Page 43 of Fighting Fate

“Thousands of women’s lives are in danger,” Tony says, frowning. “I know it sucks, but taking out Walid’s head of security isn’t recon. It’s straight-out attack. We don’t want to alert these guys we’re on to them before the actual attack. It could ruin years of planning.”

“Don’t be insensitive,” Gracie says. “Whose life? Do you need us? Tony and I can fly out ASAP. We’ll be there in the morning.”

“No!” I blurt, “That’s not fast enough.” Maybe if they think my life is in danger, they’ll see I need to act now. “Armand has it in for me. Going after him is a matter ofmysafety.”

“You’ve been keeping this from me?” Tony says, sounding hurt and offended. “I’ve been blessed with some nut-job sisters. I’m pulling you.”

“No, you’re not,” I object. Both Tony and Gracie stare at me. I know. I know. It’s Tony’s call as my handler, but I don’t care.

Ican’tcare.

“Dada,” Tony says, “Where are you?”

Coño. “I’ve got to go.” I reach for the phone.

“Dada!”

I close the browser. My cell buzzes instantly, but I ignore it and run a hand along my wrist. Not along my bracelet, but along the GPS embedded under my skin. There is one under the skin of every member of The Guild.

If they need to, my family will be able to find me. Or my body.

Sean clears his throat.

I look up.

He says, “Guess it’s me and you, Dada.”

25

DADA

The bar doors are thrown open to the warm night air. Patrons with drinks in hand, stand inside and out. Smoke and Daddy Yankee pour onto the dimly lit Oaxaca streets, but the music is secondary to the game on three different screens: Club América versus Cruz Azul.

Despite the festive atmosphere, I’m practically fidgeting on my barstool. My eyes are glued to a screen, but my focus is to the right of the screen on the door leading from Armand’s upper-level room.

I’m still a basket of regret after that call with Tony and Gracie. Maybe I should’ve tried to convince them more. If I had Gracie working with me, she’d be able to track Armand’s cell and tell me if he’s here. As it is, I’m tearing bits of napkin under the whiskey glass I’m nursing, waiting to see if Armand follows his regular routine and comes out around midnight. If he’s not here? I honestly don’t know what I’ll do.

I dislike going against my family like this, and I can’t help but wonder what they’re up to since my cell stopped buzzing. Reassuring, actually. It means they’ve accepted that I’m doing this and shouldn’t be bothered with useless calls.

It also means Tony is likely on a plane right now.

I’ll deal with him when he gets here.

“You okay, luv?” Sean’s voice, like a balm to my nerves, filters through my earpiece.

I bring up my drink to hide my response. “Yes,” I mumble into my glass.

“As you suggested, Geraldo is on his way over to meet me. He knows how to use the gun you left in the glove compartment, fights like a madman, and wants to end this for his fiancée. We’ll be your backup.”

“Good,” I say into my glass, taking a sip then putting it down.

I’m grateful that Sean finally agreed to my demand that he invite Geraldo to partner with him. Going after one serial killer is a lot different than going up against two or more men engaged in selling femicide.

I’d put Sean into a ring against anyone, but having someone who’s willing to shoot a gun is necessary. Plus, I’m glad to offer Geraldo a chance to take down the man who killed his fiancée.

The plan is that Sean and Geraldo will follow the tracker I put on Armand, and I’ll follow Armand. Sean wanted to wait outside the bar and follow along with me, but I explained that it might make him feel better, but Armand would surely spot two people following him versus only me. Instead, he is waiting a few blocks away and will track Armand by following him without ever entering onto the same street Armand and I walk. This way, we can meet up at the final destination, and if Javier or whoever else Armand is working with shows up, we’ll have enough people to control the situation. I hope.

Despite what I told Sean about my disguise, I’m nervous about bumping into Armand. I have toliterallybump into him in order to press the tracker onto him, and I have to do it while managing a weight I’m unaccustomed to. Sure, the bulk of my disguise is compressed air, but the suit still weighs a ton.

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