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They could have left and ignored the scene they witnessed.
I could have been killed.
Instead, they chose to run into the line of fire, not knowing what to expect once they got to me. The same thing I did last night with that girl. In some strange way, I guess I was paying it forward.
But now who’s stuck with that debt?
I grit my teeth. “I’m not your pawn, Alek. I came to you because I want justice. And I will get it, with or without you.”
He lets out a sharp laugh. “Good luck with that, especially if you’re counting on Mulligan to help. The only one who seems to believe he’s untouchable is him. If you really want to find Branko, you’re going to have a damn hard time of it now with that noose of a guy wrapped around your neck.” He leans in close. “So who are you going to trust—me or your fake husband?”
Chapter20
Quinn
Aday later, Val runs around the suite like a caged rat, piling dishes and glasses onto room service trays. She bounces from one end of the place to another, her hair pulled into a loose ponytail. I sit on the couch and flip through channels on the television.
She still hasn’t let me in on what the hell happened when Sev read her the riot act yesterday. I didn’t bother to watch. I’m not stupid. He thinks I’m a liability. I already know that from Patty, who didn’t lose an opportunity to tell me how lucky I was that Sev agreed to use me for his mission.
It’s pretty much a guarantee that I won’t see my brother again. Sev threw me a lifeline, but if push comes to shove, he’ll yank it away and let me drown. Going after El Azul alone wasn’t my best idea, but I did what I thought was best for our organization and neighborhood. Patty doesn’t agree. And if he and Massimo don’t make any moves to stop him, the cartel will take everything.
Maybe what I did was stupid, but I hope this mission to find Branko and hunt their cartel associates will clear the path for us back in New York.
Even if I don’t make it back to witness the victory.
“They have people to do that, you know.” I stop when a scene fromCasinoappears on the large flat-screen television. It’s the one where the guy’s head is being squeezed through a vise.
“Oh, shit,” I say, laughing when his eyeballs pop out of his skull.
Val narrows her eyes at the screen and then shakes her head at me. “Are you serious right now?”
“What? You got a weak stomach or something?” I turn away from the movie and waggle my eyebrows at her.
She tosses a rag onto the kitchen counter and slowly walks toward me. “I’m not joking. Is there one serious bone in your body?”
“No. Only funny bones.”
Val leans close, her blue eyes a mess of anger and frustration. “Do you want me to break them all?”
“Only if there’s a lot of rough sex involved.”
Our foreheads nearly touch. Her lips pull tight, nostrils flared. She’s clearly not amused with my response.
“That willneverhappen again.”
Her lips move slowly, seductively. I don’t really pay much attention to the words, though. She’s obviously never come across a guy like me. I wore her down once, and after that taste, there’s no way she’ll be able to resist me again.
“What the hell was so wrong about what we did? Does Alek have a hard-on for you or something?” I snicker. “Is that why he hates me so much?”
“Don’t flatter yourself. The reason he hates you is because you throw everything he’s so careful to protect into absolute upheaval.”
“Maybe if he didn’t have such a huge stick up his ass, he’d see I bring skills to the table that he might not have in his crew.”
She lifts an eyebrow. “I doubt that since you’re comparing yourself tome.”
“Ooh. Someone’s confident. But I haven’t seen you in action yet, so I’m not convinced you should be.”
Our lips are so close I can taste them.
