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ZEKE
I’ve never seen the compound on lockdown before. It’s never gotten to this point.
But the boss’s daughter has never been kidnapped before either.
I’ll never forgive myself. Not until the day I die, and maybe not after then either. It was my job to protect her, but I lost focus. I should have insisted on learning more about her friends. But no, I told myself it was a matter of compromise.
Besides, he never told her his full name.
“You’re sure she’s with him?” The boss jogs beside me on the way to the gatehouse, where the security camera feed is most easily accessible.
“I looked through her Facebook after I found the email, and yeah. She reached out to him, and they made plans for him to pick her up outside the gates.”
“And you’re sure he’s who you say he is?” I’ve never heard him like this before. He’s beyond impassioned. He might even be afraid. How long has it been since he’s been afraid?
“I looked at his account. There’s even a picture of him and his old man from years ago.” Before I put a bullet in his rat head. “Only he goes by Dean Dicarlo-Strauss. Must have been his mother’s name or a stepparent. But he kept the DiCarlo.”
“In honor of his shithead thieving excuse for a father.” He spits on the ground before letting out a string of profanity. “I’ll fucking kill him. That whole family was a bunch of shits. Like father, like son.”
All this time, it was about me. Me and the boss. The Morelli family. I don’t even know if Dean was ever interested in Mia, really. He’s always been more interested in me, for reasons she could never have begun to guess.
Because she never knew what I was capable of. That I could murder a man in cold blood because her father ordered me to. Because the man in question was about to turn state’s evidence and needed to be silenced permanently.
What did I miss that night? It could have been anything. It was one of my first hits, a job that was supposed to be easy in that Joe DiCarlo had skipped town and was hiding out in the middle of nowhere. He wanted to fly under the radar until the feds picked him up.
Which meant no witnesses.
What if he wasn’t alone in that shithole motel? He was one of the only people staying there at the time, at least according to the lack of cars parked in the weed-strewn lot.
It was so quick, so simple. Luring him outside by setting off the alarm on his car. One of those things a person doesn’t think about—you hear your alarm, you open the door to see what’s happening. It wasn’t until that last second when our eyes met that he knew he’d made a fatal mistake.
I never checked inside the room he came from, though, did I? What if that stupid traitor brought his kid with him? What if they were going to hide out together?
It’s the only thing that explains how he would know who I am, who Mia is. I know damn well she never told anybody her father’s last name. That was deliberate.
No, I decide as we reach the gatehouse. He knew from the beginning. From the moment he set eyes on me. No wonder he was so determined to be part of her group for that project. It was all in front of me, and I never saw it. I was too busy thinking he wanted to get in her pants, so I dismissed him.
Another mistake. Maybe the biggest one of my life.
“We’ve located the vehicle, sir.” Bruno leans in while I shoot daggers at the stupid bastard who let her leave without raising an alarm. I was in her father’s office, trying to convince him to give her a chance at living while she was in the middle of throwing her life away elsewhere. Running away with the guy who left that note outside the door back at the condo.
He was right. I can’t protect her. I only thought I had what it takes.
“And what were you doing when the boss’s daughter left? How did you not see that?” The guard looks like he’s about to piss his pants, and I hope he does. It’s the least of what he deserves.
That’s not going to help Mia, though. I study the car, taking notes of the make and model. There’s a good shot of the tags, too.
“I want these tags run,” I bark. “And I want somebody who knows how to get into the DMV traffic cam feed to follow their progress. The car has to show up somewhere.” When all he does is stare at me, I pull the Glock from my waistband and hold it up for him to see. He gets the message. “Get moving. Now!”
“We’ve gotta find her.” Bruno puts his hands on my shoulders, squeezing tight. “Find her. I don’t care what it takes. Bring her back safe.”
I have no way of telling him this means more to me than just a job. I’m not doing this for him. I would burn the entire compound to the ground if it meant ensuring her safety.
I would kill the man standing in front of me if it came to that. Anything, so long as she’s safe.
“I’ll give you anything. Anything you want. The sky is the limit, no matter what. It’s yours. You understand?” He even shakes me. I’m not sure he’s completely in control of himself right now. I know the feeling.
“Anything?” I ask, just to be sure.
