“Yes, sir,” he said.
“Good. We’re on the same page. So Brian has unintentionally given us a game plan. He gave Jose inside information about the raid, and Jose was able to slip out. In the process, he didn’t tip off how he knew, so my guess is Jose—while suspicious—will believe Brian when he tells him he killed Michael. Because that’s the only way Jose will let him inside.”
“How do we do that?” Brad said.
“We’ll fake his death. Brian will call Jose, send him a picture, tell him he’s scared. I want to use the church for this—no reason to let Jose into this house, and because of the gates we can control how he gets in and out. Jose will come, and we’ll arrest him.”
“You think it’ll work?” Brad said. “What about the other two who slipped away?”
“My guess is that they’ll come with Jose—we need a team inside the gates and outside, to block their escape. Nate will be back shortly, then we go.”
“No,” Brian said.
“We talked about this,” Kane said sharply. “Your brother goes back to prison, or you and Michael will be living in Hidalgo until Brad can find them.”
“Jose isn’t going to fall for it. Yes, he trusts me sort of but he’s not going to come here to look at Michael’s body. He’ll tell me to come to him, to just leave.”
“I’m not putting you in the line of fire, kid,” Kane said.
“But you know I’m right.”
Sean had to agree with Brian. It’s what he would do if he were Torres. “Kane—Brian is right. Torres will stay in the shadows after the raid last night.”
Brad shook his head. “I can’t let you send a fourteen-year-old kid into a volatile situation.”
Kane assessed Brian, then nodded.
“No,” Brad said. “Shit, Rogan! We don’t use kids as bait.”
“I don’t like it, but I like less that the bastard knows where Michael lives. We can’t keep this place under watch twenty-four seven. I get Michael and Brian out of here, Torres could still come by and make these kids’ lives miserable.”
Brian stood firm. “I want to do this. I want to make this right. I should never have told Jose about the raid—he would be in jail now. We would be safe.”
“Or a cop could be on a slab in the morgue,” Kane said, “because Jose wanted to go out the hard way.”
“Shit, shit, shit!” Brad paced.
Sean understood that he was between a rock and a hard place. He was a federal agent, and if this operation went south and anyone was hurt, he could not only lose his job but be prosecuted. “Brad—Kane and I can do this without you.”
“Hell no,” Brad said. “Let me think.”
“We don’t have a lot of time,” Kane said. “The Saints were dealt a severe blow last night—because they were already spread thin. The two who escaped with Jose need to be captured as well, or this cycle will continue. Brian knows where they will be—tonight. But after tonight, they could disappear or come after Michael.”
“I want this to end,” Brian said. “I started it, I need to finish it.”
“You didn’t start it,” Kane said. “Your father did when he joined the Saints and raised Jose to be in a gang. Your father sold you to the general and your brother was part of that deal. Never forget that. He does not care what kind of life you have, as long as it is in service to the gang and his own selfish wants. But you can help end it. And there will be no guilt, no regrets. Whatever happens, hold your head up.”
Brian nodded, but he was shaking. Guilt. Pain. Sorrow.
Kane looked at his phone. “Nate’s almost here. We need backup—Brad, if you’re in, you and Nate cover us. Hopefully, we won’t need you. But if it goes south, there’s no one else I’d rather have on my six.”
“No,” Brad said.
“Shit, Brad, we’ve been through this.”
“Look—our goal is to arrest Jose Torres, right? So this is now officially a DEA op. I’m going to shut out SAPD and hope Carmine doesn’t have my hide for leaving him out of the festivities, because I agree we need to do this lean and mean and fast, and no way could I get Carmine to agree to let Brian go into the middle of this. Hell, I don’t want him to either, but we need confirmation that Jose is inside that house before we breach. I shouldn’t even let any of you be involved—but I’ll deal with the fallout later. One of the few perks of being in charge.” His eyes rested on Michael. “We’re a team,” he said. “We’ll watch each other’s backs.”
* * *
Sean took Jesse and Michael to his house. “I have to know that you’ll stay put. Do not leave this house. Do not open the door to anyone, for any reason. Lucy will be home soon.”
“I should be there, with Brian,” Michael said. He had forcefully argued with Kane and stood his ground. Kane still said no, but clearly admired Michael’s spine that he stood up to him. Sean didn’t know if he, as a teenager, would have stood up to Kane so forcefully.
“You made your case, we explained why it is too dangerous, and you’re going to stay put. No arguments. You trust Kane, right?”
“Of course,” Michael said. “He has always lived up to his word.”
“Then trust him now. Trust both of us.”
Michael nodded once.
Jesse hugged Sean tightly. “Be careful. Please.”
Sean looked down at his kid. “I promise. I have a lot to live for.” He walked to the door. “Oh, and in case you get a stupid idea to leave this house and try to help, consider yourself under house arrest.” He typed a security code into the keypad. “Every camera is on, and I’ll be alerted if you so much as crack open a window. I trust you both—but I also know you don’t sit out easily, Michael, and when we’re dealing with a gang who wants you dead, no way am I letting you get in the line of fire. Either of you.”
He walked out to where Kane, Brad, and Nate were out front waiting for him. “Did you put the fear of God into them?” Brad asked.
“The fear of Kane works better.” Sean winked at his brother. “Not to mention my kick-ass security system.”
They piled into two cars, Brad and Nate in Nate’s truck, and Sean and Kane with Brian in Sean’s Jeep. Brad had two agents meeting him near the house.
Kane turned around and said to Brian in the back, “You don’t have to do this.”
“What happens if I don’t?”
“You and Michael will come live with me in Hidalgo so I can protect you, as I said, until Brad can build a case against Jose and the others. It could be a few weeks, it could be a few months.”
“Or never.”
“That’s always a possibility, but Brad is a good cop, and he’s motivated.”
“But the others might not be safe.”
“There’s no reason that Jose would go after anyone else.”
Brian didn’t say anything.
“Brian, talk.”
“I wouldn’t think so, but I don’t know. I just don’t know, and I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to Father Mateo or anyone else because I made a mistake. I’ll do this. I want to do this. But you promised—he lives.”
“I promised I will do everything in my power to take him alive. But I’m not going to lose Sean—or you—or any of Brad’s team—to do it. Agreed?”
Brian nodded.
Kane handed him a 9mm gun. This was getting into legally dangerous territory, but they didn’t have much of a choice right now. Jose had already proven to be a threat to the boys at St. Catherine’s, he’d beaten up Jesse, and he planned to put a hit out on Michael if Brian didn’t kill him first. This was their only window of opportunity.
“You have the phone Sean gave you?”
He nodded.
“We’ll be able to hear everything. It’ll build the case for Donnelly, and give Jose proof that you did what he wanted. Be yourself, Brian—but be careful. Your brother is a smart bastard, and if he thinks you’re screwing with him, he doesn’t care if you’re his brother. Understand?”
“Yes, sir.”<
br />
“Remember the codes?”
“Yes.”
“Then we’re ready.”
Brian knew of Jose’s safe house in the event the Santiago house was compromised. They drove into the neighborhood and parked a block away. Brian slipped out of the car and Sean tracked him on his tablet.
“I hate this,” Sean said.
“I don’t like putting the kid in danger any more than you, but he will never live in peace if his brother is still out there.”
“Would you really take Michael and Brian in?”
“Yes.” Kane glanced at him. “They were mine the day we rescued them. I’m responsible for them, and I will protect them. Brian is going to need more help than Father Mateo can give him after this. I should have been here more; I will be here more in the future.”
Sean hadn’t expected that from Kane. That he took such responsibility for the boys who would have died if they hadn’t found them. His brother had always been complex; this added more layers to him than Sean expected.
Sean was listening through the open mike on Brian’s phone. He’d masked the app so that even if Jose inspected it, he wouldn’t know he was being recorded. This was Brad’s operation—he, Nate, and two DEA agents would breach the house. Kane and Sean were solely responsible for getting Brian to safety.
“He’s there,” Sean said.
Kane nodded and opened the car door.
They slid out and approached the house in the dark of night, dressed in black, mindful that there could be scouts, though Brad and his SAPD contact were certain that only three or four remaining gang members were at large.
“What are you doing here, little brother?” Jose’s voice came through their com system.
“I did it.” Brian’s voice was shaky. He wasn’t faking. He was scared and worried. But that fear would help sell the con.
“What did you do? Is there another fucking raid coming?”
“No. I hit him four times. I think.”
Four. There were four people in the house. Good, Brian wasn’t so terrified that he couldn’t remember to do what he needed to do.
They were all on earpieces, and Brad indicated that he and Nate were in the rear of the house. “On my cue,” Brad said.
“Yes, sir,” Kane said. Sean almost laughed, but it was a testament to how much Kane trusted Brad Donnelly that he was okay with letting him run the op.
“Hit who?” Jose said. “Brian, speak up!”
“M-michael.”
“I don’t believe you.”
There was shuffling, here and there, voices in the background. “I did,” Brian said. “Here.” He must be showing Jose the phone with the picture.
“He’s armed, Jose.”
“Give me that,” Jose demanded. “Smells recently fired, but that means shit. Sit,” Jose told Brian.
“Where?”
“Anywhere, shit, do I have to wipe your ass for you, too? Let me see that picture again.”
Another male voice said, “Holy fuck, he did it.”
Another voice, “In the back, wow, badass.”
“Where is this?” Jose demanded.
“At the church. In F-father Mateo’s office. I—I told Father I needed something, he gave me the key, and Michael followed me because he was so mad at me and I shot him. Don’t let them send me back to foster care. I want to stay with you. You said if I killed him I could be a Saint.”
“You did, Jose,” another voice said.
“I didn’t think you had the balls to do it,” Jose said.
Did he not believe him? That photo was clear as anything, and they staged it well. They’d all seen enough dead bodies and bullet wounds to know what it would look like.
“Welcome, brother,” Jose said. “You are really a badass. Why are you crying? Shit, Bri, this kid was a fucking problem. You know that, right? You would have been fine with the general. When I got out I would have promoted you, you know that, right? You wouldn’t have to live in filth anymore.”
“You knew I was there? In that prison?”
“So fucking what? You know that this puta got our father killed, right? His father, our father, both dead because Rodriguez couldn’t follow orders. Don’t feel bad for what you did. True Saints don’t have regret. Let’s go.”
“Go?” Brian said. “Where?”
Sean wished he had eyes in the house. It sounded like Brian was moving around, and he shouldn’t be—he was supposed to find a seat and stay there then, when Kane and Sean breached, take cover.
“Little brother, you have a lot to learn. The first is to not ask questions. We are the last of the Saints, but we will be joining a bigger, stronger Hermanos de la Muerte. And you need to be trained for what’s coming.”
“But I thought we would be a family. You promised, Jose.”
“We are! We are the Hermanos family, bigger, powerful, and we will own this city. We now run the largest meth house in San Antonio. I am their top cook. You will have everything you’ve ever wanted. Money. Girls. Power. Respect. You will have it because you’re my brother.”
In their ears, Brad said, “I have enough, go, go, go!”
Brad and Nate were going through the rear; Brad’s team was monitoring the perimeter, and Kane and Sean had the front.
Kane went in first—he always did. Because he was the warrior, Sean knew, and because he could instantly assess the threats in the room.
Sean’s job was to get Brian out safely. He came in behind Kane.
They had the element of surprise, but they were dealing with the remnants of a vicious gang who wouldn’t think twice about killing any of them.
The house was small and cramped and had the foul stench of a former meth lab. There was no telling what kind of chemicals were in here that might create a bigger problem.
“What the fuck?” Jose screamed. “You betrayed me!”
“No,” Brian said, but Sean didn’t think anyone heard him.
Everyone was moving. Two started out the back. The back door burst in, where Brad and Nate had it covered.
“DEA! Hands up!” Brad shouted.
“Hands,” Kane said to Jose and the gangbanger in his sight. He had his gun aimed squarely at Jose, but his eyes were on both.
Sean rushed to the right, right next to Brian. “Behind me,” he ordered Brian.
The kid was terrified. He scrambled up, grabbed hold of Sean’s shirt.
A gunshot from the back of the house, followed by three more. Brian screamed.
“Are you hit?” Sean asked.
“N-no.”
Kane was assessing Jose. “Don’t do it,” he said. “Don’t think. Down on the ground.”
Jose slowly went to his knees, but he was looking to the side. Sean and Kane both followed his gaze. A fifth person emerged from the dark hall. It was a woman, and she had an AR-15.
Sean grabbed Brian and pushed him out of the house as gunfire rang out. He practically threw him over the edge of the porch and ordered him to stay. Then he went back, staying low. By the time he reached Kane, the gun battle was over.
Kane was bleeding. “Fucking bitch,” he muttered.
“Where?”
“My arm. I’m fine. Get Jose. He’s hit, but he’ll live.”
Nate came in, gun out, looking at the bodies. “One DOA, one injured in the kitchen. Donnelly called it in.”
“Two DOA, one injured,” Kane said.
Sean cuffed Jose. “I will kill you all,” Jose sneered. “Starting with my traitorous brother. Brian!” he screamed. “You are a dead man walking!”
Kane kicked him. “Your brother is the only reason you’re breathing.”
“You should kill me now, motherfucker, because I will come back. I know who you are.”
“I dare you.”
Sean wished his brother didn’t always act like the tough guy he was.
Brad walked into the living room. He had searched the rest of the house. “Stick to the plan, we’re good. There’s a shitload of illegal contraband
in his place, not to mention supplies and chemicals to cook meth, enough to blow up the entire block.”
Sean went back outside. Brian was right where he left him, huddled into a ball, his arms over his head.
“Hey. Brian. It’s over.”
“He hates me. I heard him.”
“Jose isn’t capable of love.”
“I should have let you kill him. I should have killed him.”
“No. You did the right thing.” Sirens grew closer. “You’re a good kid, Brian. Don’t let your mistakes define you. Let the good define you.”
Brian wrapped his arms around Sean and hugged him tightly.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Saturday Late Night
Kane was staying with Michael and Brian at St. Catherine’s for the night. Not because there was another threat, but because he wanted to make sure they were okay after the events of the last week. He’d been hit in the arm, a through and through, and paramedics on scene had bandaged him up.
Sean had sat with Jesse long after his son fell to sleep. This could have been so much worse than it was. And they would have some fallout next week. Brad was taking the brunt of the blame for not following protocol, but one thing in law enforcement that Brad could use to his advantage was that in the end, justice was served. They got bad guys off the streets, they saved the life of a young boy, and they confiscated more than one hundred illegal guns. Brad was confident he would be able to track down the Hermanos meth lab with the information obtained from the phones of the five gangbangers in the house, and that would be another win for keeping dangerous drugs off the streets.
In the end, the people Sean loved were safe, and he could rest easier.
Lucy came home after midnight—nearly one Sunday morning. She was exhausted and they went right to bed, but neither could sleep. Sean told her everything that happened, and she told him what was going on with her case. “We arrested Garrett King, but he didn’t kill anyone.”
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