“Okay, let’s go.”

  Zeke pulled out of the driveway and headed towards the downtown. The whole way I had my team doing kit checks, making sure they had enough ammo, weapons were working, and vests were on tight. The last thing I wanted was to waste a well-planned night of revenge.

  We’d agreed on a cut down version of my original plan, basically what Joy had said. Three locations, all of them relatively close together. One was a grow op, the other two trap houses for dealing and consumption. I felt cold, but that was good. Like Papa said, this was a cold business.

  Rain pelted down hard on the windscreen. A miserable night to be out, but I was hopeful the inclement weather would keep the response muted. Purity probably didn’t want to fly out and rescue drug dealers at midnight in a storm like this, and these probably weren’t high enough value to burn teleports on.

  Fortunately, my vision was clear tonight. I hadn’t smoked any dope yesterday, and whatever the fuck that was the day before hadn’t come back. I mean, it had lasted the rest of the day, even through four showers but at least I hadn’t woke up bleeding. With any luck...no best not to think that way.

  “Amaranth? All good?” Nadir asked as we drove along. “You’re quiet.”

  “Thinking,” I said quietly. “I’m fine, don’t worry.”

  Why shouldn’t she worry? Obviously something was wrong with me. Too many things to name off hand, but this was new. Maybe my power was finally making me snap, more than any time before. Would be just my luck. Both Joy and Zeke had said weed didn’t make you see things, so it probably wasn’t that but…

  I shook my head. That wasn’t what I needed to be thinking about right now, I had a job to be doing. Right now we were headed to the first trap house, a place on Willow Street in the rough part of downtown. The plan was stupid simple, as my best often were. Zeke had his plate covered, illegal but necessary since we were pulling up right outside. We’d be heading right in, blasting open the door and getting every single person inside.

  We weren’t expecting a crowd, and with any luck there would just be the dealers, if we were luckier they would surrender. If not, well, they’d be the ones paying the price. I was done with kid gloves, playing by different rules. If they wanted to try killing my people anymore, they were going to die trying.

  Did that make me an outright villain now? Whatever, labels were just going to be slapped on me one way or another. The Protectorate hated me, New Wave would after my breakup with Amy, and the Undersiders only kept me as an attack dog. That was probably the most accurate label, the one I’d had thrown at me before any of this shit started. Rat terrier they called me…

  “Something funny?” Nadir asked as I chuckled to myself.

  “Just the Nazis,” I said, snorting. “Agreeing with the PRT. Got called an attack dog when I was a Ward, and Werwolf calls me a rat terrier. Guess it’s unanimous.” I got blank stares as I laughed.

  “Rat terrier’s a little yapping dog, right?” Zeke asked.

  “Yeah, yeah,” I nodded. “But well, it’s name is what it’s for; digging rats out of their den and ripping them apart.”

  “I like that,” Jeep said. “Terriers, sounds tough.”

  “Like it for what?” I asked.

  “A name,” he said. “What you all think?”

  “Ain’t like our old gang’s,” J-Dog said.

  “Yeah but that doesn’t exist,” Jeep said.

  “It ain’t bad,” Zeke said. “Terriers, yeah could throw that in a bar.”

  “Guess we’re officially a gang,” Nadir sighed. “Mom’s gonna kill me when I get home.”

  “Ehh, just don’t tell her,” Zeke replied. “My momma don’t know what I’m doing.”

  “Wait, really?” I gave him a look. “How?”

  “Left town after Leviathan’s attack,” he said with a shrug. “I call her sometimes, she thinks I’m working construction.”

  “My ma knows,” Jeep said. “I mean, I think she thinks I just deal drugs or something.”

  “We don’t do that,” I said quickly.

  “Shit I know,” he replied with a shrug. “Just what she thinks.”

  “We could,” J-Dog said. “I mean, that meth they were cutting was shit, but I could move it easy.”

  “No,” I said firmly. “We do one thing: fuck on Nazis. Take their guns and money and leave them bleeding. I’m not fucking have us be as bad as the bastards we’re getting rid of. Got it?”

  “Shit, was just saying,” he grumbled. “What do you care anyway?”

  “You want to know why I care?” I snapped. “Because my mom was the Empire’s drug lord. She ran a scheme that probably killed people you know. I’ll die before I follow in her footsteps, and if you want to try then get the fuck out right now; because if I find out you’re doing it on the side, I’m going to be pissed.” J-Dog’s eyes were wide behind his mask, almost scared looking.

  “Got it,” he said quickly.

  “Your momma was what?” Jeep exclaimed.

  “Ah, shit, right I didn’t tell you guys.” I sighed and pulled down my mask around my mouth. “Look, if it’s not obvious, I’m not like her. She’s dead and gone too, so not like you have to worry anymore. She was a monster, part of the reason I’m out here doing all this.” I gestured to the rainy night outside.

  “For the record, she did tell me and Zeke,” Nadir came to my rescue. “She wasn’t trying to hide this just...it never came up when you were around.”

  “Damn girl you got some skeletons,” Jeep said, shaking his head. “Shit man.”

  Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

  “Well, too late to get cold feet tonight,” I said, racking my carbine. “If you want out after...fine, we can deal without you. I’ll still be doing this though.”

  “Nah I’m in,” J-Dog said. “Just...damn, you know?”

  “What he said,” Jeep agreed.

  “Then quit moaning,” I said as Zeke pulled to a stop. “It’s show time.”

  We got out of the car and the cold rain instantly soaked us. Nobody complained at least, we were tougher than that. One window of the battered house we were raiding shone into the darkness, partly obscured by ratty blinds. I gathered my team behind me and we headed up to the front door, carbines in hand. I made absolutely sure it was the right house number, then warned my team and raised my gun.

  Two shots into the lock and we were in. Trash and debris piled in the hallway made for slower going than I’d like, but this wasn’t a very large house to go through. We found one rat as he rounded the corner, gun in hand. His weapon fell to the ground and he threw his hands up the moment he saw us, earning a summary hook to the jaw.

  I continued leading my team through, they knew the routine already for securing prisoners. As I rounded a corner into a wide-open room, two shots struck my arm. I whirled and shot back twice, hearing yelp and then a scream. Two down. A third blubbered, throwing down his own gun. Like that the room was clear.

  Minutes later, the rest of the house was too. Two more people, both whacked out on whatever the fuck these guys were feeding them. Nadir took Zeke and Jeep, while I did a quick search of the house with J-Dog. We pocketed a bunch of loose rolls of cash, scattered on a table and the floor. Once done, we grabbed the guns and were out of the house in a heartbeat.

  The others were already waiting by the car. J-Dog and I ran past the suspects, laid out on the lawn in the rain, and piled into the car with the rest of the team. Zeke floored it and we peeled out, racing to the next location. I reloaded my carbine with a fresh magazine, even though I’d only fired a few shots, and turned to my team.

  “Good shit,” I said. “Nadir, status on the one that I shot?”

  “Bleeding, but alive,” Nadir replied with a nod. “You hit him in the hip and thigh, missed the artery but I packed him with gauze. Probably won’t walk right again.”

  “Shouldn’t have shot me,” I said with a shrug. “Okay, same thing at the next place. Jeep, take the rear this time. You and I will do final sweep.”

  “Got it,” Jeep said. “Damn my blood’s pumping.”

  “Breathe,” I said firmly. “We’ve got to be cold.”

  “I’m plenty cold,” Zeke said, shaking his head and spraying us with water. “Ain’t you?”

  We shared a tense chuckle and fell silent as our drive towards the next location continued. No way those guys had got a warning out, so we should be clear for it. I stared out the window the whole while, watching the ugly neighbourhood pass by. They might be calling cops, but I was willing to bet they would be three steps behind us no matter what.

  The car skidded to a stop at the next house, and we jumped out and ran up to the door again. I checked the number, signaled my team, and blasted the lock to pieces. Two startled people stumbled away down the hall away from us, one falling to the ground. I trod on his head as I ran forward, then struck the other in the back with my carbine. He fell with a cry and I kicked him twice before moving on.

  The living room was nicer than the last place, and the four thugs inside were smart enough to throw down their guns when four, heavily armed people burst in putting barrels in their faces. Nadir and Zeke secured them while Jeep and I checked the other rooms. Once we were clear, we repeated the same process as last time. Money and guns taken, drugs left for the cops, suspects on the lawn out front. And like that, we were gone.

  “Making good time,” I commented, reloading. “Next place might have real shooters though. Zeke, you’re on rear. After you secure the first bad guys, get the can from the trunk and bring it in.”

  “You really sure about this?” Nadir asked hesitantly. “The store was one thing, but this is a house…”

  “A drug grow,” I countered. “You’ve seen the state of the last places, this one is probably worse. Easier to build a new one in its place, and it sends a message.”

  “And who don’t love playing with fire?” Zeke added with a chuckle.

  I reached back and took her hand, giving it a brief squeeze before returning my attention to the fight ahead. Tonight should make them think twice about operating downtown. If it didn’t, we’d hit them twice as hard next time. The floor of the car was getting crowded with guns and cash, testament to how well Werwolf was operating her. At least, until we’d arrived. Funding now for our future work.

  “You know, never thought Nazis would be so charitable,” I said, holding up a roll of twenties.

  “Right?” Nadir said jokingly. “Contributing to the TKN Foundation.”

  “The what?” Jeep snorted.

  “‘Terriers Killing Nazis’,” she said, getting a laugh from everyone.

  We pulled up at our final stop and once again raced to the front door. Like every time before, it was the right place, so I blasted the lock and went in. I’d been right about it not being habitable, but not in the way I’d expected.

  Just after the first hallway, the space opened wide into a veritable forest of weed plants. Rounds ripped through the foliage and I directed my team back while I moved in with Nadir crouched behind. She struck twice in different parts of the room, dropping four people while they fired half-blind at me. I called the others back in, then headed into the basement with Nadir.

  This time I shot back when bullets hit me, firing until they stopped. My ears were ringing, and I saw two bodies on the floor when I got to the bottom of the stairs. One was still moving, and I directed Nadir to him while I swept through the rest of the basement. Lots of drugs, but no more people. No money either, unfortunately, but we’d done well enough.

  “Let’s get him out of here,” I ordered, returning to Nadir.

  “This guy’s in pretty bad shape,” she said, glancing at me with her hands pressed to his chest. “Might not be the best idea for him.”

  “Well, it’s better than being in an inferno.”

  “...Okay, yeah.”

  I gave her a hand and we carried him up the steps, leaving the cooling body behind. I felt guilt start to weigh in my stomach like I’d swallowed lead, but fought it back. They’d shot first, not me, and it wasn’t like it was that obvious I could take a bullet. Kill or be killed, that was just how dirty this shit was.

  “Damn, he got messed up,” Zeke commented as we carried the wounded man past him and dumped him on the grass. I came back and nodded to the jerry can beside him. “We good?”

  “Yup,” I said, holding up a box of storm matches. “Go dump it all around the place, but be quick okay? No time to waste.”

  He nodded and raced inside. Nadir kept working on the injured suspect while Jeep and J-Dog were posted by the car, keeping watch up the street in either direction. I nodded proudly. That training had been worth every cent. Whether it was that, or who we were fighting, they were taking things seriously now.

  “We gucci,” Zeke said as he jogged out of the house, a gas trailing from the can behind him. He put the lid on and tossed it onto the grass, then held out a hand. “Can I do the honours, boss?”

  “Nope, this one’s mine,” I said with a grin, striking the match.

  I tossed it inside and the gasoline took instantly, racing down the trail and into the main room filled with drugs. I got Nadir to finish up, then retrieved the can and returned to the car as smoke began pouring from the windows. As I slammed the trunk, I saw Zeke gathering everyone on the lawn.

  “Boss, hurry your ass over!” he yelled, making me wince and check my shoulder. Clear.

  “What?” I demanded as I joined them, eyeing the flames licking at the windows.

  “Team picture,” he said, holding up his phone.

  “Are you fucking stupid?” I spat. “That’s insanely incriminating.”

  “We got masks on,” Zeke countered. “And I won’t go showing it to nobody just...I wanna remember the shit we’re doing, you know?” Nadir gave my shoulder a squeeze and I sighed.

  “Against my better judgment,” I muttered, standing beside them.

  “Say ‘Terriers’!” Zeke said, holding his phone out in front of him, carbine raised.

  “Terriers!” we all echoed as one.

  “A’ight, lets bounce,” he said, stuffing his phone in his pocket as sirens began wailing.

  As we peeled out, I couldn’t help giggling. I shouldn’t be, tonight had been hectic, someone had died but...ending it with a selfie? Soon the car was filled with the sounds of laughter as we headed for home. We weren’t heroes...but I didn’t mind that.