Chapter 18
J ago
Storms.
They intrigued the hell out of me.
I enjoyed them, the more vicious the better.
Lightning flashed across the horizon, rain already coming down. Soon, the sky would open up and we’d be deluged.
The fucker actually believed he was going to get away.
From me.
“If he hits the autovias , we’ll lose him,” Kruz growled from beside me.
“Tell me something I don’t know.” The main thoroughfare was heavily trafficked and would prevent me from jackknifing his vehicle, which was what I intended on doing. I pressed down on the accelerator, now going over a hundred miles per hour in a residential area.
The Maserati I’d chosen to drive could easily handle the curves and should easily outrun the Mercedes. However, whoever was driving knew the roads too damn well.
I spun around another curve, barely avoiding hitting another vehicle head on.
The beep of my phone indicated a message, but I didn’t care.
The fucker was going down. I glanced into the rearview mirror.
Both Navarro and at least two other vehicles were following.
When Navarro took a side road, I knew he’d read my mind.
We would cut the bastard off.
Another curve.
Another push on the accelerator.
The engine purred like a lion as I shifted gears, spinning around another group of cars.
“Fuck. Where the hell did you learn to drive like this?” Kruz groaned.
“There are a lot of things you have no clue I’m good at.” I laughed softly even as the anger kept my full concentration.
No one fucked with my business and lived to tell about it.
One more corner and the asshole was forced to take a turn. He would head straight toward Navarro.
The driver realized his mistake at the last minute, slamming on his brakes as Navarro headed straight for him.
I swerved to the right, pushing the car once again until I managed to get in front of the jerk. The wipers were going full blast, but I was able to see clearly.
Navarro yanked his vehicle to the left just as I turned the wheel.
The driver had two choices. One was to crash into me and the other was to veer off. He chose the latter, slamming into a tree.
I skidded to a stop, barely putting the gear into park before I jumped out. So did all the other men.
The car was already smoking, someone inside the passenger seat attempting to climb out. Kruz got to him first, managing to throw open the door while I went for the driver.
As soon as I opened the door, I hissed. A tree limb had impaled him. He stared up at me with lifeless eyes.
Fuck.
The stench of gasoline caught my senses. With any luck, the car would blow.
Kruz yanked the other man free, tossing him onto the ground.
I planted my foot on his neck, staring down at him. “Who the fuck are you?”
He fought with me, grabbing my leg and trying to throw me off. I kicked him instead, lunging down and slamming his head on the pavement. “I asked you a goddamn question.”
In his dazed state, he mumbled some shit in Turkish. At least I knew what I was dealing with.
“He’s not going to share anything with us,” Navarro huffed.
A bright orange flame caught my attention. “He doesn’t need to.” I pulled out my weapon, shooting him in the head.
“What now?” Kruz asked.
“Toss him inside. Let the fire take care of it.” I backed away, thoroughly disgusted. Whether this was a retaliation move or not didn’t matter. The capture and kill had allowed me to know my gut had been right.
As my two men dragged the asshole back to the vehicle, I pulled out my phone, surprised to see Genevieve had left a message at this time. I turned away from the carnage and played the message.
“Jago. I need your help. The house has been compromised. I’m in danger.”
There was tremendous terror in her voice and when I heard the explosion of gunfire, my anger turned to rage. But she managed to rattle off her address as if I didn’t know where she lived.
Fuck. Fuck.
I turned and rushed toward my vehicle.
“What is it?” Kruz asked as he jogged toward me.
“The Morales estate has been attacked. That can’t happen. She’s going to be my wife.”
Once in my life, I’d felt the need to protect someone that didn’t include my family. One time. In doing so, I’d almost lost my life while being unable to save another. The brutal action had taught me a valuable lesson.
Evidently, I hadn’t learned very well. I was flying through the streets of Barcelona, completely lost in a vicious haze.
“We’ll get there,” Kruz threw out. “If this damn storm doesn’t kill us.”
Wind knocked the vehicle from side to side, but nothing was going to stop me from getting to her.
“Yeah, we will and I’m going to kill every last motherfucker.”
“You don’t know who it is.”
“Not yet. But I will.” I’d tried to call her back and it had gone straight to voicemail.
We were close, but given the time of her call, too much time had gone by.
As soon as I made a turn, I slammed my hand onto the steering wheel. The traffic was completely backed up. I was forced to slow to a crawl.
This just wouldn’t do.
I glanced out the windshield and skirted into the oncoming lane.
“Ah, fuck. You’re nuts,” Kruz snapped.
“You have no idea.” I was forced to shift back and forth. Horns blasted, cars jerking to the side to avoid hitting me.
I blasted through a light and made a quick right turn.
“I think my life just flashed in front of my eyes.”
“Yeah. Just wait.” I floored it again, finally reaching the street where her house was.
I jerked the car to a stop a full block away. When I climbed out, I grabbed one of the assault rifles, throwing the strap over my shoulder.
“The lights are off,” Kruz noted. The rain was pouring down and within seconds, we were soaked.
I didn’t need to order anyone. They all knew exactly how to handle this.
We rushed on both sides and I moved toward the front door, kicking it in with ease. There were bodies on the front lawn. I suspected most belonged to Genevieve’s men. The stench of gunfire lingered in the air. A shadow caught my eye and I didn’t hesitate to fire.
All sound stopped as I stormed into the house, swinging the rifle from side to side. The lightning provided a neon backdrop as I tore through her house.
“Jago!” Kruz yelled and I dropped and rolled, firing off several rounds.
The fucker went down and I jerked to my feet. The lights suddenly flickered, flashing on and off before remaining on.
“No!”
A rumble of thunder suffocated the sound, but I heard it.
I rushed toward the noise.
A soldier had Genevieve down, his hand wrapped around her throat.
Before I could get to her, she managed to jerk out from under him, issuing a primal roar as she managed to climb on top.
She had the knife she’d used on me in her hand and just before she drove the blade into his neck, the asshole grabbed her wrist, twisting her arm and shoving the blade back in her direction.
I reacted instantly, lunging toward her, as gently as possible pitching her off. I grabbed my handgun and fired off four shots in rapid succession.
When I was certain the assailant was dead, I turned my head to the side.
Her mouth was twisted in terror, her face covered in blood. She stared up at me with wide eyes as she gasped for air.
I lowered my weapon, scanning the room before dropping to my knees in front of her.
“Is he dead?” she asked.
“Trust me. He’s dead.” I brushed hair from her face and lifted her chin gently. “Are you hurt?”
“No. Why?” She was obviously dazed.
“Because you’re covered in blood.” I pulled the knife away, wiping the blade on my trousers. How the fuck has this happened?
“No. Not my blood. I, um… I think I got one. I’m not sure.”
She was going into shock. I pulled Genevieve to her feet and she stumbled forward. That’s when I scooped her into my arms, carrying her toward the couch.
“Bella. Where’s Bella? No. No!” She gripped my shirt, hissing at me. “If you hurt Bella…”
“This wasn’t me, sweetheart. I got your message.
I came as fast as I could. Who has Bella?
” As a measure of solidarity, I handed her the knife.
She stared at it for a few seconds, blinking as if trying to drive away the fog.
I noticed the light returning to her eyes and her breathing slowed.
When she took the weapon from my hand, I wasn’t certain she didn’t have intentions of using it on me.
She held it to the light, easily debating whether she could trust me.
“I don’t know. One of my men. I’m not sure. I think.” Her voice was still shaky, but more determined than before.
“You need to calm down. We’ll figure all this out.”
Kruz and one of her men waltzed into the room seconds later. “It’s done,” Kruz stated, but his expression was grim.
“Make certain Ms. Morales’ sister is safe. Now,” I directed, still scanning the room. She’d put up a damn good fight. “What about Marco?” I lowered my voice, trying to calm her.
Genevieve snapped to her feet. “He’s out there somewhere. With a friend.” Her hand was shaking as she grabbed her phone, frantically dialing a number. Her long fingers were covered in blood.
I rose to my feet, moving toward the body on the floor and crouching down. While she tried to reach her brother, I searched for any markings or identification. When I noticed an Arabic symbol on the man’s neck, I sucked in my breath.
The Moroccans had sent a detail of hitmen to handle her kidnapping or assassination.
“What is it?” Kruz asked quietly when he flanked my side.
“Moroccans. Is the perimeter secure?”
“For now.”
“How many?”
Kruz sighed. “Navarro is checking. They came in from all angles using the storm as a cover.”
“It couldn’t have been planned any better. Fuck.”
“I can’t reach him,” Genevieve said as she took tentative steps in our direction.
“We’ll find him.”
A shout was heard from the hallway. Kruz immediately rushed toward the doorway while I grabbed Genevieve, yanking her behind me.
“Let me go, you bastards. Where is my sister?” The man’s voice was fraught with rage.
Just like I felt.