though.
Sleep looked up. “Do you think you can find that hooker from Djibouti that Eyes wanted to marry? His life has never been the same since.”
“Mother Fu—” Eyes’s response was cut off by an elbow to the ribs by Sleep, taking his breath away. “Really?” Eyes said, his glare lethal. “Twice! That’s twice in a row, Sleep. Payback will hurt and you won’t know when it’s coming. I can promise you that.”
The entire table burst into laughter, including Chad. If you couldn’t beat them, then you had to join them. Smoke spit something green out. What in the hell was in that cup he was drinking from? Chad might not want to know. The ugly goo on the table made the team laugh that much harder as Brackish quickly scooted backward before he was covered in slime.
After a few seconds, Eyes shrugged, and joined in the laughter. He loved Sleep even if he wanted to gut punch him on occasion. He’d rather have a friend who was a pain in the ass than one he didn’t trust or one he grew bored with.
None of these team members had a problem with their funny bone. That would make their darkest days find some light. It was essential in their line of work.
As he sat with these men who were forming a strong bond, he couldn’t help but look back at his own youth. He’d made some close friends that, to this day, he’d die for. Mark Anderson was his best example of a lasting bond. They were brothers even if not by blood.
Who the hell cared about blood? Who the hell cared about color? Who the hell cared about anything other than love and loyalty? He glanced around the table as the team flicked each other crap, and was proud of what was happening. The men had been put through hell on earth with their teams. They’d taken bullets for others — and they’d do it again without hesitation. None of them cared about color, race, or religion. They were brothers. That was it. It was just that simple. They all bled red, and they’d all give their blood to save another.
The group settled down and Eyes looked at Chad. “We’re gonna need different rigs. The black SUVs will blow our cover quicker than a Vegas hooker on a Friday night.”
“Easy. Tell me what you want and they’ll be here by the end of the day.”
“I’ll need, at most, a few hours with them,” Brackish said. “They’ll be equipped with hidden GPS, video, audio, and a few extra bells and whistles you can try to find.” He was easier to please than Chad had realized — just give him new toys and he was smiling.
“You geek,” Sleep said, but the words were spoken as he fist bumped Brackish.
“Bad ass, man,” Smoke added, giving his own bump. Then he turned to the team. “Make sure it’s tall. I’d rather ride around in a minivan, than try to fold myself like a pretzel into a flipping compact.”
“Why don’t you take charge of picking the cars?” Eyes said to Smoke.
“Make sure they’re a bit beat up,” Sleep said. “Anything yuppie will get us robbed, and anything nice will get us carjacked, blow our covers, or both.”
“They can be old, but the engines need to be top of the line. The last thing we need is a breakdown in the middle of a bad situation. Protect the radiator with bulletproofing,” Eyes added.
A few more comments were made, and then they were done. Chad stood up, and his team rose with him.
Respect.
He absolutely loved the respect.
“Meeting adjourned. Time to get started,” Chad announced. “I’ll check in daily, but unless something significant happens, we’ll all come together in another week.”
He walked from the room, pleased when he heard the men talking and planning, excitement clear in their tones. He knew things were going to go extremely well. He slipped into his private office and made a few calls, arranging for the items the men needed.
When he was done he slipped out the door, very aware the men would know of his movements. His job for the day was done — at least with the men. His job for the project wouldn’t be finished until the drug ring was shut down.
It was only just beginning, but it was taking off with a great big bang.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
It had taken exactly thirty days for Avery and her mother to pack up their lives, get into a moving van, and hit