Forbidden Attractions (Book #2)

26. between sinners and saints

HER POV

       I adjusted the knife into the leather holster wrapped around my thigh. I placed my spare gun into the other empty pocket in the holster that rested on my interior thigh.

       "You don't have to go," Derek said as he stared at me through the full-length mirror.

       "I don't but I just lost my child so I need someone to take out my rage on," I replied as I adjusted my belt.

        "Anger can be a very deadly feeling," Derek warned and I simply shrugged.

         "Nothing you say will change my mind," I replied as I walked past him and plucked the gun from the drawer nearby.

       Derek reluctantly followed me down the stairs of the mansion. Everyone was already awaiting for us. Alessandra stood next to her new husband, Esmeralda was leaning against the fireplace with a glass of whiskey in hand, the Sokolovs sat together on the couch near Alessandra.

"Satin looks good on you," Esmeralda commented as she took a sip of her honey brown liquor.

Alessandra rolled her eyes at Esmeralda's childlike behavior and turned to us with a serious face.

"Vincenzo's men are inside and awaiting our arrival," Alessandra said as she looked down at her watch. "They will set off a divergent before we move in. The Sokolovs and their men are going in from the west wing, Esmeralda and Samantha you will go in from the backside and we will go in from the front. Understood?"

We all nodded before we each went to our assigned vehicles. The soldiers from the four different families all mounted into three large trucks disguised as moving trucks. That was Vincenzo's doing. He had been informed that Santos' was expecting new drug merchandise and so the moving trucks would be our Trojan horse.

I looked out the window at the mansion where only Dante and Caterina remained. I did not have the guts to see Dante before my departure, I knew he would try and stop me, but this was something I had to do.

"He'll be okay," Esmeralda assured as she offered me a friendly smile. This was the first smile that didn't contain any hint of flirting. "Despite being pendejo (dumbass) at times, he is strong."

I chuckled at her choice of words, but offered her a thankful smile. I needed a little laugh to lighten the dark, tense mood surrounding us.

"We are going to have to stop here and continue by foot," Tomas said as he slowed down the vehicle a few feet away from the Mancini estate.

       Esmeralda and I stepped out of the vehicle along Tomas and Derek. We walked along the dark, desolate woods until we reached the outskirts of the Mancini mansion. There were trip-mines that would electrocute any intruder, but Vincenzo's men had taken care of them prior to our arrival.

       We snuck as close as we could to the mansion without being detected. I looked up and found some of Santos' men patrolling the area, moving back and forth on the rooftop with their snipers at hand.

       "We are in position," Esmeralda spoke into her ear-piece that kept us connected with the other members.

       "Copy that, we will move in once we get the signal from my men on the inside," Vincenzo replied.

       We all waited at our designated spots until we got the signal. The mansion went dark for two seconds before the lights came back on and flickered twice in less than a second.

       "That's the signal!" Derek shouted and we all ran toward the house. Chaos erupted as guns began to fire. The lifeless bodies of the men on the rooftop fell to the ground with a loud thud and were replaced by our men.