Chapter 225: The Serpent & The Devil [3]

[Music: Dragula By Rob Zombie]

I grinned, pulling out my guns from my holster.

"You should sit this out. You’re drunk."

"I’m not drunk," I retorted as I followed after him. "I’m just lightheaded. And by the way, since I’m being a reasonable person here..."

Ares shot me a far too obvious look, but I continued anyway.

"There are no men with us, unless you wanna storm in like some daredevil. I think you should consider your wife and daughter and the coming baby or babies at home."

"You talk too much."

"And you talk too little. What a team we make."

He eyed me, and for a beat there I assumed he was gonna give me nothing, and then I’d have to shoot him and call it a night. Either way, I get to shoot something.

"The people in there aren’t much of a challenge—unless you’re planning to chicken out."

I blinked. "Did Ares King just throw some sass at me?"

"Don’t fall behind."

I scoffed as we neared the door, and I did the honors, kicking it down.

"Hey, boys!" I called out to get their attention, and they were in the middle of making packages.

A whole fucking operation right under my nose. And they had the audacity not to be guarded because they were so full of themselves that no one was gonna come knocking.

"Daddy’s home."

We opened fire.

Ares was dropping them faster than anyone could blink, and he was a menace with that damn silencer of his.

I shot my fair share with my guns, and before I knew it, six of them operating this abandoned building were dead. Well, except for one, who was trying to crawl away after having his leg shot.

"He’s all yours," said Ares.

I chuckled, walked close, and pressed my foot on his leg. He cried out in pain, turning onto his front and glaring at us.

"You bastards!" he roared. "You’re gonna regret this!"

"Julius King is dead," I said. "Now why else would you still be running operations here? Unless..."

I crouched.

"... someone else is paying the bills."

"I don’t know what—"

"The Benefactor. He’s your new direct boss. He must be making a ton of bucks. There are a shit ton of drugs here. Lemme guess, trying to build up once more."

Fear flickered in his eyes, and he seemed to finally get a grasp of his fucking situation.

"I’m gonna make this easy for you." I used the muzzle of my gun to scratch the back of my head when I felt an inch there. "I’m a tad bit drunk, which means this bag of ice with me is gonna do the interrogation. Have you heard of the devil of Midnight?"

He gasped, shooting his eyes to Ares.

"Yesss, you do. We may live in Hightower, but we all know about the Devil, don’t we? Especially lads like us who work in the under."

I raised a hand, pausing for a while before speaking.

"We are either gonna do this the easy way or the hard way. Surrender to the Serpent or the Devil. Choose."

He did choose, and unfortunately for us, he gripped a piece of broken glass and jammed it right into his neck.

I closed my eyes in time when the blood sprayed across my face, and when I opened them, he was choking until, eventually, he stopped breathing.

I spat, pissed and disgusted.

I pushed myself to my feet and glanced to my side, Ares already holding out a handkerchief for me, his eyes fixed on the body.

I spat again, took the white cloth, and wiped my face.

"That went well."

"What reason could a man like this have to die for this Benefactor..."

It was a rhetorical question, but I was in the chatty mood as always.

"Two reasons." I wiped the corner of my mouth. "A man who’s loyal as hell or a man who’s got something to lose the moment he opens his mouth."

I swept my eyes around the place.

"Either way, I’m not settling for loss."

I eyed the gallons, which I had no doubt were filled with gasoline, then glanced at Ares. He immediately caught on to the idea that had sprung to mind.

After a few minutes, we both stepped out of the building, and I released a sharp exhale.

"So much for the team up, huh?" I amused. "You got what you wanted, and I didn’t."

"Your losses are yours, not mine."

I snorted, pulling out my Zippo and pressing my thumb down the wheel. "Who said I lost, though?"

I tossed the lighter, and the flame caught up in a line. I caught a small smile on Ares’ lips as he walked back to the car.

I used that opportunity to bring out my phone and dialed a number, but when it didn’t go through, I smiled.

Fucking King. He already dealt with my men who I sent to Midnight to keep a close eye on his wife in case everything went sideways.

He may have come here to get rid of the last of Julius’ men, but he was keeping me distracted.

I shook my head and moved closer to him, just as he finished his call.

Ares pinned me with a look, and I raised an eyebrow.

"Bad news?" I asked. "I got one too."

"I underestimated you, Don Salvero."

That was it. He got in the car and drove out at speed. Guess I wasn’t the only reckless driver here.

Everything went according to plan for me too. Because that phone call Ares got was his men telling him that I had already made some successful deals in his city, and he wasn’t there to counter it.

We’re even... again.

I leaned on my car, crossed my arms, and watched the building on fire.

The closer I got to finding out who this Benefactor was, the more I could see he was unlike any foe I have ever faced.