Chapter 6 - The Trap on Ashgrove Street
Rain returned to Ashgrove Street by midnight. The neighborhood was eerily silent now; Number 40 stood dark and abandoned, its windows boarded up with plywood.
Inside Number 42, Kayla sat at her kitchen table, sipping tea while Leo cleaned a sleek sniper rifle on the counter. Milo lay at her feet, his head resting comfortably on her slippers.
"They're coming tonight, Boss," Wilton said, looking at a tablet displaying live thermal feeds from the perimeter cameras. "Vance mobilised sixteen men. Four vehicles approaching from the north end of the street."
"Sixteen?" Kayla asked mildly. "Dominic was always paranoid. He never understood that quality beats quantity."
"Should we call the marshals?" Leo asked, clicking a magazine into place.
"No," Kayla said, standing up. "The marshals are for civil disputes. Tonight, we settle a ten-year-old debt."
She walked to her hallway closet, pulled out a dark trench coat, and slipped it on. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, heavy silver revolver—the weapon Richard had custom-made for her on their wedding anniversary thirty years ago. She spun the cylinder once; the metallic click was crisp and absolute.
Outside, the engines of four black vans rumbled to a halt in front of Number 42. Armed men poured out, taking positions behind hedges and tree trunks, their tactical lights cutting through the heavy rain.
Dominic Vance stepped out of the lead vehicle, holding an automatic weapon, his face twisted with desperate rage.
"KAYLA!" Vance roared toward the house. "Come out! You think you can destroy ten years of my work with a few legal tricks?! I own this city now!"
The front door of Number 42 swung open slowly.
Kayla walked out onto the porch. She didn't hide behind a shield. She didn't wear body armor. She stood under the porch light, her hands completely still at her sides. Beside her, Milo walked out, his tail wagging slowly, unbothered by the sight of sixteen armed men pointing weapons at his chest.
"Hello, Dominic," Kayla said, her voice carrying clearly through the rain. "You've gained weight. Power doesn't suit you."
"Shut up!" Vance screamed, his hands shaking on his weapon. "You should have stayed dead! You should have stayed in whatever hole you were hiding in!"
"I tried to," Kayla said softly. "I bought a small house. I planted marigolds. I walked my dog. I asked for nothing from your world, Dominic. But your boys touched my dog. They threatened my home."
May you like
She took one step down the porch stairs.
"And now, you are going to pay for breaking my peace."
