Page 132 of The Enforcer

“She turned off her phone.”

“We’re in a bad cellphone tower location. Give it a few minutes.” My brother, always the voice of reason.

He didn’t understand that when my instincts flagged something, I was never wrong. I’d known Leandro was in trouble. I’d tried to reach him, but had been too far away. I lost my best friend because I hadn’t succumbed to the bad feelings I’d had all day. Hell, maybe I was the one with precognitive abilities.

Fuck. I sent a text, warning her to be aware of her surroundings. At least it went through after a few seconds of a drag.

Elias knew the backroads that would take us to the house faster. Even with the lack of moonlight, the darkness didn’t stop him from speeding through the streets.

“You don’t buy the Italian Godfather has everything under control?” Havros asked a few seconds later.

“Not a chance in hell. We’ve experienced far too much over the last eighteen months, for fuck’s sake. We still have targets on our backs.”

“Because we don’t play dirty.”

“And because we have a lucrative business and access to dozens of ports throughout the world. That’s worth billions.”

“We’ll lock them down.”

I glanced at my brother. Now, he turned optimist. “Maybe too little, too late.”

We remained silent as Elias drove. Another phone call to Valencia produced the same thing. When we were only five miles out from my home, I dialed Luca. Thankfully, he answered.

“There’s nothing going on, boss,” he said by way of answering. “I just checked the systems.”

“Well, check again. If they manage to bypass the security, you won’t know they’ve gotten into the house.”

“You got it, boss.” Luca didn’t waste time with pleasantries, ending the call.

I pulled out my weapon, checking the magazine then snapping it into position. “Elias, where are the other weapons?”

“Duffle under the seat. I knew you’d want them.”

At least my lieutenant knew how I reacted to any concept of an attack. I yanked the bag onto my lap, unzipping it forcefully. With a small assault rifle in my hand, I shoved the duffle in Havros’ direction for him to choose.

The minutes dragged by, my heart thudding to the point of echoes in my ears. Another call made to Valencia. Another shove into voicemail.

“Kara texted me back. Mom and Dad are asleep, but she and Willow are downstairs. They’re surrounded by men.”

I nodded, thankful we weren’t under direct attack. “Get us there faster, Elias. I need to touch her face.”

Elias said nothing, merely glancing into the rearview mirror as he pressed down on the accelerator.

The ride had gone by quickly, but in my mind, too much time had passed.

As he rolled down the street, my stomach was full of knots. Something was very wrong. The moment he whipped into the driveway, I leaned forward, staring out the window. The place was dark and not just from the inside lights being out. The front light wasn’t on as mandated.

And there was no sight of a single soldier.

“What the fuck? Stop the SUV right here. We need to get inside without being noticed. The side door by the garage is where I’m headed. Go find out where the fuck Luca and the men are. Havros, see if the electricity was cut.” Which would mean the security had been breached. Why hadn’t the goddamn house generator kicked on?

I was out of the vehicle in seconds, staying low as I headed to the side door. Few knew it existed since it was covered by trees and other foliage. With the power being off, I’d need to jimmy the lock.

As I pulled out the Swiss Army knife, my thoughts drifted to the night in Milan. Goddamn it. If anything happened to her, this city and several others would be burned to the ground. No matter the consequences.

At least our father had taught us how to pick locks when we were teenagers. Granted, I’d used that more to my advantage, getting myself into trouble more than once. Tonight, the skills might be helpful in saving her life.

The woman I already loved.

---