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The mansion was the last thing remaining. It was also the most crucial. We’d brought enough explosives with us to blow it up, but we couldn’t set them until everyone had left. I hadn’t counted on anyone staying behind.
Maurizio had surrounded himself with soldiers, men who were used to getting orders and following mindlessly. I didn’t think any of them would be ambitious enough to attempt a takeover.
Every day I was delayed was one more day away from Everleigh. I hadn’t had much hope I’d be able to return to her when I left her at the airport. But we’d almost accomplished the impossible: raze Maurizio’s operation to the ground so there was no way of building it up again.
I was burning with the need to finish this. Not only did I have information that the hitman I’d been looking for was hiding out in Venezuela, but he could also lead me to his boss. I wanted revenge for Sam’s death, but I also wanted to know why they’d targeted him.
The delay was grating on me, making my already frayed nerves brittle. I wiped my face with the end of my T-shirt. “Do you have any smoke bombs left?”
Santino nodded. “A few. But there’s no way to get them inside.”
Lucky for us, I knew the mansion inside out. And I knew that there was an issue with the vents going in and out of Maurizio’s office. And there was a way to access them.
“Is the air-conditioning still on?”
Santino paused, then nodded. “It is.”
I didn’t deserve his loyalty. But I was grateful he stood beside me. Getting up, I inclined my head to the end of the wall where the big generators sat. “Let’s go.”
He followed without a word, and we crept closer, using bushes and cars as cover until we reached the towering units lined along the walls.
Once I had the panels off, I worked on disabling the system. The hot air blew right at me, making my shirt cling to my flushed skin. The towering units came to a shuddering stop a few minutes later, and the first grin in days stole over my face. “Let’s smoke them out.”
We went inside undetected, each step we took in the direction of Maurizio’s suite slow and deliberate. Our breathing was even and our movements unhurried. If we did this right, we could finally get out of here.
There mansion was quieter than I’d ever seen it. The hallways stood abandoned, doors to the rooms left open, drawers ripped out. We didn’t stop until we were at the vacant room next to Maurizio’s office suite, Santino following. The grate covering the vent leading into the suite came off in seconds, the screws easy to remove. I’d done it enough times, after all.
The vent allowed me to spy on Maurizio. It was the reason I was able to escape. It was a design flaw in the otherwise secure room, one that nobody had seemed to notice, and I’d been in no hurry to point out.
Santino handed me a wet towel and pressed one over his own nose. We then rolled the remaining smoke bombs in the vent, putting a pillow over the covering.
Counting to twenty, I dropped the pillow and left the room, getting in position. It didn’t take long for the doors to burst open and men to come stumbling out, coughing. A cloud of smoke followed in their wake.
When they finally noticed us, it was too late.
“There’s nothing left for you here. Get out and don’t come back.” The command was muffled by the towel over my mouth.
One of them was stupid enough to lift his weapon, but Santino shot him before he aimed at us. The weapon dropped to the floor with a loud thud, the guy swaying. He’d been hit in the shoulder. If they left now, they’d be able to get him to a doctor in time.
The shot turned out to be enough to get them moving and they stumbled out, coughing.
I lowered my weapon. “Let’s get this done.”
Santino dropped the backpack he’d been carrying on the floor, pulling out a stack of explosives. We put them around the house, our movements sure. Blowing up my childhood home would be the last string holding me to this life. I would finally be free.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” Officer Harris’s usual calm demeanor had disintegrated about thirty seconds into our phone conversation. Guess he wasn’t happy we destroyed valuable evidence.
Done with his pointless rant, I cut him off. “I was thinking that nobody should be able to take over. I was thinking that the best way to disband the whole operation was to blow it up. And I was also thinking that you’d be more interested in the information I have for you than a mansion of horrors. I can give you the names of everyone he’s worked with. I know how they operate. And I’m willing to give it to you in exchange for a location.”
We both knew there was only one location I wanted. He had it and I’d needed leverage to get him to give it up. And I finally had something he wanted badly enough.
“Fuck you. I knew I should have never worked with you.”
“I’m about to make your career. I think we both got out of this what we wanted.”
He sighed, the anger in his voice replaced with resignation. “You can’t believe I’d be happy to sign someone’s death warrant. I went into this job to protect my country. Not to be the reason someone gets killed.”
“He’s a professional hitman. You should be thanking me for stopping him.”
