Chapter 8 - The Bait
At 9:00 PM, Dante convened his inner circle in the estate’s underground garage. Six trusted men stood around an illuminated schematic of the Northside Railyard.
“Vargas expects me to arrive terrified and compliant,” Dante told his crew. “He’ll set snipers on the grain silos and position his main squad inside Warehouse 4. We aren’t walking into his trap; we’re springing our own.”
Victor loaded a fresh magazine into an assault rifle. “We’ve already hacked the railyard’s surveillance feeds. We’ll know their exact positions before we even cut the perimeter wire.”
“No civilian casualties, and no reckless shooting,” Dante commanded. “Vargas is mine. When this night is over, his syndicate dies with him.”
Dante took a small brass key from his pocket—the key Elena had retrieved from her safe keeping. Attached to it was a micro-GPS transmitter. He slipped it into his leather wallet.
Before leaving, Dante stopped by the kitchen to say goodbye. Mia was sitting at the counter, eating strawberries.
“Are you going to work, Dante?” she asked, looking up with wide, hopeful eyes.
“Just running an errand, kiddo,” Dante smiled warmly, kneeling beside her chair. “When I get back tomorrow morning, how about we go get that giant waffle breakfast you told me about?”
May you like
Mia’s face lit up. “The one with chocolate chips and whipped cream?”
“Extra whipped cream,” Dante promised. He kissed her forehead and gave Elena a lingering, reassuring glance before turning on his heel and heading into the stormy night.
