Chapter Three
“It’s bad,” Gramps told his teammates later that evening.
He and the others were sitting in a large suite in a five-star hotel in the center of Kingston. If they were going to convince Coke they were big players in the Texas drug market, they had to act like they had money to burn, hence the expensive-as-hell hotel.
“But she’s all right?” Bull asked.
Gramps nodded. “For now. Scared, but as brave as I remember her being. Coke gave me carte blanche to do what I wanted with her.”
“He said that?” Smoke asked.
“Of course not. But he implied it. He had several other women at dinner, pretty much for me to choose from. I’m sure he only invited Cassidy because she’s Hispanic, like me. I could literally see the glee in his eyes when I showed an interest in her. Practically shoved us out the door to ‘get to know each other’ as we walked around the grounds.”
The first time Gramps had laid eyes on Cassidy in Coke’s dining room, he’d had to physically restrain himself from going to her. She’d been pretty when she was fifteen, but the more recent pictures he’d seen hadn’t done her justice.
Cassidy Hewitt was beautiful. Her long brown hair had been pulled away from her face and had hung down her back. Her hazel eyes had been filled with worry and fear, which he hated. She was skinnier than he thought she should be, but he knew that was probably because of her situation. He imagined when she filled out, she’d be even more irresistible. She was taller than his friends’ wives . . . and he couldn’t help thinking she was the perfect height when he held her in his arms.
His thoughts were jerked back to the present when Bull asked, “Did you get a chance to talk to her about what’s going on?”
“A bit.”
“And Mario? Did you see him?” Eagle asked.
“No. And that’s another reason we need to step this up. Something’s up with her son. Before Cassidy arrived, Coke mentioned the boy briefly, and when I asked if he’d be joining us, he said he wasn’t home. Cassidy was definitely upset about it,” Gramps explained.
“So what’s the plan?”
“Coke’s a piece of shit, but he’s not dumb,” Gramps said. “I mean, we knew that after reading all the intel, but he’s a bit too eager to make this deal. I’m not sure if that means other distro channels have been shut down and he’s desperate to start something else up, or what. But that’ll work in our favor, I think. The head of security is an asshole. He was spying on us during our walk, although he was too far away to hear what we were talking about. He’s going to be an issue.”
“I thought you’d stay longer tonight,” Bull noted.
“I’d planned on it,” Gramps said. “But Coke was eager to talk. I think it’s best if I string him along. Make him chomp at the bit, so to speak, to get the deal going. I can use the fact that he told me to have fun with Cassidy against him for a while, then when he’s a little more desperate—enough to agree to anything—I’ll make my move. But we’ll need to remove Mario from the equation before then. The last thing we want is for Lloyd or anyone else in that fucking house to use him as collateral.”
“Agreed. Where do you think he was today?” Smoke asked.
“I don’t know. But I’m guessing I can get more details out of Coke when we’re hangin’ out. I’m sure he’s gonna want to know how things between me and Cassidy are going. I’ll bring up her son then.”
“You still going to try to get an invitation to stay at the house?” Bull asked.
“Yeah. I think he’ll jump at the chance to continue to distance me from you guys. Although Cassidy told me that she and Mario share a room, so that’ll be tricky. The last thing I want is for someone to separate the two of them because of me.”
“Since Coke likes to separate Mario and Cassidy anyway, we’re gonna need to come up with a plan to somehow extract them at the same time,” Eagle said.
“I’m still thinking about that, but I’ve got an idea. It won’t be easy, and it’s risky as fuck. There’s a possibility it’ll upset Cassidy . . . but if it gets her and her son out of here, I’ll do what I have to do.”
Bull, Smoke, and Eagle all leaned forward eagerly.
“We’re listening,” Smoke said.
It took another hour and a half for Silverstone to discuss the plan and possible backup scenarios. The risk for shit to go wrong was higher than normal, but everyone agreed that considering how often Cassidy and her son were separated, it was the best shot they had of getting them out of the organization’s clutches while also taking out Coke.
“I’ll talk to our connection here in Kingston and get what you need,” Eagle told Gramps.
“And I’ll be point on the kid,” Smoke volunteered. “If he steps foot outside that house, I’ll be on him.”
“No moving until I give the word,” Gramps warned.
“Of course not. But I’m not going to sit back and let him get hurt right before we rescue him,” Smoke said a little huffily.
Gramps nodded gratefully at his friend.
“And I’ll have your six,” Bull said. “I can’t follow you into the house, but I’ll be listening. If anything goes wrong, send me a signal, and I’ll find a way to get you out. I’ll set the place on fucking fire if I have to.”
Gramps nodded again. They all wore special watches with radio transmitters. Bull could listen to everything he was saying and record a conversation with the touch of a button.
He’d been on countless missions with these men. He’d relied on them as much as they’d relied on him. He knew without question that if shit hit the fan, they’d do whatever it took to extract him. If he were here by himself, he wouldn’t take such chances with Cassidy’s and her son’s lives. But since his team had his back, he was confident—as much as he could be in the current situation—that he’d be successful in getting them out of the country.
Yet something was missing. He didn’t have the same . . . enthusiasm . . . for the mission that he’d felt for others. That heady sense that he was about to make a difference. Coke was a piece of shit, there was no doubt about it, and he needed to be stopped. But they all knew as soon as he was eliminated, someone else would rise up to take his place. That was how things worked.
It sucked, and Gramps was tired. He knew his friends were too.
When they’d started Silverstone, they’d agreed to continue until they all felt as if they were done. That time had come. Bull was eager to get back to Skylar. Eagle also missed his wife, and when they weren’t discussing business, he couldn’t talk about anything other than how amazing his son was. Gramps had overheard Smoke talking with Eagle about being a father and asking what he should expect of Molly now that she was pregnant.
And Gramps couldn’t get the kisses he’d shared with Cassidy out of his head . . .
Shared probably wasn’t the best word; taken from her was more appropriate. But she hadn’t flinched. Hadn’t strained to get away from him. Part of that could’ve been because that asshole Lloyd was watching and she was playing her part . . . but he didn’t think so.