“Do you know how to use this?” one had asked. I’d nodded slowly, my mind running back through the time I’d spent with Dario just a couple of days ago. It was like he’d had a window into the future or something. When I’d asked if it was legal, the guy had just chuckled darkly.
“Ma’am, I think you’ve moved beyond that point now, don’t you?” he’d said. “Keep it close, and don’t be afraid to use it if you have to. These are bad people you’re mixed up with.”
Now, as Andy gives me a last embrace, I’m staring at the thing that I’ve set on the side table. Praying to God that I won’t have to use it.
“Goodnight, hon’,’” she says softly, brushing her lips against my forehead. “Try to get some sleep, alright?” I nod silently as she leaves the room, leaving the door slightly open. I’m glad. It comforts me to know that she’ll be just down the hall. She’s promised me that we’re safe here. But I can’t get my head past the knowledge that Eduardo had his sights set on Sophia as well as me. And he already has her.
Chapter 11
Nikki Love
Isettle onto the bed, still wearing the t-shirt and sweatpants that Andy loaned me. I know I should sleep, but how can I do that, knowing what might be happening to my baby sister right now? I can’t even bring myself to turn off the light; I’m too afraid of the tricks my mind might play in the darkness.
I force my eyes shut, letting exhaustion and sorrow gradually take over. Even terror-stricken minds have to shut down, eventually. Although they rarely shut down completely. When something shifts in the shadows near the drapes, my eyes snap open. I lie motionless, barely breathing as I fix a stare on the heavy fabric.
It’s your imagination, dammit!
I can’t tear my eyes away, though. And then the shadow takes form, a figure stepping out from behind the curtains.
Fuck!
How long has he been hiding there? But that’s irrelevant now. There’s a slight flicker of surprise when his eyes lock with mine, and he realizes I’m watching him. Ice-blue eyes in a face marred with scars. The guy’s huge, hulking as he stares back at me. And then he grins.
“What are you doing here? How did you find me?” I blurt. It’s a ridiculous question, but I’m not expecting answers. I’m buying time. I scoot up against the headboard, drawing my knees up toward my chest, as I press my hip up against the small table just beside the bed.
“Stupid bitch, we’ve known where you were all along…followed you and your little friend when you got into her car last night,” he sneers. His accent is heavy, guttural. But I’m more afraid of those eyes.
I reach out for the bedside lamp and fling it at him. He sidesteps it easily, and I let out a sharp scream when he takes a slow step toward me, licking his lips as he runs an eye over me.
∞∞∞
Dario Caraldi
It takes less than twenty minutes for me to pull up alongside a huge, ornate gate at the location the tracker pinpointed her to. She hasn’t left since she arrived. I park the car in the shadows half a block away, then jog silently back to the entrance. A dark figure emerges from beside the security booth at the gate.
“What’s the status?” I ask quietly.
“Perimeter’s been breached, guards are down,” he murmurs, leading me to a small gate beside the booth that leads into the property. No doubt a security access to allow guards to patrol without constantly opening and closing the main gate. And the lock has been cracked.
Fuck.
“Two males,” Emilio goes on. “Arrived about 30 minutes ago and took out the patrolmen. Dogs are down too. These guys are pros, boss,” he mutters. I set my jaw.
“Where are they now?” I ask, looking up at the sprawling home that seems to be swathed in darkness aside from a light shining from one second-story window.
“Heading for that light would be my guess, boss,” he says. “One still down below. I just saw the other go in. You told me not to interfere, but I gotta tell you, I was about to go after him.” He shakes his head. “These fuckers are bad news.”
I know he’s not exaggerating. Emilio’s more than just a mob man – spent his time in the trenches around the globe; man-tracking is what he does best. But man-killingis what I do. And these pricks are about to get what’s coming to them.
“You did good,” I reply, still under my breath. We’re moving quietly toward the front of the house. Aside from that light, there’s no sign of life, all silent as we slide stealthily through pristine gardens. But what we’re up against is stealthy too; a flicker of shadow is the only hint of the killer in the darkness below the lit window. Probably waiting for a signal from the other who’s in the house. And then the bastard snaps his head around. I hear an intake of breath. Goddammit, he’s caught the scent of soap from my recent shower.
Jesus, Caraldi…fucking rookie mistake!
Thankfully, the guy just made a mistake of his own by letting us know he’s onto us. It means my strategy has to shift from sneak attack to full-frontal assault. Either suits me just fine. He hits me in the chest in a rush, but I’m ready for him, biting back the pain as I catch his elbow, snap his wrist round, and haul his arm behind him. I hear his shoulder pop as I crank it, but I’ve already clamped a hand over his mouth to silence the sharp scream.
His arm is dangling uselessly when I swing an elbow under his chin and lock a choke on. He’s a big bastard and might have put up a decent fight if he’d had more than one arm, but now, I’m feeling the panic well in him as he scrabbles at my wrist with the fingers of his free hand. There’s no real point to it; I’ve clamped down over his carotid artery, and he’ll be asleep in under twenty seconds, probably dead in a minute. I hold it for two, listening for sounds from upstairs as the guy goes limp, then slumps against me. A quick check for his pulse reassures me that the fucker won’t be coming back from Lalaland. Ever.
I drop him and turn to the door that’s still slightly ajar where the other one went in. The only sign that Emilio’s nearby is the slight rustle as he drags the corpse into the shrubbery along the wall. I know he’ll take care of the details without needing to be told. Which suits me, since my focus is now on the silent hallway beyond the door.
