Nothing. Silence. No bolt throwing back. No clicks or thuds. Only my breathing and Carmine’s anxious whispered curses.
Rolando might’ve fucked us. Wouldn’t have surprised me. Rolando was a piece of trash, and even if he was working for Carmine from the start, we couldn’t trust a man like that.
Not a man that was willing to hurt Cap.
A man like that had no honor or loyalty. No matter what he said.
Noise came around the corner. Someone laughing. Two people together. I saw the bright cherry red of a cigarette and could just make out a couple guards walking along the fence line. They were fifty yards away and down a slope, but if they looked over, they’d see us. Sure as anything.
“Plan?” Iago whispered. He looked tense. I didn’t blame him. The cartel guys fingered their weapons.
“Hold,” Carmine said. “He’ll come.”
I wasn’t so sure. But we didn’t move. Everyone pretended to be a part of the building. I was a wall. A statue. Not a bit of motion.
The guards kept walking. Talking together. Laughing about something. They were forty yards away and directly across from us. Neither looked over. I wanted to scream and charge the bastards. I hated sitting around in the dark. But they kept walking, walking, smoking, laughing. Forty yards turned to fifty. Then fifty-five.
The door suddenly clicked. It opened a crack.
Carmine shoved his hand inside and wrenched it open.
Rolando looked surprised as the cartel guys shoved their way inside.
“Someone must’ve locked it behind me,” he said, shaking his head as I jabbed my baton into his chest.
“You fucked up,” I hissed.
He looked at Carmine. I liked the fear in his eyes.
“Come on. We have to move. We have a plan.” Carmine pulled me away.
We crept into the house.
The place was like I remembered it from last time. It was big and fancy. Drafty and strangely empty. Like even all the antiques in the world couldn’t make a soulless hunk of wood feel cozy. Balestra’s house was designed to show power. But it wasn’t made to feel like a home.
“He’s in his room,” Rolando whispered as we gathered in the empty kitchen. There wasn’t a single light on anywhere. “Got a few guards up top. There’s no way we can avoid them.”
“How many on the grounds?” I asked.
“Twelve total, not counting me.”
“This can work.” Carmine put his hand on my shoulder. “You good?”
“I’m good.”
“Then let’s move.”
Rolando headed for a set of stairs. I hesitated while the others filed after him. It’d be easy to lead us into a trap. Get our hopes up then fill us with lead. It wouldn’t be hard at all.
I had to hope Carmine knew what he was doing.
I followed. I watched our back as we crept along. The old house made a lot of damn noise and no matter how much we tried, six men loaded with weapons weren’t quiet. We reached the second floor, and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust.
Another short hall. I pictured Cap sneaking around this same house. Hiding from her dad and all his men. Cowering in her room. Anger bloomed. It replaced the worry. I was pissed off. I wanted to hurt these people. Wanted to hurt them bad.
Rolando paused at the next junction. He made a motion. Three guards ahead.
Carmine nodded and went first.
“Who’s that? Jorge, is that you?” The guard sounded tired. Like he was half asleep. “Look, man, I told you already—”
A gunshot broke the comfortable silence.
I went around the corner as Iago and Orlan took out the other two guards. Three men, dead in a flurry of bullets.
But now the house was awake. Nobody would be confused about that sound.
“Go,” Carmine grunted, running forward. Beyond the corpses was a set of ornate doors.
Had to be Balestra’s room.
Another guard came tearing down the hall toward us. Rolando shouted something. I didn’t hear. I slipped into a room, waited until the guard was level, and came out swinging. I cracked my baton into his head and took him down before he could fire a shot. He hit the floor and crumpled. I caved in half his damn skull.
Carmine kicked down the doors but fell back as gunfire erupted around him.
Someone screamed. Danilo hit the ground, bleeding from the barrage.
“Guards in the room!” Carmine shouted, pressed flat against the wall.
Iago grabbed something from his belt. He held it to his mouth and tore off a tab.
“Wait!” I yelled.
Too late. Iago lobbed the grenade into the room.
It went off like a rocket. The house shook and smoke and flames spouted out into the hall. Carmine and Orlan were thrown back. I shoved Rolando down as shrapnel peppered the air.
When the smoke cleared, I hauled my ass up. Carmine was okay. Bleeding from scratches, but okay. The others were about the same. I shoved through them and grabbed Iago by the collar.