Mother of God!"
Mother of God!"
Look, all I know so far is that someone named Ronin delivered a dead body that he purposely made it look like Jimmy had murdered him. There is security camera footage of Jimmy attacking Nick and I was advised to, and I quote, "do the right thing."
"What was what exactly?" asked Jimmy , with a nervous expression on his face.
Harry looked at him seriously. "What do you think, asshole?"
Jimmy leaned back in his seat after that, which I appreciated. The guy was a crybaby at his best moments, but add some adversity and he was a real pain in the ass.
"And that's not the worst of it " I added. He used my numbers consultant to steal from me, so this mysterious Ronin has a copy of my ledgers.
"What the hell?" growled Corina . "Do you know the risk this poses to others?"
"Of course I do "I spat . I'm not an idiot. That's why I buried the body rather than give in to their demands. I decided to protect you and our society over the whims of a mediocre blackmailer .
"I appreciate that "Corina said gritting her teeth as she glared angrily at her brother.
I have money and time. Rebuilding a criminal underworld is easy when you have that, but I value our collaboration much more. All I ask is that you give me the same faith if this Ronin contacts you.
Holland stood and bowed. "You have the word of the Ron . We will warn you of any rumors we hear. I will also send one of our witches to assist you."
"Just know that Jimmy will receive the deserved punishment for his slight to your name. Corina's honey-colored eyes flashed with fury." It didn't bother me that Jimmy had slept with Lila ; we were only nominally spouses now, as our marriage had ended decades ago, but it was against the rules we established when we started this partnership between the Three Families. Perhaps the time had come to change some of them, but that was not the topic of conversation today.
The door to the meeting room burst open and Bonnie rushed in, her face expressionless and her gaze deadly. "Chief, we have to go."
"Why, what happened, is Bailey okay?" Panic began to boil in my chest as a hundred equally terrible scenarios flashed through my mind.
"Bailey is fine " Bonnie said quickly, reassuring me." It's the dock warehouse."
"What's wrong with it?" growled Harry .
"It's exploded."
Rage surged through my veins at Bonnie's words . "That bastard!"
The warehouse was one of my many storerooms, where I kept everything from drugs to weapons. I left the room, promising to inform the other families as soon as I knew more.
"What's the damage report?" asked Harry to Bonnie as we walked out of the hotel.
"It looks like nothing was stolen. It looks like someone set fire to it just for fun. " Bonnie almost looked impressed.
I pulled out my phone and texted Ackles .
TO ME
Explosion at the warehouse. Get Bailey home safe and sound.
He texted back almost immediately.
ACKLES
Yes, boss. I'm leaving now.
Good. That meant I could concentrate on the problem without worrying about Bailey . Then I called Roxie.
Hey, doll face, what can I do for you on this fine afternoon?
"Rose , the dock warehouse is compromised. Send me pictures of the area and find out what happened. " I ended the call, I wasn't in the mood for small talk. "Let's go."
I climbed into the car with the others. Harry drove, screeching the tires on the asphalt as we left the hotel.
My phone buzzed with a video of Rose . It showed a hooded figure calmly exiting the building and waving at the camera. I couldn't see under his hood, but I knew it was him. My mysterious Ronin. A few seconds later, the screen filled with the bright light of the explosion and the camera feed went blank.
HANNA
"What the hell is going on?" I asked Ackles as we walked back to Checov Manor .
"Nothing " he replied, his voice a little higher pitched than usual. "Nothing, my ass."
I followed him into the living room, where he went straight to one of the cabinets and poured himself a drink. "Don't lie to me, Ackles . We were having fun and suddenly we had to leave. Where's Damon ? Where's everyone else ?"
He drained his glass and turned to me, his expression suspiciously vacant. "I was just looking at something."
"Are they in danger?" Fuck, why did it feel like my insides were being pulled out in different directions?
"They're always in danger," he said with cutting words.
Whew, how ridiculous. "Enough with the riddles. Just tell me."
"It's not my place, Hanna . There are secrets here that I can't..."
The door burst open and Harry rushed in, Damon in his arms covered in blood.
"Mother of God!"I ran to them." Put him on the couch!"
He did as I asked and Damon grunted in pain as he hit the couch. Oh my God, my stomach cringed as I saw his wounds up close. His chest was ripped to shreds, completely mangled.
"He needs a hospital," I said, and my training kicked in as I catalogued the damage.
Several shrapnel wounds.
Gunshot wound to the right shoulder and upper thigh.