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There’s no doubt my innocent fiancée will be devastated by the news, but I will be there for her to lean on as she comes to terms with exactly who her eldest brother was. Just as soon as Luis is dealt with…
“So, what would you have me do?” Salvatore directs the question to me. Doubt is gone from his expression, replaced with resignation as well as determination. He’ll do whatever is required to rescue his daughter.
I straighten my spine as I silently accept the responsibility he’s placing on my shoulders. “I believe you have a man from Chicago in town?”
“Maximo?” His forehead creases. “Yes. What about him?”
“Would you mind summoning him here? Commissioner Gasso has an idea I’d like to run by you both.”
Chapter22
Catarina
Shock renders me immobile. I lie frozen on the ground, struggling to figure out what’s happening, until a hand grips the back of my neck and yanks me to my feet. I look up into Luis’s irate expression just before he presses a gun under my rib cage.
“Move!” He shoves me towards the back of the room. Outside, I hear the sounds of a struggle. Gunshots fire. I flinch with each one.
Luis barks a command in Spanish. Gomez cracks open the door and peers out with his weapon raised. He clips something back in Spanish. I don’t know what he says, but it must not be good for my captor. He responds with a low curse.
His anger gives me hope I’m about to be rescued.
“I’m in here,” I shout. I try to turn and run out towards the fighting, but Luis’s grip on my neck is unrelenting.
My outburst is rewarded with a swift strike to my side. Breath leaves me in a gasp, and I hunch over in pain.
“Shut the fuck up,” Luis hisses. “Unless you want a bullet to your heart.” He digs his weapon deeper into my wounded side. A whimper escapes me.
I refrain from pointing out he needs me alive for his ludicrous plan to ally with my family. A man as impulsive as Luis might not take the time to weigh the pros and cons of murdering me before taking action.
Myles appears in my line of sight. He’s hunched over, wielding his own weapon. Unlike Luis and Gomez, the Irishman looks frightened. He’s not used to getting his hands dirty. Yet another reason he has no business coveting Declan’s position in the MacKenzie family.
“It’s MacKenzie,” Myles reveals, sending my hope to new heights.
“How do you know?” Luis growls.
Myles takes out his phone and flashes Luis the screen. There’s a stream of texts displayed. A quick read of one reveals they are orders coordinating the attack on this building. The fact Myles still receives messages from the MacKenzies tells me Declan doesn’t know of his distant cousin’s betrayal.
Fear for my fiancé clenches my chest. Myles’s continued access to the MacKenzie’s plans puts Declan and the others at a disadvantage. And at risk.
I try again to pull out of Luis’s grasp, but his fingers dig into my tender flesh. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“You’re found out,” I huff, trying to reason with the man. “Let me go so you can escape. Maybe then you’ll get out of this situation alive.”
He snarls and yanks me towards the door at the back of the room. Myles follows. “I didn’t get this far to let a minor setback ruin my plans.” Then, he barks a command over his shoulder. Gomez nods and returns his attention to the cracked door, weapon raised.
Luis opens the back door and shoves me through just as Gomez fires off several shots. My ears ring, and I fall to my knees. I crawl forward, but I’m once again pulled up by the scruff of my neck like a damn dog.
I blink and take in the drab hallway we stand in. It’s bare except for the fluorescent lights illuminating the peeling paint and the worn carpet lining the floor. I have no idea where this hall leads, but I know I don’t want to go there.
Desperation fills me and I flail my body, dropping my weight, making it difficult for the hand holding me to keep its grip.
“Stop it, Cat,” Myles barks, revealing it’s him, not Luis, who has hold of me.
I double my escape efforts. I twist and turn until I manage to slip away. Immediately, I run down the unfamiliar hall. I have no idea where I’m going, but as long as it’s away from the men who abducted me, I call it a win.
Shouts sound behind me, followed by a gunshot that flies dangerously close to my head. I dive to the ground. Immediately, I regret the move. It gives my captors the chance to close the distance between us.
This time, when Myles yanks me up, his grip is painful. I yelp, but I don’t stop fighting. I twist and pull. I smack his arms and try to kick his legs. I don’t stop until Myles’s grip moves to my hair. He pulls the fistful of red curls, making my scalp burn. I don’t know where Luis is, but the continued pop of gunfire gives me an idea.
