The house was surrounded.
All the inside guards were dead, but one job was still mine. I turned to Jacob.
"The customers."
Jacob nodded. "Let's clean them out."
We moved back toward the ballroom, where the masquerade still raged, though cracks were showing. A few of the guests sensed something was wrong, especially when Hector and the guards didn't return. Their laughter was fake, their masked faces turning toward the doors.
I'd be damned if any of these bastards escaped. They had little time to wonder. Jacob and I split, weaving through the crowd like predators on the hunt.
My silencer went off once, twice…two masked men slumped over their champagne, lifeless before anyone noticed. Jacob dragged another one into the shadows, his blade sliding home between the ribs, blood soaking into the stone tile.
The orchestra screeched to a halt when a body hit the floor. A scream cut through the room, as sharp as glass,just as the agents stormed in, weapons raised, shouting commands in Spanish and English.
"Hands up! Everyone on the floor! NOW!"
Panic erupted. Some of the masked buyers lunged forward for weapons; they were dropped in seconds. Others raised their hands, faces pale as their disguises hit the floor. One tried to make a break for it through the side door. Jacob cut him down with a clean shot between the shoulders.
Mexican police poured in behind the CIA agents, gathering the survivors, tearing masks from the few who still wore them. Fat business executives, politicians, heirs with too much money and no soul. Every single one of them lay sprawled out across the room.
All cuffed, their power stripped from them in seconds.
The girls taken from the cottages to partake in the auction were pulled from the line on stage, wrapped in blankets and rushed toward the waiting medics outside.
Some collapsed into the arms of the female officers, sobbing…clutching on for dear life.
I scanned the anarchy, breathing hard behind my mask. This was it. The collapse of Hector's empire.
I tapped my ear, sending a message to Zach.
"Ballroom secure. Scumbag customers neutralized. Survivors are being moved."
"Copy,"my brother said. His voice was tight, but I could hear the relief underneath it."Time to get back to Kitlyn and Becca. Hector's waking up. Don't worry though; he can't break free. I have my eye on thecamera."
"I'm on my way to her now. Thanks for all your help, Zach." A chuckle vibrated in my earpiece. "Of course. Anything for the brother who brought me up. Get going. I'll talk to you later."
And just like that, the mission shifted from bloody to something far more important….My Kitten. The fucking love of my life. The woman I will worship until the day I die.
I nodded toward Jacob. "Great job, partner. Let's get the girls the fuck out of here. Time to go back to my place."
I had a few guest houses on my property too. Hector would be my visitor until I decide to end him. It's time to reap what he sowed. Not only for my Kitten and Becca, but to all the women he subjected to such torture and misery. Oh, he's going to pay.
Chapter 24
Rescued
Kitlyn
Hector's head rolled on the floor for a moment before his eyes snapped open. The realization hit fast. His wrists were tied, ankles bound and his precious control was gone. Becca and I stood over him, both of us disheveled and bruised, but no longer helpless.
Not anymore.
I crouched beside him, ripping the gag from his mouth. He licked his lips slowly, tasting the blood at the corner where Atlas had clocked him, and then smiled. The same wicked grin I'd seen thousands of times.
"Well, well, I guess your stalker boyfriend finally found you," he murmured, glaring at me and Becca, his voice hoarse but cruelly amused.
"I didn't know you cared so much, green eyes. Tying me up to keep me all to yourself? If I didn't know better, I'd think you were falling for me."
