Russian Roulette: Family secrets [2021 version]

Ch. 3: Better look at this

"Are you sure they're in there?" Gareth whispered in a slightly agitated tone to his head of security, Cracker, conveying his words through the earpiece communication device from his crouching position in the bushes next to his warehouse.

Gareth was not supposed to be there.

Over the past months, Gareth had dealt with break-ins at his warehouses and buildings across town. He had gotten reports every time after the fact, and he had tried to figure out the reasoning based on what got stolen and destroyed.

So far, to no avail.

His men had set up surveillance on key locations, based on analyzes made by Cracker, and when the message about an occurring break-in came, Gareth, without a doubt, wanted to be there.

He needed answers.

"Aye, five of them. They've been there for about twenty minutes," Cracker replied from his position on the other side of the warehouse.

With Cracker's military background, specifically, his involvement in special ops for the British military, he served as Gareth's head of security and mission leader. He personally trained every sniper in Gareth's organization, verified security leaders from other cities, and was the go-to guy whenever a mission needed planning or surveillance.

The man was a tactical genius.

After a dishonorable discharge from the military, Cracker had gone rogue and lived as a hitman, surviving on skills very few possessed. One day, for no apparent reason, he had shown up on Gareth's doorstep and offered his services. At only twenty-two at the time, but already with quite the reputation in the underground for keeping his cards close to the table, Gareth had taken Cracker in, though with caution. Gareth had already been like that back then.

Suspicious and precautious.

It had taken Gareth some years to trust Cracker completely. In the end, Cracker had proved his loyalty and his abilities to Gareth's satisfaction.

If Cracker said or did anything, Gareth gave him his full support. He no longer needed to explain an idea or justify a hunch. Cracker's instincts were on par and had been a valuable asset for Gareth over the years.

The two were friends outside of work and hung out a lot without it being work-related. They had enjoyed their fair amount of nights on the town, with subsequent hangovers and feeling sorry for themselves, blaming each other in the process. Like dumb teenagers. 

Gareth, who always looked as if he had just exited a GQ fashion photoshoot, with his impeccable suits, hand-sewn Italian shoes, expensive but tasteful accessories, and perfectly groomed hair. And Cracker, who preferred his jeans and t-shirts, showing off his immaculate physique and tattoos. Together, they made an odd pair.

But when they went out, Cracker cleaned up nicely. In a suit, with his shoulder-length, dark brown hair in a man-bun, and a smoldering sexy look in his forest-green eyes, there was no denying Gareth and Cracker were a panty-dropping sight. 

"Ok, give them five more minutes, then Beta team goes in. Gamma and Delta keep all exits blocked. Alpha, get ready to move in when Beta gives the go."

"Code?" somebody asked.

"Blue," Gareth answered. Meaning shoot to kill if necessary, take alive if possible.

He gritted his teeth, with his mind entirely focused on the task at hand.

Whoever had the balls to break into his warehouse, he needed to talk with, and they had better have answers for him. Gareth's time was precious, and he did not care for spending a night hiding in a damned shrubbery, dressed like someone from Mission Impossible, when he could be somewhere else, sipping a whiskey.