Page 104 of Bad Blood

“Is safe,” I grit out.

“And your sister?”

A beat later, the barrel of my Glock is being introduced to his forehead. “Are you questioning my abilities to keep them safe, Grayson?”

In his defense, he doesn’t even blink. “If historyisrepeating itself, it’s up to us to change the outcome.”

“I’m listening.”With my gun still cocked and loaded.

“Twenty years ago, Dante and your father agreed to a temporary truce in order to bring down a common enemy. Let’s make this come full circle. We blow up this ring, we stop trying to kill each other, and we end these bastards, once and for all.”

“Because that ended so well last time,” I drawl.

He lets out a dark chuckle. “Don’t get me wrong Carrera, this changes nothing. My emphasis is on the ‘temporary’ here. When all of this is over, I’m still putting a bullet in the back of your skull and smiling while I’m doing it.”

“Not if I have that pleasure first. Considering I’m holding a gun to your head right now, I’m fucking calling it.”

“Lower it, Carrera... I came here with a show of good faith. Give me the tape, and you get Bardi’s severed head as a new wall mount, and we both stop dead girls from turning up on our docks.”

Common sense tells me this is a bad idea.Never trust a Santiago.The past doesn’t lend itself to a happy outcome.

But the alternative…

Fuck.

I can’t even think about that.

“There’s one copy of the footage on RJ’s phone. You can watch him delete it.” Lowering my gun, I turn toward my stunned looking second. “Call Rocco. Have him bring the other copies out.”

“It’s official… Hell is freezing over.” Grayson holds my gaze for a beat before nodding at his men. Two of them lower their guns to drag Bardi from the car, forcing his frantically twisting body to his knees in front of us. “He’s all yours.”

Usually, I like to fuck with my prey before I kill them, but not today.

Lifting my gun, I aim right between his eyes. “For Thalia,” I murmur, refusing to consider the alternatives.

If that red dress hadn’t strutted into my office and fired her own calling card at me.

If my fearless firebird had fallen into the hands of monsters who are even worse than I am.

For my wife.

When I fire, the bullet is dried ink on a truce we just made in blood.

Temporarily, of course.

Tucking my gun back in its holster, I glance at Grayson. “Take him back to New York. I don’t want that kind of shit stain on my doorstep.”

There’s a flurry of motion behind me as Rocco appears with the footage and hands it over to Grayson.

“Watch your back, Carrera,” he murmurs, as I turn to leave. “We both have traitors in our midst for this carnage to have been orchestrated this smoothly.”

My thoughts entirely.

“One last thing…”

Pausing halfway up the steps, I watch the Colombian lean against the side of the car and cross his arms, while his men throw the piece of dead meat into the sedan’s trunk.

Something in his casual stance makes my trigger finger itchy again.