Page 52 of Cruel Existence

There was still no response from Luka, but I had to believe he read my text, and he would meet me.

Twenty-Two

Luka

The warehouse was damp. One of the only places near the docks that didn’t still smell like a fishing cannery. Maksim met me at the door and closed it behind me.

It was unusual to call two brigadiers together, but for this mission to be successful I needed Maksim and Nikoli. I needed two teams, both lethal. I trusted them not to make a mistake.

Nikoli shook my hand when I crossed over the puddles near a pile of empty crates. The prisoner who had been held for weeks was gone. Maksims men took care of him. I didn’t want to know where the body was dropped.

“Nik.” I nodded. “Thank you for joining us.”

“Of course.”

I lit a cigarette. I had given up on my attempt to stop smoking. The smoke circled between us.

“Lorenzo Amato is the target,” I stated. “Only, Lorenzo,” I emphasized.

“Then why two teams?” Nikoli asked.

My chest tightened. “His daughter needs to be removed, unharmed. One team will handle her extraction. The other takes out Lorenzo.”

Nikoli and Maksim nodded in unison. I thought I heard a car pull up outside the garage doors, but we waited a beat and when we were sure there was no one interrupting the meeting, I continued. I handed them each a folder. Maksim was given the information about Lorenzo while I trusted Nikoli with removing Amara from the compound.

They read the notes and studied the photographs as well as the layout of the mansion.

Nikoli’s eyes raised to mine. “What do we do with her? This says a week.”

“Yes. Return her after a week. Not a scratch. Do you hear me?” I growled. “No one is to touch her.”

Maksim shrugged. “This seems simple.”

“But you will have to coordinate and run surveillance. Lorenzo is not well. But he has been seen a few times in town. I need you to wait until he’s having one of his medical episodes, cooped up for days. No one will miss him.”

“Why not a bullet to the back of his neck?” Maksim asked.

I rubbed the side of my jaw, watching water run toward the drains in the concrete floor.

“Because this is how I fucking want itdone,” I seethed. “It must be strategic. Make it look tied to his failing health. Can you do that Maks?”

“I’m trained in all styles of killing.”

I nodded. “That is why I chose you.”

Nikoli looked at me. “Can we get back to the daughter? Why does she need to be removed?”

“If something goes wrong when Maksim’s team is in the house, I don’t want her killed. The less she sees, the better. She’s innocent. Got that? Get her out of the house, then kill Lorenzo.”

“Got it, Luka. Anything you ask.” They nodded, clutching the files.

“Good. Report to me as soon as the operation begins and I want every detail, every second along the way.”

“Will you be at your apartment?” Nik asked.

I shook my head. “No. Europe.”

They knew better than to question my reasons or my personal decisions. They had their orders and their instructions. My driver waited outside the warehouse to take me to the airport. My suitcases were already packed and loaded. I would not return to New Orleans for a long time.

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