Page 102 of Ruthless Vengeance
“What?”
“When you bring the women in, let me be there with you. You said it yourself that they’re going to be terrified, and I think I can help to make it easier. Besides, they’ll trust me more than they’ll ever trust you.”
“Clara…” He reaches out to touch my stomach, but I bat his hand away.
“I’m not weak, Marco.”
“I never said you were.” He sits up and takes my hands in his. “Love, you’re the strongest person I know.”
“But…”
“But that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop wanting to protect you,especiallywhen you’re carrying my child.”
My skin prickles at his words.
I love that he’s so protective of me and this baby, but I also want to shoulder some of this burden too.
“You don’t need to do this alone, Marco.” I squeeze his hands. “Let me help you.”
Marco opens his mouth to speak, but when he sees the determination on my face, he closes it once more. He knows me well enough by now to know how stubborn I can be and that I’m not going to back down.
“Fine. You can come, but you stay with Andre at all times. You don’t leave his side. And if at any point, it’s too much, I want you to promise me that you’ll walk away.”
“Okay.”
“I need you topromiseme, Clara.” His face is stern.
“I promise.”
In my head, I’m already trying to prepare for what’s to come.
Because this isn’t just about helping these women escape from a life of sex work. It’s about fighting for the kind of world I want our children to grow up in.
A world where people like Cillian Moore don’t get to win.
Chapter Twenty-Six
MARCO
It’s almost midnight,and the air outside has that stillness which only comes with the calm before the storm.
Andre and I sit across from each other at the kitchen table with a map spread out in front of us, surrounded by empty coffee mugs and scrap pieces of paper covered in our scribbled notes. We’ve gone over the plan a dozen times, but we do it again because we can’t afford this going sideways.
Tonight is the night I repay my debt to Cillian, only it won’t be in the way he expects.
Andre taps a spot on the map with his pen. “You pick up the women here, making sure to stick to the main route long enough to make Cillian believe you’re following his orders. But then you’ll detour down Route 9 where Clara and I will meet you at the halfway point.”
“Which is where you and Clara will transfer the women into the second van.”
Stating the plan out loud over and over again helps. We need to make sure we all know our parts perfectly, and that no misunderstandings will ruin the operation.
Andre nods. “Then you continue to the address Cillian gave you. Bruno, Carlos, and the rest of our guys will be waiting nearby.”
I nod, though I can’t ignore the way my blood turns cold at the thought of bringing Clara along.
I lean back in my chair, rubbing a hand over my jaw as I look at the map, feeling sick to my stomach.
“Are you sure about wanting to have Clara there?” Andre must be reading my thoughts.
