Weapons

Weapons
Dante led Rex through the industrial district where abandoned factories stood. One of these warehouses belonged to him. It was the place where some merchandise of his were taken to avoid being discovered by others.

The doors swung open with a deep metallic groan. Rex stepped inside and froze.

The warehouse was enormous. High ceilings disappeared into shadows, he could only see the lights and not farther.  But what made Rex’s breath catch wasn’t the size. It was what filled the space.

Weapons. Everywhere.

Rows of guns lined the walls in neat arrangements. Handguns, rifles, shotguns. All polished and maintained like they were pieces of art. Blades of every size. Knives, machetes, swords. Some looked military grade. Others looked custom made.

Rex’s throat got tight. His hands started shaking. “What the hell is all this?”

Dante walked past him. He looked almost like he wasn’t in a room filled with guns but rather in his living room. “What does it look like? It’s business. Protection. Supply lines. Everything we need to survive.”

“Protection?” Rex’s voice got sharper. “This looks like enough weapons to start a war. Why do you need this much firepower?”

Dante turned to face him. His expression was serious now. Almost sad.

“Because we don’t fight just one enemy, Rex. We fight the police. We fight rival gangs. We fight politicians who want us dead. We fight federal agents who want to put us in cages.” His voice got harder. “Without this arsenal, the Sinclair family doesn’t survive a week.”

Rex stared at the weapons surrounding them. Each gun represented death. Each blade represented violence. Each crate probably held enough destruction to level city blocks.

“So all of this,” Rex said slow, “all the killing, all the chaos, all the blood. It’s for survival?”

“Mostly, but we also sell some.” Dante stopped talking for a second, he stared at Rex and then explained. “We don’t kill for sport. We don’t hurt people because we’re bored. We kill when someone crosses us. When they threaten our family. When they try to take what’s ours.”

He stepped closer to Rex.

“There’s a difference between being a monster and being a survivor.”

But before Rex could respond, another voice cut through. It was filled with anger and frustration.

“This is a mistake.”

Rex spun around. Draco stood near the entrance. His arms were crossed over his chest. His face was twisted with fury. His jaw was so tight Rex could see the muscles jumping under his skin.

“You actually brought him here,” Draco said. His voice was full of disgust. “Do you realize what you’ve done? You’ve compromised everything we’ve built. Put our entire operation at risk.”

His eyes turned to Rex ans he sneered, ignoring him and looking towards his boss.

“This place is supposed to be secret. Sacred. And you bring a cop here like it’s some tourist attraction.”

Rex felt his own anger rising. He could understand that Draco was being cautious but Draco should also understand him. Understand the fact that he had lost everything because of them. “I’m not a cop anymore.”

“Once a cop, always a cop,” Draco spat. “You think changing clothes changes who you are inside? You think we’re stupid enough to trust someone who spent years trying to destroy us?”

His voice got louder.

“There’s nothing you could ever do that would make me believe you belong here. Nothing that would prove you’re one of us.”

Dante stepped between them. His voice was firm but not angry.

“Draco, calm down.”

“Calm down?” Draco laughed. But there was no humor in it. “You want me to stay calm, boss? While you hand over our secrets to someone who was hunting us last week? A stranger?”

“He’s not a stranger,” Dante said quiet. “And he’s not a cop anymore. He’s with us now. And you will deal with it.”

Draco stared at Dante for a long moment. Dante didn’t want to keep repeating the same thing over and over again. But he did understand Draco though. Draco had always been the type to worry even though there wasn’t any need to. 

And now, he was just worried again. 

Draco turned and walked toward the exit. Leaving Dante alone with Rex.

Dante sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He looked tired like he didn’t want to be caught in between this drama. 

“Ignore him,” Dante said. “He’s stubborn but he’ll come around eventually. He always does.”

Rex wasn’t so sure about that.

After giving Rex a quick tour of the warehouse, Dante and Draco left. Rex was supposed to stay behind and get familiar with the layout. Learn where everything was stored.

But instead, he just wandered the aisles like a ghost. This was the world he had spent his entire career fighting against. The world he had sworn to destroy.

Now he was standing in the middle of it. A part of it.

Later that night, back at the bar, Dante and Draco returned. That’s when the lawyer showed up. He looked like he brought bad news everywhere he went.

“We have a problem,” he said without any greeting.

Rex felt his stomach drop. “What kind of problem?”

“The kind that could put you both in prison for the rest of your lives,” the lawyer said. He wasn’t sugar coating anything. “The police are building a case around Carlos Mandala’s kidnapping and murder. The evidence trail leads back to that box you sent to the Mandala family.”

He handed files to both Dante and Rex.

“Some of the men from this bar are going to have to testify. These files contain exactly what they need to say. Every word. Every detail. Memorize it. Stick to the script. Don’t improvise.”

Rex opened his file and started reading. The lies were carefully crafted. Each alibi was detailed and believable.

He looked up at the lawyer. “Be honest with me. Do you actually think we can win this case?”

The lawyer closed his briefcase. He gave Rex a long look that didn’t inspire confidence.

“We’ll work with what we have,” he said finally. “Follow the scripts. Hope the jury believes us. That’s all we can do.”

It wasn’t the reassurance Rex had wanted.

“Oh please, you shouldn’t worry about that fucking Fernando bastard. Even after staying in hiding for years, he is still unable to do much of anything. 

Rex ignored him and was about to ask another question when he felt Dante’s hand brush against his arm. The touch was warm and unexpected.

“Why are we wasting time worrying about this?” Dante said low, intimate voice. “We could be having fun instead.”

Rex froze as Dante leaned closer. In front of everyone. The lawyer and Draco. And the rest of the guys scattered around the room.

Dante’s breath was warm against Rex’s neck. His lips brushed Rex’s ear.

“You’re too tense,” Dante whispered. “You need to relax.”

Rex felt heat creep up his neck. But not only from desire. From embarrassment as well. From the realization that everyone was watching them.

“Dante,” Rex said. He pushed him back gentle but firm. “Not now.”

Dante smiled. “Why not? You scared of them seeing us together?”

“I’m scared of prison,” Rex shot back. His tone was sharp. “We have bigger problems to worry about. I still need to find out who killed my parents. I don’t have time for games.”

Dante leaned back in his chair. His jaw got tight but he didn’t push the issue.