Chapter 29 #2
I scanned the jungle once again. Bella’s growl shouldn’t have been directed toward Alessandro, even if I he was a lousy Italian. I snickered from the thought. I wondered if I should tell him he was a character in an erotic romance. Nah. I’d keep that secret to myself.
“Is that why you’re so damn late?” I moved forward, clasping his hand. Yes, I was grateful Mikhail had thought to send members of the Costa Cosa Nostra.
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Did you bring anyone with you?”
“The whole gang is here.” He walked closer and I could tell he was on edge.
“What is it? Something is off.”
“Hey, better late than never. I had to break up your party, but I think you got problems.”
“Meaning what?”
“Meaning we didn’t see anyone coming in. Not a single soldier. I mentioned that to your buddy, Carlos? He’s on his way, but I think we need to get the fuck out of here. Now.”
I glanced at the trees and swung around to face the building, which I could barely make out through the trees. “Shit. Fallon.” I took off running, furious with myself that I’d dared leave her alone. What in the hell was wrong with me?
When I got close, we both heard a single shot being fired.
Now I knew why Bella had been growling.
Without second guessing myself, I reacted, racing toward the building.
Bella was close behind, her barks and growls much deeper than before.
Alessandro was right behind me and before I even reached the door, I heard shouts coming from all sides.
I’d made mental note of every soldier on Carlos’ detail. I knew how they dressed, the ammunition they carried.
And their faces.
The asshole at the corner of the building was here for one reason.
Abducting Fallon.
I fired off a single shot, gunning him down before he had a chance to go inside.
But I knew at least one or more enemy soldiers had breached the perimeter.
“Watch out,” Alessandro snarled and pushed me out of the way.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
I barely paid any attention, bursting in through the partially open door to find one enemy down, writhing in agony while another had Fallon in his arms. She was fighting him valiantly, using her skills learned in the Air Force.
But the asshole was strong.
Before I had a chance to handle the situation, Bella reacted first. She leapt into the air, tackling the soldier, foaming at the mouth as she dug her sharp canines into his arm.
That gave Fallon enough time to throw a hard kick into his gut, swinging around and grabbing the weapon I’d given her.
“Bella. Off.” I had no idea if the dog knew any commands, but with the deepness of my voice, she knew I meant business. Instantly, she backed off, still growling and remaining close.
With three long strides, I had the bastard in my hand, yanking him up and glaring him in the eyes for a split second before silencing him with a single bullet.
Another shot echoed in my ear and I threw a look over my shoulder.
Alessandro had finished off the jerk who’d been left alive.
“We need to get the hell out of here.” My snarl was laced with anger.
“There are vehicles outside.” Alessandro wiped his face, immediately scanning the warehouse.
“There’s no one else. Just the two,” she said as she moved closer. Her eyes darted back and forth across mine. They spoke volumes about both fear and strength.
Additional gunfire rained all around us.
“Get us out of here, Alessandro,” I told him.
“With pleasure. Follow me.”
I gave Fallon a look and she nodded before reaching down to Bella. “Stay right with us, girl.”
The dog wasn’t going anywhere. When we were out of this fucking hell hole, the furry baby would be treated like a queen. Steak would be on the menu.
Alessandro headed toward the door, peering out twice before motioning to us. As soon as we were outside, we took off running in a different direction than the dirt road.
Gunfire continued, along with some shouts, but we refused to stop. I kept her in front of me, constantly turning to double check we weren’t being followed.
We’d gone maybe two hundred yards when the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. Spinning around, I fired at will, catching two assailants who’d tried to sneak up on us.
To both Bella’s and Fallon’s credit, neither one made a noise and the woman I couldn’t get enough of had her weapon in both hands, ready to fire if and when necessary.
We continued on. Another sound. Another moment of silence.
Carlos and Stefano appeared, both carrying automatic weapons.
Stefano was Alessandro’s brother, his usual jovial side all but gone.
I could tell by the look in his eyes. If what Mikhail had said was correct, the Costa family had experienced at least one issue with Bruni that had left them bitter and out for blood.
Fuck, yes, I was glad they’d been sent as backup.
“What’s the situation?” I asked Carlos.
“The bastards got five of my men, but we got four of theirs.”
“Add three more to the list,” I said, half laughing. “How far to the vehicles?”
“A half mile,” Alessandro answered. “Both DiAngelo and Gio are with us.”
The two other brothers, Gio having married my cousin. He was considered the Don and had easily filled his father’s shoes. Up until now, I hadn’t offered him much more than a nod of respect.
Maybe things would change now that I was allowing Italians to be seen in a different light.
I almost grinned at the thought even though there was nothing to be jovial about at this point. We were still in danger. There was also a possibility the Cubans had been paid off, which would make flying off the island next to impossible.
Today wasn’t a good day for a massacre so I’d need to use my negotiating skills.
And sign one hell of a check.
Anything to keep Fallon safe. Anything.
Carlos shook his head. “We should have them surrounded, but we can’t rule out there were more in the plane waiting.”
“To ambush us,” I finished. “We’ll be ready for them. Plane secure?”
“As of two minutes ago, yes.”
Nodding, I glanced at Fallon. “You up for this?”
She lifted her gun higher into the air, glancing at the other men. “Get us out of here. It’s time to go home.”
She’d shifted into combat mode. At some point, I’d be eager to hear about the missions she’d been a part of.
Not right now.
Our whirlwind romance was about to take an entirely different direction.
One I was looking forward to.
We stayed in close formation, Stefano following my lead.
Sudden movement caught both my eye and Fallon’s at the same time. Only she was quicker to react. The moment she had confirmation that another enemy had discovered us, she fired a single round, catching him between the eyes.
He dropped like a rock.
“Good shot, baby,” I told her.
She gave me a wicked look. “I told you I could shoot.”
“Right now, I doubt there is anything you can’t do.”
“Keep that in mind.”
We pressed on, all of us noticing the gunfire had lessened. That meant shit until we were safely tucked away on our plane and out of restricted airspace.
Carlos moved ahead, motioning to let me know he was checking to ensure the vehicles hadn’t been compromised.
The rest of us stopped at the edge of the jungle, waiting for a few seconds.
“Stay here,” I told the others and crouched lower, heading into the clearing. Carlos appeared, nodding as an indication we were good to go.
I noticed DiAngelo who offered a huge grin. Even wearing fatigues, I could tell he’d encountered heavy combat.
What we’d all been trained for what seemed like a lifetime ago.
With Fallon and Bella directly in front of me, I made certain they were loaded into the windowless van that had brought us here first, taking another sweep of the area before jumping in myself.
The rumble of the engine occurred seconds later.
As we headed out, she wrapped her arms around Bella, pulling her close.
“Cool dog,” Alessandro said.
“I think we can call her a hero,” I said, trying to lighten the mood.
Fallon lifted her head, locking eyes with mine. “I think you’re the hero.”
A swell of emotions rolled through me, including one that wasn’t expected and hadn’t been wanted.
Love.
I was falling in love with the woman.
Unexpected.
Unbridled.
Unacceptable? Not any longer.