Page 18 of Soulmate of the Mafia King
He looked up at me with breathless relief. “I thought this was a little early. What’s up?”
I rattled off a couple more names. “Grab them, take Gamal out into the desert, and be ready to shoot him in the head if you see my name pop up on caller ID.”
He frowned. “Gamal?”
“You’ve been training,” I said. “I picked you for this because you need to prove to yourself—and your mom, if we’re being honest—that you’re good enough.”
He smiled widely. “I won’t let you down. As soon as I see the caller ID. I promise.”
I took a deep breath and walked outside to load up.
CHAPTER 14
TOMMASO
Igripped the wheel tightly as we pulled out into the night. Killian sat in the front next to me, and men I didn’t recognize with their masks already on filled the back.
“I see Paige decided to stay home,” Killian said. “She’s a smart girl.”
Smart. Beautiful. Stronger than even Killian would ever know. That memory of her I had on the ride to the house, at her lowest but still finding the guts, the power, to glare at what she presumed was her new owner, returned to me. My worries melted away, and pure, concentrated rage filled my veins. Paige was so strong she inspired me, but she shouldn’t have fucking had to be. I couldn’t fix that, but I could keep one of the bastards who tested her resolve from ever doing it again.
“Tommaso?” Killian said. “Did you hear me?”
I grunted noncommittally. The time for conversation, for jokes, seemed over. I focused everything I had on picturing Zahur, his guts spread on his perfect marble floor before him. Maybe I’d take the time to cut him in the exact same places he’d cut Paige.
No. A little of my rage dimmed. I wanted, needed, him dead, but I needed to get back to Paige more. I’d promised her I would.I hadn’t broken a promise to her yet, and I didn’t intend to start now.
Killian leaned back against his seat with a sigh, and he didn’t say anything to me for the rest of the ride.
I parked the car a few blocks away from the second house we were using to access Zahur’s then pulled on my mask. The rasp of fabric behind me told me all the men back there were fixing theirs.
“No new widows,” I muttered.
We all piled out. Two more vans pulled up, and more men joined us. Once everyone was out and ready, I pointed at the empty mansion Killian and I had picked out earlier in the day then gestured forward. Fifty men drifted through the night like ghosts. Killian had sent an advance team to take out streetlights, so there was nothing lighting our path. City noises pressed in on all sides, just far enough away not to worry about. Finally, we reached the second house’s wall. I nodded to the three mercs we’d found with a particular special skill.
As one, they pulled grappling hooks off their belts, swung them through the air, and latched them to the top of the wall. A few tugs and the three of them began climbing. Teddy grinned so wildly I could see it even under his mask, and I just knew he was casting himself as the lead in his favorite video game. But I needed to focus. A birdcall I vaguely recognized hearing as I grew up fluted over the wall, the signal we’d agreed on. A bird no one would know didn’t belong here unless they were an avid birdwatcher. I grabbed one of the three ropes and began climbing.
Hand over hand. Kill Zahur. Save women. See Paige.I repeated it like a mantra until I reached the top of the wall then slid down the other side as quietly as I could. No one fumbled or fell. Barely anyone hesitated. We crept over the lawn to thethick part of the landscaping and hunkered down. Now, there was nothing to do but wait for Stan to give us the go-ahead.
Well, most of us hunkered down. Killian scrambled up another fucking tree.
“Do you think we’re at the goddamn playground?” I hissed.
He ignored me then shimmied down a few moments later.
“No sign of the women,” he said. “And I didn’t watch for too long, but I checked the places we saw patrols earlier, and it looks like there might only be a handful of guys.”
Goosebumps sprang up on my arms despite the many layers of fabric covering them. That seemed too simple. Zahur was easy to lead around by his ego, but I thought he was smart, at least smart enough to leave a decent guard home.
“The women are always hidden,” I said.
“And the guard?” Carp asked.
I shook my head. A handful of guys was a gift horse I didn’t feel too inclined to look in the mouth. I scrubbed my arms to dispel the goosebumps and focused on waiting for Stan’s call. If something was up, we’d know when he checked in. He’d see the force Zahur brought.
Long minutes passed, what felt like hours. A few of the mercs began playing a game with sticks until I snapped at them to stop. All of us adjusted time and again, keeping our muscles from cramping. Stan would call any second now, and we needed to be able to move. Zahur was setting up an ambush or waiting for Rahim to do something specific. We just had to wait.
My phone vibrated. Everyone sprang to attention. I answered instantly.
