AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I want him,” I don’t hesitate.
“Kill shot.” Valdez says at the same time.
“We don’t need him, Manuel.” I’m opening my mouth to argue when he shuts me up. “If you want no chance of your woman hurt, we go with a kill shot. What’s more important? Revenge, or your woman safe?”
Grinding my teeth, I close my eyes.
“Rodriguez, it’s your woman so it’s your call.” The sniper comes through.
I exhale slowly. “Kill shot.”
* * *
Nicolette
I’m watching the guy through the thin slit of my eyelids. I’ve been pretending to sleep for almost two hours. He finally came inside an hour ago. I’m almost positive he slipped into sleep twenty minutes ago. Even though he’s sitting up in the chair, he has it tipped against the wall to see outside the window.
I sit up very slowly. Holding my breath, I exhale when he doesn’t budge despite the cot thing I’m on creaking too fucking loud to my ears. Slowly, I stand. If he says anything, I’ll say I have to pee.
Convinced if I don’t breathe deep, he can’t hear me, I take a step toward the door. A bullet shatters the glass at the same time his head explodes. I’m watching it happen, but I can’t process it. Shock won’t let me move or even breathe deeply. Is another shot coming? Where did it come from?
Suddenly, light is everywhere, and Manuel is in the doorway. Two steps and he’s crushing me to him. It hurts. God, it hurts, and I’ve never been so grateful for pain in my life.
He loosens his hold, and his hand is running over my face the same way his eyes are. “You’re all right?”
I nod. “I’m fine.” I am. I’m not sure why I’m trembling and so fucking cold.
Shaking his head, he picks me up and carries me out of the tiny cabin. He nods at Joe. “She’s in shock.”
A man in all black with a gun on his hip and AR-15 over his shoulder steps up. “Sir, I can call our doctor and have him waiting at your house. He’s excellent, Milos allows him to tend to his woman.”
“Please.” Manuel nods.
“I’m fine,” I insist.
“Yes, my love. Allow me to calm myself,” he murmurs into my hair as he gets into the back of the large SUV.
Cradled in his arms, I nod and bury my face in his neck. “I thought you didn’t feel fear.”
“I don’t. But I do feel rage I almost lost you.”
Drawing back, I hate we’re in the dark. “I’m impressed. One guy dead in a quick and almost painless way. I was afraid you were going to make blood run all the way from here to Chicago. No guns blazing needed.”
A shoulder lifts, but he doesn’t say anything as he keeps running his fingers along my neck and face as though he’s trying to make sure I’m real.
The dark chuckle comes from beside us. I hadn’t even realized Joe was with us. “Have no doubt the coroner’s office is going to be busy tonight. Don’t worry of such things,mija.”
“Is Helena alive?” I have to know.
“Yes, she’s alive. That reminds me. I didn’t want to mention it earlier as you had something more important to worry about. But I’ll be marrying her as soon as I kill her husband. I have her on her way to Colombia now.”
“What?” Manuel growls.
The laughter flows out of me unchecked until I’m giddy with it. Manuel says something very dirty to his father in Spanish I didn’t learn from school. For some reason, it makes me laugh harder.
Finally, it subsides. “I think it will be a marriage made in a bed of roses, thorns and all. You both are going to be absolutely miserable before you finally have your blooms. Congratulations.”
“She’s fine,mijo. No doctor needed,” Joe mutters in annoyance.
