Page 23 of Kiss of the Cartel

16

Lena

Iwalk confidently next to Luis. I try not to watch him but keep an eye on our surroundings instead, scanning the area as we walk up the drive to Tomás’ home. Luis says he’s worried about me, but I’m terrified for him. Luis is the target. Not me, not his men, just him. We might be considered collateral damage in a war between cartels, but the fact is, if Luis falls, his regime falls.

I breathe deep and force myself to channel the old Lena. The one who could think like a machine, act like a machine, be a machine. Turn the emotions off and react when necessary. There are two men walking in front of us, Emiliano and another. I take a few steps away from Luis, back and to the side. A better position to protect from attack if I need to. Luis frowns questioningly at me. I shake my head. We’re too close to the mansion for conversation now. He just needs to trust me.

Luis gives me a stern look and then faces forward, striding toward Tomás, who is standing on his doorstep, a tight smile stretching his thin lips. He leans heavily on his cane, playing up an old injury. His gaze travels from Luis to the men and then settles on me. The smile falls from his face and he can't even pretend he’s remotely happy to see me. I'm not surprised. I took out five of his men in one go.

“What is she doing here?” he demands, his cold eyes glued to me. We stop at the bottom of the steps. I stand in my black combat gear, hands loose at my side, and stare indifferently past him.

Luis glances back at me and then faces forward again as though he barely notices my presence. If I hadn’t spent days exploring him, getting to know him and his body language, I might truly believe there was nothing between us. Luis is a better actor than I gave him credit for. Perhaps that’s why I never suspected that he had feelings toward me beyond rage.

“I changed my mind,” Luis says coolly, pushing past his bodyguards to stand next to Tomás. “Figured I could use the extra muscle. Is there a problem with her presence here?”

I itch to take Tomás down as his eyes crawl over me. I can feel his loathing. Not because I ever did anything to him, but because I’m supposed to be dead. Supposed to have died at Manuel’s side, along with Luis. And when that failed, he probably thought I should’ve died by Luis’ hand while he was in a blind rage, grieving the death of his father.

“I don’t like her here, Luis,” Tomás pushes. “She’s to blame for Manuel’s death. Perhaps I overestimated you, boy. I thought you would’ve dealt with the bodyguard by now, not allow her to walk at your back.”

We all feel the chill settle in around us as Luis draws himself up to his full height. It’s an awesome sight, the muscles rippling through his body as he flexes beneath his leather coat. I have to stop myself from staring. Hands twitch as the bodyguards absorb the tension and react.

“I think we both know Manuel’s death was not her fault,” Luis drawls, anger pulsing through him. “She’s still useful to me. Perhaps I was blind to her skills before, but since she saved my life in that warehouse, I’m more inclined to keep her around.” He seems to shake his annoyance off and claps Tomás on the back. “And she is very nice to look at, no?”

It takes a moment, but finally Tomás grins weakly and nods. “Indeed, she’s a lovely asset. You’re a wise man, Luis.” He waves his arm toward the open door behind him. “And, of course, you are welcome in my home. I'm pleased you chose me as your protector during this trying time.”

I nearly snort but manage to turn it into a tiny cough. We follow the two men inside. I glance around quickly as we pass through the halls. According to our information, there’ll be two bodyguards in the house and one of Tomás’ sons, Renaldo. It was agreed that the eldest, Roberto, would join Juan in the “surprise” attack on Arturo. It’s supposed to be a sign of trust and future business relations between Luis and Tomás’ sons. The placement of Luis in Tomás’ home while his son and several of his men are entrusted to Juan. Luis and I laughed together at Tomás’ strategy and decided he probably didn’t like that son very much.

“Have a drink with me?” Tomás says to Luis as we near his study.

Luis inclines his head in agreement.

Tomás glances disdainfully toward Luis' trio of bodyguards. “They can stay out here if you don’t mind. I prefer the help not dirty my private sanctuary.”

My hackles go up, though Luis and I knew this would likely happen, had planned on it. Tomás will need to separate us. My heart feels as though it’s tearing in half as I watch Luis disappear through the door, where I can’t follow, can’t protect him. The feeling is awful, it’s crushing. I feel swamped in despair and my instincts are begging me to crash through the door and take out the man who will confront and try to kill the man I've grown to love.

A hand touches my arm and my own hand automatically goes to the offending wrist, ready to wrench and break. Then I see it’s Emiliano. He’s watching me, watching the emotions spear through me. I’m embarrassed that I’ve allowed this lapse, but I can’t seem to stop it. I have never loved before.

“Steady,” he says, his voice low and gruff. But also kind. He’s reminding me of my duty. He’s a good man.

I take a quick breath and nod sharply, my tight ponytail swishing against my back. His hand falls away and I straighten, force my face into business mode and unzip my jacket until the plunge between my breasts is revealed. My clothes are made of a tough material, hard to penetrate with a knife, but slippery, making me difficult to grab as well.

“I’m ready,” I whisper.

He nods and steps away, falling into position. His back is against the study door, his hand on top of his gun. Our other bodyguard crosses the hall and stands opposite. Two sentinels, protecting their leader while the mistress goes off to clean house.

“Be safe, Lena.”

I throw him a short smile and turn on my heel, striding down the hall toward the front entrance where Tomás’ first bodyguard is stationed. He frowns fiercely as I approach.

“Excuse me, is there a washroom I can use?” I ask breathily, channeling the inner woman that Manuel beat into me. I flutter my eyelashes just a little, soften my stance and play with the ends of my long ponytail.

He motions toward the back of the house, but his eyes are glued to my lips. I smile flirtatiously and step toward him, edging into his space. Instead of going into combat mode, like he should, he turns more fully toward me, his eyes travelling down to my cleavage. “Can you show me?” I ask huskily.

He grins and licks his lips before moving ahead of me. Instead of waving me into the washroom, he follows me in, as I’d hoped. I close the door, reach up seductively and distract him with one hand while I put a knife through his throat with the other. I step back as he chokes on his own blood. He thumps around a little as he struggles to breathe, but not enough to draw attention. Eventually he goes down. I follow him to the floor and finish the job so he doesn’t have to die a slow and painful death. He may be the bodyguard to an asshole, but he deserves better than a torturous death. The protection should always go quickly, if they have to go. It’s up to the bosses to fuck each other up.

I move through the house like a shadow, swiftly and seamlessly. The next two guards don’t see me coming until it’s too late. I leave their bodies where I kill them and move on. At this point it doesn’t matter if their bodies are found. We’re nearing the end game and I’m just clearing the field for my big bad boss.

The final bodyguard is deep in conversation with Renaldo, Tomás’ younger son. I stride into the room as if I own the place. Renaldo looks up in surprise. He frowns and then recognition flares. We’ve met on several occasions. He even tried to flirt with me once, a few years ago, before discovering that I belonged to Manuel.

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