Page 52 of Beautiful Dangerous

“Five minutes.”

Drago’s wearing a tracker, we know these bastards’ exact movements. There’s been no stone left unturned to make sure this goes without a hitch.

“Eddie’s got eyes on them. Two cars, one truck. Four in the first vehicle, five in the truck at the back of the convoy, and Drago and the Pino brothers in the middle car. All armed, but nothing more than hand guns. They’re not expecting any trouble.”

Arturo grins, his fingers tightening around the rifle I know has killed dozens of men. Three women. No children, yet, but I’m sure he’d have no hesitation in doing so if they proved to be a threat. Anything’s possible in this god-forsaken world.

I sit back and close my eyes, and I try to push Olivia to the back of my mind but she’s refusing to go anywhere. For so many years I learned to control these feelings I have for her, I had to, for both our sakes, until one, careless moment of weakness wrecked everything. And I did the one thing I vowed never to do – betray my best friend.

My phone pings out an alert, and my eyes spring open, every nerve-ending in my body is on fire, my focus is back, this is finally happening. Although, not for the reasons everyone here thinks. The Pino Cartel didn’t kill Javier Delgado, because he never died. Never came close. Theythinkthey killed him, but the man they killed was a decoy, not an innocent man, not by a long shot, but one who had wronged Javier on many occasions. He had to go. He served a purpose, and repaid his debt, it was a stranger’s ashes Olivia scattered under the tree by Javier’s chair. And with Javier out of the way we knew the Pino brothers would breathe a little more easy; let their guard down a little more, they never saw Olivia as a threat, not really. But the fact they started to underestimate us was a good thing. That’s why we never tried to correct them. Let them think they have the upper hand, that’s the way we’ve played this, but all that ends now. They think they know enough to keep us under control, but what they don’t know; what they have no idea about is that Javier has been in a safe house in Mexico for two years, plotting and planning from that side of the border, working alongside contacts who are just ready and waiting to work with us the second we begin our job of bringing the Pino cartel down. Javier had to go in order for us to have this advantage. But Olivia would never have understood that, she loved him too much to let him go willingly.

I slide my phone back into my pocket, and pick up my gun. “Everyone ready?”

It’s time…

Olivia

The house feels eerily quiet. It’s almost as if I’m the only person here, but that can’t be the case, I’m never alone. Lucca wouldn’t leave me on my own, he wouldn’t do that. But Celine isn’t anywhere to be found, there’s nobody inside but me. And suddenly I’m swamped by a feeling of unease, I don’t feel safe. Maybe my nerves are more on edge than usual, given what day it is, and I move toward the window, reaching behind me for my gun, my fingers closing around it.

Just one quick glance outside washes that uneasy feeling away, it’s okay. Jorge and Mateus are still there, and Celine’s probably just popped out to the garden to pick some fresh fruit and vegetables.

Letting go of my gun, I drop my head and close my eyes, letting out the longest, loudest sigh of relief.

“Okay,” I whisper to myself as I grapple to regain the control I lost just then, albeit momentarily. “I don’t have time for this, not today.”

I don’t. And as I check the clock I realize I have less time than I thought, I need to get out of here, without Jorge or Mateus seeing me because Lucca will have told them to make sure I don’t leave. I told him I was staying put, but he’ll know I was only telling him what he wanted to hear. I just need to get to the garage, Javier’s bike is all ready to go, and as I glance out of the window again, I notice both Jorge and Mateus moving toward the gated front entrance, where a dark blue Sedan has pulled up. I don’t know who it is, but whoever they are, they’ll be sent on their way, the guards know I’m not taking any visitors today, business related or not. And I’m not expecting anyone, so they’ll be turned away any moment now, but while they’re being dealt with, it gives me time to get out of here, and hopefully escape out of the back gates before any of the other guards pass by there on their daily patrols. And yes, there’s CCTV all over the place, but by the time they check it, I’m aiming to be long gone.

Slipping out of the room, I quietly close the door and make my way along the landing to the top of the stairs. Peering down the spiral staircase I can’t see anyone in my eyeline, and it seems quiet down there so I take my chances and head downstairs, making my way along the wide, carpeted hallway toward the back of the house, my heart beating so hard and so loud because with every pause; every second I lose by standing still I’m wasting time.

“Where are you going, Olivia?”

The deeply accented voice stops me in my tracks, and in a heartbeat my blood turns to ice, and that feeling of unease returns like a kick to the back of the knees, my legs literally buckling underneath me, and I throw myself back against the wall to prevent me from sinking to the floor.

“Stubborn as always, hmm? Never one to do as she’s told.”

“No,” I whisper, shaking my head, my eyes squeezed tight shut because this is crazy. This is fucking unreal. “No.”

“Looks like I got here just in time.”

I keep my eyes closed, because I don’t understand what’s happening here. But I can feel them coming closer, the smell of their familiar cologne overwhelming me, and I feel angry, confused tears start to stream down my face, which I quickly wipe away. No-one is going to see me like this, least of all him. I don’tdothis. Not in front of him, never, in front of him.

“Look at me,mi amor.”

He’s so close now, right there, in my space, and when his hand rests lightly on my hip I flinch, and still my eyes are squeezed shut because the second I open them everything changes. Again. It all fucking changes.

“Olivia…”

I slowly open my eyes, and I blink, I try to focus, because my world is on its fucking head right now.

“Are you not going to welcome me home?”

Lucca

Arturo kicks the doors open, his rifle firing before he’s even hit the ground, bodies falling to the floor, broken and bleeding, so fast they never stood a chance. At the back of the convoy the bikers are dealing with the last vehicle, but it’s the middle one I’m interested in, and I watch as Tony and Emilio Pino exit the black Cadillac like they’re stopping by the grocery store to pick up milk. All around them fires are fucking burning, their men lying dead like scattered skittles on the blood-soaked road and these two pricks, they think they’re untouchable.

“Are you fucking serious?” Tony Pino spits out whatever the fuck he’s been chewing onto the ground and glares at me, but all I can see is a short, stacked piece of shit, his brother only slightly taller. But they’re dangerous men, way more clever than people give them credit for. Although, not that clever. Or they’d have found out who Drago really was by now. Instead, he’s still playing his part, standing between them, both his guns aimed directly at me in a fake show of loyalty to his “employers”. But I know exactly what those guns are about to do in the next few seconds. The countdown is on.

“Everyone else is down.” Eddie walks over, lifting his gun as he passes the brothers, spitting at their feet, and the arrogance of them is breath-taking. Neither feel the need to turn their own guns on us, safe in the knowledge that Drago is there to protect them, man, I could laugh at the irony. They have no fucking idea…

---