Page 231 of Inferno

“Declan. Prepare. Black truck approaching the driveway. Getting closer now,” Enzo’s voice cuts through.

“He’s on his way, Charlotte.”

She swallows, her breath stalling as she turns to the light bleeding in from the door.

She beckons me forward and pulls me behind a stack of crates. There’s a perfect gap to watch the entry. Her mind is always five steps ahead.

“Do not fire first. Let’s see what his play is. See where Isabella is.”

“It’s Vlad and a second driver. Back’s blacked out. No sign of Isabella,” Enzo confirms, and my gut twists.

“Enzo confirmed it’s him.”

She nods, eyes locked on the open doorway. The tension in the air is thick, almost tangible.

“Isabella?”

“Not in view.”

She pinches the bridge of her nose, breath trembling as she crouches, sliding the blade from the hidden pocket in her boot.

“God, that’s hot,” I murmur, trying to slice the tension.

“Not now,” she hisses, and I grab her hips with a grin.

“So fiery. Keep it that way.”

She slaps my arm, just as gravel crunches outside.

“They’re here,” she whispers, the words almost lost beneath the sound of footsteps.

My heart thunders. Adrenaline floods my veins like gasoline.

“East side secured,” Frankie confirms through my earpiece.

“I’ve got eyes on Vlad,” Conan chimes in.

“Declan, five men, armed, coming out the back of the truck,” Enzo warns.

“We’ve got five to kill,” I tell her.

She shakes her head, a dark smirk playing on her lips.

“He should know me better than that by now,” she mutters.

I screw on the silencer, and wait.

“Make that four. I got one,” Conan confirms.

The first two masked men storm inside, weapons drawn, followed by two more. The lead guy gestures for them to split, two veer off while he comes straight toward us.

“You take the two right. I’ll take the others,” she whispers.

I nod, motioning for silence as the lead guy steps into our row.

I slip between the crates. The second he’s in my sights, I squeeze the trigger. The bullet tears into his temple and he drops like a rag doll.

The man behind him fires wildly, splinters of wood explode around me. I duck low, heart hammering.

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