"Let's face the obvious: we don't have enough supplies to make it longer than another week, and contacting Mr. Belmour is near impossible."
Charlotte's words caught the attention of the entire bunker. Kayden stood at attention by her side as she laid their hand-drawn, tiny map on the bed. Jericho was peeking over her shoulder, Theo naturally tall enough to see over the two of them. Jimin ushered Ariel in front of him so she could see, and Asa was practically on Jimin's ass that was how close he was.
"What's your plan?" Kayden asked, Charlotte using the pen to make a blob on the left corner of the map.
"This is Ivan's nightclub. We can't make it there without going unnoticed, and we certainly can't make it back to any of our compounds. But we might have the power to make it into another, smaller mafia's compound."
"6 versus a whole mafia. Great. Sounds doable. You guys go first," Jimin said, Charlotte shooting him a glare that made him back off.
"We're not fighting them head on. I have a plan thanks to Jericho's input. Jericho, want to take over?"
Jericho hummed and stepped forward, snatching the pen from Charlotte and marking another spot on the map. "There's a new, growing mafia that I'm allies with. They call themselves Pandemonium, and their main compound is here. It's disguised as a two-story laundry building. Perfect spot for money laundering. The second floor is where they do their main business. There's weapons there, money too so we can buy food. I've only been inside a handful of times, but I know enough to guide us through. Typically there's only 12 of them there at the same time."
"There's cars out back. After we secure the building, Jimin and Jericho will hotwire the largest car or cars they can find so we can get a ride. We're gonna need a new place to stay, and I have a larger hideout on the other side of the city. The odds are, they're not gonna call the police over their stolen vehicles out of fear they might be discovered. They're newer, so they aren't as accustomed to this whole thing as we are. On the off chance they do call the cops, we'll take the back roads anyway to avoid detection," Charlotte said.
"How do we plan on taking out a compound that could have twice as many people as us?" Asa asked.
"As much as I hate to say it, we need Ariel's help. She's a kid, so she can easily cause a distraction. Jericho told me there's a lot of desks and possible cover in this place. We have something on our side that they don't," Charlotte said, and everyone leaned closer to absorb her words. "Seong Jimin."
"Oh hell no to all of that," Jimin said, stepping forward. "For starters, we're not putting a kid in direct gunfire. Second of all, I'm not a walking messiah as hot as that may be. I can fight... with fists. I fucking hate guns."
"Suck it up, we need you to disarm as many as you can so we can get the upper hand. Ariel's going to go in with us and fake an asthma attack. I already told her about this in the morning when she was eating her breakfast of a healthy bag of chips."
"God dammit, I told you not to take more snacks," Jimin said to her, but Ariel only shrugged.
"Jimin, you're our combat specialist here. The entire Underworld wets their pants at the thought of fighting you, so you're taking point with Kayden and Asa by your side," Charlotte said, Jimin bringing out his pistol and checking how much ammo he had.
"We need to make every shot count. I don't have much left. You guys?" Jimin asked. The others, including Charlotte, were in the same position. "If anyone wants to take mine, you're welcome to it."
"Just use the damn pistol," Charlotte said, Jimin grunting and finally shutting up. "Is our plan clear?" They all nodded, Charlotte taking one long look around the bunker. "The watch schedule will stay the same no matter where we go, so Kayden, bring that list. Gather what you can and prepare to leave. My hideout has more supplies, but once we get cash, we can do grocery shopping as well. We'll need to buy disguises like hair dye, wigs, masks, and colored contacts. Everyone alright with that?" Everyone agreed, Charlotte rolling up the map and heaving out a sigh. "Then let's do this."
~~~
The laundry building was appalling. It was more rundown than Kayden's bunker with cracks lining the sides of the walls and double, glass doors that seemed like they'd shatter just from getting breathed on. How this structure was still allowed to operate was beyond Charlotte, but she knew she had to try. A distraction was their best bet, or maybe the mafia would be nice and not immediately arrest or shoot them.
Ariel was speaking with Theo, who was giving her advice as to how to fake an asthma attack. Apparently, Theo had wanted to be a doctor at some point in his life. He studied it for a few years before dropping it to focus on his life of crime. Jericho mentioned how Theo was an unofficial combat medic in case of emergency. With that background knowledge, it made sense he was giving Ariel advice on what to do. He would certainly know better than Charlotte. She was blessed with no health conditions, whether that be mental or physical.
Jimin though...
Her eyes searched for him, and she found him behind them, bringing up the rear with Kayden. The sidewalks were empty this time of morning. It was too early for the rushes to come, but late enough that there were cars in the lot of the building ahead. Walking out in public like they were was a risk, but it was one they had no choice but to take. They took alleyways and back roads whenever they could just to be safe.
Jimin was the one in the group that Theo could have a field day with. Charlotte didn't know where to begin. There was the insomnia, then of course the PTSD. He didn't talk much about what happened prior to when he turned 16, but she got the impression he was underweight by a decent amount. It brought her joy to see he had muscles now, even if they weren't enormous like Theo's or June's.
Jericho led the way to the entrance, stealing a greedy glance at Charlotte. She basked in it, giving him a solid nod. Although taken aback, he returned it and swallowed, quietly opening the door.
Unlike many other businesses, no bell chimed when the door swung. Jericho held it open for everyone, Charlotte going in behind Asa. Their pistols were ready, the crew gathering inside before Jericho slowly shut the door and took the lead.
There were over a dozen machines of washers and dryers, none of them in use. Checkered floors squeaked under their feet, Charlotte jolting with the tiniest of noises. It got so bad that Kayden had to give her a stare to bring her back to reality. As it turned out, she wasn't adjusting to her new 'life' as well as she wished to. It was beyond difficult. It was impossible. Her best option was to ignore it and pretend it wasn't happening. But that would only get her so far.
The walls had floral wallpaper hung up, frames of random art like teapots thrown around the room to make it appear friendlier. More real. There were tiny tables around for folding clothes and placing baskets. Charlotte ignored it all and continued to follow Jericho to the back of the vicinity. A stone staircase was there, a metal 'Employee's Only' sign placed on a nail on the left side of the wall.
Jericho went past it, creeping up the stairs. Theo and Ariel were behind him, Ariel preparing for her part. It was by this time that Charlotte realized it was too quiet. Something she didn't account for in her plan was the possibility of cameras. They were such a new organization, Charlotte didn't think they'd have the budget. That was a mistake she would have never made before. Before her life turned to shit.
"There might be cameras," she muttered, and they froze at that.
They stopped creeping and decided to increase their pace. They went up the flight of stairs, and a single, crusted white door awaited them. It was shut, Ariel hopping up to it to knock. The others waited at the bottom. However, there was yet another thing Charlotte forgot to include in her planning: Jimin.
Right before anyone could answer, Jimin grumbled and stood. "Oh fuck this," he said, getting up and pulling Ariel back. The entrance opened, a man with a baggy t-shirt and sweatpants waiting there with a grimace on his face.
"You have some nerve coming here. There's a bounty on you. You really think you were being sneaky when we have cameras all over the place?" he asked, and Jimin grunted.
"I hate pistols."
"What?"
In a blink, Jimin shot the man in between the eyes and practically threw Ariel down the stairs as the fight broke out. Jimin forced Ariel to go to Kayden for protection, and he fired at the ones inside the room.
"There's 6 more of them!" he called, laying down on the stairs and blindly firing into the room. Charlotte cursed and took out her own weapon, waiting to see if anyone was dumb enough to come closer. No one was.
They would run out of ammo eventually, they needed a better plan. That was without mentioning how the gunshots were loud. If anyone was nearby, the cops would get called. That limited the time they had to hotwire the cars.
Forming a plan, Charlotte went down to the main area and grabbed one of the tables. They were made of metal rims and wooden bases. They weren't perfect, but they were enough. Kayden came down with her and helped her take two tables up the stairs. Asa and Theo joined in, and together, they made portable cover.
With a mental countdown, they rushed up to the doorway and placed the table down. It was too big to fit through width-wise, but they could get closer without getting shot. Jimin managed to down another of the ones inside. 5 to go. Charlotte shot blindly, but she was sure she hit nothing.
The walls that were once covered in floral wallpaper were now a lime shade that made Charlotte want to throw up. She hated all shades of green, and this was one of them. Regardless, she stuck to the walls in a ducked position. More shots popped out, each side trading fire.
"We can't keep waiting here," Kayden mumbled, Theo agreeing. Theo took a risk and peeked over the table, firing in. He managed to get one, but at the cost of a wail ripping from his body. He went flying down the stairs, a bullet through his shoulder with blood spilling out.
Asa sprinted to him and shouted his name, Jimin providing cover fire until his pistol clicked. "Jimin," Charlotte said, and he groaned but took her pistol. He holstered his original one, counting the bullets he had in the new before firing away.
Kayden still had a small table in his grasp. Charlotte kicked the first one away, Kayden taking the hint and switching his vertically. Charlotte mouthed a countdown, then, they charged in with Kayden holding their shield. Since she had no pistol, Jericho took her place in the invasion and followed Kayden and Jimin inside.
Charlotte rushed to Theo as the others worked on clearing the room. She slid next to him and watched him gasp for air. She swore she could see mush forming inside his open wound, but she knew she was sleep deprived and high on stress. Seeing things was dangerous, so she made a mental promise not to freak out over what she wasn't sure was real.
A minute later, Jimin reappeared at the top of the stairs. "We have their leader, the others are gone," he said. Theo motioned for her to go while Asa took care of him, Charlotte hopping up and joining Jimin inside the office.
It also had a checkered floor, a single bulb hanging off a wire to light the room. There was a rectangular window that was shattered from the fight, filing cabinets and a key rack on the left while a fake tree was on the right along with cushioned, burgundy seats. Charlotte was tempted to sit and bask in a moment of relaxation, but the man behind the desk in front of her was far more important.
There were gun cabinets in the corners of the room behind the leader, Charlotte placing her hands on the wooden surface to stare at him. "Do you have medical supplies?" she asked. Kayden had a gun to the blond man's head, his cyan eyes darting around as if that would save him.
"Filing cabinet," he replied. Jimin went to check just as Ariel entered, Asa behind her. He slipped past her and helped Jimin search, but Charlotte waved the air.
"Kayden, keep your gun on him. Jericho, Jimin, get to hotwiring before we get the cops called on us. Asa, get Theo up here so he can delete the security camera footage. Ariel, with me," she said.
Although hesitant, Jericho and Jimin exited after taking some car keys off the rack by the cabinets. As soon as Asa found what he needed, he did his task as well. Ariel gathered a few duffel bags that were hiding near the gun cabinets and dropped them by Charlotte's side. She thanked the kid, then, she gave the man a grin he didn't bother returning.
"Let's talk, shall we?"
~~~
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Heartless || •OG• ✔️
Mystery / Thriller|| 18+ Enemies to lovers gxb and bxb || Infamous NYC mafia leaders Charlotte and Jericho have been rivals for years. However, all of that changes when one of the leaders of their Underworld is assassinated. The rivals are forced together and must re...
