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Thank god. I blow out a quiet breath. If I can get Renaldo on my side, I can convince him letting me go is his best option of making it out of this alive. “He plans on killing you.”
Renaldo’s attention shifts to Vincent. “You son of a bitch,” he hisses, his index finger caressing the trigger.
Vincent releases a chilling laugh, slowly lowering his gun. “How dare you undermine my business practices. Put that gun down.” Renaldo stalls. “You can stay here and listen to her or you can come with me. I’m not going to lose everything because you’re inept.” There’s uncertainty in Renaldo’s cold gaze, but he lowers his gun. Just as quickly, Vincent raises his, points it at Renaldo, and pulls the trigger, blasting a bullet into his stomach. He jerks forward, blood spurting from his abdomen. “Should have pulled the trigger. Uncertainty is a sign of bad business.” He pulls the trigger again, a bullet lodging between Renaldo’s eyes.
Miguel throws himself at Vincent but doesn’t stand a chance. A bullet slices through his neck. I throw myself up against the wall, my eyes glued to the two men now spread across the marble floor. A scream barrels up my throat.
“You stupid cunt.” Vincent pulls out his gun and aims to fire.
“They know I’m in here! If you kill me, you kill your only chance of getting out of here alive.”
He storms toward me, and I squeeze my eyes shut as his fingers grip my hair, slamming my skull into the wall. “You think some measly DEA agents are going to stop me? You foolish little girl.”
Black dots impair my vision as my brain swims. “No. Logan Justice will.” My words take flight, and his eyes slowly widen before fury explodes across his face. “Fucking bitch!” Bang, bang, bang. My head plays basketball against the wall.
I blink rapidly, about to lose consciousness.
“That’s right. Right under your nose. Your right-hand man is—”
“Shut up!” Vincent releases my hair, and I sink down the wall.
“Causing the death of a DEA agent doesn’t sit pretty in court. Then an innocent reporter? Trust me, you need me alive. Use me as leverage. Make a deal.” Vincent stares at me long and hard.
“Get the fuck up!”
I stand, swaying on my feet, his booming voice kicking me into gear. Grabbing my bicep, Vincent drags me down the hall, and I stumble over my feet, barely able to straighten myself. “If you think I give a fuck about any deaths on my hands, you’re sadly mistaken.”
We turn the corner, heading back toward the atrium when Chino reappears. “What’s happening?” Vincent barks.
“We’re good to go on the freight shipment. Containers are secured and on the move as planned. Renaldo’s shipment is on time. The DEA has Calumet lit up like a Christmas tree. Iroquois looks clear, but we gotta go.”
“Call Emilio. Tell him Justice is a cop and to shoot him. I want him dismembered and spread all over this town.”
“No!” I scream, jamming my heels into the ground.
His shit-eating grin churns my stomach. “Got it. Helicopter’s ready. Let’s go.” Chino walks ahead of us, and my heart shatters as he makes that call. What have I done?
Vincent tugs on my arm to no avail. “You won’t get out of here alive,” I hiss.
“You know nothing.”
I pull harder, freeing myself. “I know I figured out your master plan—you know, the journalist in me? I also know I handed that information over to the DEA. You’re not getting out of here. So yeah, I guess you are right. I did plant myself in your world and cozy myself up to you all to get a story. And to make sure you rot in a jail cell.”
“You…bitch.”
“A bitch who outsmarted you. It’s over.”
He comes at me, and this time, I block his assault and dive to my right. Excruciating pain tears through my shoulder, and I scream out in agony. Get up, Addy. Get up! I scoot forward and try to crawl away, but Chino grabs at my legs. An eruption explodes from the atrium. Glass shatters from the ceiling as ropes fall from the roof. Vincent pulls at my arm, heaving me forward. “Let’s go.”
I’m barely able to hold my balance while he drags me down another hallway. The sound of agents bombarding the mansion alert me that help is close but not close enough. Vincent shoves us through a door leading into the library.
“What, are we going to hide under a pile of books? You’re trapped. There’s nowhere else to go. Give it up.”
He doesn’t seem fazed, and I start to see why. Pushing a lever against the bookcase, it opens to a hidden passageway. I jump out of his hold, trying to run back to where we came from, but he grips the back of my shirt and throws me into the tunnel. The door shuts behind us, leaving no evidence we were there.
