Page 39 of Cartel Viper (The Cartel Brotherhood #2)
Maddy’s soft breath against my ear tempts me to shiver. She could be talking about my legs or the way my cock can’t help but react to her being near me. If this weren’t life or death and my brothers weren’t a foot from us, I could fuck her while she straddles me.
“Later, Daddy.”
She must have felt me twitch. She settles back against me, and I don’t notice the time passing until Joaquin whispers to us.
“It’s time.”
That rouses the rest of us, and I lean to my right to see the sky more clearly.
The sun is farther to the west than it was when we came down here.
Jorge unlocks the gate while Joaquin, Maddy, and I push the Zodiac forward.
The four of us drag it into the water. The inflatable boat is heavy.
It would be a struggle for any of us brothers to move it alone and nearly impossible for Maddy.
If she were alone, she’d have to wait for the tide to come in.
With four of us, it slides into the waves easily.
I point to the hull, and Maddy crouches before curling into a tight ball.
My brothers draw their guns and sit facing out while I go to the outboard engine.
My gun rests on my right thigh while Jorge and Joaquin sweep their gazes over our surroundings.
I steer the boat as close to the shore as I can without running aground.
We enter the cave on a wave that drives us into the depths without the motor’s help.
We’re nearly to the back where we can step onto a ledge when that telltale whir echoes.
I go full throttle while my brothers each take out a drone.
I fully expect to hear an explosion when they hit the water, but there’s not even a fizzle.
“Did you see any others while we waited?” I look at Joaquin and Jorge, but they both shake their head.
If there had been, they would have told me, but the question tumbles out as my fear ratchets up. Being in such an enclosed space with Maddy and machines sent to kill us has me speaking before thinking.
I maneuver us to where there’s a natural ledge that’s also reinforced with concrete.
My brothers and I pull the boat out of the water and drag it to an enclosed area where the tide can’t reach it and drag it out to sea.
Past another secured gate with a code and biometrics, motion-sensor lights illuminate our path to a hidden location.
At the end of what feels like a long hallway, we come to a set of stairs.
Once more, Jorge leads, and Joaquin follows.
We enter what looks like a garden shed, but it’s a garage.
We have one of our armored SUVs that’s a veritable tank parked here.
I open the back passenger side door for Maddy, and she climbs in before I go to the trunk and grab additional rifles for all four of us.
As I pass the open door, I look inside to Maddy, who nods before I hand her one stock first.
I give two to Joaquin before he climbs into the front passenger’s seat.
Jorge goes around to the driver’s side. We’re all fearless with just about everything, or at least we can appear that way.
We all have a lead foot and love fast cars, but Jorge drives like a pro.
It doesn’t matter what kind of vehicle he’s in; you’d think he’s trying to win the Indy 500 or the Paris-Drakar Rally.
He hits a button on his visor, and the garage door opens.
“Maddy, these windows are bulletproof, just like the Kutsenkos’ SUVs, but stay low.”
“Yes, Javi.”
She doesn’t hesitate to agree even though I know she’s prepared to shoot if she has to. I heard her checking the chamber while I gave Joaquin the other two rifles. I shut my door just before Jorge puts the vehicle in drive. All of us are on the lookout as we leave the safety of the small building.
The shed’s tucked away on a property we also own but rarely visit.
We have it as a backup but also to ensure we don’t have neighbors.
Many of the properties around here are vacation homes, so it’s not unusual for them to sit empty much of the year.
Tío Luis and Tía Margherita come here just enough to keep people from wondering if it’s abandoned.
It’s not long before we emerge onto the road, all of us with our eyes peeled for anyone lying in wait.
Rather than going back the direction Maddy and I came from when we arrived, Jorge heads in the opposite one.
Half a mile down the road, he turns off onto what’s not even a dirt path, but Papá had trees cleared farther in to make it accessible for an SUV as large as ours.
The periodic gaps between trees are the only indicators of the path we take to get us away from Mamá and Papá’s hideaway and back to a main road.
Maddy keeps her voice down when she speaks, but it would be pointless to whisper since my brothers would probably hear.
It just feels like a regular volume would be too loud for the situation.
“Are we headed back to the city?”
I meet Jorge’s gaze in the rearview mirror before I shake my head. “No, we’ll go to Tío Enrique’s.”
“Are you going to call Maks?” Nothing but dread fills those words.
“Do you want me to?”
It’s an unnecessary question, but I want to be sure I understand her wishes. She vehemently shakes her head.
“No, not unless you absolutely have to. I don’t want Laura to know yet. She’ll worry, and there’s nothing she can do. The fewer people involved, probably the better right now.”
She bites her bottom lip and looks toward the floorboards.
“Maddy, it’s okay if you don’t want to endanger your in-laws. I understand.”
Her gaze flicks up to me, and there’s guilt there. I cover her hand and draw it onto my lap.
“As much as I dislike them, they’re your family, so I won’t needlessly endanger them, either.”
“Thank you.” She more mouths the words than speaks.
I give her hand a squeeze, keeping it on my lap.
We go back to looking out the window for any unusual movement or unexpected vehicles.
It’s disconcerting that no one and nothing greets us.
Rather than put me at ease, it makes me wonder where Jacob’s other men must be hiding.
I don’t want to assume the men who breached the property are the only ones he brought, but perhaps that’s the case. We’re still alert, nonetheless.