Page 47 of Abra's Acquisition
Rey nods as Vladimir joins us. I become like smoke as I move through the neighborhood until I reach my destination. Maison des Cinq Chênes is a grand townhouse with pale stucco walls and wrought-iron balconies that curl around the facade of each of its four stories. The house boasts many windows, so I need to approach with care.
Luckily, very little care has been taken in the landscaping, so I can use the overgrown foliage to conceal my approach. When I reach the house, I glance inside. I can see movement through the door. After jimmying the window open, I slide inside. That’s when I hear voices.
“You will tell me what I want to know, or I’ll make sure your woman finds her way into my brothel,” a man threatens. “In fact, all of your women will be my guests when I’m done with you. Where is the jewelry?”
I don’t recognize the voice, but I do recognize the Spanish accent, which belongs to Miguel Costa.
“I don’t have the jewelry,” Ryan says. “I pawned them.”
The sound of flesh hitting flesh tells me Miguel didn’t like his answer.
I lean out far enough to see what I’m up against. Miguel and his men have Ryan, Naomi, and my family surrounded. I’ll need Vladimir’s help to take them out. Pulling out my phone, I send him my plan.
EPILOGUE: REY
I stare at the location where Abra disappeared just moments before. I’m terrified of what he might be facing, but I know that if anyone can sneak into a building undetected, it’s him. Abra is like smoke when he wants to be stealthy. It feels like hours, but I know it has only been a few minutes when Vladimir’s phone rings.
Vladimir pulls out the phone and reads the text. “Abra’s inside. Miguel Costa is holding everyone prisoner.” As Vladimir relates Abra’s findings, several large SUVS with tinted windows pull into the parking lot. A dozen men in black exit the vehicles and move to join us. Vladimir glances up and nods at one man, who takes his position next to Vladimir. He must be Vladimir’s second-in-command. Vladimir explains the situation and describes Abra’s plan.
“What do you want me to do?” I ask.
“Go sit in the car and wait,” Vladimir says. “You need to stay safe, or Abra will kill me. I really don’t want to die.”
I cross my arms and glare at the man who looks so much like Hex, except for his cold, blue eyes. Hex’s eyes are as dark as a demon’s, while Vladimir’s eyes look as cold as ice. I wouldn’t let either man keep me from helping my man and my friends.
“That’s not going to happen,” I tell him. “I can help provide a distraction. I can knock on the front door. They’ll focus on me, so your men can go in unnoticed. Even if only one man opens the door, the others will shift their attention.”
“And if they start shooting instead of answering the door?” Vladimir asks.
“They won’t because they can’t risk a neighbor calling the cops,” I assure him as I hold my phone. “Besides, if you don’t let me help, I’ll call my brothers, who are cops, and tell them about the kidnapping. My brother, Max, has wanted to put Miguel Costa in jail for years.”
“Your brother is a cop?” Vladimir asks in surprise. “Jesus, what are the Demon Dawgs thinking? First, a fucking FBI agent, and now the sister of a cop? Is Hex trying to land his club in jail?”
I frown at his words, not understanding his meaning about the FBI agent. What FBI agent? “All three of my brothers are cops,” I correct him.
Vladimir shakes his head. “I could take your phone and tie you up before dumping you in the car, but I don’t know how Abra will feel about that. Plus, I don’t want to deal with your brothers right now. Okay, here’s the plan. You and I will knock on the door. Seeing me might give Costa pause. My resemblance to Hex will confuse him. The rest of you, follow the plan once Rey and I create the diversion.”
Vladimir takes my hand as we walk down the sidewalk to our destination. His eyes study the facade as we approach the door. He positions himself in front of me as he reaches to ring the doorbell. I hear the melodic tone echo through the hallway beyond the door as we wait for it to open. When the door doesn’t immediately open, I figure they plan to ignore us. However, before I can ask Vladimir what we should do, the door opens to reveal the man I saw at the auction earlier. The man Abra pointed out as Miguel Costa.
Miguel’s eyes sweep over me before turning to my companion. His eyes widen when he takes in Vladimir. “What?” he asks, turning slightly to look behind him. Vladimir uses Miguel’s distraction to pounce. He grabs hold of the smaller man and yanks him outside, and captures him in a chokehold. Vladimir presses a gun to Miguel’s head before pushing inside. The commotion we make is enough of a distraction to allow Abra and Vladimir’s men to rush into the room and disarm Miguel’s men. The hostage situation is over without a single shot being fired. I rush over to untie Hex and Cleo while Abra and Vladimir help the others.
Once everyone is free, Abra pulls me into his arms and glares at Vladimir. “You were supposed to keep her safe, not put her in danger!”
Vladimir holds his hands up in surrender while sending me a wink. “She threatened me. What was I supposed to do?”
Abra scowls at him before shifting his attention to me. “You threatened him?”
I nod. “I told him I’d call my brothers if he didn’t let me help. Speaking of which, maybe I should call them to take these guys into custody.”
Abra frowns at my suggestion, but looks at Hex for direction. “You know that might not be a bad idea. The cops could arrest them for breaking and entering as well as kidnapping. That would wipe some of the shine off Miguel and get them behind bars for a while. If they manage to slip through, we could always deal with them ourselves.”
“Good idea, go ahead and call Max,” Hex says.
I take out my phone and do as they asked. While we wait for Max and his men to show up, I turn my attention to Ryan. “Were you able to open the cache?”
Ryan is busy rubbing Naomi’s wrists, but he glances at me and grimaces. “No, we barely got inside when those guys barged in and took us prisoner.”
“Open it now,” Naomi says, gently pulling away from her husband. “You’ve waited so long for this moment. Take it.”
