Life Of Imani

chapter 26

The night was unusually quiet, the kind of silence that hangs thick in the air just before something bad happens. Nassim stood in the shadows of an old, decrepit warehouse at the edge of town, the one he had chosen for tonight’s trap. The shipment—a fake load of weapons—was sitting in plain view, stacked neatly inside a truck. Its headlights illuminated the area just enough to show the bait, but not enough to reveal the Apex crew hidden in strategic positions all around.

Nassim checked his watch. It was just past midnight. The Ravens should be arriving soon. His heartbeat remained steady, but his mind was racing, calculating every possible scenario. He had men posted on the rooftops with rifles, others concealed behind crates and old containers, ready to close in from all sides once the Ravens made their move. Jason and Malik were positioned near the back entrance, ready to cut off any escape routes. Everything had been set up meticulously. There was no room for mistakes tonight.

He pressed a button on his earpiece, connecting to the crew. “Everyone in position?”

A series of quiet confirmations crackled through the device. Nassim nodded to himself. This was it. Now they just had to wait.

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Twenty minutes later, the sound of tires crunching over gravel signaled the arrival of their targets. A convoy of three black SUVs rolled up slowly, their headlights cutting through the darkness. Nassim crouched lower behind a stack of crates, his eyes narrowing as he watched the vehicles approach. The Ravens were cautious, but that was expected. They didn’t want to walk into a trap, but they couldn’t resist the lure of the weapons shipment.

The first SUV came to a stop near the truck. Four men got out, each one armed and scanning the area. They weren’t talking, but their tense movements made it clear they were ready for trouble. Nassim recognized one of them immediately—the Raven’s lieutenant, a man known as Kasim. He had been a shadowy figure in the Ravens for years, and now he was calling the shots in the absence of the capo.

Nassim’s grip tightened on his gun. He whispered into his earpiece, “Hold your positions. Wait until they’re fully inside.”

Kasim waved at the other vehicles, signaling the rest of his men to move forward. The remaining SUVs pulled up behind the first, and more men spilled out, about a dozen in total. They spread out, surrounding the truck, clearly eager to start loading the weapons. Kasim approached the back of the truck, his eyes still darting around as if something didn’t sit right with him.

“Open it,” he barked to one of his men. The guy hesitated for a second, then yanked the truck doors open, revealing the crates inside.

Nassim watched closely, his heart pounding. They were almost in position. He could see Jason, crouched in the shadows across the lot, his rifle aimed and ready. The rest of the Apex crew was silently waiting, their fingers on the triggers, prepared to strike the moment Nassim gave the signal.

Kasim stepped up to inspect the crates. He lifted the lid of one of them, eyeing the contents—a bunch of worthless scrap disguised to look like high-grade weapons. The moment he realized something was off, his expression shifted, and Nassim could see it in his eyes. He knew.

“Wait a minute…” Kasim muttered, backing away from the truck. He turned to shout orders, but it was too late.

“Now!” Nassim commanded into his earpiece.

Suddenly, the silence of the night was shattered by gunfire. The Apex crew emerged from the shadows, weapons blazing. Snipers on the rooftops fired precision shots, taking out two Ravens before they even had time to draw their weapons. The Ravens scrambled, ducking for cover behind their vehicles and crates as bullets rained down on them from every direction.