24. Emilia
CHAPTER 24
They pulled the van inside the building through one of the delivery entrances on the off chance Alessio got access to footage nearby. This gave me the freedom to get out on my own and stride over to the table with chairs, where the guys were stationed. Javier thought of it so I wouldn’t have to pretend to fight and be carried in tied up or something.
Javi was on the phone, but Derek and Marco sat in front of laptops. I wanted to run to them and fall into Derek’s arms or sit on Marco’s lap, but there were too many eyes. We were supposed to be professionals, teammates. Nothing more. I flopped down, and Marco reached over and gripped my thigh while typing with his other hand.
“You okay?”
I swallowed and shrugged.
He turned to me. “It’s almost over.”
“Then what?” I whispered.
His eyes met mine, communicating something I didn’t understand. I cocked a brow, and he discreetly looked around. We were surrounded by Velez men, so we had to be careful of being overheard.
“Trust us.” He clipped the words and went silent.
Derek offered a small smile, and Cruz took the open spot on my other side.
“Has he received the message?” he asked.
“Yeah, he knows where she is and who has her,” Marco confirmed.
“He’s called in all his men, even the ones in the middle of a shipment.” Derek glanced up from his laptop. “He told them to leave it at the docks, which pissed off some of his top guys, but Dias doesn’t care.”
“So they’re all coming?” Marco asked.
“We’re confirming that now,” a guy I didn’t know answered.
“Dias is on his way,” another man called from a table a few yards over.
“In positions, people!” Rod strode out of a back room.
Marco picked up his laptop and kissed my cheek. “You’ve got this.”
Cruz squeezed my leg. “So close, nena.”
I gave him a nod, and Derek paused on the other side of the table. His look asked me if I was ready. I wasn’t, but I never would be.
He helped Marco with the chairs while the others cleared away the various phones and computers on the tables.
I stood, unsure of what to do, when Javi jogged over.
“We’re going to have you back here.”
He led me farther into the building where a single chair waited in the now deserted space. I sat, knowing what was next.
“We’re so close.” Javi leaned in.
“I know.” I had to stay strong for a little while longer.
He offered a quick smile before binding my ankles and wrists to the chair. He glanced around and then kissed me once before tying a cloth over my mouth.
Once he was gone, I closed my eyes. This was an all too familiar position. It was how Brazzi’s men had me, minus the gag. At least I’d been able to talk to Ama and reassure her we would be fine while she promised me Alessio would come for us.
Only, she’d been right. I’d been wrong. He had come, but we hadn’t both made it out.
My friend, possibly my first female one, hadn’t deserved that end. But if it hadn’t happened then, it would have been today.
I didn’t think I had many tears left for her and her mother, but they came, freely running down my cheeks as the sounds of cars and feet surrounded the building.
He was here.
A hand wrapped around my neck—not tight, but unexpected. I jerked away.
“It’s me,” Cruz whispered. “I volunteered for this.”
So he was going to play my captor? I hadn’t thought about it, but I was glad it was one of them. His presence was reassuring.
I nodded and the doors at the opposite end burst open.
Alessio ran in, followed by a dozen men. “Millie!”
I screamed against my gag and pretended to fight against the restraints.
He spotted me. “Fuck! Amor!”
When he was about halfway in, more men poured into the building. Cruz reached down, trailing his fingers over my jaw, down my neck, and cupping my breast.
Alessio let out a roar. “Get your fucking hands off her!”
He held up his gun, aimed right at me now that Cruz was pressing kisses along the same path his hand took.
Alessio skidded to a halt. “Get away from her!”
Cruz chuckled. “I don’t think I will.”
“Stop!” He looked so broken. So completely terrified.
The doors slammed shut. Alessio turned, confused. Before he could face me again, shots rang out.
Over and over. Filling the space. Then silence.
I thought my heart was stone.
But the sight before me was too much.
He was face down. Unmoving.
Cruz hugged me from behind. “It’s okay.”
It wasn’t.
I lured this man to his death.
Cruz held me, and I rested my head against his shoulder. The worst was over. My job was nearly complete.
“Round two coming in!” a deep voice bellowed, and Cruz straightened. A moment later, the doors opened again. Martin led in a new wave of men.
He stopped when he saw his boss’s body.
I expected remorse. Guilt. Anything.
He simply lifted his eyes to Cruz. “I held up my end.”
“Those were all who were loyal to him?” Cruz gestured to the other dead men.
“Yes, these are the men that follow me.” Martin tilted his head to the group over his shoulder.
Cruz chuckled. “Not exactly the numbers you used to boast of.”
Martin frowned. “There have been complications lately, but they’ve all been taken care of.”
“Good for you.” Cruz stepped forward until he was in front of me. “Anyone else we should know about?”
“No. All of our enemies are dead, and we’re ready to rise back to power.” Martin smirked, and the men surrounding him grinned. “We now control southern Florida and Cuba.”
“You’re forgetting one key piece.” Cruz crossed his arms.
“Am I?” Martin tensed.
“The Velez family doesn’t play well with others, and we don’t work with traitors.”
Martin’s eyes widened as more gunshots rang. Before any of the men could reach for their sidearms, they were down. All of them.
I wasn’t sure what I expected next. Some sort of closing speech? Lights turning on? A curtain falling? Something that marked that this was really over.
Rod strode out, with Javi, Marco, and Derek trailing as men appeared from their sniper positions and the other rooms.
“Well done.” Rod helped Cruz get me free before taking a step back. “You guys are finished here. Head back and start packing. The plane will be ready to take you home in the morning.”
That was it?
The five of us looked at one another.
Javi held out his hand and helped me stand. “You heard the man. Let’s get out of here.”
“We don’t have to…” I trailed off, not sure what we could be doing. Cleaning up?
“Nah, the other teams have this part handled.” Marco waved for us to follow.
It was surreal to walk out, the guys calling out their goodbyes as we reached the back door, where our car was parked.
Should I thank them? Tell them bye? I hadn’t worked directly with anyone else, but they all had a part in keeping me safe.
Derek escorted me outside before I could decide. He held the car door open, and I got into the middle seat, with him on one side and Cruz on the other.
Javier pulled away from the building and Marco turned up the radio, a vaguely familiar rock song playing.
“This is too weird,” I voiced my thoughts.
“Anticlimactic?” Derek asked.
“Yes, exactly.” I finally had a word to describe the odd feelings.
“That’s how most of our cases go.” Javi met my eyes in the rearview mirror.“It’s all work, work, work, and then suddenly, you’re done. Rushing toward a finish line just to cross it and casually walk away.”
“It doesn’t feel right.”I admitted.
“Give yourself a day or two, and it will sink in.” Marco assured.
“He’s dead,” I whispered. “They all are.”
Cruz took my hand. “That was the plan.”
Right. That was always the goal.
“And now we go home? Just like that?” I asked.
“Yup. We have the night to pack up. We can grab some dinner on the way back if you want,” Marco offered.
They were really so unaffected? The whole event felt too short. Had I expected there would be a long conversation between Cruz and Alessio?
Of course not. This wasn’t a movie, where the villain spills the whole plan, and the hero finds a way to escape. Once all the gunmen had their shot, they took it. The Pack didn’t mess around. Alessio didn’t need to know all the details. He was going to die. They didn’t care about providing clarity. He could find his answers in hell.
Martin got more information, but it was only because Cruz was making sure all the men were present. Taking them out at once was easier for us than having to chase down one or two stragglers.
“Thai sound good?” Javi asked as he pulled into the parking lot of a strip mall.
“Sure,” I answered automatically.
“Green curry for me.” Derek tapped the back of the seat.
“Same, but extra bamboo shoots in mine,” Cruz said as Marco and Javi got out.
Once we were alone, they both turned to face me.
“Hanging in there?” Cruz asked while rubbing his thumb over my knuckles.
I nodded. There wasn’t much of a choice. Breaking down could wait until we got home.
“You did so much better than I would have.” Derek took my other hand in his. “Not just today. This whole mission was more than any of us expected, but you got through it with so much grace and strength.”
I huffed. “I’m not sure about that.”
“No, he’s right. I’m not sure I would have even been able to make it as long as you did. The first time he pissed me off, I would have called it.”
“Right?” Cruz chuckled. “I would have snapped and killed him within the first few days.”
I let out a small laugh. “That’s why they didn’t send any of you in. Bunch of quitters.”
Derek grinned. “We are.”
I sagged a bit, letting my head fall on Cruz’s shoulder. “I’m just glad it’s over.”
“We are too, nena.” He kissed the top of my head.
We stayed in comfortable silence until Marco and Javi got back with our dinner. When we got to the marina, I headed toward the small boat we usually took to cross to the island, but Javi stopped me.
“We’re taking the yacht out one last time.”
“Really?” I smiled and headed toward the familiar dock, but no crew members were waiting to greet us. “Where is everyone?”
“We’ve got it.” Marco held out his hand to help me step onto the deck. “We’re just going to cruise the harbor.”
That sounded great to me. I headed into the cabin with Javi and the food, looking in the cabinets for plates.
As we pulled away and slowly moved along the coast, I felt myself relaxing as the events of the day sank in.
We were done. Alessio was gone. The Dias family no longer posed any threat to the Velez. I wasn’t happy. My heart might be black, but it wasn’t steel. Plenty of people lost their lives, and it wasn’t like our Pack was altruistic or full of benevolent leaders simply wanting to make the territory a better place for its residents. No, they just wanted access to the ports and the market of potential buyers.
One evil swapped for another.
But it was no longer my problem.
I looked through drawers but couldn’t find the utensils. “Cruz? Do you know where the forks are?”
He’d spent the most time acting as a crewmember and was the most familiar with the layout.
“Hold on for a sec.” Marco waved me to the stairs that led down to the bedrooms.
I followed him and froze when we got to the first cabin. “What’s all this?”
Scuba gear was spread out in piles. I quickly counted five of everything.
He put his finger to his lips and took my hand. “Why don’t you change out of those clothes before dinner?”
What the hell was going on? I narrowed my eyes, understanding he wasn’t speaking about what we were looking at for a reason but not knowing what it was.
He pointed to a wet suit and then to me and mouthed one word, “Change.”
Derek stepped into the room, squeezing my shoulder before grabbing a different black wetsuit and taking off his shirt. We were going scuba diving? At night?
We were all certified. It was a prerequisite for this job since we didn’t know if Dias might be using his yachts to move products. Rod wanted us to be able to access them.
Marco widened his eyes and pulled his shirt over his head, so I did the same. Stripping down naked, as they did, before stepping into the wet suit he handed me. I hated putting them on. It was a workout, but I didn’t seem to have a choice.
Javi and Cruz appeared once I was zipped up, and they began to change. Derek directed me through the rest of the equipment, handing me flippers and goggles before motioning with his finger for me to turn around. He helped me slide the vest with the tank attached over my shoulders and buckle myself in.
He got his on, then took my hand, leading us up to the cabin.
I gasped and tugged for him to stop when I took in the scene. Five corpses were spread around the seats. Five dead bodies that looked eerily like each of us.
What the actual fuck was going on?
He pulled me forward until we were on the back deck.
“What––”
He covered my mouth with his hand, shaking his head.
“Excuse me?” I spoke against his palm.
He tugged me to the back railing where the sound of the motor and water were the loudest before leaning in and whispering, “Just trust us.”
I looked around. We were outside of the harbor, heading into the open ocean.
Marco found us and gave Derek a thumbs-up before looking at me. His eyes begged me to do what Derek asked.
Trust them.
Sure. Because going for a random dive while corpses were hanging out sounded like a great idea to me. I’d rather be in the water than staring at the creepy look-alikes.
Javi and Cruz walked out next, and Derek bent over to pull on his flippers. The others did the same, so I followed their lead and slipped my feet in before tightening the straps. I spit into my goggles and wiped the lenses before pulling them over my hair and resting them on my forehead.
Marco reached back and turned on my tank, then gave me a thumbs-up. Derek tapped my arm and led me to the half door that opened to the swim platform. He gave me one nod, then marched forward and jumped into the water as the boat cut through the water.
I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned enough to see Cruz waving for me to go next.
Trust them.
I pulled my goggles down, then waddled forward and leapt out, holding my mouthpiece and mask in place as I hit the water.
Derek found me within seconds, and soon the other three joined. I surfaced and waited for them to pop up before pulling my mouthpiece away.
“What the fuck!” I demanded.
“Hold on.” Javi turned toward the boat leaving us behind. No one was driving it!We would need that later.
Then it happened.
An explosion so bright I had to turn my head. When I looked back, the yacht was engulfed in flames.
“Let’s get moving!” Marco called before ducking into the water.
No time for answers, I went back to following them blindly. Our vests had lights on the shoulders, giving me a guide as we swam.
Minutes passed. I didn’t have a way of keeping track, but eventually, my legs began to burn, a rarity for a shifter. It typically took about fifteen to twenty miles of running to cause me pain, but I had no way of asking how much longer.
Trust them.
They had a plan.
A very elaborate one.
That did not involve my input.
They knew something I didn’t. Were there more Dias men out there? Was the gang looking for revenge? Brazzi’s survivors? What would that have to do with us? The Velez Mafia was more than equipped to take out any threats.
We’d bought dinner. Only to not eat.
We took the yacht for a celebratory harbor ride. Only to blow it up.
There were five doppelganger corpses on that boat.
They were faking our deaths and going to extreme lengths to do so.
Why?
We were in danger. That was the only explanation.