Page 77 of Breached

Armondo rubbed his face and pressed his lips together. “Bruno!” he hissed. “How do you know he isn’t walking you into a fucking trap?”

“Holy shit,” I suddenly heard Eric yell on the other end and put the phone back to my ear. “Bruno, one of my men just sent me something. I’m forwarding it!”

A moment later, a video popped up, and I felt a physical reaction so strong, it drained all my anger away and replaced it with excitement. It showed Nicole and the child being escorted into the house by her soldier boyfriend, Paul. I glared at his arm around her waist. She looked frightened, and her chest rose and fell as she breathed. Her eyes were wild, and I had to calm myself when I saw him kiss her.

“She’s here, my friend, and she’s got the child with her.” He sounded so excited I laughed. We were on the same high. “We will kill all of Blackstone today, Bruno! Send in your men—you will be remembered for this.”

A rush burst through me, and my cheeks hurt from grinning. This was my time. I would soon gain the power that was rightfully mine. “I’m sending them now.”

“Good. I’ll let you know when we clear the gate to the house. Once it’s safe, you can come straight in, and I’ll be there. We can breach the house together.”

“Yes, you have your people take out everyone around them, make sure it is safe for me to come, but don’t breach that house without me. Her boyfriend is mine to kill.” I was delirious with joy. It was all going so well.

“Not to worry. I’ll make sure it’s clear for you. Just wait for my call, then take the south road to the house. I’ll have everything set to go. The woman and the child will be waiting for you.”

“I plan to record the death of Paul. I will finish him off on camera to play it for her. I will make history.”

“Excellent! He’s all yours,” Eric shouted, and I heard more gunfire. “You’ll soon be back in Mexico with your prize. Just leave me off camera. I need to be able to move in and out of the country without any problems.”

All the glory will be mine.

“I’ll be waiting for your call.” I hung up and glanced at Armondo, who hadn’t taken my order. I made a new decision. “All right, change in plans.” I stood and called over the soldier in charge. “You!” I pointed. “Come.” He raced over. “Armondo will take lead, since he’s no longer useful up here.” The man’s face fell, and he looked at Armondo in shock at the sudden change. “Get him a rifle.”

“Sí, señor,” the man called, and a rifle soon appeared.

“What the hell are you doing?” Armondo’s mouth gaped open. “I need to be with you.” His hands balled into fists. “You trust him so much? This man who has come in and out of your life whenever he pleases. I have always been at your side, Bruno, for so many years. You trust him more than me?”

“Armondo, I trust no one. It is why I am sending you in now. You will tell me if I’m walking into a trap. Yes?” He nodded slowly. “Do you have your phone?” His demeanor softened as he held it up. “I have trusted you with my life for this long. Did you hear me tell Eric Noah that I was sending you in?” I held his gaze as he shook his head. “If something is off, call me.”

“Fine.” He tucked it in his jeans pocket and took the rifle the man held out to him. “I hope this is all worth it.”

“It will be.” I flicked my wrist to get him to move. It was pitch black, minus the star-littered sky, and the men had only a map to follow. I had little hope that Armondo could find his way around the forest, but my hired army should be able to read fucking coordinates.

The truth was I had a lot of trust in Eric, and sometimes I did trust him more than Armondo, especially lately, but I was presently out of touch with exactly what was happening down there and I needed eyes to feed me information, and if that meant sending in my own bodyguard, then so be it. I needed only a small core group to escort me down for my moment of triumph.

“Let’s move!” Armondo called, and the sound of boots crunching against the mountainside sounded almost primal.

My mind shifted to the boy, then to Talya, and I wondered if she was watching this entire thing unfold from wherever she was, above or below me. Something was rewarding about the fact that she was gone and had no control over where her son ended up. Eric seemed to have no care at all about the child, which was good because he was nothing more than a bargaining chip that I fully intended to use to get my uncle’s land back.

With Nicole and the child in my possession, my mother’s new business and her tunnel under my control, as well as Eric’s tunnel in Rosarito, it would all come together as I dreamed it would. Add that to the fact that I was about to wipe out the horrendous pain in my ass military safehouse operation, and I was about to go down in history as the most powerful Cartel leader of all time. I was going to be famous—and with that fame came power.

A lazy grin spread across my lips as I lifted the binoculars to watch my men led by Armondo disappear down into the tree line. Things were finally going my way.

SEVENTEEN

PAUL

“Where?” I whispered to Ty as I grabbed him by the jacket collar and leaned him against the side of the mountain.

“Left thigh, dammit.” He groaned in pain. I tore at his fatigues to expose a huge gash laid open wide. It was nasty and deep. “Piece of shit came out of nowhere—he had a damn machete. Got me good.” He gasped when I wrapped a tourniquet tightly around his thigh. “I didn’t even feel it at first, then my whole leg gave out. If Moore hadn’t been there, I’d be stew meat right about now.”

“Where’s Moore now?”

“Don’t know. He took the guy down, then took off after another son of a bitch. They were headed toward the ridge.” Ty shifted a little and gasped.

“I know. Sorry.” I nodded as I made sure his wound was well secured.

“Did Doc and the others get to the safe room?” He held up his busted radio. “I couldn’t get a message out.”