in backup.”
“Do it. I’m wrapping it up here. I’ll call Sean.”
James dialed Aidan to have him rally the team on standby and floored it once the call was done. He would not have his carefully orchestrated plans derailed by some Russian cowboys from New York who wanted to test the power of the Callahan syndicate. If they wanted to play with fire, they were going to get burned.
