DERRICK’S POV
Joan.
That woman would be the death of me. She was so…. So fucking appealing. I wanted to kiss her senseless till her lips hurt. I wanted to raise up her skirt and fuck her right there and then.
The thought of her drove me insane. Being so close to her made me body react in ways I never thought it would.
I was glad Santi came in when he did. If not, I could have done something I might have regretted later. I had no idea why I had these feelings for a mere maid. It didn’t make any sense.
As soon as Santi said the fish was in the hook, I understood the slang immediately. It meant the mole had been caught. For the past weeks, we’ve been having issues with our drug deals in particular areas. We wondered who was behind it so Santi and I came up with a plan. From his words, it seemed like it had worked.
Santi and I walked quickly down the hallway. The air was thick with tension, and I could feel the anger radiating from Santi beside me. He had been quiet for most of the walk. His usual bravado was replaced with a seriousness that was hard to ignore. This wasn’t just another routine operation; this was something far more dangerous. If we actually had a mole, there was no telling what I would do to him.
I glanced at Santi, noting the tightness in his jaw.
“You sure about this?” I asked.
Santi nodded “Yeah, boss. I’m sure. We had to be careful with this one. Couldn’t risk letting the real location get out if we’re right about who the mole is.”
“And if we’re wrong?” I pressed.
“If we’re wrong,” he said slowly, “then we’ll have to clean up the mess. But I don’t think we are.”
I didn’t respond. I just kept walking. Santi had been with me for years, and I trusted his instincts, but this was different. We were dealing with something that could harm us if we didn’t handle it perfectly. A mole in our ranks was the last thing we needed, and if we didn’t find out who it was, it could ruin the end of everything we’d built. If we suspected the wrong person, it could also ruin things for us.
When we reached the exit, we got into the convoy of cars that waited for us. The ride to the meeting point was silent. As the car moved, I thought of which of my men could be responsible for this. Why would any of my men betray me? I made sure they were well taken care of. I gave them the best salaries and trips to anywhere they wanted. I was a good boss and I knew that.
I guessed that sometimes, being good would never be enough.
Soon enough, we got to the fake location-a warehouse on the outskirts of town. It was the kind of place no one would look twice at. It was just another abandoned building in a rundown area. The perfect spot for an ambush, which is exactly what we intended.
As we approached the warehouse, I could see our men already in position. The container we were using as bait sat in the middle of the large open space. It was supposed to be filled with the drugs for the deal, but in reality, it held nothing but empty crates. It was a setup, and the real deal was scheduled to happen later that day, in a completely different location. If everything went according to plan, we’d catch our mole red-handed.
I scanned the area, taking in every detail, every shadow, every movement. The mole-our suspect-was here too, mingling with the other men. His behavior so normal it was almost unsettling. He was good, I had to give him that. If I didn’t know better, I’d never suspect him. But that’s what made him so dangerous. The worst part was that he was one of my most trusted men.
“Everything looks in order,” Santi said to me.
“Too in order,” I muttered, still watching the suspect.
The suspect was talking to one of our men, laughing at something the other guy said, but there was something off about it, something I couldn’t quite place.
Our buyers showed up not long after, and the fake deal began to unfold. The exchanges were smooth, almost too smooth, and I started to doubt myself. It was close to an hour and nothing bad had happened. Maybe we had made a mistake. Maybe there was no mole, and we were about to ruin an innocent man’s life.
I was just starting to feel a bit relaxed when all hell broke loose.
The sound of footsteps echoed loudly. I looked in front just in time to see a group of masked men rushing towards us with their guns aimed. It was an ambush.
Santi was right then. He really was the mole.
For a split second, everything seemed to move in slow motion. My heart pounded, but my mind was clear. I didn’t hesitate. I brought out my gun from my suit pocket, firing the first shot that took out the lead attacker.
We had envisaged this. My men who were hidden in the shadows lunged out of their hiding places and fired at our attackers.
Bullets ricocheted off metal and concrete, filling the air with noise. I was covered by most of my men. I shot as many attackers as I could, never missing one. Suddenly, my bullets finished.
I crouched down, taking cover behind a stack of crates. As I tried to reload, my eyes caught sight of the traitor again. I reloaded and fired a warning shot at the ground near the mole’s feet, stopping him in his tracks.
“Where do you think you’re going?” I asked him.