CHAPTER 177 Crazy Black Hawks

*Xavier*

I checked my watch for the time. It was about half past nine.

*Thank God. They made it back in good time*.

I was seated at the passenger's side of a white van, parked inside a private hangar, watching the small private jet navigate itself inside. Once the plane made a full stop, the door opened and one by one, its four passengers disembarked, proceeding toward the end of the plane to retrieve their luggage.

I haven't had much sleep, but I didn't feel tired. After Cristos mentioned it was possible that both the Blue Rogues and the Black Hawks had teamed up, we sprung into action, pumped up on adrenalin... *or maybe it was the caffeine finally kicking in*.

Sebastian hounded De Luca and told him to call his contact in Texas. "I don't care if he's asleep or in the middle of a fuckfest. We need to know who's here and why. Now, De Luca!" He roared. We had to be two steps ahead of the situation and without the necessary information we were two steps behind.

It was dawn when Sebastian's phone finally rang. While he excused himself to take the call, my phone suddenly began to vibrate in my pocket. It was Max.

*What did he want*? I moved to the living room for some privacy.

He called to inform me he was still within the vicinity of the private airfield outside Bismarck, obviously disobeying a direct order.

"Sorry, Beaufort, but I saw a man with a Black Hawk insignia on his neck," Max explained. "So Nate and I, we took him, thinking he must know something, and brought him to the abandoned asylum near the airport. Currently, he's tied up in a room, naked. We burned all his clothes and tossed his phone after we went through it."

"Did you get him to talk?" I asked.

"As a matter of fact, we did," Max answered smugly. "He told us their current leader, codenamed Joker, decided to hang Pete McDowell out to dry and focus instead on exacting their revenge from the Blue Rogues for killing their former commander, codenamed Brock. They have a team of men in place, staking out a mansion at the foot of Huff Hills known as La Casa de Flores. They're planning to raid the mansion before anyone can leave."

"Does he know who else is with the Blue Rogues at La Casa de Flores?" I asked.

"Pete and two other men who arrived on a private jet; one, who Pete addressed as the Consigliere, while the other he called 'my capo'. Pete didn't give them any names. He only left instructions to assassinate the both of them."

"What about the dead bodies at the airfield? Who were they?"

"The dead men in the field were a bunch of new recruits used as bait," Max replied. "The Black Hawks needed decoys, but they didn't want to sacrifice any more of their men."

"Get rid of him and make sure you don't leave anything that they can trace back to us," I instructed. "Ask Dina for the location of La Casa de Flores, head over and keep watch. If you can, set up some eyes for us, but if the situation is too risky, don't. I'll call in a team to assist you. And Max, keep safe."

"Copy that," Max said and hung up.

"Good news," I announced, walking back into the dining room, "the Black Hawks are planning to attack the Blue Rogues. According to Max, the Black Hawks have followed the Blue Rogues to a mansion called La Casa de Flores. Pete and two other men, his capo and the Consigliere, are currently with them."

"How in the hell did you get all that?" Sebastian asked, coming back from Joy's den, looking surprised. "I just got off the phone with De Luca and the only info he gave me was that the Consigliere of Veronica Ortiz boarded a private plane bound for Bismarck accompanied by an unidentified younger man. Aside from that, his informant doesn't know jack shit." He shook his head in disbelief. "You found way more than I did."

"Thank Max. In case any of you wanted to know, he tortured a Black Hawk for the information," I smirked. "Okay, going back, you said the Consigliere was accompanied by an unidentified younger man. If the Black Hawk's info is good, then this means the unidentified younger man is Pete's capo. Does De Luca's informant have photos of them together... at least?"

"Unfortunately, no. De Luca's contact got his information from questioning the aircraft mechanic who works at the hangar rented by Veronica Ortiz. I already called Dina and asked her to get airport security footage for us," Sebastian said. "So, does the Black Hawk know if the Colonel is assisting the Consigliere or have they all teamed up to assist Pete?"

"Does it matter?" Kiki asked. "Can't we just assume the Angels of Darkness are going to eliminate Liam, so they can take over the town? This isn't a friendly visit, that's for sure. I, for one, believe this is a shakedown. I think they plan to restructure the hierarchy without Liam Cohen." I rolled my eyes at my sister.

"Kiki, we already know that. Anyway, to answer Sebastian's question, the Colonel is team Consigliere," I said, clearing things up. "Pete no longer has a private army to assist him because the Black Hawks have decided to breach whatever contract they had. The Black Hawks are solely out for revenge. Right now, they're staking out the joint Pete's holed up in, preparing to attack."

"So, the Black Hawks are going to kill everyone there? Wouldn't that mean one off our list?" Cristos asked.

"They can have Pete," Joy mumbled. "Just as long as I get to kill Liam, Jack and Dan, I'll be happy."

"But what if they survive the attack," Cristos interjected, "and get to Liam first?"

We all turned to look at Joy. She had been quiet throughout most of the conversation, seated with her legs propped up against her chest.

"I guess I'll have to accept the inevitable," Joy answered, after having a moment to think. "But I'm not going to allow them the satisfaction. I want Liam to die by my hand." I smiled and kissed her on the top of her head.

*That's my girl*.

"Did you ask De Luca to send you a photo of Doña Veronica's consigliere?" Cristos asked.

"Yep," Sebastian answered while he clicked on his phone. "I sent you the pic, Chip. That's him in the middle... Consigliere Vicente Lorenzo Ortiz."

I bent down to get a good look at the image on Cristos' laptop. It was a picture taken from a party. The cheerful man, wearing a white tuxedo with his hands on the waists of two young women beside him, looked to be in his late fifties, a streak of white in the front of his midnight black hair, the two colors intertwining into a handsome curl, shaped into an S, over his forehead. I scoffed.

*Just like Superman*. *The bastard*.

I had to admit though, he was handsome for his age and looked quite charming with his tanned skin, twinkling dark eyes, flushed cheeks and white teeth.

"It looks like he's quite the ladies' man," Cristos said, sounding amused. "Virtue, I suggest you grace the parade. He won't be able to resist."

"You know, you're right, Chip," Joy answered, standing up. "Kiki, come on. Let's get ready. The parade starts at ten."

I suddenly heard a tapping sound coming from my window. It was Lou, gesturing for me to open the doors to the van.

I reached over and unlocked the doors. Lou quickly entered the driver's side while Sam, Jake and Link slid the side door open and climbed in.

"Lou, drive," I instructed. He nodded his head and drove out of the hangar into the service road that led to the exit. "Head to New Salem through Arnold County and drive fast. We received word Doña Veronica's consigliere arrived in North Dakota this morning. We have a hunch he's coming to introduce himself to Liam during the Honey Bee parade and the parade is about to start. Link, you do have the deed to the pharmacy with you, right?"

"I have it," Sam answered, patting the top pocket of his backpack. "He gave it to me for safekeeping."

"Good. So, Link, what did you find?" I asked, turning my head around towards them. Link looked like he was nursing a hangover. I had to hand it to Lisa. That woman could drink.

"I found messages on her phone asking her mother whether she had information on Pete McDowell's capo. I'm surprised Primo didn't see it," Link replied, his voice, to my surprise, sounded angry. "Didn't he hack into her phone?" Sam, who was seated beside him, slapped him on the arm with the back of his hand.

*What was that all about*?

"He did, but she left her phone in her office," I pointed out. "Smart move. She used a burner cell while she was in Chicago. Anything else?"

"Yes. Her mother arranged for her to meet with De Vega. In one of the messages I read, De Vega addressed Lisa's mother as Señora Ortiz."

I couldn't believe it. *Lisa was an Ortiz*. She was a blood relative, high up in the food chain. Most probably a cousin.

No wonder Lisa established a friendship with Joy. She needed to gain her trust. It meant her role in all this wasn't accidental...

*Fuck*! The night of Joy's assault was probably Lisa's rite of passage into the Angels of Darkness!

*That bitch*!

"Link, did you plant a bug?" I asked, controlling my anger.

"Of course, like you instructed me to do," Link answered calmly this time. "The audio recordings will transmit directly to Lou's computer."

"Good. Did you find anything that can help us identify Pete's capo?" I asked, praying he found something in those messages.

"Sorry, Beaufort, but no. All her messages were focused on finding her husband than anything else," Link scoffed, unable to hide his disgust. It was understandable. Lisa loving someone like Cris was reprehensible.

"How about you, Sam? Did you get anything off the guy tailing Lisa?" I asked.

"Nothing much. The Blue Rogues' new client is a former student of the Colonel's. He mentioned that there was an ongoing turf war and that they were hired so this new client of theirs can take absolute control of New Salem from Liam," Sam explained.

"Former student? We know it isn't Pete, that's for sure. Why was he tailing Lisa?" I asked.

"To find Cris Murdock," Sam answered. Of course. Cris was a complication in this ongoing struggle for control.

"Why would they need to find Cris Murdock?" Link asked, confused. "From what I understand, Cris isn't a major player in New Salem."

"Oh, but he is... now that we know who Cris is married to. He poses a serious problem for the Colonel's new employer. If he wants *absolute* control of New Salem, he needs to rid the town of any Ortiz blood relative including those who married into the family. Lucky for him, Joy gave him one less problem when she killed Cris, but I know she wouldn't have it any other way. If you had seen the video of her assault, you'd agree that she deserves justice by her hand and hers alone."

"What do we do now? Sam did such a good job of staging Cris' suicide that even the Bismarck Police thinks he actually did jump off the cliff," Lou said. "It would be a great distraction if the Colonel's new employer thought Cris is still alive."

*Valid point*.

"Well, we'll just have to make them believe Cris is still alive then," I replied. "Cristos had a team create a clone of Cris Murdock's voice in case Pete wanted to speak with him. Sam, when we get to New Salem, I need you to make a phone call to Pete."

"No problem," Sam replied. "I actually got a message from him. Something about a change of plans." I turned my head and grinned.

"Our plans are panning out. I feel confident that by tonight, our mission will be over."

I suddenly felt my phone vibrating in my pocket. It was Max.

"There has been some movement, Beaufort," he whispered. "An SUV has just left the mansion heading toward the direction of New Salem while the Black Hawks are getting ready to strike. I was able to set up a camera, but visuals may not be clear."

"Hold your positions, Max," I instructed. "We can't interfere."

*Attacking in broad daylight*... *shit*.

The Black Hawks were a bunch of crazy sons of bitches.