Ruthless Savior - Julia Sykes Page 0,14
been so scared when I’d held her shaking body, but she’d still clung to me for protection, despite the fact that I’d failed her. I would make sure Arturo experienced her terror, magnified to a maddening degree, before I finally allowed him to die.
My hands tightened around my semi-automatic, but there was no one left to shoot. The team I’d brought with me to storm Daniel Vera’s vast home had worked with uniform, brutal efficiency. Hundreds of men played a role in the cartel hierarchy, but only the most disciplined, vicious killers answered to me directly; ambitious men who would do anything I asked of them without flinching, no matter how gruesome the task.
The ambush that Daniel and Arturo had planned for Stefano to blunder into had collapsed within minutes of my men breaching the property. The gaudy mansion was arrogantly located within the city’s historical district. It might be one of the most exclusive neighborhoods, but the central location jeopardized the Vera family’s security measures. Their multi-million-dollar home had sustained damage during our assault—opulent stained glass littered the marble floors in colorful shards, and the massive, arched front doors had been blown off their hinges.
It was a shame, because I’d always admired the their luxury home. Part of me had even coveted the overt wealth they commanded. But I was rich and powerful in my own right, and I wasn’t stupid enough to live in a house with ostentatious, glass front doors.
At the same time as I navigated the vast hallways of the Vera family’s damaged mansion, Stefano would be hitting Miguel Armendariz’s estate hard. He’d batter his way to Carmen and take out anyone who stood in his way. It was a shame that I wouldn’t be able to kill Daniel myself, but I was certain Stefano would handle it. I’d never seen him so worked up, like the loss of Carmen was tearing him apart, shredding his cool, calculated composure. No one on that estate would survive his wrath.
I had my own wrath boiling inside my chest, and it was past time to unleash it. Arturo might have delayed the inevitable, but he’d be begging for death before I finally permitted him that mercy.
Half a dozen of my men closed ranks behind me, filtering toward the bunker now that their marks had been taken out. Others would keep searching the sprawling manor and watching the perimeter for potential backup arriving, but I doubted we’d come up against any further resistance. Anyone left alive wouldn’t dare to attack. They wouldn’t survive any stupid acts of bravery, and they likely knew it.
The only key player we hadn’t found was Daniel’s sister, Isabel, but the timid girl would hardly pose a threat, even if she was here. I’d prefer not to take her to Stefano by force, but her family had chosen to betray him. He would decide what to do with her, once I took care of Arturo.
As my team moved deeper into the house, I sensed the steely presence of Sebastián Castillo at my back. The quietly menacing bastard could be intimidating, but I didn’t mind the older man shadowing me so closely. He might have a decade or so on me, but he served faithfully and lethally. If Arturo did have any nasty surprises set up for us, Sebastián was my most reliable ally on a job like this. He was pitiless and utterly unshakable.
When we reached the steep stairs that led down to the sub-basement level, I paused with my back pressed to the wall and signaled for two of my men to open fire into the dank, dark space below. A burst of sharp reports cracked through the air, the lethal staccato amplified in the cramped space. An agonized cry echoed up the concrete-lined passage, confirming the presence of surviving guards outside the bunker. I waved again, and a second volley of bullets proceeded us before we descended the stairs, moving quickly to ensure we weren’t caught in the bottleneck space. I wouldn’t make us easy targets for anyone who might be left standing below.
We reached the corridor to find four dead men. Our swift, merciless assault had eliminated the only guards that remained. All that stood between me and my quarry was a thick, steel door.
We had a blowtorch for that. It would take a few minutes, but the wait would be excruciating for Arturo. The thought of him scurrying around like a rat in a cage helped to calm the maddening fury that