“You bastard!” Keiko yelled before decking him square in the jaw. The man tumbled over the side of the loveseat and hit the floor with a deafening thud. “I… You… Fuck!”

Robbie laughed, rubbing at his jaw. “Missed you too, little firecracker. Glad to see you haven’t lost that spark.”

He was alive. Ashe hadn’t known the man nearly as long as the other two, but she’d seen the grief they both felt at his loss, and felt some of it in kind. He’d been something of a mentor to her, making sure she knew what she was doing, that she could do the work that came with being a criminal operating in Jericho.

Crystal stalked up to him, glaring at his crumpled form.

“You have some nerve,” Crystal said, standing over him. They stared at each other for a tense moment, then she offered him a hand and pulled him up with a grunt and right into a crushing hug. “Fuck, I’m pissed as hell, but its good to see you again.”

“Sorry I didn’t tell you all,” he whispered. “Had to make sure Brandon was safe first.”

Crystal hiccupped, a silent sob escaped as she held her friend.

He turned towards Ashe and flashed her a sad smile. “You’ve grown into the role. You aren’t the naive girl you were when we first met. Watching you, I can tell you’ve got an edge about you now, one you’re going to need.”

“So you say,” Ashe said. “Be honest Robbie, are you still in Alejandro’s corner, or have you jumped ship to help us?”

Robbie sighed, sitting back down on the recliner. “I was never in his corner. Yessina wanted someone close to him, and he already had leverage by threatening Brandon. Now all his pieces are in place and he’s making his move to take over the Viuda, he just needs Yessina dead.”

“You’re talking like it’s already too late,” Mom said. “She’s in custody, how are they going to kill her?”

“Linda Hamilton, correct?” he asked. Mom tensed, and Ashe recognized that same tick that she had, wanting to reach for a gun but suppressing the urge. “You witnessed personally how the gangs can reach anyone, regardless of where they may be hidden. If she is marked for death, there is little you can do to forestall it.”

“I have to try,” Mom said, pulling out her phone.

Ashe reached out, gently gripping her mom’s arm. “How are you going to explain where the information came from? Are you prepared to answer those questions?”

Her mom glared back, two equally stubborn women determined to prove themselves right. It was hardly the first time they had found themselves in such a position, and Ashe certainly hoped it wouldn’t be the last.

“I’ll call,” Ashe said, offering up an alternative. Mom blinked, tilting her head in confusion for a moment until Ashe pulled her phone out, her work phone, and dialed a familiar number. The line connected and Ashe didn’t wait for the other line to speak. “This is Inferno.”

“How did you get this number?” Mother demanded.

Mom sucked in a breath, but kept any comments to herself.

“You have Yessina, leader of the Viuda in custody,” Ashe said. “She’s been marked for death tonight and isn’t safe in your custody.”

There was a beat of silence, before a derisive tone answered. “Let me guess, she might live if we release her?”

“Fuck no, she’d be dead in the hour,” Ashe said, probably because she would do the deed herself if the trafficking accusation had even a kernel of truth to it. Given Alejandro’s machinations, she was really doubting that at this point. “My suggestion? Get her out of the city, preferably out of state, within the hour. Do it off the books, only someone you can absolutely be certain isn’t caught up with one of the gangs. Hate to say it, but we all have people in your department, if we want something done, we have the means to see it through.”

Ashe didn’t wait for an answer and ended the call. She sighed, pulling the battery from the phone as well as the sim card before setting them both aside. She’d barely finished doing that when another phone rang, and it took Ashe a moment to realize it was her mom’s.

Linda took a heavy breath, then answered it. “Cat? Everything alright?”

“I’m fine, if that’s what you’re asking,” Mother said. “How are Ashe and Crystal?”

Mom’s eyes flicked up, then between the pair, both standing in their full street gear minus masks. “They’re both here. Do you need to talk to either of them?”

“I may need to ask Ashe how Inferno got my number,” Mother said in a tone that suggested she knew that she was being overheard. “But that is a secondary concern to the warning that was just delivered. I need you to come in, come directly to me and speak to no-one. I’ll explain more in person.”

“I,” Mom said, biting her lip. “I’ll be right there.”

“Thanks Lin, see you soon, and be safe.”

Mom muttered something and ended the call, her hand trembling as she did. “Someone you trust, huh? Dammit Cat…”

Ashe stepped close and pulled her mom into a hug. The guilt bubbled in her stomach like a roiling cauldron, but she couldn’t bring herself to regret it. She would simply trust her mom to do the right thing, whatever that ended up being. That was all she could do, bringing her mom into her double life, she didn’t want her to be an accomplice any longer.

“Go,” Ashe whispered. “We’ll be fine. Just be careful. You’ll be a target if she has you doing this. Trust nobody, even if you think they work for me.”

“Who do you have in the department?” Mom asked. “Just to be safe.”

Ashe glanced aside. “Combs, he was the guy from the picnic. Brie hooked up with him and slowly flipped him. He’s been feeding her information for months now.”

“Of course he has,” Mom muttered. “I’ll keep that in mind, but you’re right, I won’t trust him either. If she could flip him, he might very well be working with someone else as well.”

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

“Exactly,” Robbie said. “Anyone willing to sell out one of their people to another group would be willing to do so for anyone. Never trust your snitches or moles to have honor.”

Keiko and Crystal both nodded, likely something they learned the hard way. Ashe released her mom from the embrace then patted her shoulder. She looked her mom in the eyes, trying to convey all the love and appreciation she had for the woman who helped raise her.

“We’ll talk soon, I promise. No more secrets.”

“I’m going to hold you to that,” Mom said, then smirked, though it was a strained thing. “Try to only burn down half the city while I’m gone, alright?”

“I dunno,” Ashe tried to tease, “they call me Inferno for a reason.”

That had apparently been the wrong thing to say as Mom grimaced, turning away as she did. There was a moment of silence that was almost oppressive, then Ashe watched as her mom stepped over to the door and opened it. She was about to exit into the hall when she paused and looked back.

“Regardless, know that you’re my daughter and that I love you.”

Ashe’s heart hammered in her chest, fluttering as it did and tears streamed down her face.

“And I love you too, Mom. Make sure you pass that along to Mother, just in…”

In case she doesn’t live through the night.

Ashe knew there was a very real chance that she was going to die, more so than when they ran most of their missions. There was no escaping that truth, because one of the most dangerous fuckers in the city was out for her head. The door closed with an ominous click that felt like a final goodbye that filled Ashe with a terrible sense of foreboding.

Once upon a time, all Ashe wished for was to live in peace. That was no longer in the cards for her, even if she left the city. Too many people relied on her now, and she hadn’t realized it until she saw just how kicked up the hornet’s nest was at the apartments.

When had they gathered so many girls to their banner? She wasn’t the Viuda, which traditionally had done so, and yet… Caralina’s rumors about Yessina must have soured their reputation more than she thought, or she needed to buy Brie something nice.

With her mom heading off, that left her with her team to figure out what they were going to do next. It was oddly nostalgic to be sharing a room with the whole crew again. She turned to Robbie and nodded.

“This was your team before I bumbled along, I—”

“You’re in charge here,” Robbie interjected. “You’ve proven yourself a leader, so lead.”

Ashe swallowed heavily, shutting her eyes as she did. Did she actually deserve to be in charge of the team? Sure, she had started things when she insisted on taking the girls in, but did that really mean she should be leading them? Robbie had far more experience, and he was former military, so why was he insisting that she was in charge?

Worse, why were the others all nodding in agreement with his assessment?

Squaring her shoulders, Ashe looked across the room at her friends, her team, back together again. Crystal, the woman that helped her make those first steps into crime, her girlfriend. Keiko, the girl who judged her every step of the way, wary of the newcomer, yet also welcoming. Robbie, who they thought dead until only moments earlier, back and ready to get to business. Brie, the girl she had rescued, the girl that stepped up in every way that mattered and shattered all her expectations.

Then there was her, Ashe. Just some girl who barely believed in herself, she was nothing special, or so she always believed, but how could she if she had gotten so many incredible people to believe in her? Even her own mom was backing her in this endeavor, at least until things settled. Ashe could work with that, she’d worked with less in the past.

“Alright,” Ashe said softly. “Robbie, what’s your assessment from the time you worked with Alejandro? If we’re doing this, I need any intel you can give me about the man and his plans.”

“Plans. Alejandro. Riiight,” Keiko mocked. “When has that crazy asshole ever come across as the plan type of man?”

“Not crazy,” Ashe said at the same time Robbie said, “He’s faking it.”

“Yeah,” Crystal chimed in. “He’s either plural, or he’s faking the hell out of that persona of his. I’m scared to ask at this point.”

“He can drop the persona at will,” Ashe said. “He’s done this with me multiple times now. We can’t assume he isn’t running a dozen different plans that make complete sense.”

Brie laughed, though it was more self depreciating. “Well, I’m glad I’ve never met the bastard. He sounds like a real class act.”

“Consider yourself lucky,” Keiko muttered.

Shaking her head, Ashe held up her hand. “It doesn’t matter. He has plans, and we play into them in some way. My primary concern is making sure my people make it through the coming chaos alive and whole. If his plans compromise that, then I’ll oppose them. The same goes for anyone else in the city.”

“A fine stance to have,” Robbie said, “just do not allow yourself to fall to complacency.”

“I’m not afraid to be proactive if necessary,” Ashe said wearily. “I just don’t plan to spend the lives of my people like currency.”

Just the thought of sending people that trusted her off to die left her stomach curdling. No, if anyone was going to put themselves into danger, she was going to be right there with them. She knew that with as many irons in the fire as she was accumulating, that wouldn’t always be possible. That didn’t mean she couldn’t use some form of risk reduction.

“That leaves the mercenaries,” Ashe said. “Are we certain he’s employing them?”

“Not entirely,” Robbie admitted. “I know he’s paid them to do other jobs that their current employer would also approve of, but I don’t believe it was all him either. I do know that the first attempt on Jason’s life wasn’t him, but it was him behind the prom attack.”

“That wasn’t the mayor?” Ashe asked, dread coiling her stomach for ending the man just an hour earlier.

“Oh, he was complicit,” Robbie said. “He just wasn’t the primary funder of the operation. He couldn’t afford that crew, so Alejandro pointed them his way, had them make ‘suggestions’ to the plan, then executed.”

Crystal’s eyes narrowed as he spoke, then she crossed her arms. “How do you know all this?”

“Clearly Alejandro wanted us to know,” Ashe said. “He likely told Robbie as a loyalty test or something.”

“To see if he came running to us,” Keiko said, tapping her chin. “Robbie, you aren’t an idiot, you had to know this was his plan, so why now? It can’t just be about Yessina, can it?”

Robbie was silent for a moment, his head bowed. “Another cartel is eyeing the area, and they see him as their inroads to gaining power here.”

“What, are they fronting him funds to pay for the mercs?” Ashe asked with a scoff. “He doesn’t strike me as the type to rely on outside help to gain power.” She frowned, falling back in idle thought. “If he is working with them, he likely intends to burn them at the first opportunity.”

“Sounds about right,” Crystal said. “He’s used everyone that’s worked with him so far, including us. Why not also burn the drug lord looking to expand?”

“He doesn’t seem to care what fires are started in the process,” Ashe said, shaking her head. “And the mercs are just there to ensure the Patriots get dragged in with the rest of us.”

“He’s opportunistic,” Robbie added, “He didn’t approach the mercenaries until after your first run in with them. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if he offered them your head as part of the package.”

“Pretty sure that’s exactly what you bailed me out of,” Ashe said. “An easy enough offer to make, which means that Alejandro likely has Caralina, that makes getting her back a priority.”

Ashe looked over the map on the table, not quite sure where to begin. Her girls were on alert, and her mom was aware that Caralina was missing. She could probably get her to look into it, but asking even more of her mom felt wrong, she didn’t want the added stress of being accessory to further illegal actions on her shoulders.

That just meant that Ashe had to look into other avenues, even if she didn’t like them.

“Maybe it’s time to make another call,” Ashe said, looking over at Robbie who met her gaze with a raised eyebrow. “Do you still have Mercedes’ number? We’re going to iron up, then rally the Viuda.”