Page 63 of Freeing Camila

She laughed. He’d once found her laugh attractive. But after having met Cammie and hearing her laughter, which was as pure as the light she radiated, he had to wonder what he was thinking.

“You are a fool,” Valeria spat. “You were a fool, then. You are a fool now. You were so easy. So easily seduced. You and the other. Fools.”

Her laugh intensified, grating on his nerves.

“He died because of you,” she taunted. He wasn’t going to let her words affect him. Since talking it out with Cammie, he’d grown to accept what had happened and let go of his guilt. This woman . . . this bitch . . . wasn’t going to get inside his head ever again.

Showing a lack of interest or concern, he casually replied, “Don’t care.”

He could tell his blasé answer rattled her. “Liar. You care.”

Jeeves shrugged. “Believe what you want. It doesn’t bother me.” Sparks was watching the whole scene hidden inside the kitchen. Jeeves only needed to stall till the others arrived. When the place was surrounded by his men, Sparks would send a signal to let him know it was time to act.

“But I bet you care,” he stated.

“Que?”

He took a step closer to her, ignoring the gun pointed at his chest. “I killed El Sombra.”

“Malparido!” she shouted.

He grinned, relishing her reaction. She was losing control. Anger vibrated through her, making the gun shake violently in her grip. “I may be a bastard, but he’s dead. He died running away like a coward.”

“No.”

He tilted his head, the smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Just out of curiosity. Was the kid who tried to defend the asshole yours?” He didn’t know why that hadn’t occurred to him before. At the time, he’d just assumed the kid who’d stabbed Aleck had been just another child soldier pressed into service. In retrospect, the boy being in El Sombra’s quarters was peculiar. None of the other children they’d come across at the compound had been afforded such a privilege.

Based on Valeria’s immediate reaction, Jeeves surmised that his assessment was precisely on target. “He’s still alive,” he assured. “But he attacked a Navy SEAL. He’s in custody. Not sure what the Colombian government plans to do with him.”

“You pay,” Valeria hissed, losing a little more of her practiced composure.

The phone in Jeeves’ pocket vibrated, signaling that the rest of the team were in position. Time to end this, one way or another.

“The only person paying today will be you,” Sparks said as he stepped out of the kitchen with Voodoo on his heels.

Flint, Eggs, and Hoot walked through the front door, weapons aimed. “You are surrounded,” his boss stated. “Put your weapon down.”

She cried, “No,” stubbornly clinging to denial, refusing to accept reality. Jeeves watched in slow motion as Valeria’s gaze shifted to Cammie, her hatred fueling her with rage. “She pays. You watch her die,” she screamed.

Jeeves didn’t think. He just lunged, tackling Cammie to the ground as several shots rang out. He heard shouts of ‘clear,’ and lifted his weight off of the love of his life to assess her for injuries.

“Are you okay?” she asked, as if worried he’d been injured.

“Me?” he answered incredulously. “What about you? Were you hit?”

“No, I’m fine.”

He buried his face in her neck, inhaling her peaches and spice scent to calm his racing heart. “Thank fuck.”

She giggled and the sound shot straight into his heart. In that moment, he knew whatever the future held, it would be a good one if he could hear that sound every day for the rest of his life.

“She good?” Flint asked, stepping behind the counter where the two of them still lay on the ground.

“Yeah,” Jeeves answered.

“It’s over,” his boss stated.

“Finally.”

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