Groaning, Manuel turned over his shoulder toward Marisol. “You know what? I’ve had just about as much of the protective father act as I can take. You?” Marisol shrugged as Manuel raised his gun and pumped four rounds into my father’s chest.
With the kick-back, Manuel’s hold lessened enough for a full scream to tear from my throat as my father dropped to the ground in an explosion of angry red splotches that quickly soaked his shirt.
As Manuel readjusted his hold, I struggled to free myself.
I’m next. I’m next. I’m next.
The words repeated over and over in my head, until I swore I said them, out loud.
With a kiss to my temple, Manuel chuckled in my ear. “Perk up,Cereza. The fun has arrived.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
VAL
The last thingI wanted to do was announce my arrival by shooting out a window, but once I heard her scream, I would’ve bulldozed my way in. With the commotion behind me, I knew Muñozsicarioswere minutes from pumping a few bullets in my back.
When gunshots rang out, I froze, glancing over my shoulder to make sure I hadn’t been hit. Having been shot before, I knew sometimes the bullet tore through so fast, there was no way to know it had even hit until someone screamed, or blood stained a shirt.
The irony always made me shake my head. A bullet could rip through a man’s skin, likely severing vital organs in the process, yet the only thing he’d feel would be the wetness of blood.
Once I knew the gunshots weren’t meant for me, my heart constricted as another scream traveled up the stairs, leading from the basement.
Eden.
Without a second thought, I ran full force to the door where I knew I’d find her. Tightening my hold on my gun, I kicked it open, ready to blow anyone’s head off who dared get in my way. As I stepped one foot off the ledge, a gun pressed against my temple.
“Don’t fucking move, Carrera.” Ripping the gun from my hand, one of Manuel’s enforcers smiled as he swung the tip toward the bottom of the stairs. “Only the hosts get party favors.” Laughing at his own joke, he pushed the muzzle harder against my skull. “Now go…you’re the guest of honor.”
I half expected him to either shove me straight to the bottom, or go ahead and put a bullet in my brain. He did neither. He just continued fucking smiling to himself as I slowly took one step at a time, making sure to stay aware of my surroundings.
The moment I hit the bottom, all hell broke loose.
“Ah,La Muerte, welcome. We’ve been anticipating your arrival. Sorry for the mess. One of our guests forgot his manners.”
The familiar scent of spilled blood drew my attention to an older man crumpled on the floor in a pool of it. By himself, a dead man in a basement would mean little to me. However, as my eyes traveled back to the voice, I knew without question the dead man was Elliot Lachey.
My mouth went dry as my gaze landed on Manuel Muñoz, his forearm wrapped around Eden’s throat. She struggled against him, her face red from lack of oxygen.
A murderous blinding rage shattered my hold on the humanity Eden had resurrected the minute I saw what he’d done to her.
Her beautiful face stared back at me, mangled and covered in too many bruises and gashes to count. Both her right cheek and right eye were swollen, and blood trickled from both nostrils and the corners of her mouth. We locked gazes and her brows furled as she fought for every rattled breath.
Broken ribs.
Her exposed arms and legs were covered in bruises and cuts, as if she’d been thrown around like a rag doll. Deep lacerations on her wrists drew my eyes, sickening me to the permanent reminder she’d suffered for me.
I held her eye, communicating without words.
He’ll pay. On the soul of my mother, he’ll pay.
“Let her go, Muñoz. This is between you and me. She has nothing to do with it.” My mind raced, frantically trying to come up with workable scenarios where four against two logically came out in our favor. I kept coming up short, especially since the four were armed, and the two had nothing but the small pistol attached to my ankle holster. Unfortunately, with four guns drawn, one of them would put a bullet in Eden before I could reach for it. I wasn’t willing to risk it.
“Hello, Val.”
Who the hell was the woman? “Do I know you?”
“Probably not. But I’ve studied you for a while now, and I think I understand you more than most anyone.”
