Page 76 of Empire of Carnage

“How about this,” he grinned dangerously, “first one to him gets the kill?” He raised his eyebrows with his proposal, and I tilted my head at an angle while I thought about it.

“No guns?” I asked.

“If that’s what the lady wants, that’s what the lady gets.” He gave me a shameless smirk.

“Fletch and his team will be waiting at the other exits to cause distractions and take down some of their men. We should have plenty of time,” Ronan said from the front, making eye contact in the rearview mirror.

“I need you to go down into that basement and free the girls that will be in there,” I told him before turning to Santos in the passenger seat. “I need you to check the dressing rooms behind the stage for any girls getting ready to be sold.”

“Aye aye, jefa.” Santos gave me a two-finger salute.

We parked across the street and just as Ronan was opening his door to get out, I called him back to me.

“Ronan, there was a lion in that basement last time,” I warned him.

“What?” he said with a laugh of disbelief.

I was high as hell, but I remembered very vividly what I’d seen. The hot breath on my back and the sharp claws scratching against the smooth concrete floor with an obnoxious sound.

I remembered the bird’s warning.

“Just be careful, okay?” I told him.

He turned back fully, reaching for me and pulling me into him despite the middle console standing as a barrier between us. His lips parted against mine, his tongue raking softly against my own for just a brief moment before he withdrew from me, leaving me high and needy for more.

“Focus, morena.” Santos growled like he didn’t approve of Ronan’s distraction.

We got out of the car, the men strapped on their Kevlar vests and double checked all of their weapons. Ronan handed me a vest and I raised an eyebrow at him.

“I don’t need that,” I reassured him.

“Oh, have you become bulletproof in the last twelve years?” he said with a sarcastic tone.

“I’m not afraid to die,” I explained.

His jaw ticked with anger, the scowl forming deep into his forehead.

“Put the fucking vest on, Celia.” He pushed it into my chest. “I’m getting real sick of this shit.” He dropped it from his hold, forcing me to clutch it fast to keep it from falling on the ground.

I turned to Mateo and gave him a questioning look, hoping he could help me with the angry blonde giant.

“I don’t think you realize it, Sunshine, but every time you disregard your life, it feels like you’re saying we aren’t enough for you to want to do your best to stay,” he said with deflated energy, scratching his head and walking ahead of me.

I sighed, turning to see Santos still standing next to me.

“What, you’re not going to say something too?” I raised my voice, preparing to snap.

“No. I get it,” he said, not bothering to explain himself.

He was gonna make me work for it.

“You get it?” I asked.

“Yeah. You think as long as we’re safe it doesn’t matter what happens to you. I get it because that’s how I feel about you, how I feel about them. I’d give my life a hundred times over to make sure you three have the happy ending you deserve.” He started walking away. “But if you take that vest off, I’ll be taking mine off too. If you die, I die too,” he said without looking back.

Pendejada.

I slipped on the vest and ran after them, buttoning my coat over the obnoxiously thick Kevlar.