Sweet Collateral

“Anna isn’t feeling particularly favorable toward Una right now.” His frown turns to a scowl. “Una cut her finger off.”

“To save her life. It’s only a finger.”

“Anna doesn’t see it that way. She was rather attached to it.”

“Una has sacrificed everything—”

“And Anna has suffered plenty, but we aren’t here to discuss our women, Nero. Nicholai is our priority. I have extra men. And I’ll know as soon as he lands. What’s the plan?”

I drum my fingers over the steering wheel, glancing at the clock on the dashboard. Anna sits beside me, every single muscle in her body tense. I’m torn between hating that she’s here, so close to unquestionable danger, and not wanting her to be anywhere but right by my side. I’m not sure if that makes me selfish. It’s not like I didn’t try to send her away.

The hot desert sun glares off the hood of the car, and I glance at the hummer parked in front of us at the edge of the rock face that overlooks the sprawling desert below. Nero is running point on this. He knows Una, and he seems to trust her. I guess her being the mother of his child probably blinds him to the dangers of placing faith in such a woman. I pick up my binoculars when I see a cloud of dust kicking up in the wake of a convoy of black Range Rovers. The windows are blacked out, and I can’t make out the occupants, but who else is it going to be other than Nicholai? They pull over to the shoulder and all the doors open—several soldiers climb out and arm themselves. I spot Una standing at the head of what must be twenty Elite, her white-blonde hair and petite frame distinctive among the others.

“How many?” Samuel asks from the back seat.

“Twenty.”

A few seconds later and he’s on the phone to the men in the villa, updating them, preparing them.

I smile when the back door of the second Range Rover opens, and Nicholai Ivanov steps out in his suit, his pale skin practically reflecting the sun. I honestly didn’t think he’d come. He’s completely exposed, ripe for the picking. Even with his Elite…this is cartel country. He’s arrogant and obsessive. It’s his obsession with Una that will lead to his demise.

“Nicholai is here.”

“Good. So we can kill the fucker, right?”

“That’s the plan.”

The band of Elite disperses, heading up the hillside toward my villa and leaving Nicholai alone with only two Elite to protect him. Stupid. So very stupid.

I lower the binoculars. We just give them a minute to get to the villa and leave their lord and master exposed. Adrenaline spikes through my veins like a damn drug.

This is it, make or break. I start the engine and Samuel climbs through the roof to operate the 50. cal on the roof. These cars were literally built for a cartel war.

I take Anna’s hand and kiss her knuckles.

“Ride or die?”

She nods and the smile she flashes me is so innocent, so full of love.

I pull away, sending the Hummer down the steep hillside after Nero, kicking up dust and rubble in our wake. Carlos pops out of the sunroof of Nero’s car, readying the gun.

Nero wants Nicholai alive, but well, I can’t make any promises on that front. I want that fucker dead and buried, one way or the other.

As soon as the ground levels out, we’re flooring it toward the parked Range Rovers. The two remaining soldiers move in front of Nicholai, firing bullets. Shots ping off the hood, and we speed up. When they realize that their bullets aren’t doing shit against armor plating, they run for the car, ushering Nicholai inside.

The 50. cal’s do their job, leaving golfball-sized holes in the bodywork of the Ranger Rovers. Nicholai’s car screeches away, heading into the desert. Bullets spray the back of the SUV, shattering the glass and tearing holes through the bodywork until one tire explodes. The car veers violently to the side, fishtailing before rolling several times. I slam my foot on the brake, kicking up a cloud of dust that drifts in front of the wrecked vehicle.

“Stay here,” I say to Anna. “Sam, cover us.” Opening the door, I slide out and walk over to where Nero and Gio are already standing. There’s an Elite slumped against the steering wheel clutching his head. The other one looks dead. Nero lifts his gun and kills the survivor. I move to the back door, my hand hovering over the door handle as Nero points his gun at the door before nodding. I wrench the door open, and Nicholai falls out of the car. He looks dead for a moment, but then he groans and attempts to crawl across the floor. It’s almost amusing, as though he thinks he can go anywhere. I’d say it’s about now he realizes how much he’s fucked up.