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* * *
After the brothers left the private room, I called Giovanni. When he picked up, I cleared my throat, keeping a careful restraint on my rage. As much as I wanted to outright accuse him of setting me up, I had to tread carefully. Giovanni Caruso was just as powerful as me or the Murphys. If war ever broke out among our families, I’m not sure which of us would walk out alive.
“Shane,” he answered politely.
“I need to ask you something, and I need you to be one hundred percent honest with me,” I began.
I heard his chair creak over the phone as he sat back.
“What is your question?” he asked. As far as I could tell, there wasn’t any animosity behind it, but I couldn’t be certain. I didn’t know him well enough.
“During our meeting, my bride Ada Murphy was kidnapped by the Kozlovs,” I said simply.
“Those low-lifebastards,” he swore.
“I have no idea how they knew that she would be alone, Giovanni. I need to know if you tipped them off.”
“Absolutely not. The Kozlovs have been a fucking thorn in my side ever since they started pushing into the city. They’ve blown up a number of my establishments, but I haven’t been able to get close enough to make them pay for it.”
“You had nothing to do with Ada’s kidnapping?”
“No. I’ve interacted with Ada on many occasions. She’s a fine woman. I wouldn’t wish ill on her, nor would I ever make a move against her.”
“Thank you for telling me that,” I replied, still wary even though I wanted to believe him.
“Tell you what. Let me look into a few things and I’ll get back to you. Let me assure you that I consider the Kozlovs my enemy. I didn’t set you up. If I can find anything out, that’ll prove that I’m not your enemy and that the Carusos and the Kavanaghs are allies, just like we were when your father sat at the head of your family.”
“I appreciate that, Giovanni,” I replied.
“Talk soon, Shane,” he replied, and I hung up the phone and headed out.
The Murphys had already hit the ground looking for information. I went back to meet with my own family and sent my own soldiers out on the case.
Several hours later, my phone rang. It was Giovanni. He was adamant about the fact that my enemy was his enemy. In order to prove that, he’d utilized every tool at his disposal and had been able to unearth the location of where they were keeping her. I thanked him profusely and immediately called Kieran to deliver the news.
The Kozlovs had funneled her over to Brighton, an area of the city that was known as Little Russia. She was being kept in the basement of Kalinka Bakery, a small, successful storefront that was likely now being used to launder money. The owners had emigrated from Moscow only in the past year and likely had ties to the Kozlovs. That, or Anton had just muscled his way in and had taken over himself. Either option was likely at this point.
The five of us met back at Murphy’s. The twins had procured a number of weapons which were distributed between us. Cormac had collected blueprints of the surrounding area, and Kieran had already procured a file on the owners and the neighborhoods surrounding the bakery. The plan was to break into the abandoned storefront next door through the back entryway and then blow a hole into the basement of the bakery from down below. Between the five of us, we were going to take Ada back.
It was just a matter of how many of us and how many of the Kozlovs were going to die in the process.
* * *
It was dark by the time we pulled around into a back alleyway about a block away from the bakery. Cormac switched off the headlights, drove the rest of the way, and parked behind a cargo van. As far as I could tell, there wasn’t anyone patrolling the alley. We moved slowly on foot anyway, cognizant of the fact that someone could be watching from above or from some hidden position further down. All of us had our guns cocked in our hands as we maneuvered through the dark shadows, our movements in concert without needing to speak.
My fury was bubbling beneath the surface, so much so that I could barely keep the lid on it. Having Ada’s brothers near me kept me calm. I kept my building desire to rip Anton apart limb by limb in check as much as I could, but it was difficult the more I imagined his hands on her.
As we approached the bakery, we held our position and took stock of the area. There was a lone soldier standing guard at the back door of the bakery. Kieran held up his hand, signaling us to stop. Conner moved ahead of him, just far enough away to slip on a pair of night vision goggles. He surveyed the alleyway and pointed out a few more additional men. In silence, Kieran pointed to each one of us and then to the men stationed around us, silently passing out assignments.
We began to move.
I wasn’t a stranger to physical combat. I’d been involved in more than my fair share of scuffles in the past. Deciding stealth was more important, I holstered my weapon as I approached the backdoor. It wouldn’t do Ada any good if the Kozlovs knew we were coming. That would just put her at risk more than she was already, and I wasn’t willing to take a chance with her life.
The Russian soldier was busy smoking a cigarette as he strode back and forth. I waited until his back was turned before I jumped him from behind. My hand clamped down on his mouth at the same time my other arm curled around his throat. I twisted his head hard enough to knock him out cold. Immediately, his body went slack, and I dragged him out of the ally as much as possible and hid him in the shadows of a recessed doorway.
I debated on killing him for a long moment, but then decided against it. It would be a needless death at this point.
I glared down at him before I looked out to see how her brothers were doing. I watched in silence as each Russian soldier was overcome by the Murphy brothers. Like me, all of them chose stealth over gunfire. One by one, they returned to the back, their assignments complete. Cormac tested the back door of the shop next to the bakery. None of us were surprised when he found it locked.
