Page 60 of Corey
Her first instinct to call Barrera a snake had been spot on. The man’s eyes were cold, hard and black like obsidian. Wearing a fancy suit and too much gold jewelry—the man definitely liked his gold—he was younger than she’d expected, maybe mid-thirties. He could’ve been fairly attractive if it weren’t for the slimy feeling he gave her. She had no doubts about what he’d doto her if given the chance. He also radiated a ruthless energy that immediately put her on alert.
“This is Sera Darling—my gift to you,” Joel announced, standing taller, as though he was proud to hand her over to the drug kingpin. She felt sick to her stomach.
Barrera turned his full attention on Joel, searing him with a scathing look. “Am I supposed to thank you, Joel? Be grateful to you for bringing this woman to me against her will?”
For the first time, Joel looked uneasy. “I-I heard you had a penchant for blue-eyed blondes and—”
“Shut up, Joel,” Barrera said calmly. The man didn’t appear angry, just deadly. Like he was tired of dealing with the annoying gnat buzzing around his head. “You fucked up,mi amigo, and you know I can’t have that.”
Joel lifted his hands, attempting to placate the other man. “It wasn’t my fault—it’s hers!”
Joel pointed at her like a tattling child.
“You shot and killed Jeremy, not me,” Sera pointed out, emboldened by Barrera’s attitude toward Joel.
“But your former military friends sicced the CIA on—”
“Enough!” Barrera snapped, causing both Sera and Joel to jump. He adjusted his gold watch encrusted with diamonds. “I accept your gift.”
Barrera rattled something off in Spanish, then Snake walked over and grabbed Sera’s arm.
“Take her up to my room,” Barrera ordered, and her heart fell.
As the guard tugged her back into the house, she heard Joel start to talk about setting up a new base of operations, but Barrera cut him off.
“Our partnership is over,mi amigo.”
A moment later, a single gunshot split the air. Sera cried out, whipping her head around to see Joel drop to his knees then topple face first onto the cobblestones. Blood began pooling beneath his head as Barrera lowered a gun. Then he handed it off to his other thug and adjusted the cuff on his suit jacket.
Oh, God, no.Her knees threatened to buckle and tears began to spill from her eyes.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Corey glanced down at the large watch on his wrist. They’d made it to Sinaloa in record time, landing on a small grassy strip in the middle of nowhere. Mitch made sure an SUV with dark-tinted, bulletproof windows was waiting. They’d settled on a plan which wasn’t a whole lot more sophisticated than “blow shit up,” but time was of the essence. Better to strike hard and fast than waste another precious second ironing out the details.
As they drove through the hills of Culiacan, past large, gated luxury homes, Corey’s worry increased. By his calculations, Sera had been down there for at least an hour already, and he hoped to God she was alright. The idea of her being at Joel and Barrera’s mercy made him queasy. Both men were cold-hearted and cruel.
She’d already been through so much, and every single cell in his body yearned to shelter her from everything bad in the world. He wanted to be her warrior, protect and shield her from any harm that might come her way.
For the last twenty years, Corey’s world had been cold, gloomy and gray. He thought he’d find some kind of solace, possibly a modicum of peace, in his forced isolation. But pulling away from the rest of the world—from his friends who cared—and hiding up in his mountain cabin produced the exact opposite effect. Guilt and PTSD began strangling him, and every day it had become a little harder to breathe.
And then the freshest breath of air filled his lungs when Sera appeared. Despite her tragic past, she was a glorious light, brightening Corey’s world in every possible way. She radiated kindness and a beautiful energy that he wanted to bask in.
Sera Darling had helped vanquish the depressing gray that had dominated his life, replacing it with vibrant color. And, most importantly, with fresh seeds of hope that had taken a fragile root in his battered soul.
He refused to lose her.
If he did, he feared he’d lose himself in the darkness forever.
“Everyone ready?” Brand asked, interrupting Corey’s thoughts.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Chaz said.
Jayson slowed down as they approached the back of Barrera’s house right at dusk. Corey looked around at his team, his heart swelling. They were the best group of men, and he owed them more than he could ever repay.
The SUV stopped in the shadow of soaring hedges. Beyond the tall greenery, Corey could see peeks of a cement wall topped with barbed wire. José Barrera didn’t want anyone on his property who hadn’t been invited.
Too damn bad,Corey thought, checking the pistol holstered at his side and the flashbangs on his belt. Because the drug lord was about to get a big fucking surprise. And although a certain amount of stealth would happen, he didn’t think it would last for long. José Barrera was a dead man—Corey would make sure of it—but he probably wouldn’t go out quietly.
