“We made a bet. You didn’t say we couldn’t cheat,” I whispered in his ear. “Lesson for tomorrow, Marino, whenever you make a bet with me, discuss all the terms included.”
His forehead dropped against my shoulder, his breathing unsteady. “Zahra—”
“Shh,” I cooed, rubbing his back.
It took only a few seconds for his body to slump entirely against mine.
I closed my eyes, breathing and grinding my teeth hard before opening my eyes again. Fear painted my insides red atthe fact that I had managed to knock outElio Marino, make him completely and totally vulnerable, at my mercy. But relief eclipsed the feeling of fear when it dawned on me that I had managed to pull this off.
Before I orchestrated this, I knew it was nearly impossible to get him like this, especially when he saw through me, since he was never careless.
He trusted me. And the guilt raged because I knew I had just misused it.
I raised my hand a little and didn’t have to look before I heard footsteps rushing toward us.
I still held him to me, my hand still caressed his hair, and my heart was still pounding.
“Transport him safely to the penthouse. No one sees you. No one comes into the house. Full security. Await further instructions.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
When he was taken from my arms, I refrained from watching him get carried away as I gulped down the guilt I felt for removing him from the ship.
Letting out a breath, I flexed my shoulders.
One down, four more to go.
Time to get to work.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Zahra
My heart felt like I’d placed a bag of cement on top of it as I loaded my gun. I knew I’d messed up, with Street and with Elio. I’d broken their trust, crushed it with deceit and lies and actions I would never be able to take back.
Although there were many lies I could tell to salvage it—in fact I had a few lies ready and waiting, with facial expressions practiced to make sure they bought them, and I knew I had a good chance with salvaging it with Street… but Elio?
I’d have to give him a truth he’d believe. I couldn’t tell him about this, but I could tell him about how close he’d been to losing his life tonight, and how I saved him.
It was a long shot, after taking away his free will like that, but it was all I had to fall back on.
This mission, those kids, this area of my life was all I was living for. Daiyu might not know it but she wasn’t the only one who had gotten out of that organization and decided to dedicate her life to ending them. She was going about this on a small scale, but I couldn’t do that; not only was it mentally challenging but it was dangerous.
To handle something as big as the organization that made me required specific strategies, ones I’d been laying out for years.
And yes, yes, I’d built strong relationships along the way… with Street and with Elio, but my goal remained the same.
Get in and get out.
Stop these guys before they realize someone out there is trying to stop them.
Nothing was going to change that. Not my connection to Street and not my feelings for Elio.
My stomach sank.
I swallowed, shoving the Glock into the holster on my left side and loading another one.
My chest was burning, drawing together in a tightness that made me feel breathless.
