Page 9 of Savage Assassin

She’d want me to do my job well; I know that. To protect the innocent girl that I’m going to be entrusted with. To keep her safe.

I’m glad when we finally land. I can focus on work, on putting one foot in front of the other until I can finally leave with Elena, get her back to Boston, and return to the familiar routine that enables me to live my life.

There are several black SUVs with tinted glass waiting to take us to the compound. I slide into one, watching the landscape pass by as we drive, already counting the hours until I can be back on a plane, headed back in the direction from which I came.

There’s a handful of places in the world I don’t want to go back to, but this one especially.

I have a bad feeling lingering in my gut about all of this, but I try to shrug it off.It’s the memories, that’s all. There’s no reason to think this job will go bad. All things considered, it’s fairly straightforward.

The minute we get to the compound, I’m escorted directly to Ricardo Santiago’s mansion. As we approach, get out of the SUVs, and walk to the house, I see the evidence of a recent attack–gunshot markings on the walls of the compound, bloodstains left in the sand, and shells that haven’t been cleaned up yet. It speaks to the danger that they’re all in. The uneasy feeling in my gut only strengthens, the instinct honed over many long years of work as an assassin and spy, setting off alarm bells all the way until I walk through the double doors of Santiago’s office.

He’s standing with his back to me when I walk in, the guard next to me stiffening and announcing in a loud voice, “Levin Volkov to see you,señor.”

“Thank you. You can go.”

Ricardo’s voice is smooth and cultured, surprisingly calm for a man whose entire family and livelihood is being assaulted. He waits a moment, then turns to face me, and it's then that I can see clearly the toll that all of this has taken on him. He looks as if he hasn’t slept in months–possibly not since Isabella was taken away.

“Things didn’t look well outside,” I say flatly. “Didn’t do much for the morale of the men I brought here, I’ll say that.”

“There was another attack last night. A squad of Gonzalez’ men. Not enough to make any real headway, which means he sacrificed some of his men just to make a point, just to let me know that he’s not going to stop.” A muscle leaps in Ricardo’s jaw. “What kind of man does that?”

“Not a good one.” I regard him from the other side of the room, my expression impassive. “I hope you have a plan. I’ll let you know that the meeting of the Kings, the mafia, and the Bratva was a long one, and it was very close to sending no one at all. In the end, keeping their word prevailed, but–” I shrug, one-shouldered. “I don’t think there will be a second wave of backup, Santiago.”

“All the more reason for you to get my daughter out of here,” he says tightly. “The rest, I’ll deal with. But I want her out of harm’s way. Diego wants her, and if he gets his hands on her, he knows I’ll do anything to keep her safe. So he’ll target her first.”

“Of course. That’s a common enough strategy. I’m surprised he hasn’t gotten to her yet.”

The muscle in Ricardo’s jaw leaps again. “I’ve kept her as far out of harm’s way as I can. But I can’t do it forever. And the more worried I am about her, the less I can focus on putting a stop to this war before it really gets started.”

“From what I saw outside, it’s already started.”

“Diego is trying to frighten me into giving her up.”

“Is it working?”

The two of us regard each other from across the room, and Ricardo lets out a breath, his hand rubbing over his mouth as his shoulders slump slightly.

“I’m not going to hand her over to him,” he says firmly. “But I know what the cost of that will be. I need her safe, and that’s why you’re here.”

“I’m surprised you’d trust me. A man you don’t know. Why not send one of yours?”

“I need all of my men here. You’re right that I don’t know you.” His jaw clenches. “But what choice do I have? I made an alliance, and you’re the one they sent. So this is what I have to work with. I looked into you, Levin Volkov. Your background. You’re not what some might call agoodman, but you’re not without a sense of honor. So yes. I’m entrusting Elena to you.”

The door opens then, and another guard walks in. “I brought her down,señor,” he says crisply, and Ricardo nods.

“I’ve filled Elena in on the plan,” he tells me. “It’s not what she wants, exactly, but she understands the necessity of it. I thought it best for the two of you to meet before it’s time for you to leave.”

I turn as he finishes the sentence, just in time for the girl in question to walk into the room.

The first thing I’m struck by is her bearing. It’s clear just by looking at her that she’s frightened; I can see it in her eyes. She looks young, innocent, someone that’s been sheltered and kept safe all her life, as one would expect from a cartel princess. But at the same time, I can see strength in her, too. She’s doing her best to hide her fear, to keep her shoulders squared, her chin up, to meet whatever is coming head-on, rather than cowering from it. It’s impressive, especially for someone who I’m certain has never faced anything like this before.

It’s hard not to think of Lidiya when that comes to mind. She’d been faced with an impossible choice, a terrifying circumstance that she could have cowered from. But she’d been brave–in the face of me and all I represented, in the face of everything that had come after.

I hadn’t been there when she died. But I have no doubt that she was brave then, too. Lidiya was always courageous.

Elena, the girl who walks into the room, is also stunningly beautiful. Thick, black wavy hair pulled back away from her tanned heart-shaped face, with deep brown doe’s eyes and a figure just curvy enough that it would make any man ache to have his hands on her. I can see the resemblance to her sister, but there’s something softer, sweeter about her. Isabella, the few times I’ve met her, has always given off an air of sultry defiance. But Elena has a gentler demeanor.

A man like Diego Gonzalez should never be allowed near her.The ways in which he would break someone like Elena would be unconscionable.

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