“Did you have a man employed by the name of Danton?”
“Yeah, what the fuck does he have to do with anything?” I demanded, nearing the door.
“And you killed him.”
I huffed, growing furious. “He was a traitor. Get. To. The. Point.”
“Seems he had a brother. That’s who’s been attempting to take you out, including that girl you’ve been spending time with.”
With no traffic on the roads, I’d arrived at the penthouse within ten minutes, finding the door ajar, Sylvie knocked out cold, and no sign of Valencia. While every soldier had been dispatched to start looking for her, I knew in my gut I’d be the only one to find the woman I loved.
The asshole responsible wouldn’t be easy to find, but I had one idea in mind where the fucker just might go.
I’d been such a fool, swallowed up in the concept of turf wars and the destruction of illegal drugs that I’d allowed into my life that I’d forgotten that the majority of true enemies were ones you considered your friend.
Or your family.
My grip on the steering wheel was tight, my mind reeling. I’d decided to do this one alone. When I drove onto the street, I almost laughed. The once up and coming location had been turned into little more than a ghetto, the small houses no longer cared for. I’d often wondered why he’d kept the place. Now I had my answer.
My father always told me that revenge could make or break a man, no matter their level of power or influence. That much I knew to be true.
I turned off the lights before pulling down the street. Morning was right around the corner, the soft glows of light over the horizon indicating another glorious day. It was, after all, a good day to die.
I’d taken a few minutes to change into black jeans and a matching polo, an ankle holster holding my Beretta, and a loaded Glock in my hand as I walked close to the house. Even though the ratty blinds were closed, I could tell there was a light on, and some type of noise from either a television or a music system of some kind.
I walked around the perimeter of the house, finally finding the back door unlocked. I wasn’t fool enough to believe he’d been careless. He was hoping and expecting that I’d figure it all out. I opened the door cautiously, the gun in both hands as I darted my head just inside. There was no one but I could tell the single light was coming from the front room.
I eased all the way inside, merely closing the back door without latching. While my footsteps were silent, the hairs stood up on the back of my neck. The moment I walked through the doorway, the sight of her made my skin crawl. She was tied, gagged, and I could tell she’d been roughed up. My blood boiled.
Valencia…
She whimpered again, her eyes darting to the side.
“Baby, I’m going to get you out of here. Just hang on.” I held out my hand and hearing the single creak coming from another hallway, I shifted, pointing the gun in his direction.
“Hello, Winston, or should I call you by your real name, Carter Gregory, brother of Danton Gregory, a man who used to be in my employ.”
He laughed, moving out of the shadows. “I’m surprised you were smart enough to figure that out. You always thought you were so much better than me.”
“Tell me, why did you feel it necessary to change your name?”
Snorting, he moved closer, pointing the barrel of the gun at Valencia’s head. “Are you kidding me? Danton has worked for some member of a cartel or other shit organization his entire life. I couldn’t afford to take the chance of being associated with him. So, I took my middle name and my mother’s last name. Nothing so many others haven’t done.”
“I’m certain it was difficult for you when I hired him.”
“Wouldn’t have known if you hadn’t allowed him to be one of the guards at my damn wedding.” Winston shook his head. “I had a perfect life until my shit for brother came into my life again, threatening me and my career.”
“That’s why you allowed him to stay in your house.” I inched closer.
“Exactly. Keep your enemies close,” he huffed.
“And that’s why you set him up. He wasn’t working behind my back.”
This time, Winston grinned. “I knew enough about your operation. Hell, your damn father liked to brag about certain things early on, until you turned him against me.”
I took a deep breath, my skin crawling. “You wanted your brother out of your life. You knew what I’d do with any sign of betrayal.”
“Worked like a charm.”
“You got what you wanted, your fake identity back. Why attempt to kill a woman you didn’t even know?”
“That was a mistake. The idiots I hired figured both of you needed to be taken out. I knew it was only a matter of time before you figured out everything. I couldn’t take that chance.”
I smiled, realizing exactly what he’d planned. “The truth is that with me gone, Elena would have inherited my share of my portion of the trust my father established, making her a very wealthy woman. What were your plans, Winston, have her killed shortly after my death and after you took possession of her money?”
“Something like that. It’s still going to work. I really don’t want to hurt the girl, but I have no issue doing so at this point.”
“And you know I’ll kill you if you try.”
“I don’t think you want to lose her. By the time you pull that trigger, the bullet will have already entered her brain. Why don’t you put the gun down and we can talk about this?” Winston grinned as he glanced in my direction.
I gave my beloved Valencia a look, offering a slight smile and I did the only thing I could do.
Pop! Pop!
* * *
There was no funeral for my lying sack of shit brother-in-law, although his body was cremated to allow Selena to hold some kind of memory of her father. My niece had been told that he’d been called to God and nothing more.