Chapter 33
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Roman swept his gaze out to the terrace where guests were eating breakfast, then back to the indoor dining room where he waited for his uncle.
Shortly after Finn had arrived at their suite, Roman’s uncle sent a text demanding he meet him on the terrace for breakfast. And like hell would Roman let Harper be a sitting duck for Talon Fox, so he’d asked Finn to stay in the suite with her until he handled his uncle.
Roman didn’t believe Luciano would allow Talon to pull the trigger for a kill shot aimed at Roman, but his uncle was unpredictable. Thankfully, the team was prepared, and they were about to flip their cards and show their hand to Luciano, just slightly earlier than they’d expected.
It’d been hard to coordinate all of the details while constantly in Luciano’s presence during the last twenty-four hours, but Roman was confident they’d pull it off. What choice did they have?
Hopefully, the ace up Roman’s sleeve would be his saving grace, one Luciano would never suspect, and frankly, an option Roman was kicking himself for not considering sooner. Of course, maybe the timing wouldn’t have been right before now.
“Good. You’re on time, unlike last night.
” Luciano slapped Roman on the back twice and stepped alongside him.
“I assume after your impressive handling of those men last night, you gave that woman of yours a good . . .” He transitioned into Spanish as he spoke crassly about Harper, and Roman did his best not to snarl and haul his uncle to the terrace and throw him over the railing. “Let’s eat.”
Roman had no intention of stepping onto that terrace.
Even though he’d scoped out the area yesterday and hadn’t seen any places where a sniper would have high ground on them, if Talon was capable of making a two-mile shot, there were a few possibilities outside of Roman’s visual range he might be hiding.
Of course, according to Finn, Talon was in the hotel somewhere.
He didn’t know his uncle’s game plan, and it didn’t matter. Now that the teams had all of their moves lined up, they were all set to go. And hopefully, Roman and Harper would take a much-needed vacation soon.
“You’re not coming?” Luciano turned to the side to view Roman.
Roman tipped his head. “We need to talk in private.” Here goes. The improvised plan. “I know Talon Fox is at the hotel. He arrived with you this morning.” He angled his head, motioning for him to remain inside.
The hard lines on his uncle’s face tightened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He casually shrugged and looked back to the terrace, but Roman reached out and set a hand to his shoulder. He was done playing games.
He’d had to bite his tongue last night at dinner, but today was a new day.
Roman leaned in closer to Luciano’s ear and whispered, “I suggest we talk in private before the guests eating their breakfast hear how you’re working with the man who tried to kill the son of the President of the United States.”
“Are you trying to set me up?” Luciano pulled back, a look of barely restrained fury on his face.
“You did that to yourself.” Roman removed his hand from Luciano’s shoulder and placed some space between them, drawing his hands down the lapels of his leather jacket, which had been a necessity for the morning’s op.
He hadn’t wanted to wear a suit, and although it was sixty-five degrees outside already, he’d needed to wear something to hide his weapon and the wire. “Follow me.”
Luciano flicked his wrist, motioning for his two guards to keep up with them, but at least he was obeying Roman’s orders for once. They made their way into one of the business conference rooms Roman had preselected on the same floor.
Roman closed the two French doors once Luciano’s guards joined them inside the small meeting space.
“What is this?” Luciano cut straight to it.
“Where’s Talon Fox? I’m not a moron. I figured out your game plan. You two are working together.” He kept his gaze locked with his uncle’s. “Before you deny it, know that I’ll call bullshit, and I think we’re both done with games, don’t you?”
Luciano moved closer and lifted his chin, probably hating he was shorter than Roman.
“Your father took my only son. Thiago was the mayor of my city. We had dreams for bigger things. He was going to eventually run the entire country.” He pointed at Roman, anger flaring in his eyes. “My legacy was stolen from me.”
“Thiago didn’t want that life, nor did he want Carmen,” Roman rushed out the truth he’d kept buried for years.
“You forced him to be like you, follow in your corrupt footsteps.” You ruined a good man.
“Having you as a shitty role model meant Thiago wasn’t above trying to blackmail my father into pushing me to go and spend time in Spain.
Thiago hoped I’d trade places with him one day so he could walk away from you and this disgusting life you created.
” Roman shook his head, fighting to keep his cool.
“No, I don’t believe that. He wanted you with him because he trusted you. You’re family, and that’s why—”
“It’s true. He wanted to escape the same way my father did. No one but you seems to want whatever it is you’re trying to do. And that sure as hell includes me.”
Luciano was quiet for a moment before tossing a hand in the air to signal to his guards to step outside. Good, that made things easier.
Roman lifted his arm, allowing the sleeve of his jacket to slide up to check his watch. They were short on time.
“Talon Fox threatened you with blackmail unless you helped him execute his plan,” Roman began.
“Said he had proof of me engaging in illegal activities that he could tie back to you, and he’d leak what he had to the authorities or the press.
Normally, you’d have gotten rid of him in the blink of an eye, but then an idea hit you—helping him helped you.
If you helped Talon get rid of all the people I care about, I’d become obsessed with revenge.
I’d become the dark and dangerous man you wanted me to be. And none of it would connect to you.”
Luciano eased back as if realizing for the first time he was possibly outplayed.
“Part of Talon’s plan included you eliminating Mauricio Romero and handing over a USB to me. And he told you if I came to you asking for help to draw out the shooter of the son of the President of the United States—”
“Enough.” Luciano abruptly turned his back. “You can’t prove any of this.”
“I can if I have Talon Fox,” he reminded him.
Luciano slowly faced him again. “If something happens to me, what do you think will happen to the people you care about? Do you think you can threaten me?” His lips drew into an almost casual smile.
“You have nothing on me, and if you did try to pin me for any of your accusations, my men will follow my instructions to hurt your sisters first. Then they’ll continue to pick off each person you care about. ”
Roman dipped his chin, eyeing his uncle, and his hands skated along the lapels of his jacket to temporarily mute the wire transmitting to the agents in the room next door.
“One thing you’re forgetting—asking me to bury so many bodies for you means I know where all of your skeletons are,” he hissed before clicking the signal back on.
Jessica and Luke managed to work with the director of the CNI, Spain’s National Intelligence Center, to arrange for his men to be in Cape Town this morning.
To dot their I’s and cross their T’s, the NIA, South Africa’s Intelligence Agency, was also in the conference room two doors down.
Finn had confirmed their arrival via text at seven a.m.
“You’re going down for a long time. Guilty by association. Talon Fox attempted to assassinate President Isaiah Bennett’s son and murdered a former CIA agent, Ezra Bashara. Not to mention you’re helping to conspire to kill American Navy SEALs.”
“Not going to happen.” Luciano smirked. “You won’t risk your family.”
“I have that covered.” He folded his arms, loving he could finally stand his ground to such a ruthless man he sadly shared blood with.
“You’re forgetting something else. If anything were ever to happen to you, say prison, all of your assets will go to Rosario.
” Roman damn near smiled at what he was about to say next.
“Antonio has been running your legitimate businesses for years while you dealt with the dark underworld, and he’s more than prepared, not to mention happy to take over once you’re out of the way. He’ll clean up your mess.”
Roman had originally planned to take over himself so Luciano’s men would, in a sense, pledge allegiance to him and not follow through with any of his uncle’s crazy orders to hurt those Roman cared about, but the new idea hit Roman on the flight from Barcelona to South Africa.
Like Roman, Antonio had been pulled into hell and forced to sit alongside the devil, but in Roman’s time knowing him, Antonio had always done his best to remain on the right side of the law, which Roman had admired.
And it was Roman’s hope, Antonio would garner more loyalty from Luciano’s men than Roman ever would, ensuring everyone’s safety.
Thankfully, when Roman managed to pull Antonio aside yesterday, he agreed to consider the proposal.
There were risks, and Roman was asking a lot, but as he and Harper had walked away from that disastrous dinner after he’d thoroughly enjoyed beating the shit out of those three men, Antonio had sent him a silent nod, one Roman took as a yes to the plan.
“I don’t believe you. Antonio would never betray me.” And yet, there was doubt in his eyes.
In Luciano’s heart, he must have known Antonio wasn’t a devil like him, but it was painful to believe his uncle had seen that darkness in Roman, truly believing he’d transform into the man Luciano needed him to be.
I’m not him, he scolded himself despite how good it had felt to hit those pigs last night.
Luciano ate up the short bit of space between them and set a fist on Roman’s chest. “You don’t get it, do you?
You don’t get the plan.” He bared his teeth like an animal as he spoke this time.
“I didn’t intend to kill your friends in order to turn you.
I didn’t make a deal with Talon Fox to shoot you, either.
” His lips teased into a slow smile. “The moment I realized how you felt for that woman of yours—I knew there was only one person I needed to target to get you on board. Did you really think I wanted her to be your mistress? I wanted to break you the way your father broke me.” His smile turned to a menacing grimace.
Roman’s stomach dropped, and his entire body grew cold.
He backed up as the doors flung open with a loud thud, and a sea of agents swarmed the room. Roman unhooked the wire hidden beneath his jacket lapels and handed it to the nearest agent, allowing Luciano to digest the fact he’d been recorded.
But he didn’t have time for more words or any farewell fuck-yous because he had to get to Harper.
No one tried to stop Roman from leaving. They’d heard the conversation and knew Roman had to run. He quickly dialed Harper and brought his phone to his ear as he sprinted down the hall, pushing himself as fast as possible to get to the elevators.
No answer.
He rang Harper again inside the elevator, and after another no answer, he phoned Finn.
When the doors parted, his world damn near stopped at the familiar sound.
A gunshot.
No, no, no. Roman took a left and ran, pumping his arms and moving as fast as possible. He spotted the suite door down at the end of the hall and slipped his hand into his pocket for the keycard in preparation.
Forcing his hand to remain steady, he inserted the card into the electronic reader, and when he shoved the door open with his gun drawn, he fell to his knees at the sight before him.
Roman’s hands went to the floor, and he hung his head and gasped for a breath. Relief exploded inside his chest, and a harsh sound ripped from his lungs. “I thought . . .” He lifted his head at the feel of Harper’s palms on his cheeks.
“I’m okay,” she said softly. “We’re both okay.”
Pushing upright and back onto his heels, he circled his arms around Harper, his gaze pinned to Finn, who was in the process of tying Talon Fox’s hands behind his back with zip ties.
“Someone get shot?” Roman asked, not seeing blood anywhere, but Talon’s face was pretty banged up, and the man was groaning.
“Nah, I’m good. This stupid son of a bitch had a keycard to the room, and we weren’t expecting a surprise visit while you were with your uncle.
” He kneed Talon in the side, knocking him back to the floor after he’d secured his hands.
“He got off a shot.” Finn jerked a thumb to the wall behind the bed where the bullet had penetrated.
“Sorry we couldn’t take your call. A little busy. ”
Roman nearly laughed as a few tears escaped his eyes, his mind at ease for the first time in a really long time.
“You know you can’t get rid of me that easily,” Harper said when Roman pulled back to hold her face as he worked to gain control of the harsh breaths escaping his lungs.
“I guess we, uh, were assuming Talon would be somewhere behind a scope, not risk coming at us face-to-face.” Finn nudged Talon in the leg with his boot and crouched alongside him.
“You lost your trident a long damn time ago, man. No hope for you there,” Finn added in a low voice as Roman and Harper slowly rose to join him.
Roman’s heart was still pounding like crazy, but when Harper clasped their palms together, she managed to relax him some. They weren’t quite done yet, but they were pretty damn close.
Finn stole a look at Harper and Roman before focusing back on the traitor groaning on the ground. “If you want a shot at winding up in a cozy federal prison instead of a Gitmo on steroids, then I suggest you get to talking.”