Chapter Eleven
“Del Roca’s not coming,” Alexei rapped in Diego’s earpiece.
“Fill me in.” Gun raised, Diego was speaking into his mic as he skirted the edge of the barn.
“He’s sending one of his trusted henchmen to pick her up instead.”
“He’s got wind of us,” Diego said, calmly rejigging his plan.
“Almost certainly. He’s got spies everywhere, which is why we haven’t caught him yet.”
Del Roca never stayed in one place long enough to be caught. He either killed or replaced his henchmen with predictable ferocity. His tentacles reached into every corner of the globe, which was why the mobster had proved to be their most effective enemy. “I’m speeding things up here,” he informed Alexei.
“I didn’t think you’d wait for us,” Alexei agreed. “But you should—”
Diego cut the line. His timing couldn’t have been better. All hell broke loose as he came around the back of the barn. The charges he’d set went off. Goons barrelled out of the building, shooting wildly, while a small black helicopter that had been buzzing overhead, turned tail and flew away. That was one less thing to worry about. Then a female voice raised in anger seared his brain. Ducking low, he ran in the direction of the commotion. It was a relief to hear Celina not only alive but cursing fluently. She had quite a vocabulary. Slamming into the side of the barn, he shot a quick look around the corner. An old woman had run out of a side door, and Celina, who had squeezed her top half out of a small window, was directing a flurry of punches at her as she tried to drag Celina to the ground.
Prioritizeripped through his brain. Evaluating the available cover and the firepower of the thugs, he decided that whatever the odds against him, Celina was his priority every time.
He had to admire her. She did half the job for him. Landing a blow on the old woman’s head, she knocked her to the ground. Grabbing hold of Celina, he dragged her the rest of the way out of the window. As he shoved her behind him, he took out two of the gang, then turned, picked her up, threw her over his shoulder, and ran for cover.
“Put me down,” she yelled, pummeling his back.
Not a chance. He kept on running and didn’t stop until they were deep in the forest, where he could finally set Celina down on her feet.
“No shoes,” she wailed, hopping after him as he turned to get his bearings.
“Sit,” he commanded. Diving into his medical pack, he brought out two bandages, one for each foot. It wasn’t ideal, but it was all he had.
Protecting her feet took up valuable time. Hearing the thugs closing in, he shielded her with his body “Stay behind me,” he instructed harshly as he backed deeper into the undergrowth, weapon raised.
“Even when I shoot my gun?”
He blinked as she took out two gunmen. “Where did you learn to shoot like that?”
“In woods like these, just a few miles down the road. When food got scarce in the orphanage, I used to go hunting with the village doctor. He taught me to ride too, and he was a great shot, as good at shooting bullets as he was at taking them out. He insisted I learned how to handle a gun. He believed in dangerous times, we should all know how to defend ourselves.”
“He sounds like a great man.”
“He was,” she said quietly.
“And you’re quite a marksman,” Diego approved as he grabbed her arm and urged her on through the undergrowth.
“It’s surprising what you can do with hunger as your spur,” she agreed.
“And in memory of a good man,” Diego added.
“I think you’re right,” she admitted sadly as they pushed on. “I think he must be dead. The thugs have been using his house, and they’ve wrecked it. He would never allow that. He would have fought to his last breath. And Marissa’s dead too. I heard the gang talking about it.”
“Was she your friend?”
“Yes.”
Tense with grief, she turned away. But not for long. She soon turned back to him and, firming her jaw, she explained, “We grew up together in the orphanage, then Marissa was my teaching assistant at school. She was supposed to follow in my footsteps and go to university. She had her whole life ahead of her until those bastards took it away.
“Was Marissa why you came back?”
“I had to do something to destroy the gang.”
