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Cowboy Boots and Inexpressible Longing [Cowboy Boots 5] (Siren Publishing Classic)

Page 7

by Natalie Acres


  * * * *

  Outside the compound, Drew gripped the handle above his head and fixated on the estate before them. “All right, boys! Here we go!”

  They crashed through the front gates. Drew leaned over the passenger window and started firing, shooting any guard who tried to stop them. On the other side of the vehicle, Scott hung halfway out and fired his weapon as well.

  “Fuck, Scott! Are you trying to give them a more visible target?” Manny yelled, speeding toward the house.

  Scott reloaded a semi-automatic, stuffed the weapon in his front pocket and picked up the rifle again. At the same time, he tossed a grenade at the mid-property guard shack. “Go! Go! Go!”

  “Fuck.” Manny weaved through a few trees to escape the explosion. “I hate it when you do that.”

  Fiddling with radio controls while racing to the top of the hill where the home stood, Manny tossed around earpieces, securing a direct line of connection between them. When he finished, he announced, “We’re good.”

  Drew inserted the small piece in his ear. “Pull up to the house. I’ll enter from the back.”

  He had memorized the layout of Esparza’s compound and quickly recalled the location of the second-floor bedrooms. He knew where to find Esparza’s library and where every knife in that country kitchen could be found.

  Hell, he even knew where they did their laundry—and not the typical washing and drying of jeans and shirts. Esparza’s men cleaned the mob’s money and their operation was located downstairs in the seven-thousand-square-foot basement.

  “Scott, up front, man.” Manny grabbed boxes of ammunition from the floorboard and stuffed them in his vest.

  “No way,” he muttered, shaking his head. “I’m going in.”

  “Like hell you are!” Manny slowed down, threw the gear shift in neutral, opened his door, leapt from the vehicle, and rolled like hell.

  “Ah fuck!” Scott bellowed, diving over the front seat and taking the wheel.

  “You do that shit and I’ll come after you,” Drew said casually, not at all surprised by Manny’s sudden disappearance.

  They were both concerned about Scott. He wasn’t up to par, regardless of what he might think to the contrary.

  “I’m not as invested in her as you are.”

  “You’d better not be,” Drew said, pointing at a long walkway. “Just let me out there.”

  “Good luck, man.”

  “I won’t need it. This has been a long time coming.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “All right, men. We’re in!” Crue shouted in Drew’s earpiece.

  “What the hell?” Drew crouched behind a row of shrubs and listened to the incoming static. “Where’d you come from?”

  “Hello darlin’.” Colt Candy’s voice filled his ear. “Surely you didn’t think you could hide from me. Did you?”

  “Don’t cram salt in the wound.” Gabe, another one of the men from the US-West division, chuckled. “Drew, don’t be a bad sport. We can’t let you have all the fun.”

  “What the hell is it with you people? This ain’t fun.”

  “Matter of speaking, honey,” Colt drawled. “Esparza never plays by the rules. What kind of friends would we be if we didn’t show up and keep the teams here on a level playing field?”

  “Level hell.” Manny’s voice came across the connection. “We’ve got a ton of opposition up here on the back deck.”

  “How many?” Crue asked, taking charge.

  Drew didn’t know how the US-West division functioned so well. There were too many chiefs and one too many Candies calling the shots.

  “I see fifteen here. There may be eight or ten more on the roof.”

  Drew crept closer to the house, ducking between trees and avoiding a few snags with prickly branches. If there were a few crazies on the roof, maybe he’d thank Candy and company after this was over.

  “Hey Remington, when we’re done here? I’ll show you how easy it was to pop your system.” Crue laughed. “Wasn’t anything to it really.”

  “Shut up, little brother,” Colt said. “We have a job to do.”

  A round of gunfire exploded in the distance. In a matter of minutes, it sounded like a warzone.

  “What do we have out there, boys? Somebody talk to me!” Colt Candy was making a lot of racket. There was static, heavy footsteps, and ragged breathing.

  “Who’s got some action to report?” Crue asked, his voice elevated.

  Ten or eleven shots were fired. The cursing and chanting commenced.

  “Fuck! Who’s spinning grenades out there?” Drew was livid. Didn’t they know Suzy was inside? Didn’t they understand they couldn’t approach this job like other missions? There wasn’t room for error. There could be no mistakes.

  The line seemed quiet with the exception of heavy footsteps and the occasional repetition of pops. No one took credit for the shots fired, but that wasn’t necessarily unusual. When it wasn’t safe to reply, operatives kept a stiff upper lip until they could speak freely.

  A huge explosion behind him sent Drew flying over another patch of greenery. Landing on his feet, he took off at a run with his head hung low and gunfire at his back.

  “Damn it! Somebody talk to me! What the hell is going on near the gate?”

  “I’ll check it out,” Gabe replied.

  “Okay, boys. I’m inside.”

  “Zelmore? Is that you?” Colt asked.

  “What’s keeping you boys?” Scott asked. “Study is clear. Kitchen is okay. Let’s go, men!”

  “So much for our getaway car,” Manny grumbled. “Where are ya, Drew?”

  “Entering the foyer.”

  A broken breath filled the lines of communication before Scott said, “Don’t dally long, boys. I’ve got an itchy trigger finger and the halls up here are full.”

  * * * *

  Suzy was a sitting duck and she understood what was about to transpire. Barefoot, she wore the black fetish garment Esparza had chosen for her and she was on her knees in the hallway, mere inches from the bedroom she’d occupied.

  Her hands were secured behind her back. Her chest was forward and her head was bowed. Worse, she was on her knees. She was, by Esparza’s standards, perfectly positioned for a submissive woman willing to surrender her life in exchange for her Master’s. Unless, of course, he was willing to trade his own. She trembled with the thought of a compromise and considered how she could throw herself at Esparza’s mercy, ask him to take her life and spare Drew’s.

  A flash of light at the end of the hall pulled her from possible scenarios. Someone with a bandage wrapped around his left forearm ducked into an alcove leading to what must’ve been the master suite.

  Turning her head, she made eye contact with the operative. There was no doubt in her mind. He was affiliated with the Underground Unit. He had a certain presence about him and even though he looked as if he’d been in a recent battle, one he’d apparently lost, he still slung his weapon over his shoulder as if it weighed about a pound and a half.

  Pressing his forefinger to his lips, he tiptoed away from his hiding spot. Gagged and bound, she couldn’t warn him. She couldn’t send a signal without placing him in more danger.

  This man was determined to save her. He was trying to help her. The last thing she wanted to do was place him in harm’s way.

  The operative cautiously strode toward her. He was ten feet away, if that. Fluttering her eyelashes and flaring her nostrils, she squeezed her eyes shut and ducked her head, hoping he would sense the trap, acknowledge the walls closing in and the dangerous circumstances he was about to enter.

  “Hold it right there,” Esparza said, exiting her assigned quarters and leveling the pistol to the back of her neck. “Call off your men, friend. Otherwise, I’ll blow her head off and we both know how disappointed Drew Remington will be if he doesn’t have the opportunity to kiss her good-bye.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “He’s got her,” Drew said.

  “No shit
.” Crue’s voice filled his ears. “Gabe and I have clear shots in the guest room. We can take out all but one of his men. Looks like Esparza’s son is standing at his twelve o’clock.”

  “Don’t take those shots,” Drew whispered, easing closer to Esparza and Suzy. He couldn’t risk a complication. Suzy’s life was on the line.

  “Damn it, Drew. If we don’t start picking them off, you won’t stand a chance when they scatter,” Gabe snapped.

  “Then I won’t stand a chance.” He tucked his weapon at his waist and walked down the hallway with his hands in the air. This was like déjà vu, only worse. Suzy was on the floor. Esparza’s gun was aimed at her head. Damn if he didn’t know how that felt. He’d been there. He’d done that.

  The damn man must’ve liked reliving moments in life. As Drew locked gazes with Esparza, he reminded himself of where he’d been, what heartache he’d suffered, all at the hands of a monster.

  This devil had been at the root of all his problems. He’d taken away the heart and soul of his family. He’d killed his father and slaughtered his brother. Now, he had his woman!

  He’d be damned if he’d let him take one more person he cared about. And he wasn’t about to lose his life to Esparza so another one of his brothers would face off with him in the future.

  It was time to end this. The moment had come. It was time to send a devil back to hell.

  “What have we here?” Esparza cocked the gun.

  “You’ll never get away with this,” Drew told him, glancing at Suzy. “We have the place surrounded.”

  “Really?” Esparza threw his head back and laughed. “My property is twenty-five acres and your team—your team of six or seven men—has my place surrounded?”

  “Your surveillance must’ve failed you somewhere, Esparza. We’ve pulled divisions from across the country.” Drew crept forward as he spoke. “I don’t foresee any way out of this for you.”

  Esparza sneered. “I don’t see any positive outcome for your girl. Do you?”

  Drew flinched. “I still can’t figure out why you have her. She’s been in town for two days and you think there’s some sort of lasting connection between us?”

  Suzy shot him a quick glance. He wanted to run to her as soon as he implied she wasn’t important to him. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and reassure her.

  Again, Esparza tossed his head back. “You’re living in Vegas now. Haven’t you learned the laws of the land, yet? You can bluff a skilled player, a player who cares about the end result more than the temporary win. But you cannot—or at least you shouldn’t—bluff a true gambler. These individuals will go all-in without considering the risks.”

  “Let her go.” Drew kept his hands high. Manny was behind him now. Drew had worked with him long enough to feel him like a second skin. Scott was positioned at the other end of the hall. There was a little red dot on the side of Esparza’s head.

  “Do you remember the time we spent together in Virginia, Drew?” Esparza grinned. “Of course you do. I’m the reason behind that drive you have now. When you rise every morning, I’m the only excuse you have to get out of bed. I’m your inspiration when you pound the pavement for four or five miles every day, and I’m—me, Drew, and no one else—the very reason you’ll never know a peaceful rest when you lay down at night and go to sleep.”

  “You’re fucking insane.”

  “And I speak the truth,” Esparza said. “We share a history that can never been separated. Don’t you feel it, Drew? I do. We’re linked together by what I now consider a very beautiful past, one wrought with murder and deceit, fraud and manipulation. Death surrounds us. Your father took away my family. I’ve slowly killed off yours. We meet, separate, and reunite again. We are so much a part of one another’s lives now that we’re almost family.”

  Esparza yanked Suzy’s head back. “When families play together, darling, they stay together. You understand that. Don’t you?”

  “I’ll trade my life for hers.” Drew practically tripped over his words as he passionately spoke each of them, meaning every ounce of his offer. He wanted to barter. He was willing to trade places.

  Esparza’s nostrils flared. “I know you would. A woman who has only been in Las Vegas for a couple of days, a woman who has no meaning to you whatsoever, but you’re willing to trade your life for hers…because you’re oh so admirable. You Remington men have always been such heroes. I’ve always liked that about you.

  “However, with that said, I’ve never found myself particularly fond of saving the weaker sex. It’s tiresome and often very lonely for a man in my position.” He shot Suzy a false look of adoration and the expression on his face was downright wicked. “Men in our position take our vows just like you.

  “We’re expected to love, honor, and protect until death do us part or some nonsense like that and then what happens? We travel and we’re gone for months at a time and because we’ve committed our lives to loving one woman, we’re supposed to have our dinners, go to our meetings, and return to our rooms all alone at night. I’ve never been one for sleeping alone.” His eerie smile widened. “Ask your brother Dusty.”

  Drew had been so caught up in Esparza’s poetic spiel that he was taken aback when Esparza threw out the reminder, tossed out a name that not only reminded him of the horrific assault his brother had endured, but also provided a jolting memory jog.

  The man in front of him had killed his father. He’d held Dusty in Venezuela where his brother had endured the unimaginable. He’d been responsible for Benson’s murder. And here he was, with so much pride and glorified arrogance, holding a gun to his woman’s head!

  “You should’ve stayed dead, Esparza!” Rage pumped through Drew’s veins.

  Esparza threw his head back and chuckled again. Profanity filled Drew’s ears as a mix of voices collided like chimes. Direct orders were barked over the lines of communication. Yeah buddy. Colt Candy didn’t have to guess what Drew was about to do.

  Taking a sudden leap while Esparza’s head was at an angle, Drew seized the opportunity and tackled the bastard.

  “Damn it! Everybody move!” Colt Candy bellowed.

  A gun went off. Bullets breezed by Drew’s head.

  Suzy ducked. Wait. Did she dart out of the way or slump? Oh shit! Had Suzy been in the line of fire? Jerking to the left, he lunged across the floor, snatched Esparza’s gun and wheeled around, relieved when he met Suzy’s frightened gaze.

  As he turned back to the right, Esparza was upon him. “I had so hoped we could enjoy ourselves tonight, but…”

  “End him now! Damn it!” Colt Candy’s commanding voice rang out like multiple shots fired.

  With the order came explosive action. Pops resounded. Gunfire went off in repetition. Bodies thudded against the floor. Screams filled the room.

  “Esparza’s son! Go! He’s getting away!” Manny bellowed.

  Esparza sneered. “You’ll never catch him.”

  Drew fired repeatedly. “But we have you. For now, that’s all that matters.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Drew must’ve checked her out a half-dozen times before he picked her up cradle-style and carried her to the awaiting vehicle. Once inside Crue Candy’s van, he framed her face and gently placed a kiss upon her lips. “Don’t you ever give me a scare like that again.”

  “Keep better company and I’ll stay out of trouble,” she teased, realizing the seriousness of the situation was not a laughing matter. She could’ve been killed. She could’ve died, or worse. She could’ve watched Drew take his last breath.

  “Is that a promise?” Drew asked, acknowledging Crue with a tilt of his head when he slid behind the wheel.

  “How do you propose running with a better crowd, Remington?” Crue asked, joining the conversation. “Hand Donovan your resignation?”

  “I’ve quit several times.”

  “Right,” Crue muttered, sticking the key in the ignition. “You’ve been on an extended leave of absence.”

  Bra
cketing his arms tighter around Suzy’s waist, Drew whispered, “Are you sure you’re all right?” He picked up her hand and studied her wrist. “We should go have you checked out.”

  “It’s only a bruise. My wounds will heal as long as I’m with you.” She rested her head on his shoulder, breathing in his masculine scent, a mix of expensive cologne, leather, and the club. The club’s aroma was distinct—grease, booze, and cheap perfume.

  She fully intended to do something about the last fragrance. Drew could work at the club, but if they stayed together, he’d need to put the word out and shout it so all could hear.

  He was taken. He had a submissive woman at home. And she absolutely adored him.

  “What are you thinking?” Drew asked, cupping her cheek.

  “Ah no,” Crue moaned. “Don’t do this shit here. Come on Remington, I’ve just been through hell and back and you want to talk about feelings in front of a fellow operative? Give a guy a break.”

  Drew’s lips twitched as he obviously tried to resist a smile. “Mind your own business, Candy.”

  “You are my business until I deposit you at the club.”

  “Deposit?” she asked.

  “Orders handed down from the authority.”

  “He means Brock and Riley Donovan.”

  “I know,” she said, shifting her hips. She knew a lot more about the Underground Unit than Drew realized. She’d been studying them like a science, actually, in hopes of using some of their stories for her next true crime novel.

  “You do, huh?”

  “I pay attention.”

  “Is that right?”

  “She’s lying to ya, Remington,” Crue said, shooting her a smile. “Tell him the truth or I will.”

  “How would you know about my truths?”

  Crue waggled his brows. “I don’t kiss and tell.”

  “I don’t either,” she said, looping her arm around Drew’s shoulder. “Which brings me to Crue’s point. I’m working on another novel.”

 

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