Devil looks at Mariana. “This could be yours, if your father made no other plans.”
“Burn it,” she replies forcefully. “I want nothing to do with him, or anything here.”
Devil scrunches the side of his face which moves. “We found a huge store of cocaine and heroin. If you’re certain, Mariana, then I agree. We set fire to it.”
“I can do that,” Wessler offers. “Brought explosives and a timer with me just in case.”
“How soon can we get out of here?” Drummer asks, with a glance toward me. Like me, he’s probably getting twitchy that we’re not on home turf. I remember how pregnant Sam is. Drum’s got every reason to want to go home.
“Soon as the explosives are set. You got everything you needed, Mouse?”
“Yeah. Sent it all up to the cloud, Devil. Encrypted of course.”
“What’s going to happen to the women?” Mariana asks.
“Already sorted. We transported them to the nearest hospital. Authorities will take it from there.”
They’ve done a lot. But then, waiting for the laxatives to work had given them enough time.
Wessler sets about his task. I wonder if he’s as efficient as Slick, but he seems to be. It’s not long before we’re getting into the trucks, and starting our first leg of the journey to go home.Rolling my head back I inhale deeply, then let my breath out on a sigh, unable to resist squeezing Mariana’s fingers. Home. With my ol’ lady. As the truck bumps across the uneven road, I close my eyes, imagining the feeling of her riding behind me, her hands tight around my waist. Her wearing my property patch. Opening my eyes a fraction, I peer at her.Yeah. This feels right.
She dozes, her head on my shoulder, my arm holding her securely. As she drifts into a deeper sleep, she emits little snuffling sounds. She’s probably catching up on many long nights when she remained on guard. I frown as I rememberEl Procurador’s man, who I’d seen with my own eyes openly raping that woman. Mariana must have lived with the worry it might happen to her.Had they touched her?They hadn’t raped her, but could have…My blood boils, but I won’t ask her. Eventually she’ll tell me all the horrors she’s been through, and we’ll work our way through them together. Now she’s sleeping so soundly, I know her body trusts me, it’s just her mind that needs to catch up.
Marvel’s turned to stare at me. “She lost it, and I’m not surprised, when we first found her. But she’s pulled herself together now.”
I kiss the top of her head, even that doesn’t disturb her. “She’s got backbone,” I answer him quietly. “Never had anyone to lean on.”
He examines me for a moment, then nods. “She’s got a good one in you, Brother. You’ll be her rock from now on.”
I’ll try.
“So,” starts Blade. “We going to change your handle?”
I start to sit up, Mariana objects with a moan, so I settle back and make do with a fierce whisper. “One mention of Chief and I’ll gut you with your own fuckin’ knife.”
Unrepentant, he grins. “Thought you were going to scalp me.”
“I’ll do that first.”
“Want to wake Sleeping Beauty, Mouse? Airport’s ahead.”
I act on Prez’s suggestion. I’m learning shit about my woman all the time. She wakes up grumpy. Her indignant face has me grinning, then when she remembers where she is, she looks sheepish seeing my brothers looking on.
The plane’s there ready and waiting. I get out, lift Mariana down. Once she’s standing I raise my arms, stretch, then place my hands in the middle of my back and arch my spine. The truck was cramped for a man of my height.
I smile down at Mariana, and see the exact moment the bullet hits her. Her mouth opens in an O, then, without a sound, she falls to the ground.
For a second I’m frozen, unable to comprehend what I’ve seen. Then I fall to the ground beside her, conscious that both my brothers and the mercenaries have formed a circle around us, Devil shouting orders, returning fire going in the direction he’s yelled out.
Then he and Drummer drop down beside me. “How bad?” Devil snaps.
My hand goes to the pulse in her neck. “She’s breathing.”Thank fuck.
Devil and Drummer turn her over as I rake my hands through my hair, feeling so fucking useless. I work with data, don’t know shit about anything medical.
“It took her in the top of her leg. Bullet’s still in there,” Prez announces steadily, keeping calm while I’m losing my shit.
Mariana groans, her eyes finding mine, but they’re unfocused.
