Ever since I’d left her in the care of Stefano’s private physician, rage had served as a simmering heat beneath my skin; fuel for my most savage impulses. Now, the gory image of her beautiful face burst to the forefront of my mind, and my fury-heated blood surged through my veins in a searing pulse.
Marisol was just as delicate as I’d always feared. I’d reveled in her fragility beneath my rough hands when I’d claimed her mouth this morning, loving the feel of her utterly vulnerable, deliciously petite body softening in my hold. But seeing her in pain had driven me close to insanity. Protecting her, coveting her, had become my obsession. Knowing that Daniel had made her bleed while I wasn’t watching her made me see red.
He’d made me break my promise. He and Arturo, with their fucking coup.
They would both pay. And they’d pay with ten times more pain than what they’d inflicted on Marisol.
She’d 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 threatened to bubble over, obliterating what was left of my tenuous control. I needed that control, so I could savor punishing Arturo. If I flew into a blind rage, I might crush him too quickly.
The hiss and sizzle of the white-hot flame melting steel matched the simmering heat coursing through me, and the echo calmed me further. I settled into my anger, harnessing its strength as a purposeful burn in my muscles.
The heavy door shifted, giving way. I slammed my boot into the metal, breaking down the barrier with a resounding boom. The harsh burst mingled with a sharp scream, followed immediately by the bang of a gun being fired. Arturo barked out a rough shout as his shoulder was shoved back by the impact of the bullet. A Glock dropped from his hand, which dangled limply from his injured shoulder.
I spared a glance and a nod at Sebastián, who was lowering his own gun, now that his shot had found its mark. The older man had been quick to disarm Arturo, and I wasted no time throwing myself at my enemy.
I kicked his fallen weapon far out of reach as my fists curled in his shirt. Leveraging my forward momentum, I slammed him back against the wall. He screamed when his torn shoulder hit the concrete, staining the dull gray with a streak of dark crimson.
The whites of his rolling eyes flashed through the gloom. A low growl rumbled from deep in my chest as I slowly lowered my face to his, letting him feel the heat of my fury closing in on him. His throat convulsed, and he spluttered twice before me managed to force out a ragged plea.
“Please, Raúl. This was all Daniel’s plan. You know how reckless and greedy he is. You know how powerful his family is. I couldn’t say no. All of them are snakes. The entire Vera family. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have—”
“I have nothing to do with this!” A panicked, feminine shriek tugged at my attention. “I don’t even know what’s happening. Armed men invaded my home, so I came down here to hide.”
I glanced over to see Isabel Vera, Daniel’s sister, slowly backing away from Sebastián. Her slim frame seemed smaller than ever as she pressed herself into a corner. She cringed and wrapped her arms around her chest, as though that would be enough to protect her from the cartel’s retribution.
She shot an imploring glance at me before her focus was jerked back to the encroaching threat of Sebastián. “I swear, I don’t know what’s happening. I don’t even know why Arturo’s in my house, and I definitely didn’t want him in this panic room with me.”