Page 128 of Angelic Vengeance

She slowly took it from me,opening it to see the twenty-four-karat gold bracelet I’d bought months ago. It was about fucking time I gave it to her.

Her finger brushed over the charm of the devil and angel embracing.

“It’s like you and me,”I murmured,suddenly feeling nervous.“Us.”

Her eyes met mine.“Zach… It’s beautiful.”

“May I?”When she nodded,I took her wrist and clipped the bracelet on. I ran my thumb over it,admiring the gold against her tan skin. The confession escaped me.“I bought it after your other one broke. Not sure why I didn’t give it to you sooner.”

Her arms wrapped around my neck,my hands settling on her hips.“Thank you.”Her lips brushed mine before falling into a deeper kiss.

“ZACH!”

The sweet, comforting memory turned to smoke before my eyes, leaving a sour feeling behind.

Graffitied brick walls, starless night sky, steam from the vents, sirens echoing off the main streets, light summer breeze, distant Spanish music coming from an open window.

I glanced over my shoulder, pissed off for no reason.

Trevor was holding a metal backdoor open. We were on some side-alley Midtown. “What the hell, man? I’ve been blowing up your phone for twenty minutes.”

I glanced down at the phone in my hand. Nine missed calls. Multiple text messages.Shit. I needed to get out of my head.

Pushing off my car, I made my way over, and we entered the dark building.

“What happened with Maria? You two work it out?”

‘Does it feel good,baby?’

‘Yeah,’She whimpered,her pillowy lips pressing against mine.

I ran my tongue over my teeth, pushing down the rage boiling in my veins. “Yeah, we worked out alright.”

“Good,” He replied, somewhat distracted, and I didn’t correct him. He opened another door, and we entered a large back-room, filled with weapons and ammunition. “This guy I know, ex-assassin, wanted to meet with you.”

“You sure he won’t try to kill me? Would hate to decapitate your new best friend.”

“I am loyal to the Su family and their associates.” A powerful, dark voice silenced the room. “Have beensince we were kids.”

I turned to face the man who we didn’t even hear walk in.

Black hair, black clothes, black eyes. Tall – maybe slightly taller than me and I was six-five – built, and with a shit-load of black Japanese-style tattoos ending right at his jawline. Both ears pierced and a nose ring.

I was no longer the most tattooed person in every room I walked into. I mentally snickered thinking about how Matteo would have a heart attack. His voice echoed in my head,Don’t make your body identifiable.

“An honor to finally meet the secondDiabloJunior.”

Only very few people who were involved in our business knew I wasn’t the original leader of our Cartel,because they’d met Matteo before me. The originalDiablowas our father, who Matteo took after, then me. However, no one on the outside knew whoDiablowas, or that the name had been passed down.

My eyes turned to slits. “Zach is fine.”

He smirked. “Zane Takashi.”

Trevor shook his head at both of us before starting some conversation with Zane. I turned back to the steel walls, admiring the machinery and weapons while they caught up before our meeting.

Machine guns, sniper rifles, automatics, pistols, machetes, katanas…Who the fuck was this guy?The only things missing were explosives.

My eyes zeroed in on some type of box-shaped machine. There was one band that went in, already filled with ammunition. “Yo, what’s this?” I asked over my shoulder.

---