Page 76 of Memento Mori
“I’m fine, Antonio,” she said, her voice laced with exhaustion as she yawned once more and tightened her grip on her laptop. “We’ve been going non-stop. It’s just catching up with me.”
I wasn’t sure if that was all it was, but I knew she wouldn’t hide it from me if she was sick.
“Well, when this shit is done, pick a place and we’re going on a long vacation.”
She smiled, her eyes shining with happiness, and then gently rested her head on my shoulder. “I’d like that,” she whispered, her voice fading away as she closed her eyes.
I glanced up and locked eyes with Abel, who stared at us through the visor mirror with a concerned expression. He’d mentioned to me on the plane while Aaliyah was in the back sleep that he didn’t like the way she was behaving. She appeared worn out, clearly not in the right state of mind to deal with this, and I agreed. But there was no way I could convince her not to be involved in it.
“Five minutes out, Don,” Luca said from the driver’s seat.
I nodded.
It was close to midnight. With so many of us, it would be impossible to approach her home in broad daylight. And we knew we had limited time, especially since she would be boarding a plane to Colombia in a few hours. Although she likely had some type of security, we were fortunate to have the protection of darkness.
We couldn’t keep chasing a ghost. She needed to be dealt with now because chasing after someone who was always a few steps ahead of you was a dangerous game. A game I wasn’t willing to play because it meant it could cost Aaliyah her life.
“Bella,” I whispered, my lips brushing against her forehead as I planted a gentle kiss. “We’re here.”
In the short amount of time from our conversation until now, she had fallen asleep. When we got through with all this, I’d make sure we’d take that long vacation, I promised her. Preferably somewhere warm with absolutely no connection to the outside world. We both needed to recharge.
She slowly opened her eyes, sat up, then stretched. Luca brought the car to a halt a few hundred feet away from the target house. My gaze remained fixed on Aaliyah as she double-checked the magazine of her gun, effortlessly reloaded it, and reached for her laptop.
“Are you ready?” I asked her.
“Yes.”
“Stay close,” I warned. “And if all goes to hell make sure you get out of there.”
“Tony, I’m not running away from this,” she said, her voice determined, as she swung open the door, stepped out, and closed it firmly behind her.
“I’ve got her,” Abel said.
I gave a quick nod, and he promptly stepped out of the car, closing the door behind him. I took a deep breath and released it. If anything happened to her, I wouldn’t be able to survive it. I trusted Abel with her life, knowing that if I couldn’t protect her, he would step in without hesitation.
We had decided to split into two teams, each with their own orders. One team would hit the house from the beach, and the other team would come from the street. We already discussed the security measures she had in place that were visible, including the presence of security cameras strategically placed throughout her property. It wouldn’t be difficult to disarm those. Once we left the airport, Aaliyah had already gained access to the system. If nothing else worked, her last plan was to disable the entire power grid.
She sat her laptop on the hood of one of the SUV’s and powered it up, as we anxiously waited for Franco and Luca to return. Once they returned from scouting the place, they’d brief us on what they found, then we would make our move.
As I approached Aaliyah from behind, I pulled her into a warm embrace, my arms encircling her waist. As she leaned against me, the warmth of her body seeped into mine. At any other time, the calming scent of the ocean and the soothing sound of waves crashing onto the beach would tamp down my anxiety. But not today.
“I’m ready for this to be over,” she said.
“After this, we won’t have to deal with her anymore and everyone will know that our family is not to be fucked with.”
She turned around and pulled me close, her arms wrapped around my neck. She leaned in and pressed her soft lips against mine. “Good.”
“Don,” Luca called out and Aaliyah stepped back and I faced him.
“There’s only one light on inside in what looks like a small foyer,” Luca whispered. “I’m not sure. I had to use a thermal imaging camera. There are two people occupying the house. They are located towards the back.”
“Probably in the bedroom,” Aaliyah chimed in.
“I agree,” Luca said. “There’s a balcony that leads to where they are, I’d definitely suggest someone enter that way.”
“What about on the outside?” I asked, anxious to get going.
“There’s definitely motion sensing lighting,” Luca said. “We were only able to see those at the front and the back of the house, but there could be more.”
