Page 24 of To Claim A King
“According to Hillary, half of the building is unoccupied for most of the year, anyway.” Mycompañero’swords were muffled as he turned into the rear parking lot of a public park, near to our targeted building. “Foreign nationals, that sort of thing.” He raised a critical eyebrow in Lauchlan’s direction. “You’re sure you can rig it to stay within her residence? No other casualties?”
“Pretty sure.” The Irishman grinned and pulled out a series of supplies from the backpack at his feet. “Can’t say I’ve ever rigged a job this size before, but I’m excited for the opportunity.”
Wonderful.Rojowas a pyromaniac, in addition to simply being a maniac. Kellan and I exchanged a meaningful stare through the rearview mirror. We were allowing this man to execute this plan unattended. Perhaps a bigger risk than the FBI.
Once Lauchlan had organized his supplies, Kellan drove out of the parking lot and toward our mission.Mi Reinacould still access the building’s camera system, including the exterior feeds. Nothing suspicious had been noted in thetime since her hacker’s decapitation, but our tactical agent continued to be cautious as we approached the underground parking garage. Hillary had given him a device that would open the doors into her private bay.
The rumble of the vehicle between layers of confining concrete was obnoxious in the tomb-like structure. We waited in silence for a few minutes in the dark, listening for any sign of activity before opening our doors.
The plan was simple, as I would expect it to be fromRojo. Kellan had obtained a camera scrambler during his time in the FBI to fully cover our actions when the authorities analyzed the recordings in the coming days.
Armed with the codes to get inside the condo and the panic room, Lauchlan would set up the mechanisms to start the fire remotely. Once the fire was set in the elevator, we would reconvene in the underground garage, then pull the trigger, setting off a minor explosion in the panic room, kitchen, and living room to look like a coordinated attack instead of a cover-up.
I could admire the elegance and simplicity. The man pretended to be the least intelligent person in the room, but I was now certain he was often the smartest. Most clever, certainly.
“Off I go!” Lauchlan exclaimed as he tugged on the heavy pack over his broad shoulders. He pulled down the ski mask over his crown of thick hair, and winked a glowing green eye at the pair of us before stepping out of the vehicle.
It felt useless to be idle when he was setting fires to protectMi Reina, but I’d joined the mission as an observer and had to accept that fate. Kellan remained in his seat, pushing the lever to lower into an inclined position. He scanned the parking garage before shifting to face me, navy eyes scrutinizing me for weakness.
“Are you hurting?”
The question was abrupt, but not sharp, genuine concern for my well-being. Nodding, I touched the portion of my abdomen still bandaged to protect the stitching beneath.
“It is not comfortable, but there is no pain tonight,” I assured him, relieved it was not a lie. “Areyouhurting?” I volleyed the question back, no longer speaking about physical ailments. “Betrayal is the most brutal of hurts. You have faced many these past few weeks.”
As expected, the formidable man simply grunted and closed his eyes, as if this were a worthy response to the question. I did not push him, waiting in the cab's silence for a proper reply. When I said nothing for several moments, he cracked open one eye, and blew out a breath of annoyance at my expectant frown.
“Yeah, it sucks.” He placed his tattooed knuckles over his eyelids and rubbed hard, as if scrubbing the thin skin could erase his sins. “But not unexpected. I didn’t expect it to be this soon, or in this way, but I’ve always had one foot in each world, without belonging to either. There's not a whole lot of loyalty in the cartel.” He huffed out a bitter laugh. “Or law enforcement, apparently.”
“Are you able to kill your brothers?”
I was curious about this answer. I did not have the burden of siblings, and I could only consider it a luxury. Veronica and Vicente did not need more children to ruin. The connection came from growing up with other children was unknown to me.
He cocked his head, the usual waves of blond hair plastered tight to his forehead with the aid of the ski mask shoved over top. “I’ll know when the time comes, I guess. I want them dead, but not by my hand.” He stared at his knuckles, the “hell” and “hope” still vivid in the gray light of the parking garage. “There’s only one good man in my family, and he’s tucked away. Antonio doesn’t even know about him. I’ve already had to kill one brother, and it was the bureau who killed my other one. Neither of them weregood men, and these two… they’re all that’s left. But they don’t deserve to live either. They’ll both dance on my grave if they get to me first.”
I didn’t like the churn within my belly at that imagery. I would not allow a burial plot to be dug for this man.
“Then I will be the one to kill them, so you may save your energy for your father,” I announced, knowing as soon as I’d uttered the words they were a solemn vow to a man I cared for. “You have my word,compañero. They will not have to die by your hand.”
The brutal Viking’s hard mouth slacked at my declaration. The smooth lines of strong lips buried within the groomed beard turned up into a softened smile. “I appreciate that,Guapo. Estoy agradecido de tenerte como amigo.”
I am grateful to have you as a friend. The words were pleasant, but not the words I wanted from him.
“Is that what I am to you, Kellan?Soy más que un amigo. I am more than a friend.” I stared into the richness of his gaze, the sea of dark blue capturing me in its depths. He did not turn away, instead holding me prisoner within the intensity of his stare.
The gaze was a siren’s song. Unwittingly, I had shifted closer to his enormous frame still lying in the seat, and the heat of his body casting a warming glow against my skin.
“It is dangerous to be my friend,Guapo.” The low words barely registered as I remained caught in his commanding presence. “It is even more dangerous to be… more.”
I could now smell the spicy cinnamon scent on his breath, the bristles of his wiry beard tickling the skin of my chin.
“Don’t let my appearance fool you,compañero. I, too, am a dangerous man.”
My mouth muffled the gruff snort by covering his. The press of our lips was neither gentle nor kind. It was the kiss of desperate men succumbing to the solace of a similarspirit, abandoned men tasting forbidden fruit and relishing its flavor. Two hands cradled the base of my skull, forcefully pulling me even closer to shipwreck. I welcomed the reckoning as he tore my mouth apart with his tongue.
My erection pressed painfully against my trousers, this inevitable moment between us rising at the most inconvenient time and place, but I could not regret it. Kellan fulfilled a need in my soul I wished to keep. And I would fulfill my vow. I would kill his brothers to keep him.
The electronic sound of the garage door rising halted our kiss, our eyes widening at its implications. Kellan shot up, and peered into the side mirror to see two SUVs barreling inside.
