Malo - Page 61

“I heard what you were saying to Malo,” she explains, speaking quickly, as though she’s worried we’re going to be busted at any moment. “And I agree with you. I think you should be able to go out there.”

“Thanks,” I sigh. “But I’m not sure?—”

“And I think you can,” she continues, nodding at a figure moving toward the far side of the compound. “If you ride with her.”

Harley walks out of the darkness, dressed in a leather jacket and carrying a helmet beneath one arm. She eyes me, looking me up and down.

“What are you doing here?” I ask her, confused. “Why are you being allowed to ride with them when I’m?—”

“I’m not,” she shoots back bluntly. “I’m out here because I know Dad’ll try to stop me if he catches wind of it. If I can hide out ’til we’re on the road, he’s got no choice but to take me with him.”

“Harley, you have to take Maria too,” Bella tells her. Harley doesn’t look convinced. I can tell this is a hell of a big ask for her. It must be difficult for her to believe that I’m not going to screw this up, given everything that’s happened, given the fact that I’ve been involved with the cartel. She might have more trust in me than she did before, but that doesn’t mean she’s going to risk blowing her cover when she wants to go out and take revenge.

“I don’t know…”

“Harley, listen to me,” I plead with her. “I want this for the same reason you do. Because I want to take revenge on the cartel. I want to make them pay for what they’ve done to me and my family. I’m not going to screw this up for you, okay? I’m serious. I’ll do whatever it takes to get my father back.”

She still doesn’t like this. Bella steps forward, fighting in my corner.

“She deserves a chance to take them down as much as you do,” she tells her softly. I can hear the blazing fury in her voice, like she’s ready to go down there and take them on herself, if we don’t do it. I have no doubt, if it wasn’t for the pregnancy, she would be begging Harley for a chance on the back of that bike, and picking up a gun to fight this herself.

Harley pauses for another moment, considering, and then nods.

“Fine,” she replies. “But you need to find some leathers and a helmet. Something to keep you covered. I don’t want to get busted before we get there because they spotted you, all right?”

“You have my word,” I reply, grateful for her acceptance. “Anything. I’ll go find them now.”

Just before I rush back off into the house, I give her a smile.

“And thanks, Harley,” I tell her. “I owe you one.”

“You owe me several,” she replies, but she manages a smile. She can sense how close we are to bringing down the cartel for good. She can feel it, the electricity in the air, like the whole world is waiting to see how this night is going to unfold.

I dart back into the house to sort through a closet full of leather jackets and helmets I saw in my snooping, something to keep me incognito when I’m out on the road. It’s only a matter of time now.

Only a matter of time until I get my father back.

CHAPTER 42

MALO

The bikes cut through the Houston night, the roar of engines filling the air. I keep my eyes fixed ahead, on what’s to come. I know I need to have my wits about me.

We got the call from Q about an hour ago, telling us that the cartel have filled out an empty, walled compound on the outskirts of the city, and everyone has been mobilized since. I don’t know how many of us there are on the road tonight, but altogether, we make a considerable force. Beast is taking up the lead, of course, the rest of us falling into formation behind him as we make our way to Las Rosas hideout.

We have to accept that they might be ready for this attack. Unease fills my gut as I think about that possibility. I don’t know what kind of chance we stand here. I want to believe we’ve brought in enough people to bring this to an end, once and for all, but the more time that passes, the less and less sure I become.

I push those thoughts down. No doubts. No fear. Just confidence. I’m going into this with an army at my back, an army of people who want the same thing I do. Bring down this cartel, end this nightmare they’ve put so many people, including plenty of us on the road tonight, through.

I still feel guilty about leaving Maria behind, but I know it’s the right choice. She might think she’s tough enough for this, but she has no idea what she’s walking into. Hell, even we don’t have the full scope of it; Q wasn’t able to give us much more than the location, and beyond that, the place is so locked down, it was impossible for him to get any more intel without being caught.

We’re going into this blind, hoping our sheer force of numbers is going to be enough. Beast has planned the attack based on what we know, and, when we arrive at the concrete wall of the compound, he pulls his bike to a halt, and makes some signals for the rest of the people behind him to spread out. Sin leads the New Orleans crew to the left, and Thor takes the right with the Cafarellis. I stick behind Beast along with rest of our men, tossing my helmet to the ground and reaching for my gun. My jaw is tight, my muscles tense, every part of me ready for what comes next.

Beast raises his hand, and then roars into the still night. “Now!”

We rush forward just as a legion of cartel members start to spill out of the gates in front of us, spreading out to protect the area. They have a few snipers planted at the tops of the walls, and they fire off a few shots, going for the Kings who have broken loose from the pack. I keep my gaze forward, not letting the gut-churning sound of bullets hitting flesh stop me.

I flank Beast, firing off a few shots to take out two cartel fuckers who are advancing on him. They think that if they can take him out, it’s all going to be over, but they’ve got a whole heap of other things coming. Even if Beast falls, and he won’t, we’re not going to stop. We’re not going to slow down. Not when we’re so close.