Page 17 of They Found Us

“There’s no doubt youwillbe coming with me. He is demanding to speak to Leo Guerra.”

My blood runs cold. “Who is it?”

“How the fuck should I know? We will go now and find out. And on the way, you can justify this shit show.”

Once we are alone in the car, I begin to talk. At first, Alex doesn’t say much as I explain recent events He nods and cracks his neck, taking in the information. Mid-sentence, he cuts me off.

“Why the fuck did you have the phone in the first place?” he groans, rubbing his forehead.

“In case of emergencies such as this.”

“You were supposed to be dead. Dead people are not resurrected when there is a crisis, Leo. They stay dead.”

“I couldn’t leave my family without knowing they were safe. I knew if that phone never rang, everything back home was in order. It meant I could get on with enjoying my life without feeling guilty for being happy.” I turn to look at the side of my brother’s face. “I guess that’s how we differ, you and me. I still cared.”

Fury builds in Alex’s face. He doesn’t speak, so I continue. “You left your eighteen-year-old brother, who was never trained or brought up to be a leader, to deal with the mess you left. To stand on the front line of the Guerra. I blamed myself for your death.”

Alex bangs his fists against the steering wheel. “Do not talk to me about guilt. You have no idea what I have felt. How hard it was to leave you.”

I laugh. “You didn’t think twice about me. All you thought about was yourself.”

Alex abruptly swerves and pulls into the side of the road. The force of the brakes throws me forward.

“Shit!” I hold the dashboard to prevent myself from flying through the window. Probably should have fastened my seat belt.

“Did you even think about how convenient it was that we died when you were out of the country?” Alex grabs my shirt at the neck and pulls me to towards him.

I don’t fight. I stare into his eyes, which are full of rage and emotion.

“Everything was planned so you wouldn’t be anywhere near us. You would be safe. The Martelé wanted me dead. But they couldn’t get to me. They wanted to hurt me. I had taken one of theirs. Vanna. So, they wanted to take one of mine.” He presses his forehead firmly into mine before throwing me back into my seat.

Lost for words, I stare out of the window beside me. He did this to protect me.

“Don’t you dare say I didn’t care. The only way we differ is, I wasn’t stupid enough to have a phone. And I wasn’t stupid enough to go back.”

After a moment or two, Alex puts the car in Drive and sets off again. “Now let’s go and sort your mess out.”

When the cars pulls to a stop at the airbase, Alex turns to me. “How did the Guerra get in such turmoil? It’s unimaginable. I can’t get my head around it. Marco is solid.”

Having no explanation, I shake my head and sigh.

We are met at the car by Alex’s contact, who leads us into an underground hangar. Two combat aircrafts stand pristine, men working underneath them.

“Has the detainee said anything since he arrived?” I ask the short bald man as he leads us through a door into a hallway.

“No. He refuses to speak to anyone. Just asks to see a Leo Guerra. So unless you are the man in question—” He looks to me. “—I doubt he will say a word.” He then stops outside another door. “He’s in here. The transport is ready for his departure whenever you are ready, Alex.”

Alex nods, and the bald man leaves.

As I’m about to open the door, Alex stops me with a hand on my shoulder. “I’ll do the talking. We find out who he is, who sent him, and if anyone else is with him. Then we escort him off the island and dispose of him.”

Now is not the time for a battle of egos with my brother, so I shrug his hand off my shoulder and enter the room.

I’m surprised to see who is restrained to the chair in front of me.

Chapter Eight

Leo

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