“Wait.” I stopped Cali from opening the door when a
thought hit me. “Where is Ciana?”
The brunette shook her head. “I don’t know anything other than what I heard Manuel and his men saying on the cargo plane. They didn’t have her, but there was mention of some woman named Brion taking her.”
A chill went down my spine. “O’Brion?”
Cali scrunched her face in thought. “Yeah, that might have been it.”
I shoved down my fear for my cousin and pushed Cali behind me. “Do you have anyone you can trust here?”
“He had maybe five loyal men. The rest would have only followed him because they needed the job. All of the staff can be trusted. I loved them all. They are terrified of Manuel and would probably throw a party now that he’s dead… How did you do that, by the way? It was scary and beautiful all at the same time.”
“Ask me again when this is over,” I muttered. “Do you know which guards?” She hesitated and then nodded. “Okay, let’s go. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can get out of here.”
* * *
Seven dead bodies lay at my feet, one of which was that of Manuel Ramirez. Six of the seven had bullets in various parts of their bodies, but they had died the exact same way—with a shot straight to their brain. One thing Anya had drilled into me when she was teaching me to shoot was that the only way to truly ensure your enemy took his last breath was to put a bullet between their eyes. When it came to her teachings, I always listened to her advice.
Cali stood beside me, dispassionately taking in the sight of the lifeless bodies the remaining guards had piled up for me in the courtyard. Around us, the staff were vigilant but silent. Everyone was tense, yet I could almost feel their relief that the tyrant who had made all of their lives pure hell was finally gone.
“Now what?” Cali asked.
I shrugged my good shoulder. “Now, you do whatever you want. Didn’t Manuel say this was all yours now?”
“It is,” an older woman in a gray-and-white housekeeper’s uniform spoke up in Spanish. She stepped forward, and I got a motherly vibe from her as she took one of Cali’s hands. “Everything is now yours, Calista. The house, the business, the Ramirez fortune. Mr. Matias left it all to you. Manuel…” She spat on his body. “He went crazy when he learned he was left with nothing. The accounts were frozen, and he was quickly running out of his own money. We all feared for you, dear.”
Tears filled her blue eyes. “If it weren’t for Nova…”
I gave her a grim smile. “You would have found a way out of this mess.”
“No,” she whispered. “This is the second time you’ve saved me. No one but you has ever done that for me.”
“You’re my friend. I would do anything for you.”
“And I will do anything for you,” she vowed. “Tell me what you want or need, and it’s yours.”
“Just a phone so I can call Ryan and let him know I’m okay.” I nodded toward the house. The one that was now shot all to hell with blood splattered along the floors and walls in several rooms. “This place have a landline or internet access?”
“We have both,” the housekeeper assured me, still speaking Spanish, letting me know she could understand my English. I wasn’t sure if she didn’t speak it well or she just refused to. “Come, dear, I’ll show you to the library.”
“That can wait,” I said when I saw Cali start to sway. After the wreck and then Manuel beating her over the past two days, I was worried for her and the baby. She was still wearing the black shorts from our night out, and I had no way of knowing if she was bleeding vaginally or not. “Let’s get Cali to a doctor.”
“No!” she refused, stumbling when she took a step. “I’m never leaving this place again. Send for a doctor, but I’m not stepping foot outside of this property ever again.”
I wrapped an arm around her as she began to sway a little more. “Okay, whatever you want, but can we at least get you inside and to a bed before you pass out?”
One of the guards rushed over to help me. He lifted her while the housekeeper—Maria—led the way inside and up the stairs to what had once been Cali’s bedroom. I followed behind, not wanting to leave her for even a minute. She’d been through so much the last few days, not only for her physical health, but also her mental well-being.
“I will fetch the doctor myself,” the guard promised after placing Cali in the middle of her queen-sized bed.
“Thanks, Guzman,” she murmured softly in Spanish as her eyes drifted closed and she curled into a ball. “You were always good to me in the past.”
“Matias had love and respect for you,” he told her, his voice full of sincerity. “And now you are the boss. You have my full allegiance.”
“Make sure Nova has it as well.” Her eyes popped open as she commanded him. “Every man and woman inside the walls of this property are to give her their full respect and loyalty.”
Guzman bowed his head. “They already do.”