Page 50 of The Marriage Auction 2: Part 4

Today we’d decide how we were going to deal with Angus and Bianca.

* * * *

Apparently, our meeting meant we’d have another meal together, prior to our chat. Once again, Diego’s mother was making a feast. My stomach, however, did not agree with the idea of food, which garnered me dirty looks fromMamáalong with hand gestures to her curves and the lack of my own. The woman I ended up finding for Diego would have to win overMamátoo. I made a mental note to keep her in mind when I started the process of finding Diego a bride once this was all over.

Provided I was alive when it ended.

For thirty minutes, I snuck food onto Christo’s plate whenMamáwasn’t looking, hoping to appease her. Christo ate with gusto, even though a worried expression crossed his features when he noticed I was pushing all my food to his plate. Blessedly, he rolled with my quirks as he always did. It was our way. But the look he gave me after said we’d be discussing my lack of appetite in private.

Just like last night, the men thanked the matriarch and cleaned up the dishes as Diego led us back to his study. I was too wired to sit, preferring to stand with my arms crossed over my chest as I leaned against one of the empty chairs in front of his desk.

Diego sat, leaned forward, then pressed a button on his desk. The air changed and Christo and I whirled around to face the long wall of bookcases. Shockingly, a four-foot-wide section popped out about a foot or more and then slid to one side.Behind it was an entire room, with a wall of flatscreen TVs on the other side of it, a long control panel and several other desks and computers. There were four men in front of the wall of screens pressing buttons, their heads moving as though looking from one screen to another. There was yet another man on a computer looking at what seemed to be data or records of some kind. Behind all of them, walking the perimeter of the room, his gaze tracking from the screens to the desktop computers and back was another man, this one oozing authority. I pegged him as the boss in that space.

“I want more detail on that location.” He pointed to a screen. “She was seen having dinner with a man matching Angus’s description there. Get me everything you know about that restaurant and the camera footage along those streets, whether it be traffic or private businesses. Hack whatever you need to.”

“Welcome to my European command center,” Diego announced to us. “Angel,” he called out, and the man turned around and calmly walked into the study.

He was younger than Diego and scary handsome. Rather frightening in his serious mannerism, chiseled facial features, and meticulous appearance. More like a handsome devil than an angel. His dark gaze was cool and calculating. He wore all black from head to toe. Tailored slacks and a fitted black dress shirt that he’d buttoned all the way up. The shirt, however, did not take away from the large neck tattoo I spied when he lifted his chin. A phoenix rising from the ashes, its wings stretched out along the sides of his neck as if the bird was still in flight. Everything about him was sharp lines and dark edges with a heavy dose of mystery. He had the same black hair as Diego, only his was cropped tight to the scalp with intricate meticulously cut lines around the face that could only have been done by a barber. His coal black eyes seared straight through me, a chill surfacing at the intense way he assessed me, Christo, and then Diego.

“Brother.” He dipped his chin and lowered his gaze with what seemed to be respect.

“Angel is my baby brother, head of my security, my top advisor, and most skilled assassin. Don’t let the good looks fool you. If you lay eyes on him, that means you are in the inner circle.Parte de la familia. It also can mean you are about to lose your life as he is known asÁngel de la Muerte. The Angel of Death.”

I gasped and stepped back. Christophe immediately left his seat and came to stand at my side, slightly in front of me.

“Not to worry. We do not invite outsiders or our enemies into our home to stay and have meals withmi familia. You can relax. Please,” Diego gestured to the seat in front of him. My legs felt wobbly as Christo led me to the chair. I sat in it, while he stood behind me, his hands on my shoulders, always there for support and to keep me safe. Christophe might be a lover more than a fighter, but he’d do what he had to in order to protect me. Even risk his own life.

“Update,” Diego clipped.

“Bianca has moved away from the location close to the Toussaint estate,” Angel stated. “They both have been sighted at a villa in The Gros Caillou, located in the7th arrondissement. We’ve scouted the location before. We have had eyes on it for a while now. My men have been able to confirm both Bianca’s entrance into the building last night and Angus’ earlier that afternoon. We believe they are scrambling to locate Ms. Toussaint’s whereabouts.”

“What are our next steps?” I interrupted, doing my best to keep my voice from showing any emotion. I was on pins and needles, ready to get my life back.

“The building is well guarded. Two men at every entrance. Several rotating around the entire building. The windows on the lower levels have bars with more guards inside the home. Thereare also snipers on the neighboring roofs, ready to fire at a moment’s notice.”

I gritted my teeth. “Then how are we going to get to them? You can’t send in your men knowing they’ll be slaughtered immediately,” I put my hand over my chest, my skin becoming clammy at a visual of the men I’d just had meals with being shot down in cold blood, all because of me. “I won’t have it. My life is not worth theirs.”

Angel crossed his arms over his chest and gave me what I believed was a smile but looked more like a cold, calculated sneer. “I’m glad you feel that way,Madam. It will make our next request more palatable to you.”

“A request? I’ll do anything to help get out of this predicament. My godchildren have been blown up and are right now having their people inform the American press they are all dead while going into hiding and healing from their injuries. One is in a coma with over half of his body burnt to a crisp. My niece was kidnapped and is traumatized for life. If you have a plan, I’m happy to participate.”

“It will be dangerous.” Diego tilted his head. “Are you truly willing to risk your own life to end this war between you and Sokolov?”

“Alana…” Christophe warned, knowing me all too well. I’d jump in with both feet if it meant no additional harm would come to those I loved.

“When do we start? What do I have to do?”

“We know Angus well. He’ll need to believe he has the upper hand,” Angel shared. “Our plan is to have you call one of your most trusted attendants at your estate and tell them your whereabouts. We know your phones have been tapped not only by the authorities, but most likely by Angus’ team. We will cut off the transmissions to the authorities, so they’ll be none the wiser, while Angus’ team gets the tip and comes to the location we’recontrolling. That location being a hotel in a small city about an hour drive outside of Paris.”

I frowned. “Okay. And then what?”

The Angel of Death did smile that time, the cruel curl of his lips almost beautiful in its brutality.

“Then we offer you up as bait.”

Episode 102

There Is No “I” in Team

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