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Rafael
I stareat my laptop screen, listening to the dial tone ring out and watching the little row of dots blink across the screen. It finally cuts out, and the screen goes black before Nero comes into view.
“Rafael.”
“I’m in.”
His expression softens for a moment, though he quickly hides the relief. “Good.”
“I need to know the plan.”
He nods. “I need a place that’s remote. This will get messy if there’re too many people around. You said you have a house that no one knows about.”
I lean back in my chair. If I lead the Russian here to this house and this fails, he’ll know where the house is. But honestly, if we fail, then we’re all fucked either way. “What are you thinking?”
The screen shifts and comes to rest on Una. I don’t even know how I feel about her, but I sure as shit don’t like her.
“I’m going to tell Nicholai that my son is in the house. He’ll assume it’s heavily defended. He’ll send the bulk of his force in.”
“How many?” Anna was right. Just business, that’s all this is, though we both know we’re ignoring the elephant in the room.
“I don’t know yet. But while I deal with them, you and Nero handle Nicholai himself. He’ll have no more than ten as his personal guard.”
“Oh, ten Elite? Is that all?” I snort.
“We’ll need weapons,” Nero says, turning the screen back to him. “She goes back to Russia tonight. We can assume he’ll move fast.”
“Weapons I can do. I have to ask though, is Una is going to single-handedly take down enough Elite to overrun my villa?”
Nero looks somber. “She’ll have help.”
I nod. “Okay then.”
“And Rafael.” Una appears over Nero’s shoulder. “I want my sister safe.”
I bristle instantly. “She’s safe with me.”
“She’s not safe anywhere near Nicholai,” Una snaps.
“I don’t think you’re in any position to make demands where Anna is concerned, do you?” Nero lifts a brow, and I stare him down. I don’t give a fuck who Una is or whether she birthed Jesus Christ himself; she’s insane. She hurt Anna. That’s as much as I need to know.
“Rafael can look after Anna,” Nero cuts in. “He did get her away from Nicholai.”
“I don’t give—”
“At great cost to himself. He’s not going to put her in any kind of danger.” I nod at him, and he returns the gesture. “Una goes back tonight. I’ll fly down tomorrow. We’ll have no notice other than when they land.”
“Great.” He hangs up, and I close the laptop.
Keep Anna safe. That seems to be getting harder and harder.
Standing, I leave the office and make my way upstairs. The house is quiet, aside from the guards silently standing at every exterior doorway. Ever since the Sinaloa upped their levels of violence, we’ve been on high alert with doubled guard rotations.
I climb the stairs and quietly push open the bedroom door. The room is dark, with only a slice of moonlight cutting through the room. Anna always sleeps with the balcony doors open. I think she likes the fresh air after so many years without it. I love when she wakes up in the morning, the sun dancing over her skin and that small smile on her lips. I love the way she stretches like a cat sunbathing in its favorite spot. I go to the balcony doorway and take out a cigar, lighting it. I suck the smoke deep into my lungs, holding it there until that sweet, toxic burn works its way through my chest. I exhale, and the smoke disappears into the night sky as though it never was. And there I stand, smoking as I watch my little warrior sleep—my favorite habit.
The sheets are tossed to the side, revealing her long, toned legs and the white lace underwear she has on. The moonlight plays through the golden strands of her hair, turning them silver, and for a second, she could be her sister. Except she’s not. With a sigh, I pinch the bridge of my nose. I need to get her away from here before Nicholai comes because honestly, if this goes wrong, we could all die. But not her. I can’t let her die. The thought of being separated from her has an icy cold fear settling into my gut, eating away at any sense of selflessness. It terrifies me. Losing her terrifies me. If I send her away, I might lose her. If I keep her here, I’m every bit as likely to seal her fate. I think of Una as selfish and disturbed, but at least she wants Anna safe.
I flick my cigar over the edge of the balcony and move closer to the bed, stripping my pants and shirt as I go. As soon as I slide beneath the sheets, she’s rolling toward me like gravity, even in sleep. I wrap an arm around her, pulling her to my chest as I inhale her scent.
