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“I’m going in first.”
My audible scoff has his palm slapping against the glove box.
“Let me do my job. I’m not going to watch you walk into a trap. I need to check and make sure it’s safe.”
“Do what you feel is best.” I’m not going to continue to argue with him. Jack kidnapped my little bird. He took her mother from her. He could’ve killed my daughter. He tried to use my unborn child against me. There is no amount of pain that will make up for all he’s done, but that isn’t going to stop me from trying.
The warehouse sits in a quiet part of town surrounded by tall, boxy buildings with darkened windows. They cast long shadows over an empty street and I swear I can taste death in the air. I couldn’t have chosen a better location for what’s about to happen. I know it is. I feel it. He’s nearby, and every breath he takes is one closer to his final gasp.
I slow the car to turn into the fenced-off lot. We’re a few dozen feet from the warehouse when I roll to a stop. Neither of us speaks as we study the scene: five dark, empty cars with the wide door leading inside the brick structure left slightly ajar beneath a bare lightbulb.
“I don’t see anyone out here,” Romero muses before removing the Glock from his waistband. “There’re a lot of cars to have nobody posted outside.”
“I’ll call him.” I look away from the door long enough to pull up the last incoming number and hit dial. When Sebastian answers, I mutter, “I’m outside.”
“Come in.” The door swings open wider and Sebastian appears. He looks around for a moment before spotting my car, then waves his arm. He’s smiling like a man greeting long-awaited guests.
“He’s either insane or… no, I’m going with insane.” Romero slides out of the vehicle and I do the same. Sebastian eyes the gun visible in Romero’s hand, his brows drawn together with concern, but he doesn’t say a word. A good sign. If this were a trap, he’d tell us we don’t need to be armed. It’s what I would do.
I can barely hear over the heavy thud of my heart by the time we come to a stop in the center of the glow given off by the overhead light. “I told you to come alone, but I figure you two are joined at the hip, so it doesn’t matter.” Sebastian looks Romero up and down with a smirk.
“What’s this about?” I demand. “Tell me he’s waiting for me in there.”
He’s still smirking when he jerks his head toward the door. “See for yourself.”
“Wait.” Romero throws out an arm to block me. “I’d like an explanation. Why so many cars and so few people?”
“They won’t be driving home. They won’t be driving anywhere. There are two still breathing from Moroni’s side: Jack and his oldest daughter.” Sebastian’s eyes gleam while a satisfied smile stretches his lips. “Congratulations are in order. I’m getting married.”
“He agreed to your deal?”
“Big time. He was so desperate to end you after Dominic he would have agreed to anything. He gave me his daughter and I was supposed to give him the men and the money to get to you.” He lifts a shoulder. “Whoops. I guess I lied.”
I’ve had enough of this waiting game. “I’m going in.”
“One second.” Sebastian’s mask slips, revealing the conniving bastard beneath the surface. “I’m going to need a little more than we first discussed when we made this deal.”
“Why am I not surprised?” Romero mutters, shaking his head.
“Out with it,” I urge, ignoring the comment. “What do you want?”
“Everything. I want all of Moroni’s holdings.”
Romero barely stifles his laugh, but I fail to find the humor. My impulse is to agree, to give him everything and anything he wants so long as it means putting an end to this. Instead, I think back on the intel we compiled on Jack’s finances, his holdings, the properties scattered over the east coast. Compared to my empire, it’s nothing. An anthill in the shadow of an armed fortress.
But there was a reason I didn’t want the kid to get his hands on everything all at once. The fear of him becoming too powerful, too fast. Thinking back on the sum of Jack’s meager little portfolio, I feel better about the prospect. “It’s yours.”
Romero’s head swings my way. It’s either wisdom or shock that keeps his mouth closed. Not that I need to hear what he’s thinking. This is my call. This is my family. My well-deserved vengeance.
“Now. Can we proceed?”
“Be my guest.” Sebastian steps aside, wearing a victorious smile, and I move forward, into the brightly lit space. Instead of a massacre involving my men and my ex-wife, it’s the sight of a prone Jack Moroni that catches my eye. He’s curled on his side, his hands tied behind his back, his ankles bound, and a gag in his mouth. Sweat coats his skin and soaks through his suit. The blood spattered on his jacket most likely came from the dead man lying a few feet away. He’s not the only one either, which explains the metallic tang hanging in the air. I count four dead in all.
“Please… let him go…” The soft, pitiful whimpers catch my attention, drawing my gaze to a girl whose red face is swollen and slick with tears. A pair of men flank her with a hand wrapped around each of her arms. “Just let us go, please!”
I recognize one of the men as Damien, Sebastian’s brother. “What do you want us to do with her?” he asks, appearing almost annoyed.
“Just keep a hold of her, while I help our guests out.”
