Sweet Collateral

“Lucas, I need you to go in.” Carlos’ head snaps around, his eyes locking with mine in an instant. “What? Are you volunteering?” I ask him. “You know anyone will recognize either of us.” Lucas has always been protected in my cartel. His face isn’t known, and he looks like a normal kid. “Go in. Order a drink. Sit at the bar. Watch, observe, and then come back. Una may not be in plain sight, and she won’t be happy to see you. Stay alert.”

Lucas gives me a jerky nod. He opens the back door and slips from the car. We watch as he walks across the street and disappears through the front door of the bar. Carlos’ jaw ticks, and I place a hand on his shoulder.

“He’s in the cartel, Carlos.”

“He’s my little brother.”

“If you wanted to protect him, you shouldn’t have brought him in.”

He nods stiffly, acknowledging my words but sure as hell not liking them. The truth is, it was the best Carlos could do for his little brother, and that’s sad.

We wait and wait. The more time that passes, the more edgy Carlos becomes. It’s been fifteen minutes and I’m ready to send someone else in after him when finally, the bar door opens and Lucas walks out.

“She’s in there,” he says when he gets in the car.

“Who? Anna or Una?”

“Both, I think. I spotted Una lingering near the back, hood up, trying to blend in. Anna was talking to a guy…” He gnaws on his bottom lip and fidgets in his seat.

“Which guy?” I practically growl.

“He was Sinaloa.”

I reach for the door handle and yank it so hard I’m surprised it doesn’t break.

“Rafe.” Carlos shouts. “You can’t just storm in there.”

“Anna is in there with Sinaloa soldiers, Carlos.”

He swipes a hand over his face and groans. “I know, but be fucking rational. You’re ten times more likely to get her hurt running in there.” He looks at Lucas. “Were they hurting her at all?”

Lucas shakes his head, keeping his eyes downcast.

“This is not up for discussion.” I take my gun from the back of my pants and step out of the car, but the second my feet hit the rutty concrete, my phone rings. Taking it out I glance at the screen and see Samuel’s name flash up.

I answer it. “Yeah?”

“I have him,” he says simply.

“And his men?”

“Dead. We have his east side compound.”

“Good. Wait there.”

Hanging up, I turn and face the open door of the car. “Everyone out. We’re going in. Kill every Sinaloa you see.”

Carlos throws his door open. “This is risky. Dominges…”

“Is with Sam. He’s fucked. Now all we have to do is pick apart what’s left.”

He scrubs a hand over his jaw. “And you storming in there wouldn’t have anything to do with Anna?”

I check the clip on my gun and slam it back in place. “I’d lie to you, but you know better.”

He sighs and pulls his hood up a little. “Okay.” He goes to jump out of the car, but I place a hand on his chest, halting him. “Not this time.” He glares at me, and I smile. “Just give it a few weeks. Hobbling around…you’ll get yourself shot. Properly this time.”

I wave the guys out of the second Hummer before walking across the street to the bar. The scent of beer, body odor, and smoke hits me the second I step inside. There’s a moment where no one even looks up, but once one person does, they all do. And then all hell breaks loose. My face is well known around here and feared, but in this bar; on Sinaloa territory, I’m like the devil himself. Guns are drawn, and I spot Anna a second before the bullets start to fly. The guy next to her has his hand on her thigh and his lips far too fucking close to her neck. She’s smiling at him in a way that has my blood boiling in my veins. I shoot that fucker first and she ducks beneath the table, allowing me to focus on not getting shot. Aim and shoot, aim and shoot. That’s all I do until I’m out of bullets. By the time the shooting stops, the bar is a bloodbath. Bodies lay everywhere, most Sinaloa, but some bystanders caught in the crossfire. Glancing across the room, I spot a lone figure in a booth in the corner, hood pulled up. Reaching up, they lower the material, and I’m met with Una’s fierce glare.

“Your lack of finesse is really starting to fuck things up for me,” she snaps, pushing to her feet.

Anna scrambles out from under the table, and I grab her wrist, yanking her towards the door. “Rafe. Ow!” She stumbles after me, tugging against my hold, but I don’t care. My temper is at its limit, and I need to leave before someone dies. Namely Una. “Rafe!” I drag her to a Hummer and open the passenger door, shoving her inside before I slam it. Ignoring everyone, I get in the driver’s side and start it, revving the engine. The wheels spit dust and gravel everywhere as I floor it out of the alleyway and into the streets of the city.