“I could say the same to you,” I reply, prying his arm off me. “We are done here.” I stab him with an icy look. “Do what you must to hold Moscow at bay. I will work to progress things as fast as I can on my end, and I’ll provide a status report next week.”
“See that you do,” he says, sitting back in his seat as I open the door and get out. “Don’t disappoint me, Catarina. You won’t like what happens if you do.”
ChapterTwenty-Five
Massimo
My wife is troubled. And I’d bet it’s nothing to do with why we are parked in a blacked-out armored SUV outside a dingy restaurant in Chinatown. She has been on edge the past couple of days, and her crew seems tense too. I want to know what’s going down, but Allante has uncovered nothing. According to his intel, my wife spends her days working from coffee shops and restaurants, usually alone although Dario Agessi sometimes accompanies her. I smell a rat and vow to go over the surveillance material myself once we put these Triad bastards down.
“O’Hara has taken Lopez down,” Catarina confirms, scooting over on the seat and showing me her phone. The text is from Fiero. He was assigned to work with the Irish to ensure they played their part without deviating from the plan. The pic shows the Mexican boss lying in a pool of his own blood, a vacant stare in his lifeless eyes. “They are handling the rest of his crew now.” She repockets her phone, glancing earnestly out the window. “What the fuck is taking so long?”
We sent twenty of our best men inside to handle the initial attack. “Something must have gone wrong,” I say, removing my gun and unlocking the safety. “I’ll take a look.”
She snorts out a laugh and levels me with an icy stare. “We’re doing this together.” Her expression dares me to argue, but I know better.
“So, let’s do this.” I waggle my brows, my eyes raking appreciatively over her sexy form in her tight-fitting black top and pants. She’s wearing military-style boots, and she has a myriad of weapons strapped to her body. “At the risk of incurring your wrath, should you wear a Kevlar?”
She smirks, and it turns my dick to steel. “My clothing is bulletproof.”
“Where the fuck did you get your hands on that?” I know a couple of companies have prototypes, but it’s not on mass market sale yet.
“It’s actually a Mazzone tech prototype.”
“Bennett has only given those to a select number of hissoldatito test in the field.”
Her grin expands. “I’m well connected, Massimo. There isn’t much I can’t get my hands on.”
Grabbing her to me, I slam my lips down on hers. “Your smarts turn me the fuck on.”
She cups my junk. “I can tell.” She traces her tongue around my lips, and precum leaks from my cock. “Let’s take these motherfuckers out and go home to celebrate.”
Her flirtatious tone and suggestive look confirm her thoughts are aligned to mine. Still, I want verbal affirmation. It will make the killing all that much sweeter. “Tell me your plans involve both of us naked, sweaty, and fucking our way through the Kama Sutra.”
She giggles, and I stare at her in awe. Her face is flushed and her eyes bright, and she looks happy and carefree in a way she rarely does. I clasp her face in my hands and kiss her tenderly. “I want to bottle that sound and listen to it on replay.”
Predictably, she rolls her eyes. “I want to bottle the sound of Lee Chang choking on his own blood and play it to my enemies on repeat.”
A massive grin stretches across my mouth. “I love how bloodthirsty you are. Never fails to get me hard either.”
“Is there anything that doesn’t get you hard?” she asks, and I’m opening my mouth to reply when the sound of gunfire emerges from the restaurant.
“Go, go, go,” Catarina yells into her cell phone. Our additional reserves hop out of their SUVs the same time we leave ours. My wife races toward the front door with a gun in each hand, and I run after her with Ricardo hot on my heels. Ezio remains behind the wheel should we need to make a hasty getaway.
“Stay back,” I roar, grabbing a handful of her shirt and yanking her out of the way. “Let our men enter first.”
She digs her elbow into my gut, loosening my hold and spinning around in my arms. Cold metal thrusts under my neck as she levels me with a furious look while prodding me with the muzzle of her gun.
Around us, oursoldatiswarm the building, and more gunfire erupts as shots are traded.
“Let’s get one thing straight, Massimo. You are my husband, but I don’t take orders from anyone, especially not you.” She lets me go, nodding at Ricardo.
He walks around us, entering the restaurant with his weapon out and his eyes peeled.
Rina’s eyes soften a little as she looks up at me. “I know you only want to protect me, but I don’t need it. I know how to handle myself.”
I grab her arm, shoving my angry face all up in hers. “I fucking know that! But no don or donna worth their salt charges headfirst into a battle without scouting the lay of the land. You are too valuable and too smart to rush into the unknown. I’m not telling you what to do; I’m keeping you safe.” She knows this, but she’s distracted. It’s beginning to worry me.
“Boss,” one of my men says, poking his head out. “This level is clear. Chang and his senior associates are holed up in the basement. What do you want us to do?”
