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He went back into the room, strapping on his guns and vest, double-checking everything, then checking it again. Without another glance my way, he headed out. Santino followed, and a few minutes later, the motel parking lot was as empty as when I’d first arrived.
I stood in the doorframe, wondering if I’d made the right decision calling Gunner or if I’d destroyed any future I might have had with Lucius.
Chapter24
Lucius
I satin the back seat between Carter and Dalton. Gunner was in the passenger seat, and Devon was driving. It was good to be back. If only for tonight. Santino had refused to let me go without him and was in the car behind us.
Images of Everleigh’s hurt face when I left kept entering my thoughts. I understood why she called Gunner. And if I was honest with myself, it was the right decision. But I had a hard time letting go of the sense of betrayal I felt when I found out. Because she’d gone behind my back.
Being apart from her these last few weeks had been a study in self-restraint. Of stopping myself from dropping everything and leaving. Of stopping myself from calling her. Of not obsessing over what she was doing.
She and Sofie were the two most precious things to me. Staying away from them for so long had been the hardest thing I’d ever done. I still hadn’t talked to Sofie since coming back to the States. After messaging Carter when I first arrived, we decided to wait until we were sure nothing from Guyana had followed me.
I ached with the need to hold my little girl in my arms, to reassure myself that she was fine. That I’d done the right thing.
Gunner had left a man at the motel watching over Everleigh without me having to ask him to.
He was a good guy. I should have trusted him when my daughter disappeared. She was everything to me, and I had failed her. Would she even want to see me again?
Stopping in an alley, we all got out and huddled next to the cars.
“We go in through the windows here and here,” Gunner said, drawing my attention to the tablet he was holding out. They’d somehow gotten a floor plan of the house we were about to storm. “Back door is here. Dalton, you and Hale go through there. Carter, you stay in the van and tap the security cameras. If not, see if you can tap some phones. We should be close enough.”
He turned to me, and I tried not to let my nerves overwhelm me. I’d never been nervous before on a mission. But this was different. I was no longer part of the team. I was an outsider now.
“Blake, you’re with me. We’re going through the front.”
My heart soared. This was why I’d been trudging through the jungle for the past year. Why I went back to my father, even though I swore I never would. To right my wrongs. And this was my chance.
Santino sent me a puzzled look at the sound of the name I’d been using since living in the States.
Gunner rattled off formations and timings, and once everyone knew what they were doing, we moved out.
Splitting up, everyone got into position. My adrenaline surged, and I grinned. This was what I loved. Working for Locked Security had been my dream job.
We stormed the building a few seconds later, every move we made a choreographed performance. Despite my prolonged absence, we were still in sync.
There were more guys with guns in the house than we thought, but that only proved to be a minor inconvenience. And then we had him. He was surprised when we burst in, the bodyguards surrounding him scrambling for their guns.
Gunner looked like a predator about to strike, prowling toward Carl Rambisi, the guy who’d ordered the hit on Sam. “Hiding right under our nose this whole time. Who would have thought you’d have the balls to order the killing of one of my men?”
I’d already taken care of the hit man before I left Guyana. Officer Harris had held up his end of the deal and dug up the information I’d been unable to find.
Rambisi was the last missing piece. He was small time, usually sticking to his part of the city. At least he used to before he got involved in the weapons trade. I still wasn’t sure what made him leave his comfortable throne. He’d been a big fish in a small pond, only to make himself a goldfish in an ocean filled with sharks. But maybe the money had been too much of an incentive.
Greed did funny things to people. My family was the best example. By the time I turned ten, my dad had killed all my uncles and any heirs they might have had. And despite him insisting that my mom’s car accident had beenjustan accident, I was certain he’d been involved in her death.
Rambisi cleared his throat. His head was red, and a trickle of sweat was running down the side of his face. “I wasn’t the one who wanted him dead.”
I’d always suspected there was someone else pulling his strings, but despite all my digging, I’d never gotten a name.
Maybe now we’d finally get the answers we’d been looking for. Because Rambisi had no reason to take us on. We had stayed out of his way, and he had done the same. Until Sam.
“I’ll tell you everything if you let me walk.”
Gunner tutted, and I knew things were about to get interesting. “I thought you knew me, Carl. Knew my reputation. I don’t negotiate.”
