Tethered Hearts | ✓ | Books 1 & 2

Episode 35| Eleven Against Two

Words/Phrases used in the Chapter:

Magazine — a chamber for holding a supply of cartridges to be fed automatically to the breech of a gun.

Clip— a device to hold cartridges for charging the magazines of some rifles; also : a magazine from which ammunition is fed into the chamber of a firearm.

Packing/Packing Heat — carrying a concealed firearm.

Bryce's P.O.V.

Conner knew the address to the stash house.

He instructed Anthony on how to get there and which streets to turn left or right on. When we went on to the highway, heading north, I could tell we were going to the San Fernando Valley. 

I called the few guys I knew would be in the area. The guy I called told me he was closed to the address than we were, saying he would arrive fifteen minutes earlier with four other of my men in one car and another car trailing behind them with more members. 

"Wait for us to show up. I want to go over my plan first. Don't go in on your own." I ordered. "Make sure you bring the two duffle bags with the magazines and clips I gave you. I don't know who's there now and I don't want to storm in there with no form of protection. I'm not packing heat and I don't know if Conner and the others are or aren't."

"I've got something in the trunk." Anthony said, spinning the steering wheel and pulling us off of the highway and back on the streets. "I also got some masks. It should be enough for us."

"How many guns do you have?" I lowered the phone, putting it to my neck.

"I've got at least one for everyone in the car."

"That's nowhere near enough." I grunted, returning to my call.

We were going to Audrey's stash house, unaware of how dangerous that task may be. I wasn't going to walk in there with a minimal amount of gear. That was idiotic and would backfire in our faces if she turned up with more guys with far more weapons than us.

We had to be smart about this since we had a disadvantage. She had the upper hand, being in a location she was familiar with.

"I know a guy up in Santa Clarita who can hook us up with some off-the-market gear." Ernie chimed in. "He's got a lot of throw-away guns we could get a hold of."

"We don't have time to go drive up to Santa Clarita." I held a hand over the phone, bringing it down to my lap. "Santa Clarita is above the San Fernando Valley area, meaning we'd have to pass the stash house, drive all the way up there, and then drive back down."

"We'll have enough time."

"In the middle of rush hour? I don't think so. It'll take us up to an hour and a half to get there in this traffic." I pointed my index finger to the road we were on. It directly led off the highway and it was already bumper to bumper with cars. Traffic was building up on the highway. That was why Anthony went back on to the streets. "Not just that, but I don't have any cash on me. I couldn't pay your friend off."

I went back to my call and I settled that we needed the two duffle bags. The call ended after the agreement was straightened out and I hung up, staring at my screen a moment longer than I intended.

Sliding up my shirt to reveal my pager, I gazed at it, wondering if Sophia had hers with her. It was dumb of me to think she'd be all for my type of lifestyle. She had every right to want to stay away.

It didn't make accepting the truth any easier.

I was too much of an optimistic fool to think she'd be like how Kelsey was with Conner. They were three months into a relationship by the time she put two and two together, seeing what he did during afterhours.