Page 4 of Merciless & Mated

Blondie’s at the warehouse

Fuck. That would be a lot more work to get her out.

An image from the drone followed in the next message. It was grainy from the filthy windows, and the girl looked worse for wear, but I was reasonably certain that was our target.

I messaged back the entire team.

Marco:

Figure out their schedule

We’re moving in as quickly as we can

By the time I arrived, my team was assembled.

“Looks like there’s only five men on site,” Federico told me. “One for each of us?”

I nodded. “How many victims?”

“Three that I’ve been able to see with the drone.”

Bianca didn’t give a shit about trafficking happening in her territory. She got a cut of the money and that was all the persuasion she needed to allow it. I didn’t personally like it, but trying to fight Bianca Gallo was asking for a bullet in your head, so I let it be.

I didn’t report back that Gianna had been found with the traffickers, half wondering if Bianca would call me off and let the girl be sold even though we had told the Mancinis we would get her back.

I didn’t want any of my men to die on a rescue mission, but with equal odds against the traffickers, that was a possibility.

“Everyone have a vest on?” I asked.

The men around me nodded.

“We move in on their next break change. Federico and I will go for the girls; the rest of you take out the traffickers. No one die.”

They chuckled, though I was being completely serious.

We moved like a well-oiled machine, and the moment one of the traffickers stepped through the door to take their break and replace who was there, I put a silenced bullet in each of them.

The others moved swiftly, slipping inside without a sound. The traffickers wouldn’t be expecting any pushback in Bianca’s territory. That was probably why there were so few of them. I was more than willing to use their arrogance against them.

I fucking loved watching the men I had trained work. When I’d been young, Bianca had seen my potential in training, how my men naturally deferred to me and improved under my instruction. I had personally trained the majority of the capos serving under Bianca, and whenever I doubted my skills, I was reminded of my expertise when I put my people through their paces on missions. I followed inside after a moment, not waiting for their go-ahead that everything had been handled because I wasn’t about to let them have all of the fun.

Two of the traffickers were already on the ground.

“Where’s number five?”

Federico gestured to an office on the second level. I didn’t like him having that sort of advantage over us, but if we could get the girls out while he was busy hiding, that would be ideal.

Mario busted open the locks with a crowbar, the women inside pressing against the far wall. My men snatched out two of the girls, their survival instincts kicking on with struggles and screams, but Gianna stayed as far back as she could.

“Gianna Mancini?” I asked.

“Who wants to know?”

I reached for her, a tendril of her sweet peach tea scent bursting through the grime, and the world tilted on its axis, my back slamming down against the concrete, knocking the wind from me. Gianna sprinted away, and I cursed, barely able to breathe as I struggled to my feet and went after her.

A bullet zinged past and I tackled her behind some shelving, the two of us crashing into the concrete.

She immediately began to struggle.

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