Page 87 of Luka

“Fear of aging,señor.” When I turn to look at him, his eyes are bugged and angry, but I pretend not to notice. “Your heavy botox and implanted teeth make me think you believe you should fear saggy skin more than you do death. It’s pathetic,señor. I could neverrespecta man like you, let alone serve one.” I sigh and rush before he reacts. “So I suppose that means I choose...” I point to the severed head, my nausea returning.

When I catch Mario’s eyes, his jaw is dropped open, confusion bunching that ugly scar on his ugly face.

Knuckles connect with my cheek before I ever turn back to Mendoza.

28

LUKA

3 HOURS LATER…

Istare at the balcony of the house through binoculars pressing rings against my sockets, my elbow dug into soft, moist earth despite the scorching temperature. A golf tee is yards away from Vitaly’s and my spot in the tree line, elevated just enough that we can see them, but they’d have a hard time seeing us.

“Look at that,” Vitaly says, his eye to the scope on his sniper rifle. “On the grass, to the right of the property, near the pool.”

I aim my binoculars where he’s talking about and land on a couple of guys conversing, their guns slung over their shoulders.

“Even the cartel has slackers,” Vitaly comments, his finger poised on the trigger. His statement is obviously directed at me, but I say nothing in response. I just watch the two men and wait for one of them to drop.

The gun has a silencer attached, but it’s powerful enough that the kickback alone makes me tense when Vitaly pulls the trigger. When the two men continue with their conversation, a ball of lead lodges in my throat.

I pull the binoculars down and look at Vitaly. He doesn’t seem bothered.

“You missed.”

His eye never leaving the scope, he pulls the trigger again, popping the butt of the gun into his shoulder.

“Rookie mistake of war, Luka…” He pulls the trigger again, then reloads. “It does no good to chop off your enemy’s wounded arm.”

I put the binoculars to my eyes when he pulls the trigger yet again.

“You take out the strong…” Another fire. “And let the weak flee.”

I squint as the slackers come into focus, now fully aware of their colleagues dropping around them. Their guns are raised, but Vitaly is right. They’re cowards, already retreating, shrinking their bodies to avoid fire. They’re a waste of bullets.

“I should get in there before back-up arrives,” I say, setting the binoculars down as adrenaline surges.

Vitaly grabs my arm before I can rise. “Not yet.”

“Lucia is in there,” I snap, an urgency in my voice that shows my panic.

“Shh.” Vitaly waits, the only indicator of his nerves the sweat pebbling on his forehead. Then again, that could be from the heat.

When his finger squeezes the trigger, I pick the binoculars back up and watch the house. I feel less than useless, but he refused to give me a rifle. One missed shot could give away our location, he insisted. We needed perfect accuracy, perfect stealth, perfect effort. Somehow, he’s convinced himself this isn’t suicide, and Mila as well.

She’s waiting for us back at the plane, fuming I imagine. One of the lieutenants held her back at Vitaly’s command. He refused to let anyone but the two of us on this mission, to prevent Bratva casualties I imagine. And then he informed me I’d be going in alone, which I’m perfectly content with.

But still, with all his precautions, he even has me believing Lucia stands a chance. If anything, we can buy her some time until her father arrives.

A group of five come out, four carrying rifles, one carrying a grenade launcher. They look directly toward us as they fire their guns.

“Shit.” I look at Vitaly, thinking we’ll have to make a run for it and circle back, but he doesn’t move.

“Patience,” he tells me.

I look back through the binoculars at the bullets spraying our way and the grenade launcher being loaded. When it aims at us, I hold my breath.

The sound of the explosion booms, rattling the leaves of the trees above us even two hundred yards away from the house. I close my eyes against the red flames, then open them to see four guards dead, and one flailing while on fire.

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