Page 110 of Ruthless Vengeance
Lila and Holly flash through my mind, and my knees almost give out beneath me.
This is not how their story is meant to end. They have another baby coming, and that baby deserves to meet their father, too.
I have to find a way to get Marco here, otherwise Andre will end up bleeding out on the kitchen floor.
My heart hammers in my chest as I slowly lower myself down on the couch beside Margot.
She’s deathly still, but her eyes are furiously scanning the room, no doubt trying to come up with a plan herself.
Ben paces the room with his phone pressed to his ear, and the women flinch with every step he takes.
My brother looks like a wild animal, with his jaw now sporting a scraggly beard, and his skin has an almost grayish undertone to it.
He looks panicked as he talks into his phone, so every time he gets within a few feet of me, I quickly avert my eyes so I don’t provoke him.
His gun is still in his hand, his finger hovering over the trigger.
One wrong move, and it will all be over.
I strain my ears, trying to make sense of what he’s muttering under his breath. I can’t quite catch every word, but what I do understand is that he was expecting someone else to be here.
And that someone is Marco.
I watch Ben from beneath my lashes, not wanting to take my eyes off of him as he moves about the room.
Despite my racing heart, the adrenaline is keeping my mind calm.
Every second that passes brings Andre closer to death, and I refuse to let that happen.
He might have made a promise to Marco to keep me safe, but little does he know that such a promise goes both ways.
I will not be the one to tell Lila that her husband is dead.
I need to think.
Fast.
I can’t overpower Ben without a weapon, and I doubt I can run.
Ben likely isn’t working alone, so leaving this house isn’t an option.
But Icanreach for my phone.
Slowly, I slide it from the pocket of my leggings, keeping it hidden from Ben’s eyes behind the throw pillow beside me.
My fingers shake as I pull up my call history and press Marco’s name.
As it begins to ring, I slide the phone between the couch cushions and pray that he answers, that he hears something that will give away our situation.
Because without him, Andre is going to die.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
MARCO
My heart hammersin my chest as I pull up to the crumbling remains of what used to be a farmhouse where Cillian is hiding away. It’s nothing more than a decaying hideout tucked deep in the woods on the outskirts of Westchester.
The gravel driveway crunches under our tires as my men and I roll in slowly with our headlights off, not wanting to attract attention too soon. Our convoy of SUVs and trucks fans out across the property, with Bruno positioned on the south side and Carlos circling the east.
