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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.”
Five minutes later, I had an address. Ten minutes later, Santino was sitting behind the wheel of a stolen car, driving me to Argentina.
20
EVERLEIGH
The next few days passed at a snail’s pace. I couldn’t go outside except to the backyard, where I spent a lot of time. Carter was on babysitting duty today. At least he was a little chattier than the others, but he usually stayed busy on his computer. He’d set his office up at the kitchen table as soon as he came in this morning and hadn’t stopped typing since.
I’d been trying to read a book I’d found on one of the shelves in the living room since arriving at the house but couldn’t concentrate. The days dragged on and on. I stopped asking for updates after a while. Gunner assured me they’d let me know if they had any new information.
The noise of the keyboard that had been my soundtrack all day stopped, and Carter jumped up. The sudden movement startled me, and I dropped my book.
“Fuck me. No way.” With long strides, he went to the back door. “Just have to make a call. I’ll be right back.”
More secrets. Great. I’d give this another few days, and then I was out of there. The one thing they did tell me was that there didn’t seem to be anyone coming after me. I longed to be home in my own four walls. To see Thea. To hopefully get back to my job.
