Rami

Chapter 26

Ivy brought her trembling hand to her lips as she watched Rami charge out of the kitchen.

Gigi was on her in a hot second, her hazel eyes blazing with demand. “What the hell is going on?”

Slowly, Ivy shook her head. Oh, god. How on earth could she tell her sister that her fiancé could have played a part in the kidnapping?

Why? Why would Todd do such a thing?

Gigi’s hands gripped Ivy’s shoulders, forcing her sister to look at her. “Ivy. Please.”

Ivy sucked in a shuddering breath. “Does Todd speak Spanish?” She already knew the answer.

Gigi cocked her head and snorted. “Todd? God, no. I don’t even think he could say hola.” Her smile vanished as Ivy’s subtle accusation sank in. “Why do you ask?”

“What if I told you he speaks Spanish quite well?”

Gigi shook her head. “There must be a mistake.”

“I heard him upstairs, Gig. He was speaking to someone named... Fernando.”

“I—I don’t understand. Who’s Fernando?”

“The man in charge of my kidnapping.” As the words left Ivy’s mouth, her stomach plummeted. She grimaced and toyed with the skin at the base of her throat.

Gigi’s eyes widened, and she backed up several steps. “W-What?” But her shock quickly turned to fury. Her shoulders bunched and her hands knotted into fists at her sides. She turned on her heel. “Todd!”

Ivy followed her to the hallway that led to the foyer. Rami had Todd up against the wall, his gun near Todd’s face.

“Todd!” This time, Gigi’s shriek made Ivy’s ears ring. “What’s going on?”

Rami gave Todd another shove but released his hold, backing up. “Looks like he was trying to get away.” He nodded at the small bag on the floor.

Terror crept up Ivy’s chest like bile. Todd was going to run—and leave Gigi behind.

Gigi bent to open the bag and pulled out clothes, cash, and a passport. She ripped open the document and stood, her legs visibly shaking. “Anthony Richards?”

“Sweetheart, I can explain.”

“Talk,” Rami growled. “And start with how this involves Ivy.”

Todd’s body went slack, and he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Moisture collected at his lashes, but not a shred of sympathy touched Ivy.

“Tell me, goddammit!” Gigi demanded.

“All right. All right.” He glanced at Ivy then settled his gaze on Gigi. “I’m sorry. It wasn’t supposed to go down like this. I—I’ve been laundering the cartel’s money for a few years now.”

Ivy gasped. Rami hooked his arm around her, bringing her to his side.

Gigi let out a cry. “You lied to me.”

Todd sniffed and returned his glasses to his face. “I couldn’t tell you. It was too dangerous. And it was good in the beginning. But then...” He lifted one shoulder. “I skimmed some money.”

“Todd,” Ivy hissed.

Ivy squeezed Rami’s hand. Disgust swarmed inside her, but more than that, pity. Up until minutes ago, Gigi was to marry this man. This lying, scheming sonofabitch.

She bit her tongue so the words didn’t fly from her mouth.

“They found out,” Todd continued. “I didn’t realize they knew until Ivy went missing.” He looked at Ivy. “I’m sorry.”

Ivy glared at him through slits. If she could spit on his apology and make him eat it, she would. His greediness had nearly gotten her killed.

“I don’t understand.” Gigi shook her head. “They took Ivy from—” She gasped and faced Ivy. “You borrowed my car that day.” She clapped a hand to her face. “Oh my god. They thought you were me.” Disbelief strangled her words.

Ivy reached for Gigi’s hand and held it in both of hers. “It’s okay. It’s all done now.”

“No, it’s not.” Rami’s fiery gaze pinned Todd. “Why are you running, you coward?” He kicked the duffel bag, sending the contents scattering over the marble floor.

Todd’s skin turned ashen. He sent a fleeting glance to the front door. “Because they’re coming.”

“I’m calling the police.” Gigi pulled her phone from her pocket, fumbling over the screen.

Todd snatched the device from her hand. “You have no idea who we’re dealing with.”

Gigi yelled something at Todd, but Ivy blocked out their fighting. Rami was tapping the screen of his own phone. When he pocketed it, he met her eyes. “I want you and Gigi to hide. I’ve got this.”

“What?” Ivy rose to her toes. “No. That’s crazy. You can’t take them on. If we leave now, we might have time to—”

His hand cupped her neck, and he secured his thumb under her chin. “I’m ending this today. I promised you I’d kill Fernando and I meant it. I need you safe, but I don’t want you to leave the house. There could be more of them waiting. We know Fernando has men everywhere.”

The walls of her throat thickened until the sides nearly touched. She swallowed but couldn’t get any saliva down. She shook her head adamantly, but there was no stopping what was coming.

Certainty was heavy in her bones.

Nothing would tear Rami away from carrying out justice. Nothing would stop the cartel from coming. It was going to end here—for better or worse.

“I love you,” she whispered hoarsely, as she gripped his wrist and leaned into his warmth. His abdomen was even more rigid than usual, every muscle at the ready. “Please don’t die.”

He touched his forehead to hers. “Do as I say and hide. That’s our best chance at survival. If I know you’re safe, I can handle myself better.”

She gulped, hating the idea of hiding somewhere in this massive house while Rami was killed in her honor.

“Ivy,” he demanded.

He was right. If she was here, it’d only complicate things more.

“Okay,” she conceded. “We’ll hide.”

Rami pressed his lips to her mouth then her forehead. He hesitated on the last kiss, holding her close, his hand strong and protective on her neck. She tipped back her head and took in his perfect jawline and thick stubble. His eyes were clear, bottomless pools of fury. The ink stretched over his eye seemed to darken with his mood—menacing and deadly.

“Go.” The order came out hard. He nodded at Gigi and she grabbed Ivy’s hand to tow her toward the stairs.

Ivy let herself be pulled from the room. One last gaze at Rami over her shoulder had her heart seizing in her chest.

God, please protect him.

***

Rami’s pulse thunderedagainst his neck. He pressed his back to the wall near the door and peeked through the window. Todd knelt on the floor repacking his duffel bag.

“When will they be here?” Rami snapped.

Todd adjusted his glasses and looked up. “Uh, soon. Any minute. Look, they’re after me. Maybe if I go, they’ll come looking for me and leave you guys alone.” He stood. His free hand trembled at his side.

“Not a fucking chance,” Rami spat. “They want you, they can have you right here.”

“I didn’t mean for Ivy to get involved. Honest. Never even knew she was taking Gigi’s car that morning.”

“I don’t want to hear it.” Rami sent another glance out the window. “You endangered your fiancée and her sister. All because you’re stupid and greedy.” Fire rose from Rami’s core. “I hope you get the suffering you deserve. And if you’re a praying man, you better ask God to spare those women upstairs or I’ll have a whole fleet of men after you—if you survive.”

Todd’s jaw turned hard and defiant. “Fuck you.” He turned on his heel to head toward the garage.

Rami lifted his gun, cocking the weapon. “Don’t move.”

Todd smirked. “What, you gonna shoot me? Go ahead. If they come here and find me already dead, they’ll just finish all of you. You’re forgetting I’m the one who pissed them off.”

“Not just you, dummy.” Rami took a step away from the wall. “I killed their men,” he said, jabbing his index finger into his own chest. “A lot of them. All because of you. You should have turned yourself in as soon as they caught you and handled it like a man. Instead, look at all the people who had to be hurt or killed.”

Something flashed across Todd’s face. Remorse? Or maybe just shame that he’d been caught and called out. “I love Gigi. All I tried to do was give her a good life.”

“Well, you fucking snuffed that out, didn’t you?”

Todd’s gaze darted to the floor and then back to Rami. “I mean it. If I leave, there’s a good chance they’ll just come for me. You can hide with Gigi and Ivy. They’ll see my car gone. I won’t make it far. You can’t outrun these people.”

Rami shook his head. “Wouldn’t work. My truck’s out front. And you can’t hide from them either. Maybe staying and fighting is your shot at redemption.”

Todd’s eyebrow quirked. “You going to give me a gun?”

Rami snorted. “Why? So you can shoot me in the back? No, you won’t get a gun. But you can wait by the door. Let them take you and maybe, just maybe, you can die knowing you tried to protect the woman you claim to love.”

Slowly, Todd nodded. Redness rimmed his eyes and he sniffed. “Yeah. Okay. I can do that.” He dropped the bag to the floor.

“Good. You man the door. I’ll stay out of sight and when they get here, I’ll start shooting.”

Todd took Rami’s spot near the window. Rami rounded the corner of the hallway and pressed his back to the wall. Pulling out his phone, he quickly checked his messages. August and Toth were on their way.

They’d better hurry the hell up.

Another message came through, this one from Ivy.

I love you.

Warmth trickled through him, removing the hatred and fury beneath his skin. On its heels came a torrent of protectiveness. He’d never let Ivy suffer another ounce of pain at the hands of these cocksuckers. This was personal, and the game ended now.

“They’re here,” Todd announced.

***

Gigi’s hand wasdamp and warm in Ivy’s. They sat shoulder to shoulder, crouched in the guest bedroom closet behind long garments. They’d almost hidden in the master bedroom, but that would’ve been a dead giveaway. Instead, Ivy had locked the master bedroom door, hoping it’d stall the men if they came looking. Then they’d darted off to the farthest guest room.

“I’m so sorry,” Gigi whispered. “This is all my fault. And my stupid ex-fiancé’s,” she spat.

Ivy squeezed Gigi’s fingers. “It’s not your fault. If they hadn’t taken me, they would’ve taken you. And I’m glad it was me. I couldn’t have handled it if it was you. And besides, I met Rami.” Moments before, she’d sent him a text. There was a chance he hadn’t seen it, and maybe they’d both die and he never would. But she had to get the words out there, had to hope that if he didn’t see the message, he at least felt her words.

I love you.

And god help her, she did. Maybe the words would float through the cosmos and enter his mind, a reminder that her heart was forever his. Whether he lived or died today, she’d never love another man.

Gigi gave a barely audible laugh, bringing Ivy back to precipice of where their lives dangled. “Yeah, I need to meet me one of those. Here I thought a geeky lawyer was the safest bet.”

“No kidding.”

Gigi’s head tilted to rest on Ivy’s shoulder. “If I die here today, at least I’m with you. We came into this world together and we’ll probably leave together. But I figure that’s the best way to go.”

“I’d prefer not to die today.”

Gigi’s body shook with another laugh. “Guess if I had someone like Rami who’d saved my life rather than endangered it, I’d feel the same. Todd’s going to die and I should feel bad about that, but... I’m just so angry. I hate him.” Her voice shook with venom. “Is it terrible to say that?”

Ivy closed her eyes for a beat. She wished she could take away her sister’s hurt or somehow hold Todd accountable without him dying. “I’d rather see him in prison paying for his crimes, but at the end of the day, we all get what we deserve.”

“I want to kill him myself,” Gigi confessed.

The blast of a gun made them both jump. Ivy clapped her free hand to her mouth, stifling the scream that almost flew out like a caged bird suddenly released.

Her chest rose and fell on erratic breaths. Her throat tightened and the ammonia taste of terror stuck to the inside of her mouth.

Had Rami survived? Was he hit and hurt now, alone and dying on the foyer floor? Tears stung her eyes.

The whisper of footsteps down the hall reached her ears.

Gigi’s grasp threatened to break Ivy’s fingers. “Someone’s coming.”

***

Rami exhaled along, low breath. He pocketed his phone and let fury take hold of his senses again. He forced all images of Ivy upstairs, hiding and scared, from his mind. He couldn’t do this if he was worried about her. He had to act, not overthink.

He wouldn’t let them take her again. No fucking way.

“Oh fuck.” Todd’s curse bit through the air.

Rami craned his head around the corner of the wall as two solid kicks took down the door. He snapped back around so he was hidden. His gun burned in his hand, begging to be fired.

“I’m here, geez!” Todd yelled.

“I thought your cowardly ass would’ve run.” The voice was American.

“Well, I didn’t. Just, please. What do you want? I told you I can return some of the money.”

A laugh rang out. “Some of the money? You want to return some of my money?” Rami recognized Fernando’s voice. “How nice of you.”

Whack!

The sound of metal on bone reverberated over the marble floors.

“Ahh!” Todd’s guttural cry echoed through the space. The dummy deserved another hit.

Rami’s finger twitched on the trigger. Once he started shooting, the gloves would come off. If he died, so be it. But he had to take out every fucker first, so they couldn’t get to Ivy.

“Tim. Go search the house. His wife must be here somewhere.”

“No,” Todd protested. “Sh-she’s gone. No one else is here.”

Whack!

“Don’t fucking lie to me!” Fernando yelled.

Footsteps went up the stairs and a red haze momentarily blocked out Rami’s vision. He rounded the corner, gun aimed.

Crack, crack!

He got off two shots, taking out one of the men standing behind Fernando before another henchman returned fire. Rami took cover behind the wall again.

“I should’ve known you wouldn’t be far,” Fernando spat. “You cost me another man. You’re gonna pay for that.”

Rami said nothing. He slid his tongue over his lips as satisfaction rumbled through him. If Rami had surveyed everything correctly, that meant there was only Fernando, one henchman beside him, and a third upstairs looking for the women.

Not bad odds.

Fernando needed to be next.

“She’s here, isn’t she?” Fernando’s voice slid around the room like a spilled barrel of oil. “My little whore. Had I known there were two of them, I’d have taken them both.”

Rami snapped.

Spinning around the corner, he ducked low and got off another shot. Fernando’s henchman shoved his boss out of the way. The bullet missed Fernando and specks of drywall shot through the air.

“Shoot him, Connor,” Fernando ordered.

Connor fired back. Rami threw himself behind the corner once more, but the sensation of metal in flesh made him hiss. He leaned against the wall. Pain throbbed in his back. Fuck. It wasn’t a graze. The weight imbedded in his back confirmed that.

“Stop! Let her go!” Gigi’s screams wailed through the air like a siren.

Adrenaline forced Rami to his feet and pushed away the pain.

“Ah, look. We found them both.” Fernando’s taunting tone coated Rami’s skin in ice.

Rami stole a glance around the corner, and Ivy’s wild eyes landed on his. Tim stood between her and Gigi on the stairs, a meaty fucking hand tangled in each woman’s hair.

Rami held Ivy’s gaze for a beat, sending her a silent promise.

Fernando turned his attention to Todd, who lay on the floor against the wall. “You lied. Stupid Gringo.” He stepped closer and Todd cowered. Fernando lifted the butt of the gun and whacked Todd in the side of the face. Todd’s head snapped to the side and a moan tore from his pathetic lips.

Rami’s brain worked at breakneck speed. He needed to take out Tim first, then Fernando. By the time Rami had put a bullet in Fernando, Connor would likely be shooting at him. If Rami was lucky, he’d take Connor out first, but those odds weren’t great.

Fernando hit Todd again, earning another pained cry. The leader stood above Gigi’s ex-fiancé, chest heaving and sweat dotting his brow. “Piece of shit,” he muttered.

Rami sent one more look to Ivy, who trembled on the stairs. Her skin was stark white and her eyes large in her pretty face. She looked so damn small. Seeing her state of fear spiked Rami’s rage, and it became as potent as acid on his tongue.

“Now, let’s talk money, hmm?” Fernando said to Todd. “You took three million dollars from me. Even if I sell each one of these beauties ten times a day, it’ll take me a long fucking time to make that back.” He spit on the floor near Todd’s feet. “But, money is money. Tim, put them in the car.”

“Don’t fucking touch them!” Rami bellowed as he spun around the corner of the wall.

Fernando laughed. “Shoot him!” he commanded his men.

“No!” Ivy cried. She kicked the gun from Connor’s hand. The metal careened through the air and landed on the marble floor.

All hell broke loose.

Rami aimed at Tim and fired. The bullet made a black hole in the center of Tim’s forehead, and the man sank to the ground. Gigi screamed and Ivy threw herself into her sister. They both took cover near the railing.

Fernando yanked a gun from the holster at his hip, but Rami was quicker. His finger jumped on the trigger, getting two shots off. One bullet sliced the side of Fernando’s neck. The other hit him in the chest. He sank to the ground, blood gurgling from his lips.

“Rami, look out!” Ivy shouted.

Rami’s muscles spasmed as he watched Connor aim and move his finger on the trigger. He swung his gun toward him but was a millisecond too late.

Crack, crack!

Rami dove. His side connected with the unrelenting marble as bullets blasted through the air... but no stinging of flesh followed. Rami aimed at his target again—but Connor was already on the floor, blood pooling around him. Like red ink spilled on pristine white paper.

“August!” Gigi’s shriek brought Rami’s gaze to the open front door.

“Took ya long enough.” Rami let his arm drop as relief pulsed through his body.

Toth and August stood on the threshold of the house. A smirk adorned August’s stupid face. “Saved your ass again.”

Rami surged to his feet as Ivy bounded down the steps. She threw herself into his arms and he lifted her off the ground, crushing her slim frame to his. He rained kisses down on her hair and face—anywhere he could reach. She shuddered in his arms, her murmurs of disbelief bringing tears to his eyes. “You’re safe, baby.”