Chapter 71 Chapter 71
DAMIEN'S POV
"Are you sure you are able to go out? I mean, in your state, you would only be a liability boss." One of my men asked. This was the first one out of all the side stares and whispers I had been privy to the minute I walked into the house, leaning against Marcus for support.
I turned to him with a glare that had him taking several steps back. The other guys in the room had suddenly stopped loading their weapons as a result of his inept attempt to be the hero and speak their minds.
Without thinking twice or responding, I pulled up the gun and emptied seven fully loaded shells in the world just narrowly past his head.
The frozen look on his face gave me all the satisfaction I needed. If you had ever seen a grown man shake and shit his pants, then here was a perfect viewing example.
"Are we ready?" Marcus' voice asked, as he stepped into the room, clearly sensing the tension but pretending not to notice it.
I walked out, letting the silence breathe in my absence. "You know, the guys are just worried, that's all." His voice of reason was annoying. Since when had he become the voice of reason my men paid attention to?
" A coup before I'm dead? Is that what this is? I asked mechanically.
"I haven't forgotten where your allegiance lies. So, if you're going to join my enemies in trying to take me down, then you'd better make your move now and get it over with.
"That is not happening, but we have to keep the Syndicate strong. The boys don't have any reason not to worry. You are constantly roped in by that girl, Lisa. She has nothing to do with this war. She is just a casualty, and if anything, she should have been disposable."
I sniffled with a smile and nodded. It was obvious to me that everyone was running mad, and Marcus was somewhat their leader.
"Are you leading a coup against me now? Are you going to stand there and disrespect my eadrrship? After all this time?"
Marcus stood down, hands raised. He backed away from me slowly, surrendering. "I'm just saying, Don. Lisa might be the reason we are headed into Alexander's den right now, but she will also be his decoy. If push comes to shove and you are caught in a save-on situation, this syndicate would still be ruled by another in your absence-- if, in the event, you choose recklessly."
He had a point. Perhaps I was putting too much priority on Lisa, but then again, I had never failed when I intended to recklessly save someone. I either put in the effort or die trying.
Suddenly, my phone beeped. I unlocked it to find an encrypted message typed out haphazardly in Morse code.
"It read, sabotage, not come for help." Immediately, I knew it was Lisa trying to warn me. A sneer crawled up my face. Of course, Alexander was prepared. If he wasn't, I'd be disappointed.
"What is it, boss?" Marcus asked.
"Alexander has set a sabotage waiting..."
Another message entered. "They're using dismantled old weapons as an exchange for the goods?" I mutter, reading the message.
"I hear those things make a fortune on the black market in Russia. I had no idea they actually bought it off with exchanges. The Russians really can do anything. So what does this mean?" He asked.
"It means that Alexander is expecting your lot to raid his business place and steal useless metal, thinking it is money. So, instead of giving him problems, you end up being chased down by Russian criminal lords. He is a lot smarter than I thought." Victor replied, walking in with four of his men.
The sight of them made my blood boil. It was bad enough having one of them in my house; four felt like an attack. "What are you doing here? We asked to meet at the dock."
"Well, plans changed. The men aren't meeting at the dock anymore. The Russians don't even trust them; they moved the shipment to a different location. If we attack the Russians and take Alexander's goods, we could die, so we wait for the exchange to happen as usual and stop his men at a far point close to their destination."
"Then what? Steal their vehicles and clothes?" All eyes turned on Marcus, and he shrugged his shoulders, thinking he had said something stupid.
"Ridiculous, but it might work," I replied. "If Alexander believes his men are returning, then we need to attack just one vehicle and follow the rest. You said they were three hours and forty minutes away, which should be one of his safe houses."
"Yeah, it is actually. I did the digging, his cars have trackers, and the GPS would already be set. So even if he is tracking his packages, he wouldn't know who is coming."
"Good, we can use that. We will use his own goods to sabotage him. Alexander won't blow us up carrying his goods worth billions of dollars." I said.
LISA'S POV
The young guy walked out of the room bearing weapons in cartons, and then Alexander's frame approached.
"Boss," the lazy young man bowed to him, and Alexander patted his shoulder encouragingly. I sat up on the bed.
As the man exited, the man outside the door walked in, and I covered my mouth to muffle the gasp. That was Carlos, one of Damien's men. Was he a mole?
"How are things coming along on their end?" I heard Alexander ask him.
"The boss, I mean, Damien, has insisted on moving forward despite his injury. They are currently stacking up weapons, preparing for an attack. He is very determined to rescue her."
Alexanderr turned his eyes on me, and I sank back quietly. A smirk replaced his previously stern expression and his eyes held a glint that said everything was going according to plan.
"That's very good. Make sure the men are ready. What about the little surprise we left for them?" He asked, still watching me.
"The men are already waiting outside the building, sir. All they need now are your orders." Carlos replied.
My heart caught in my throat. He was planning to sabotage Damien's base.
Alexander looked pensive for a moment, as if toying with the idea of playing god. Everything hung in the balance, and the air sizzled with tension as to what his next move would be.