"Two detectives from the 15th Precinct's Vice Squad, three patrol cars, and the rest should all be Lyia's men."
Hannah crouched beside Jack, whispering the identities of the "HR" members standing and whispering under the streetlight. Then, somewhat uncertainly, she asked, "Do you think Lyia will show up?"
"If he's as clever as he's always seemed, he needs to be here today to control the situation."
Jack hadn't chosen his men lightly. Even with Lyia's cautious nature, he needed to be present in this situation.
Besides the three irresistible baits hidden in this warehouse, Danny's presence was crucial.
Eliminating the three remaining godfathers of the Five Great Families was crucial for Lyia's control of LCN. But if his men accidentally killed the Reagan family's eldest son, he wouldn't have to worry about the grand goal of unifying the New York underworld, but rather how to escape New York and even the Federation.
Sure enough, as more car lights lit up in the distance, a small convoy of four SUVs approached the warehouse district.
At the command of the two detectives, the HR cops re-entered their vehicles. Three patrol cars and a police cruiser drove out of the warehouse area and stopped at the intersection, blocking all the entrances and exits.
It was still several hours before dawn, and although the streetlights outside were dim, they were enough for the men hiding on the second floor to see clearly what was happening outside. This caused their already low morale to plummet.
Perhaps sensing the end was certain, Moretti II finally stopped his previous frantic pace and slumped dejectedly onto the sofa.
Only Zambrano maintained his bossy demeanor, even returning to the pool table to pick up his cue. "Actually, I'm still a little confused. How did they find this place?"
Danny gave him a suspicious look, confused as to what he was trying to say. "Isn't it obvious? Reia bribed HR. It must be someone they had hidden in the NYPD's technical department who tracked Fusco and my phone locations."
"Are you sure that's the only possibility, Detective Reagan?" Zambrano lowered his voice, as if to suggest a deeper meaning.
Danny walked over to him, subconsciously lowering his voice. "What did you want to say, Zambrano?"
"Your partner's name is Fusco, right? I vaguely remember him taking some money he shouldn't have."
Zambrano glanced at Detective Doudou, who seemed oblivious to the situation, standing guard at the small window. "Just now I thought about it again. His former partner was Detective Stiles, right?
That corrupt cop who's been missing for months seems to have been part of the 'HR' you're talking about. They're involved in all sorts of businesses in the city, even engaging in extortion and assassinations."
Danny knew all this, of course. In fact, this guy had guessed correctly: their current location was leaked to HR by Fusco through Simmons Patrick.
The problem was, when he'd asked this guy if he knew anything about HR before, he hadn't said anything, but now he was talking to him about it, with Lai Ya about to arrive.
"Detective Reagan, your cell service just came back up briefly, and a message came from Zambrano's phone."
Finch's voice, emitting from the headset, cleared Danny's mind. So, Zambrano had already been dealt with by Laia.
"To Detective Fusco," Danny said before someone suddenly slammed the iron gate, startling everyone.
This two-story abandoned art warehouse, along with several surrounding warehouse buildings, formed a warehouse district—not large, but not small either.
This entire area belonged to the wealthy Finch, originally one of his hideouts, much like the old library.
Currently, only this area still had electricity and lights, so once inside, finding everyone was easy.
Because the iron door was so heavy, Jack had thoughtfully installed a doorbell next to the electromagnetic combination lock for easy communication.
So, after only two knocks on the door, Iria's polite voice rang out from the room. "Hello, Detective Reagan, I'm here to talk to you personally. I hope you won't make the same mistake again."
Everyone in the room tensed instantly; even Griffin, who had begun to doze off again, nervously rose from the sofa.
"I don't think we have anything to talk about," Danny said, suppressing a quirky smile as he pressed the talk button on the door.
Laiya seemed confident, speaking in a casual, unhurried tone, "All that stands between you and me now is this iron gate. Are you still expecting your father's support? From what I hear, he's probably fretting over how to clean up those idiots under his command."
"Just deal with this gate first," Danny snorted, releasing the call button on the door.
Laiya, who was behind the door, said nothing more. Soon, the sound of gas cutting could be heard from outside, and the hinges gradually turned a dark red, accompanied by an unpleasant smell of burning metal.
"What are we waiting for?" Hannah, who had been listening in on the situation, nudged Jack with a puzzled look. "Laiya has already appeared."
"Don't worry, the fun is just beginning." Jack grabbed her hand, gently stroking it, signaling the sweet girl to remain calm.
By now, nearly everyone in the room was standing in front of the iron door, watching the dark red metal cutting marks gradually spread, soon severing the first hinge, then the second and the third.
"Fusco, get everyone behind us." Danny drew his pistol and pointed it at the door, his face righteous.
"This is a terrible ending." Fusco, whose acting was even more impressive than his, wore a slightly reluctant expression, but he still drew his pistol and stood beside him.
The sound of gas cutting finally stopped, and Leah's voice came again. "Last chance, Detective Reagan. We don't want this to come to the worst."
"Come on, Leah. I will never allow people like you to trample on this city." Danny looked like a hero ready for death.
"Did you hear me? Everyone, stand back," Fusco shouted back at Zambrano, who had suddenly stepped up behind him.
Suddenly, the seemingly portly old man swiftly stepped forward and, taking Fusco's time off, unsheathed his spare revolver from his waist and pointed it at the two detectives who had been protecting them.
"It's time to end this, detectives. Put down your weapons. I can guarantee you won't be hurt." Zambrano's fat face was covered with a smug smile.
At the same time, there was a loud bang, and as the iron gate fell to the ground, Leah led the way, with seven or eight men holding submachine guns rushing in.
(End of this chapter)