28. Leo
Chapter twenty-eight
Leo
A n ominous, bleak sky greets us as we park our cars near the family’s private plane.
“It’s showtime,” Vin says, adjusting his sleeves as he steps out of the car and strides toward the staircase.
I exit the vehicle, my eyes scanning for Dolion’s car, which should have been here already. My phone vibrates, and I pull it from my coat pocket, seeing his name. I glimpse at Alex and Mauro and tell them to proceed as I take the call.
“Dolion, where the fuck are you?” I seethe. “The plane takes off in five minutes.”
“Sir.” Dolion hacks up a cough, causing me to pull the phone away from my ear. “I’m kind of under the weather. I think.” Cough . “It’s the flu.” Cough.
I pinch the bridge of my nose. It’s not his fault he’s sick, but fuck, the timing couldn’t be worse. We need as many of our best men available to put tonight’s plan into action.
“Fuck, Dolion.” I squeeze the back of my neck.
“I know, sir.” He sniffles . “I can try to—”
“No. Get some rest. We’ll manage without you.”
“Thank you, sir.” He coughs again. “Good luck.”
I hang up and immediately dial Eli.
“Hey, boss,” he answers.
“Dolion’s not coming with us tonight.”
He pauses. “What the fuck do you mean?”
“He’s sick. Coughing up a storm on the phone. I told him to rest, so he’ll be at his cottage tonight if you need backup for any reason.”
“I was a goddamn Navy SEAL. I think I can handle a Halloween party,” he murmurs.
I smirk, shaking my head. “How is everything?”
“Good. Alina just arrived, and the girls are getting ready for the party together.”
“Where’s my sister?”
He sighs. “Apparently, they’re meeting there. She wants to surprise them with her costume.” I can practically hear the eye roll in his tone.
“Don’t forget,” I say. “After tonight, we’re dealing with the next problem on the to-do list. Understood?”
“Oh, don’t worry. I’m very much prepared for that asshole.”
I know he is. “Keep me posted. I’ll call you when we’re on our way home. We should be there before the party ends to make an appearance.”
“Will do. And boss?”
“Yeah?”
“Make him pay.”
“That’s the plan.” I slide my phone back into my coat pocket and walk up the plane’s stairs.
“Everything all right?” Vin asks, already lounging in his favorite cushioned recliner. Several men find their places in the back of the cabin, mentally preparing for tonight’s mission.
I nod. “Dolion will not be joining us tonight.”
Alex looks up from his phone, arching a brow. “Why?”
“He’s sick.” I plop onto the free side of the couch beside him. “But we’ll manage without him.” My eyes scan the back, counting every available man with us. “We’ve got twenty men here, plus the four of us. That should be plenty to get the job done.”
Alex opens his laptop. “How many does that leave at the estate?”
“Twenty-six,” Vin answers. He lifts his drink, bringing it to his lips before closing his eyes and putting his chair into recline mode.
I stare at him. “In case you forgot, we’re on our way to shut down an illegal sex-trafficking operation while also capturing Le Diable. This is not a fucking vacation.”
Vin’s eyes pop open. “Trust me, brother, I haven’t forgotten. Merely getting ready for what we’re about to face.” A darkness sweeps over his gaze. He places his drink on the table beside him, blinking back whatever nightmares plague him. “You prepare your way, and I’ll prepare mine.”
Mauro clutches the arms of his chair, his eyes shut tight. I forgot he’s not a fan of flying.
“Take this,” I say, handing him a glass of liquid courage. It’s not enough to interfere with tonight’s mission but plenty to take the edge off.
He grips the glass forcefully, and I’m surprised it doesn’t shatter in his grasp as he brings it to his lips. After a few sips, he relaxes into his chair, staring out the window beside him.
The plane begins rolling down the runway, eventually taking off into the air and soaring into an onyx sea.
“Arrival time for the city is expected to be nine p.m.,” the pilot alerts us from the overhead speakers.
Alex keeps typing away on his computer, appearing distracted.
“What are you doing?” I ask, trying to peek at the screen.
He shakes his head. “I can’t help but feel like I’m missing something. Just going over everything again.” He shrugs. “There’s a lot on the line. Mistakes would not be a good thing tonight.”
I nod, turning my attention out the window. “It certainly wouldn’t be.”
An hour later, we arrive at the tarmac, a line of black SUVs waiting for us. After we all exit the plane, Vin stands strong, his gaze narrowing on every man who has come with us.
“We want this job done as swiftly as possible. In and out. To reiterate, Alex, Leo, Mauro, and I will enter the property on the pretense that we are there for the auction. Once inside, we’ll scope out the place as discreetly as possible, and then Alex will search for the victims while Mauro searches for Igor. Leo and I will use our own methods to find Le Diable.” His eyes scan the area until they land on three men in the back.
“Antonia, Mateo, and Lorenzo. You three will wait in the parking lot behind the building for Alex and will be responsible for escorting these women to either the closest police station or hospital. Drop them off. And leave. And I swear to fucking God, if I find out you laid even a finger on any one of them, you will be shoved inside a meat grinder and fed to my dog! Capisce?” He seethes. “Most of the women will barely be of age. These men are some sick fuckers with disturbing kinks.” All three men nod earnestly, never wavering in their stance. “Good.” He rolls up the sleeves of his shirt. “As for the rest of you, you are to wait in the SUVs around the corner until you receive my text. Only then will you enter the premises to finish the job and dispose of the motherfuckers inside.”
They all nod like obedient soldiers.
Vin appears pleased, standing with his hands clasped behind his back. “Once our mission is completed, we will burn the place to the fucking ground until it’s nothing but dust.” He combs his fingers through his dark hair, pushing it to the side. “Now, let’s go find this fucking Le Diable and make him regret ever messing with the Alaries.” He turns, heading toward the first car, and Alex, Mauro, and I follow suit.
Every muscle in my body thrums in anticipation.
Because tonight, I will finally kill Le Diable.
But first…
I’ll break him.
Pulling up beside what appears to be an abandoned Thai restaurant in a sketchy-as-fuck part of the city, we spot a few luxury cars covertly parked in a back lot. Coming to a stop, the rest of the SUVs trailing us turn off, finding a place to remain hidden.
“You’re sure this is the place?” I ask with skepticism. The overhead lights flicker, dangling partially detached. The red paint on the outside is scraped off in sections. The massive window, looking into the seating area, is shattered, and shards of glass line the sidewalk.
“This is the right address,” Alex answers, squirting a dollop of disinfectant on the palms of his hands and rubbing them together.
“Trust me, this is the place,” Vin says matter-of-factly. “They don’t want any unwanted guests like the feds to come sniffing around. So they choose a shit hole like this.” Vin shuts off the car, and we step outside. As we approach the corroded door, there’s an eerie chill in the air. “Be vigilant.” Vin steps through the threshold first, and we are immediately met with four men stationed behind a counter, in front of a kitchen door, gripping rifles against their chests.
“Gentlemen.” Vin shows them a bright smile. “I hear we’re in for a treat tonight.” The guards appear confused at our presence, unmoving.
“No entry without an invite,” one of them murmurs, his voice hoarse from one too many cigarettes.
Vin smacks the front of his head. “I knew I was forgetting something.” He reaches inside his jacket, and before they have a chance to move, we each pull out our handguns and shoot them dead on the spot, the silencers muffling any noise that might cause alarm.
We step over the dead bodies and pass through the swinging kitchen door with our guns tucked into our holsters, hidden beneath our jackets.
But what should be a kitchen is a far cry from it.
Walking through a dark hallway, lit only with subtle lighting from the trim on the floor, we inhale the scent of tobacco, leather, and sex that slams into us. Heady and unforgiving. Women line the entryway, wearing nothing more than what appears to be pieces of string wrapped around their bodies. These aren’t the women we’re here for, though. Most likely, these women work here, willingly or as willingly as one does in a sex club.
They’re prostitutes. Not that I have anything against sex work. But I know there’s a big fucking difference between these women who come here for a paycheck and the women hidden within these four walls, brought here against their will.
Fighting for their lives.
“Let’s get this done quickly. This place is making me want to take a shower,” Alex murmurs, brushing a woman’s hand off his arm.
“Patience,” Vin responds as we round the corner, finding ourselves in an open room.
Black leather couches are scattered throughout, facing a rather large stage. Several men are currently lost in lust as they receive lap dances. Scantily clad women walk around with trays in their hands, dropping off drinks to the patrons, who feel entitled to a squeeze or a grab as they take their beverages. Several hallways lead off to the sides where, I assume, there are private rooms for more discretion. Moans and grunts echo from behind several doors. A sleek black bar lines the far wall, and silver poles are stationed sporadically throughout the area.
“Fuck, this place is bigger than I envisioned.” Vin’s gaze takes in the massive space as he tugs on his collar. Many sets of eyes widen in our presence, knowing who we are. Fear commands them to cower further into their seats.
If they’re scared of us now, well, they may not want to stick around for the finale portion of this evening’s entertainment.
Too bad they’re trapped here like the rats they are.
“Is this going to be a problem?” I ask him.
Vin’s lips part, but a woman approaches. “Are you here for the auction?” she asks timidly. She stares down at her tray, waiting for one of us to answer.
“Yes,” Alex confirms. “Would you mind showing us the best place to sit?”
She nods and turns, leading us toward the closest available sofas. “Would you like anything to drink?”
“No,” Vin answers. “But can you tell us what time the show starts?”
She swallows hard. “In about fifteen minutes, sir.”
Vin smiles. “And where might we find Igor? We’d love to give him our thanks.”
The poor woman pales. “I-I… I’m not sure, sir, but I can ask around.”
“We would appreciate that.”
With that, she rushes away, turning down a dark hallway.
“Mauro,” I state. He turns his head in my direction. “Follow her.”
Mauro rocks his neck from side to side, rolls his shoulders, and then strolls off toward the same hallway.
“Come on!” an older gentleman on the couch closest to us yells. “Let’s get this pussy show started!” He throws back his drink, and when a waitress walks by him, he grabs her by the waist, pulling her onto his lap.
She laughs nervously, shifting her body, trying to get out of his clutch. “I need to go get the next round of drinks, sir.” She tries to stand, but he continues forcing her down.
His tongue snakes out, licking up the side of her neck. “You’re going to stay right here and rub that pretty ass over my hard cock.” He grips her hips, forcing her body to move back and forth on his lap.
Vin sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “This fucker is going to mess up tonight’s plan.” He stands, smiling as he walks over to the asshole. I watch as he bumps into the table, causing the man’s glass to fall to the floor and shatter. “Shit. Did I do that?” He kneels down to pick up a piece of the broken glass and swiftly holds it against the side of the guy’s abdomen. I glance around the room; everyone is too lost in their own worlds to notice what is happening. “You’re going to let this pretty girl go. And you’re going to do it right the fuck now cause if you don’t, I will slice your pathetic dick off and shove it down your throat. Capisce?”
The man hesitantly nods, immediately removing his hands from the woman’s waist, who abruptly hurries away.
“Good man.” Vin stands and takes his seat back beside me, dropping the piece of glass to the floor. I don’t miss the blood dribbling down the tip of it.
A blood-curdling scream has the three of us turning our heads to the left. Two guys walk by, amused. “Guessing that means the show is about to begin.”
“Alex.” I curl my hands into fists on my thighs, doing everything to stop myself from storming down that back hallway where the scream came from.
“On it.” Alex gracefully stands and blends in with the crowds as he disappears down the hall.
Vin and I pull out our phones, waiting for the signal that we’re good to start with our own show.
As five minutes turn into ten and then twenty, unease builds inside me.
“Do you think—” Our phones go off in our hands.
Alex
Clear. Twelve women.
I grind my back molars, my jaw clenching. Twelve women here against their will? About to be auctioned off like cattle to the lowest scum of the earth.
Vin pulls out his phone to send a text to the team, knowing we need to be quick.
“Three…two…one…” he murmurs just as a symphony of bullets ricochets near the entrance. Shouts and screams echo throughout the room as our men quickly advance inside, guns drawn. “Showtime.” Vin and I stand, grabbing for our hidden weapons. “Ladies and gentlemen, there’s been a slight change of plans in tonight’s entertainment.” His voice softens as he says, “Will the ladies working here this evening please exit out the front door? I promise no harm will come to you.”
A few of the girls quickly run toward the exit, while some appear like deer caught in headlights. Eventually, they gather their wits and exit the building, leaving just us, our men, and the motherfuckers who came here tonight knowing they would be bidding on innocent women who were kidnapped and brought here to use for their own twisted pleasure.
Fucking sons of bitches.
I tighten my grip on my gun, aiming it at each man sitting on the nearby couches. The ones currently trembling in their own piss as sweat drips down their temples.
With all eyes on us, I let every bit of my wrath free. “Where is Le Diable?” I roar like a wild beast, sounding utterly unhinged, precisely how I feel.
A few men’s faces pale, recognition of his name evident in their eyes. I spot one man trying to pull his phone out of his pocket discreetly, and so I aim the barrel of my gun right at his index finger, which is swiping animatedly across the screen.
Boom!
One second, the man is about to send a text, probably alerting the authorities for help, and in the next, he’s hunched over in pain, screaming like a baby while holding a bloody hand with a missing finger to his chest. I take a few steps until I’m standing before him, pressing my gun into his head. “I’ll ask one more fucking time, and that’s as far as my patience extends. Where is Le Diable?”
The man shakes his head, muffled cries escaping him. “I-I don’t know. I swear I don’t know!”
“Who the fuck is he?” I growl. The man closes his eyes, shaking beneath his overpriced suit. “Give me his goddamn real name!” I shove the gun harder into his scalp.
“He only goes by that name!” His eyes pop open, terror glossing over them. “No one here knows his real identity. We were all invited by Igor because of our wealth and”—he swallows—“interests. But none of us know who Le Diable is.” I lean all my weight into my gun. “He’s the one who collects the girls based on our tastes, but that’s all I know. I swear! Please, I have children!”
I scoff. “And yet, you’re here. Preying on innocent girls.” I whip the gun against the side of his head. “Sick fuck.”
“How about this?” Vin takes a few steps to the center of the room. “We know Igor is the investor and the one who chooses which dickheads to invite to the auctions, and we know Le Diable kidnaps the girls, but can anyone in here tell us which dickless asshole owns this fucking hellhole?”
Silence.
“I see.” Vin looks at me. A combination of fury, rage, and frustration is washing over him. “I wonder how many men I have to kill before someone in here eventually breaks.” He aims his gun at the man from earlier in the evening who forced the woman down on his lap and shoots. Gasps echo in the room as the man falls to his side, blood pouring out of the hole in the center of his head.
Vin directs his gun at the next target, who raises his hands in surrender.
“Wait! Wait!” he pleads. There’s sweat pouring down his face. Or are those tears?
“You have three seconds to tell me where the fuck Le Diable is hiding,” Vin says calmly. “Three…two…”
“What the fuck is going on in here?” An angry Russian accent draws our attention. “Take your fucking hands off me!”
The two of us look over to the hallway, finding Mauro dragging a disgruntled Igor to the center of the room. Mauro tosses him to the floor, keeping a gun aimed at him.
As Igor kneels, his eyes take in the three of us, and fear flashes over his features.
“What… What are you doing here?” he stammers, confused by our presence. “You’re not supposed to be here. You’re supposed to be…” He stops talking, his eyebrows drawing together.
I get up in his face, gripping his jacket. “This is the last time I’m going to ask this question.” I let out a deep exhale, pressing my gun into the side of his head. “Where the fuck is Le Diable?”
Igor’s eyes widen. “He’s…” His lips open and close. “But I…” Open and close. “I don’t understand. They told me they were going to destroy you tonight. All of you. That they were going to be the new rulers of New York.” He shakes his head, stilling. “You’re supposed to be dead.” His eyes calculate something within his mind, connecting dots. His face reddens as he says, “Those motherfuckers set me up!”
“What the fuck are you rambling about?” Vin asks.
Suddenly, Igor glimpses up and lets out a psychotic laugh. “You don’t know. Oh my goodness, this is too good to be true.” He pauses, stifling his laugh. “The world is about to see the fall of the Alaries.”
Mauro clocks him on the side of his head with his gun, knocking him over. Tired of his games.
Leaning over him, I yank him up by his shirt. “You better talk right fucking now!”
Igor grasps his head; blood trails down the side of it. His lips curl up, a sinister smile taking over his entire face. “Le Diable isn’t here. But I’ll give you one guess where he is.”
Vin arches a brow. “If he’s not here, then where the fuck—” His words die on his lips as his eyes widen and lock onto mine.
It’s the second time in my life I’ve had an out-of-body experience. Everything around me stills; the only thing moving is my heart, which races as fast as a hummingbird’s wings. A ringing in my ears takes over as Vin shakes my shoulders, his mouth moving, but no noise is produced. Slowly, I hear a muffled sound as if underwater, and eventually, Vin’s sharp words cut through my haze.
“Leo! Fucking hell! Snap out of it!” He shakes me one last time, good and hard.
“He knew we would be here,” I breathe, my chest feeling unbearably too tight. “He knew we wouldn’t be at the Alarie Estate tonight.” The harsh reality of the situation hits me like a ton of bricks. “It’s someone inside.” My chest heaves with a relentless force, my body shaking with fury.
“We were played like fools, but especially you idiots who left your kingdom and your precious goods defenseless,” Igor muses, enjoying this revelation a little too much.
And I’ve fucking had enough of it.
And him.
I lift my gun, aim it right between his eyes, and shoot. Igor’s lifeless body drops to the floor. It doesn’t take long for a pool of his own bright red blood to surround him.
“We need to go home. Now.” I move, feeling numb to everything around me. The only thing taking over my thoughts is Scarlett.
Only Scarlett.
And my fear of losing her intensifies tenfold.
Agonizing pain radiates in the center of my chest.
My heart shatters with each passing second.
With shaking fingers, I reach inside my pocket for my phone and press Scarlett’s name.
“Come on, Firefly,” I plead. “Pick up the phone for me.”
“Hi, you’ve reached Scarlett. Leave a message.”
My heart comes to a crashing halt.
I failed her.
Vin calls over one of our guards as the three of us step outside. “Kill every man in here and leave nothing left behind. I want the whole place burned down until there’s nothing but embers,” he orders. “Make it look like a gas—”
Boom!
In only a second, the world around us burns.