Page 118 of Dangerous Intent

I tried to call out, but like in a nightmare, I had no voice. I clutched the vase and raised it over my head.

When the front door opened, a warm breeze swept in behind the large, imposing figure heading toward me.

A loud scream emerged from deep inside my chest as I hurled the heavy porcelain vase in the direction of my attacker.

TWENTY-SEVEN

Marchello

Getting arrested camewith the territory. There was a time when the Feds had a hard-on for my family, and for a few months, either my father, me, or Milo were being hauled in for some fabricated charges.

The cuffs were familiar, almost comforting in their predictability. But this time, they weren’t just a game between me and the law. This time, Lissia was watching, her eyes filled with a fear that made me want to break every rule I’d ever followed.

I learned from an early age to be polite, keep my mouth shut so nothing I said could be used against me, and always wait for my attorney. If I did those three things, I would be released without incident.

Lissia didn’t get the memo.

“Chello.” Milo met me in the lobby. “They didn’t haul you in?”

“No.” I hugged my brother, surprised to see him. “Lorenzo had no footage of the alleged incident, and they said Diego recanted his statement.”

“Why would he do that?” Milo asked.

“Because a few minutes before I got arrested, I struck a deal with the cartel Diego came with. I’m assuming they had something to do with getting the cops to back off. I’ll sort it out later.”

“You have a lot to fill me in on.” Milo patted my back. “But my news is more important.”

“I figured that since you flew down here.”

“This is going to be a job for both of us.” Milo glanced around the lobby. “I have reason to believe Collins is in Miami.”

“What?” I clenched my fist by my side. “What the hell is he doing here?”

“He’s crazy. He probably followed you and Lissia.”

“Angelo knew Lissia was coming to Miami. The night we eliminated him, he told her to have fun.” I shook my head. “Angelo said something bigger was coming. He couldn’t have meant Collins.”

“We need to take Collins out fast. As soon as we find him, we get him out of our lives for good, then we can worry about the bigger threat.”

Milo was right, but I had a feeling dealing with Collins wasn’t going to be as simple as he made it out to be.

“I’m sure there is a place we can dump him around here and the gators will do the rest,” Milo said. “I’ll set it up with Lorenzo.”

“Someone is helping Collins.” I ran my hand along my jaw. “He isn’t coming at us by himself. He’s crazy, but I don’t think he’s stupid. He knows he doesn’t have the resources to bring us down.”

“I’m having his bank records looked at. If there are deposits, we’ll figure out where they’re coming from now that Gian isn’t funding him.”

“Do you have an idea where he might be?” I asked.

“We’re working on it, but he took a commercial flight. It landed a few hours ago. Once I have his bank and credit card information, I’ll be able to pinpoint him.”

“I need to get to Lissia,” I said. “She’s probably freaking out over me getting arrested. I need to get her situated before we go on this kill mission.”

“Okay.” Milo scrolled through his phone.

“Okay?” I asked, suspecting he had more to say.

“It’s funny that you think you’re going to get her situated.” He didn’t look up from his phone, but I sensed his agitation. “We both know that’s not possible.”

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