Page 92 of No Darker Temptation

Black and blue swirl behind my vision. The wind gets knocked out of me as I land flat on the concrete, my back aching from the impact.

Diego shouts my name again. “Alejandro!”

I cough and struggle to pull myself into an upright position. My brother practically falls to his knees beside me. Wide-eyed and frantic he watches as I rip my shirt open, inspecting the gaping hole in my bullet proof vest. He lets out an audible breath and falls back on his haunches while I recover from my life flashing before my eyes.

White-hot panic runs through me like lightning in a storm. “Don’t tell Dahlia!”

Quickly, I spin around, addressing the rest of the room. “Did you hear that? Not a single word from any one of you!”

Diego stares at me. “You almost got killed and you’re worried about me telling your fucking girlfriend!”

“Trust me,” I tell him. “Getting killed is infinitely less terrifying than Dahlia finding out. She’ll make me wish I was dead.”

Diego extends his hand and I take it. I get to my feet and the pain that blossoms across my chest is so intense I nearly fall to my knees.

“Maldita sea,” I hiss.

“Heal one broken rib, break two more.” Diego pats my shoulder. “All in a day’s work. Glad you’re not dead, hermano.”

I don’t have the energy to glare at him. As it is, I want to curl up in a ball and stay like that for days. Fire rips through me with every ragged breath I struggle to take. It’s like I’ll never recover.

“Hopefully, it’s just some more bruising,” Diego says.

“Hopefully.”

Paco walks up to us as he holsters his gun. “Walsh and Collins were in the back. Dimitrio’s transporting them now.”

“Where do we want them?” Diego asks.

I think about it for a second.

“The lounge?” Paco suggests.

An image of Dahlia walking in on Rico Salcedo in the cellar flashes through my head. “No,” I answer sharply. “Anywhere but there.”

“There’s the warehouse by El Rey,” Diego provides. “It’s a bit of a long drive but with all the security we have out there taking care of Coppola, it’s secure.”

“Fine. Get it done.” I strip myself of my vest and hand it off to Rodrigo who comes to join us. “I’m going home. Take care of things for now. I’ll head over first thing tomorrow morning.”

“About that,” Rodrigo says. “Dimitrio just got off the phone with Pedro. Your grandfather’s in the hospital.”

Diego and I both startle at the news, the two of us ready to rip the man apart for answers but he jumps to provide them.

“Nothing serious just something they call a mini stroke. Only lasts twenty-four hours and he’ll recover fine. But you should give the jefecita a call.”

“Dahlia?” I ask and he nods. “Is she in the hospital with them?”

“When your sister couldn’t get a hold of anyone, she called Pedro.”

I pull out my phone. “How long ago did they speak?”

“Just now.”

“I’ll handle this,” Diego says. “Let me know how Abuelo is doing and I’ll do my best to see him tonight.”

I dip my head in response, signaling that I heard as the two of them walk away. I wander over to a nearby table and push aside the dead body in my path. Dahlia answers after the second ring.

“Where the Hell are you?”