Total pages in book: 180
Estimated words: 170747 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 854(@200wpm)___ 683(@250wpm)___ 569(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 170747 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 854(@200wpm)___ 683(@250wpm)___ 569(@300wpm)
“You mean Dominges?”
“I mean the Sinaloa.”
She blows out a breath. “You can’t take down an entire cartel, Anna. No matter how much they’ve wronged you.” But it’s an entire cartel that was responsible for my suffering. It’s an entire cartel that traffics young women, enslaves them and rapes them for profit and pleasure.
“A cartel is only made up of men.” Flesh and blood men who can be killed.
“One or two kills is a hit. Hundreds is a war, and I am not equipped for a war.”
She’s right. I know she’s right. “If Dominges falls, what happens?”
“Someone will replace him.”
“Who?”
"His brother, or one of his closest men.”
“So, what if we were to kill his entire inner circle, long enough to weaken them?” Long enough for the Juarez cartel to end this. Rafael wouldn’t even have to know. Una and Sasha are stealthy, fast, in and out, leaving only death in their wake. We could take out the inner circle, and the cartel war would naturally favor Rafe’s side.
“You can’t fight Rafael’s war for him, Anna.”
“I’m not, but I need this." I’m caught between pining for a man I can’t have and needing something to fill that void. In the back of my mind, I know this will bring me closer to him, or at least into the same country. Maybe I secretly like the idea of helping him in his war without him even knowing it. Being the strong woman he doesn’t think I am without him even knowing. For once, I would be an asset to him instead of a weakness. I’ve changed, trained, and honed myself under Una’s watchful eye. This situation is not what it was a few months ago.
This is purpose. This is more than survival, it’s living. And I choose to live for revenge right now. I want the Sinaloa cartel dead and buried.
Una drags her hand through her long hair, and I can see the resignation in her features. “Fine, Anna, but I’m not doing your dirty work for you. You’re going to have to train a lot harder if you want to stand against men like Dominges.”
“I will.”
“And this will take a lot of planning.”
I catch sight of someone in the doorway behind Una. Nero steps into the light of the gym and in the blink of an eye Una has a gun pointed at his head without even turning to look at him.
He rolls his eyes. “Every time,” he mumbles, grabbing her wrist and pulling it behind her back. She allows it. Of course, if she didn’t want him to, he’d have a broken nose by now. He kisses her neck and the tiny sign of affection has a pang of longing spiking through my gut.
“You shouldn’t creep up on me,” she says, an indulgent smile on her lips.
“It’s not creeping when you can hear me from a mile away. Anyway, what are you planning?”
“Nothing,” I say defensively, probably because I know he’ll think this entire plan is ridiculous.
A smirk dances over his handsome features, and I look away from his intense gaze. Nero is beautiful but terrifying, and I’m not sure why. He lacks Rafe’s bulk or obvious sense of danger. But that’s all part of his allure. He looks like he should be adorning the pages of a fashion magazine with his expensive suit and his perfect hair, but I know he would open a man’s throat with a smile. He’s the only man who could possibly handle my sister and that in itself is enough to make me wary of him. He lacks any of the empathy that Rafael has. Well, for anyone but Una and Dante that is.
“Anna wants to go after the Sinaloa,” Una says, pulling her arm away from her back and tucking her gun into a holster. She leans back against him, and he grips her hip possessively.
Nero’s face becomes stony. “You want to start a cartel war. Tsk, tsk, Anna. You’re learning too much from that man of yours. Rafael should know better than to start wars, and so should you. It’s bad for business.”
“This isn’t about business.”
“Everything is about business.”
“Not this,” Una intervenes, and I’m grateful. I can’t handle both of them being against me.
“Morte,” he warns, calling her by the name he’s so fond of for her. Death.
“She’s my sister. I’ll give her what she needs.” She turns to face him.
“We’ll talk about this later.” He kisses her forehead before he’s walking out of the room.
She glances over her shoulder at me. “I will do this with you, Anna, but you need to decide where the line is. Draw one, or you will find yourself forever reaching.”
61
Rafael
I dial the number that I could recite by heart, waiting anxiously as I hope this is the time she’ll pick up. I’m desperate for just a slither of light in this eternal darkness. I need her, but I can’t have her. The line cuts off…and she won’t even give me this.