“Sorry,” I apologize to Brent when my startled reaction alarms him. Once Brent swings his irate gaze back to scanning the street, I drop my eyes to my phone.
Lacey:How’s the date going? Need me to call in back up?
A grin curls onto my lips. The only way I could get Lacey off my back when I called to say I wouldn’t be home tonight was by pretending I was going on an intimate date. I thought Lacey would have heard the deceit in my voice, but with my emotions still running high from being in Rico’s presence, no deceit could be found.
Me:It’s going well. Now, shush, I’m busy. . .
Lacey:Don’t forget protection!
Her text is aiming for playful, but it causes a stabbing pain to hit the middle of my chest. It’s my own fault, though. No one is aware I’m pregnant—not even Rico. For some inane reason, I wanted to tell Rico in a non-volatile environment. Considering our last four hours have been spent surrounded by members of a dangerous mob, I kept my mouth shut tight.
After rubbing my knuckles over the tightness in my chest, I quickly type out a message.
Me:I’ve got it covered.
Lacey:Good girl. TTYL.
Me:Bye.
I shut down my phone and shove it into my clutch purse thrown on the floor.
“How long do these things normally take?” I ask Brent, my words garbled with suspense.
He turns his eyes from the poorly lit street to me. “It would be a whole lot quicker if I wasn’t stuck babysitting my boss’s girlfriend.”
Okay. Apparently he isn’t happy with Rico’s decision.
Before I have the chance to respond to his snide comment—or correct him that I'm Rico’s wife—the brightness of headlights illuminates the cabin of the Escalade. My already agile heart rate kicks up a notch when the SUV with gun-wielding men hanging on the side mounts the curb and pulls into the front yard of Katie’s house.
Time comes to a standstill when Rico curls out of the passenger seat with two semi-automatic weapons clasped in his hands. He’s wearing his regular attire I saw him leave forworkin every day I was at the compound: a crisp black suit, but he's minus the tie he was wearing earlier. Even with tension hanging thick in the air, just the sight of Rico hampers my ability to secure a full breath. Tonight, he's the very definition of dark and dangerous rolled into one undoubtedly beautiful package.
Like I’m sitting front row at an action flick, the scene unfolds before my very eyes in slow motion. Guns flare, bullets are dislodged, and men fall to the ground. Normally, this type of incident would have my stomach twisted in knots, but tonight I feel different. I don’t know if it's because revenge is finally being served to the men who hurt Katie and me ten years ago, or because Vegas did truly screw with my mind. But since now is not an appropriate time to evaluate my sudden shift to the dark side, I leash my feelings for a more fitting time.
As Rico moves closer to the residence, I keep my eyes locked on him while the same prayer plays on repeat through my mind: that both he and Katie get out of this alive and in one piece. The awful anxiety I felt when I first saw Katie returns the closer Rico gets to the heavily manned residence. I push aside the uneasiness swirling my stomach, downplaying it as my pregnancy playing havoc with my emotions.
Seconds feel like hours when Rico and his men enter the derelict house. Although the scene is nowhere near as ghastly as it was when they first arrived, the air has an eerie feeling to it that makes my skin crawl. Ignoring the niggling feeling in the back of my head that something bad is about to happen, I focus my attention on scanning the face of every man emerging from the house, seeking Rico amongst the group.
I inhale my first full breath when Rico walks out of the property moments later with a wide-eyed and clearly startled Katie in his arms. Gratefulness swells my heart and tears well in my eyes.
Not thinking, I throw open the door of the Escalade and race towards them. My fast speed causes tears of happiness to trickle down my cheeks. I hear Rico scream my name, but nothing can slow my brisk pace.
Nothing but a bullet . . .
Chapter 36
Enrique
“Blaire!” I roar when I spot her racing down the cracked sidewalk.
Concern strikes my heart when the moonlight bounces off a stream of tears rolling down her cheeks. A smile stretches across her face as she sprints towards me. Clearly, her tears are tears of happiness not sadness, which eases my anxiety. Although her breathtaking smile is something I’ve craved seeing for weeks, the area isn’t secure enough for her to be out here yet. There are normally lurkers lying in wait for a prime opportunity to take down a major player in our industry. That’s the reason I made her stay with Brent. I shouldn’t have let her come at all. It isn’t safe. But I’m completely lost to this woman.
Even being separated from her for two and a half months didn’t dampen my feelings the slightest. I love her, without a doubt, but that’s the reason I gave her up. She doesn’t belong in my industry, so I did everything in my power to save her from it. I sold my soul to the devil to ensure myahrendidn’t have to live in the depths of hell. I became a man by doing what I should have done the moment she landed in my lap three months ago. I set her free.
It was only during our heart-strangling confrontation earlier tonight did I realize I hadn’t fully saved Blaire from the pits of hell. I partly pushed her into it. I thought I was saving her from a life of misery when I accepted my father’s offer of a full sanction for her. In reality, I made her life miserable.
The pain in her eyes when she told me I stole her right to choose who she can love felt like sustaining a direct hit to my heart. It gutted me even more than seeing her kiss Colt. But in my defense, the hurt Blaire has experienced the past two and a half months is nothing compared to the life she could have faced if I hadn’t forced her decision. I know she's hurting—so am I—but I'll never stop protecting her. I'll do everything in my power to keep her safe. Even sacrificing my own happiness.
When I spot Brent coughing and wheezing as his three-packs-a-day lungs struggle to secure a full breath, I realize he doesn’t have the speed to reach Blaire before she enters a world she doesn’t belong in. Cursing in the night air at Brent’s incompetence, I hand our target, Katie, to Erik.
