Chapter 45
Forty-Five
MATEO
“Iwant to know where that motherfucking helicopter went last night,” I say as I stride into Carson’s office at the King of Spades.
We’re all here, including our number twos. I just left the girls at the penthouse, eating pancakes and trying on the clothes that were delivered for Rose.
“Looks like it landed in Denver,” Julian says, crossing his arms as he leans his hips on the windowsill. “That’s all we know right now.”
“How is she?” Rome asks.
“Scared. Relieved.” I blow out a breath and look at Diego, who nods. We agreed in the car ride here that I would tell the others what we heard last night. “What I’m about to say doesn’t leave this room.”
Carson sits forward. The others go very still.
“Rose had a motherfucking hysterectomy. Forcibly. She told the doctor last night, and Violet confirmed that she has the scar this morning.”
“Fuck,” Julian says, rubbing his hand over his face.
“That’s about all she’s said about him. I know it’s too soon to pry for more, but this asshole needs to be killed. Not just stopped.”
“We have eyes on his bird in Denver,” Julian says. “And he pissed off every fucking head in the country last night.”
Christ, that feels like ages ago.
“He won’t be able to make moves without someone hearing about it,” Rome agrees. “And then we’ll hear about it.”
I nod and push my hand through my hair. I didn’t get any sleep last night. I missed having my wife with me, and I’m fucking worried about her.
I avoided feelings for most of my life, and now I’m having all of them, and it’s fucking me up.
She looked exhausted when I left. I doubt she slept either. I know she’s worried about Rose, and I need this asshole dead.
“Do we know who the motherfucking mole is?” Rome asks.
“Not yet,” I reply, and the others shake their head. “But when we find him, he’ll wish he were never born.”
“Cillian’s pissed that he wasn’t in on the raid last night.” Carson says.
I scowl and then turn around, marching out of the office.
“Where are you going?” Julian calls out.
“To see Cillian.”
Diego drives me to the Four Leaf and sends me glances, but I ignore him.
“Starting a war with the Irish isn’t going to fix anything,” he says.
“I’m not starting a war, I’m having a conversation.”
“You’re spoiling for a fight, and nothing good can come from that today.”
Yeah, I want to fight. I want to punch someone until they’re a bloody heap. I hate that my savage is hurting right now and there’s nothing I can do about it.
In fact, I call her, and she answers on the second ring.
“Hey,” she says.
“I’m just checking on you.”
She’s quiet for a second. “I feel like I should check on you. I don’t like the sound of your voice. Are you okay?”
“You first.”
She sighs. “Yeah, I’m good. She’s napping here on the couch, and I’m making some soup. I’m not the best cook in the world, but I don’t know what else to do with myself. She showed me the fucking tattoo they put on her, and I want to destroy something.”
I narrow my eyes. “What is it?”
“They put a fucking ‘X’ on the back of her neck, Mateo. We’ll cover it up, obviously, but Jesus fucking Christ.”
“I know. I know, Savage. If you hate to cook, I’ll hire a chef.”
“Right now I can cut some shit, and that feels pretty damn good, so I’m okay.”
“Don’t cut yourself.”
She chuckles, and it’s music to my ears.
“I won’t. Now it’s your turn. Are you okay?”
“Angry, but never at you. I’m going to have a conversation with Cillian.”
“Don’t start a fight.”
“What’s up with you and Diego thinking that I’ll pick a fight with the man?”
“We know you. Be nice.”
I growl, and now her laugh is real, and it makes me smile. “I’ll see you in a bit.”
“Love you,” she says softly, and it makes my churning gut calm.
“I love you too.”
I click off as Diego pulls into the Four Leaf and turns to stare at me.
“What?”
“It’s still jarring to hear you say the L-word.”
“Aww, does it hurt your feelings that it’s not you?”
“You’re such a prick.”
I laugh and climb out of the vehicle, stride into the resort, and see Cillian walking my way.
“My office,” he says and gestures for me to follow him, which I do without a word.
I can feel the anger pulsing off the other man, and it’s oddly comforting because it matches my own.
We step inside and he closes the door.
“You found the lass?”
“Yes, she’s with my wife.”
“Good. Then it wasn’t a total bloody fuckup.” He gestures to the screen on the wall and then taps keys on his keyboard, and a photo comes up. “That’s your mole.”
“How the fuck did you know that I have a mole?”
“I had a conversation with Carson this morning about everything that went down last night. After he told me that he suspects an inside job, I had my people comb through the security footage, and this asshole, one of your allies, kept slipping out and talking on his phone the whole fucking night. So, we homed in on the sound.”
He clicks some more keys, and the video starts.
“New York head just got here. Everyone’s here. Send them in now.”
I narrow my eyes and step closer. Diego’s next to me. “Who the fuck is this, and why don’t I recognize him?”
Diego tilts his head to the side, narrowing his eyes, and then the man turns, showing his face to the camera, and Diego takes a step back.
“Holy fucking shit.”
My head jerks up because now I recognize him too.
Javier.
My own motherfucking cousin double-crossed me.
I turn and find Cillian watching us with his arms folded over his chest.
“I want in,” he says.
“He’s my family.”
“He had my place shot up, and three of my guys were killed,” he counters. “I want fucking in. And when you find Lincoln, I want that too.”
Finally, after staring each other down, I nod once. “You and Declan and that’s it.”
“I can live with that.”
“I don’t want you to go,” Violet says, shaking her head, as I hug her goodbye.
“I’ll be back in a few hours.” I tip her chin up so I can kiss those perfect lips. Fuck, I miss her. She’s right here, in our house, but I’ve hardly touched her in the past twenty-four hours. “I have to take care of this, baby.”
“You’re leaving the country.”
“I’ll be back in a few hours,” I repeat because there’s nothing more to say that could appease her. “You won’t even know I’m gone.”
“Fuck, Mateo.”
“Look at me.” I brace her gorgeous face in my hands. “He played the fuck around and find out game, and he just lost. I don’t give a rat’s ass who he is, he doesn’t get to survive this, Savage. You could have been killed last night. Fuck, his own wife could have been killed.”
“What will happen to her?” she asks, concern in her big blue eyes.
“She’ll be taken care of.” I kiss her nose and then her lips, and what I intended to be a soft kiss turns desperate. “Stay here. Bobby and Lucky are right outside.”
“We’ll stay,” she assures me, and with a nod, I turn to leave, but we spot Diego hugging Rose, and I pause.
Even Violet comes to a halt, and her hand squeezes in mine.
“Okay,” Rose whispers, and steps out of Diego’s arms and hugs herself.
Violet and I share a look before I stride to the door.
When Diego and I are in the elevator, I adjust my sleeves. I’m in a suit for this.
It’s official business.
“I have to go kill my cousin tonight, a man that I respected and considered an ally. Don’t make me kill you too.”
Diego shakes his head but doesn’t say anything.
“What the fuck, man?” I ask, his friend now instead of his boss.
“I don’t even know. I can’t explain it.”
“Tread very carefully.”
“That’s the plan.”
It’s just before dawn when we arrive at Javier’s compound. My brothers, our number twos, and Cillian and Declan, along with twenty-five soldiers, made the trip down here, and that’s all we’ll need.
Similar to the other night, Julian jams the security and comms inside, and then we breach, moving fast. Most everyone is still asleep, and the guards that are lazily manning the perimeter are quickly taken out.
The teams have been given express instructions to not kill women or children, but any man who fights is fair game.
We make our way through to the house, and once inside, Diego, Cillian, and I make our way upstairs and find the primary suite.
Javier’s wife is nowhere to be found, but there’s a young woman sleeping in his bed.
Piece of shit.
I press the barrel of my gun to his forehead.
“Wake the fuck up.”
His eyes open, but he doesn’t move. The woman next to him starts to scream. She’s naked and has short hair, and when she turns her head, I see the X on the back of her neck.
“You motherfucker.”
He closes his eyes again, and I hear my brothers calling out in the comms that the rest of the house is secure.
They found twelve girls.
Twelve.
“Pretty sure he has a torture room in this place,” Cillian says. “Let’s find it.”