Vice

Twenty

"This should be it." Ryder pointed at a house at the end of the street. The sun hung low in the sky and the looming skyscrapers cast shadows over the neighborhood. The house in front of them was raggedy, with old styled shutters covered in chipped white paint.

James looked around, "This? I know the Cobra's are a small gang. But that couldn't hold more than ten people."

He parked the car a couple houses away and made Ryder double check his findings.

"Only their leaders stay here. Their gang networks across the city, that's why they are still such a low level gang. They're unorganized and spread out, making them easy to pick off." Ryder closed his laptop and placed it under the seat.

Thea ran a hand across the handle of her gun, "How many?"

"Seven live here."

Thea and James nodded, readying their weapons, "You have a plan, or are we just winging it?"

"I have a plan."

She waited for him to continue but he didn't, instead he just stood their loading his gun.

"Care to share?" she growled.

James snapped the ammo into place and tilted his head at her, "You first."

She groaned and pushed past him following Ryder, "Get over this already."

James' hand shot out and landed on her chest, halting her, "Just tell me already."

Thea rolled her eyes and grit her teeth, "Drop it."

She shoved his hand away and left, catching up to Ryder who was rounding behind the house. He looked back at Thea and motioned towards the front door. Distract them, he mouthed.

Seconds later she was standing in front of a large shadow of a man. He looked her up and down through slitted eyes, "What do you want?"

Dropping her head she kept her voice quiet, "I'm here for Ray?"

The man's eyes twinkled with amusement and he turned his head to shout inside, "Ray, one of your whores is here."

She kept her head tilted downwards as another man joined them. She looked past their feet to the two others on the couch behind them. All four were staring at her, too distracted to notice the two men coming in through the back door. By Ryder's information, three more men were scattered somewhere in the house.

"I didn't order one tonight." Confusion laced Ray's voice but he continued to run his eyes over her figure, "But I'm not complaining."

She cast a shy smile in his direction and took a step into the house. The men parted to let her inside. From where she stood she could see the back door where James and Ryder had entered, but they were no longer in sight. Annoyance bubbled though her.

"I'll be back boys. Let me know how the game ends." The three men plopped themselves back onto the couch, which faced away from the back of the house. They grunted in response and Thea followed Ray up the narrow flight of stairs. Ray was the leader, and the only one Thea was focused on. From the description Miles had given Trevor, Ray was reason for his death.

"I heard you guys got into a pretty bad shoot out the other day."

Ray whipped around to face her his eyes narrowed.

She put her hands up, palms forwards, "one of the girls said your man was talking about it when she was with him."

He seemed to relax a little and a proud look crossed his face, "Yeah, well it wasn't anything really. We just took on a team of Vice members."