Page 73 of To Have and To Hold

It all made sense. “Fuck, Leah’s husband—Makarova.”

Adrian spoke in his heavy Russian accent, “Fucking Dmitri tried to kiss Andros’s ass. Pakhan didn’t trust him. That’s why the leech sucked up to Volkov. I wish they were having a fucking three-way. I’d gladly take them all out.”

“Volkov is mine,” Jano said. “I want to see his fucking face as he takes his last breath.”

“What about guards?”

Rei brought a video feed up on the screen. “There’s usually two outside the door and one near the elevator. We’re going to have to utilize the element of surprise and take them out—collateral damage. In and out in eight or less,” he repeated.

“Fucking let’s do this,” Jano said.

As Sebastián continued setting up the technology, Rei came to Nick and me. “I don’t like the idea of Jano on this mission.”

“I tried to stop him,” Nick said. “It’s impossible.”

Rei continued, “Whatever the fuck happens tonight, Jano makes it out of there alive.”

Nick and I nodded.

“I fucking mean it,” he growled. “We swore an oath to the Roríguez cartel. Any one of us before him.”

“Sí,” we replied in unison.

Chapter

Twenty-Seven

Isabella

Earlier

“Mom,” I said, answering my phone and closing the office door. I walked back to my desk. “I tried to call you last night.” I sat in the white leather chair.

Her sobs came through the phone.

“I can’t understand what you’re saying.” Panic rose within me. “Are you hurt?” I stood, gripping my phone tighter. “Is it Noemi? Tony?”

“Isabella…” She struggled for breath. “Dario wants to do…He’s a vile, awful man…. He wants your father to…” She continued to struggle. “It’s awful.”

Letting out a long breath, I sat back in my chair. “It’s not terrible.”

“I needed to let you know that Catalina’s brother asked for your hand. It’s unfathomable. I want to plead directly to the capo, but your father won’t allow it. He says this is men’s dealings. I don’t know what kind of deal they made, but Isabella, I will not sleep until we have you back where you belong.”

I looked around Mia’s office. “I think I’ve found where I belong.”

“Here with your family, with your sister and brother—that’s where you belong. I haven’t told them. Poor Noemi. She was happy to hear you were coming home early. And…” She gasped. “Tony will be heartbroken. Izzy, I’m heartbroken. Never did I imagine. Honey, I’m so sorry we agreed to send you out there among those horrible people?—”

“They’re not horrible. They’re not anything like you and Papà assume. You were both wrong.”

“Catalina’s brother…”

“His name is Emiliano.” I held my breath. “Has the capo made a decision?” Tension seized my body, making the space-time continuum slow. As I waited for a response, it was as if the second hand on the clock refused to tick.

“He gave his permission.”

Tears of relief flooded my eyes, streaming down my cheeks. “That’s wonderful.”

“No. The opposite of wonderful. What is wrong with you, Izzy. I think that somehow, they brainwashed you. I don’t know how Arianna can handle both her boys and her daughter being married into that family, but it’s going to stop.”

---