Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 71880 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71880 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Crew rose to his feet, and I followed his gaze. The others had caught up. Greer, Cullen, Mercier, and Elliott.
I looked away from Elliott.
Mercier joined Crew in inspecting the bodies, and I still couldn’t hear a fucking thing over the ringing sound in my ears. Neither could Crew, judging by the way he cupped his ear and said “What?” again.
Mercier smiled slightly, pressed a kiss to Crew’s temple, then squatted down between Marco and Enzo.
Was it over? Had we done it? Could we get out of here?
I looked up and caught an exchange between Mercier and Elliott, with Greer throwing in a few words too. Fuck if I knew what was said, though. I pulled out my earpiece and rubbed my ear vigorously, not that it changed anything. I’d been through this before. It might be a couple hours before my hearing returned.
Cullen ushered Crew in the direction we’d arrived, and Greer gave my shoulder a brief squeeze and nodded the same way.
All right.
I followed and swallowed dryly, thirsty and beyond exhausted.
When I looked back toward Mercier, it was just in time to see him put two bullets in Marco’s and Enzo’s heads.
That had to be a mindfuck and a half for the agent. He’d been working this case for four years.
I blew out a breath and hoped we were fucking done here. Our ride out should be here soon anyway. Emerson had given us one hour. I checked my watch and—someone grabbed my arm, halting my step.
Fuck. Elliott.
He showed me the screen of his phone, where he’d typed something.
We have ten minutes to raid Marco’s office. The Finlays and Mercier will run over to Enzo’s villa. Then we’re out of here.
I nodded once.
Couldn’t hurt to see if there was any information we could use.
Elliott handed back my helmet when we returned to Marco’s villa. With our headlights leading the way, we found his office on the second floor, and we both aimed at the big desk by the window overlooking the grand estate in the distance.
We put on gloves to play it safe.
If I’d thought Vincente Blanco was extreme in how he displayed his wealth, Marco knocked that man out of the park. Stacks of money, primarily US dollars, and gold bars all over the place.
I lifted a brow when I noticed Elliott pocketing several ten-ounce gold bars.
He caught my expression and straightened to write something on his phone, and he showed it to me.
You think my upgraded security system at the ranch will be cheap after this?
My mouth twitched.
So this was what it was like living in the gray zone between good and evil.
One of those bars was worth approximately twenty grand. That was one hell of an upgrade.
He handed me a bar and gestured at the drawers, as if telling me to knock myself out. A moment later, he’d written another message for me.
Take Blake and Piper on a vacation when all this is over.
I…I could pocket a few findings, sure, no problem, but I had no plans on going away with my ex-wife. What the fuck? Spoiling Blake rotten for a while, however…
God, I had to see her again. My eyes smarted at the desperate desire to hear her giggles, to be part of her mischief…
I cleared my throat and opened the rest of the drawers, gathering all the documents I could carry. I didn’t have the time or energy to go through any of it now, but we had a long flight to look forward to soon. And yeah, maybe I grabbed a few gold bars and some cash too. Being in the Coast Guard didn’t make anyone rich.
I suddenly understood how Elliott had afforded that nice ranch of his. Granted, the private sector paid better, but a ranch with an ocean view just north of Carlsbad? Come on. He’d bought my fucking dream home.
Having zero plans to ever go through something like this again, I grabbed a few more bars and declared myself done. Maybe I could give my mom a better headstone. I’d felt guilty as fuck for having to go with a cheaper option.
I swallowed and walked out, grabbing my handgun just in case.
Elliott and I met up with the others outside the main estate, and we weren’t the only ones who’d gathered files and documents. Mercier had his arms full, and Crew arrived with four backpacks he’d found somewhere. We filled them with the evidence while River, Reese, Danny, and Elliott talked…about something. Crew seemed to be recovering faster; he picked up sound if the others raised their voices. A funny sight.
To me, it was an underwater rushing sound, the same ringing from before, and…like, Greer and Cullen had deeper voices, and so did Elliott and Mercier to a degree, and I heard something when they spoke.
I was fine being left out, to be honest. We’d done our job. Luca Blanco was dead, as were his four sons, approximately fifteen other higher-ups, and most of their guards. I was sure a few of them were hiding somewhere.