Page 67 of Duty Devoted
“Doesn’t matter,” I said, watching the spotlight gain on us. “They’re faster.”
Through the distance, I could make out the boat’s outline. Bigger than ours. Twin engines. And standing at the bow, white suit visible even at this distance as dawn broke—Mateo.
I moved toward where Jace still stood behind the mounted gun. “Good thing you brought heavier firepower this time.”
Ty called out from behind the wheel, “Didn’t much care for the local hospitality last time, so it seemed fitting to bring a machine gun as a party favor.”
“Mind if I play with your toy?”
“Yes, but since I know you’ll just pull rank…”
He stepped aside, and I took position behind the weapon, detaching the nearly empty drum and snapping a fresh one into place. The weight of it felt reassuring—plenty of rounds for what needed to be done.
I sighted down the barrel, tracking the pursuing boat. The range was still long, but closing fast. Through the gun’s sights, I could make out more details now. Twin engines churning white foam. Armed men at the rails.
The first muzzle flashes appeared from their boat, bullets slapping into the water twenty yards behind us. Still out of effective range, but not for long. Mateo’s boat was much more powerful.
The pursuing boat gained steadily. Their next burst of bullets was closer, one round sparking off our stern. Lauren wrapped her arms around her head.
Enough. I had fucking had enough.
I knew enough to know that if Mateo Silva survived this day, he would never let Lauren go. He would use every resource he had to hunt her down. He’d come for her. Chicago wouldn’t be far enough. Nowhere would be.
I was ending this today. I may have fucked up every other thing when it came to Lauren Valentino, butthis, I knew how to do.
I shifted my aim lower, toward the boat’s stern, where the fuel tanks would be.
I squeezed the trigger. The machine gun bucked against my shoulder, sending a stream of bullets into Mateo’s boat’s hull.
For a moment, nothing. Then a spark, a flash.
The dawn exploded.
The fireball of the boat rose thirty feet. The concussion hit us a second later, hot wind that smelled of gasoline and worse. Debris rained down, splashing into the water around us.
I released the weapon and turned. Lauren stood gripping the rail, watching the flames spread across the water where Mateo’s boat had been. No judgment in her eyes, no fear. Just understanding of what had needed to be done.
“It’s over,” I said. “He can’t hurt you now.”
She nodded slowly, then surprised me by taking my hand. Her fingers interlaced with mine, warm and alive. And that was the only thing that mattered.
Chapter 22
Lauren
The coffee wasn’t perfect—itwasn’t Elena’s—but the rich, dark brew with just enough cream to turn it the color of caramel made it pretty damned close. I wrapped both hands around the porcelain cup, letting the warmth seep into my fingers as I stared out the floor-to-ceiling windows of the penthouse suite. San Juan stretched below me, a jumble of colonial architecture and modern high-rises that seemed impossibly civilized after the jungle.
My body felt strange in the plush hotel robe. Too clean. Too soft. The thick cotton against my skin was nothing like the rough scrubs I’d worn for months, nothing like the mud-caked clothes I’d peeled off just hours ago. I’d stood under the rainfall shower for nearly forty-five minutes, watching brown water swirl down the drain until it finally ran clear. It wasn’t the best thing for my stitches, but I didn’t care. I’d rebandaged it, and I would deal with that once I was back in Chicago.
This suite was obscene. Marble floors, a bathroom bigger than most houses in Corazón, a bed that could sleep six comfortably. My parents’ doing, of course. The concierge had practically genuflected when I’d given my name at the desk.
Getting here felt like fragments of a dream. The explosion of Mateo’s boat lighting up the dark water. Logan’s team whisking us from boat to helicopter to private plane, each transition handled with military precision. I’d stopped thinking, stopped processing, just followed wherever Logan led. For the first time in my adult life, I’d surrendered control completely to someone else.
And I’d been safe.
The phone’s ring jarred me from my thoughts. I answered immediately since Logan and his team were the only ones who knew I was here.
“Hello?”
