Chapter 70: Mariana's pov

"Alejandro?"

"Hm," he answers.

"Are you ready?" I ask.

"Absolutely, gorgeous. . ."

It's been. . .

Wait, what were you thinking? That I killed him? That I have what it takes to look him in the eye and kill him? I'm really not that bad. Of course I pulled the trigger, but I knew I had no bullets left in the chamber.

I was simply playing around.

Now, back to what I was saying.

It's been a month since I wiped every single soul in the Denaro's estate-save for family and my men and Alejandro-clean and replaced them with new ones.

And in those thirty one days, I've plotted, planned, got myself ready, and now, It's time to execute my plan.

I do a headcount. Twenty. Eighteen of the people in the back of this van are my men, and then there's me and Aleajndro. Truth is, I don't care if every other person doesn't make it out alive, as long as Alejadnro does.

Well. . . he's my baby.

My big, teddy bear baby.

We all jump out of the van, our guns tight in our hands, pointed forward, ready to destroy anything that comes before us. We move silently, like we're one with the dark, one with the shadows.

This is me, in my element. This is me doing what I've been trained to do-kill, search, and rescue. Like a dog. Only I didn't think a day will come when my brother will be in need of my skills.

My eyes shift to the side, catching Alejadnro's focus. It warms my heart. And it makes me remember how many times we argued about me coming here, how many times he begged me not to come.

Because he loves me too much to let me put myself in danger.

Because he will not forgive himself if anything were to happen to me.

Such a lover boy.

The warehouse stands in front of us, dark and silent. Too silent. And in my years of experience, I know what this kind of silence means. Chaos, trap, loss. I won't let that happen. I'm too prepared to lose.

My hand tightens around my gun as I take a deep breath. Mariano could be in there-or he could be gone. But there's only one way to find out.

Alejandro steps beside me. "We go in fast and hit hard," he says quietly.

I nod. "Stay close."

"Stay close?" he asks, "why? Are you afraid that something might happen to me?"

"Hm," I hum in agreement.

"Why?" He asks again, his tone playful, "because you love me?"

I cut him a glare. Is he seriously going to talk about love right when we're walking into chaos?

Well. . . maybe he's done this so many times it doesn't really phase him.

Scoffing, I answer on a whispered breath, "yes, Alejandro, I love you and I want you to come out of here unscathed."

"Right back at you, Mariana."

That spreads my lips into a small smile.

My men spread out, moving carefully. The heavy doors groan as we push them open. It's dark inside, the air thick with the smell of oil and metal.

"Move," I whisper into the comms.

We step in. For a moment, it's still, just the sound of our boots on the concrete. Then it happens-gunfire erupts from the shadows. Alejandro nudges me to the side and the bullet narrowly misses my arm.

And then he fires into the dark. A groan resounds, a body thudding. "I told to be fucking careful, Mariana. . ." he breathes, fear laced in his voice.

My lips pull apart for words but multiple gunshots beat me to it. "Take cover!" I shout, diving behind a stack of crates. And then the silent chaos becomes as loud as possible. Bullets fly, ricocheting off metal beams. Men scream, and grunt.

Some drop dead.

Alejandro crouches beside me, firing back. "They were ready for us!"

"No kidding," I snap, peeking out to return fire. "We need to move forward. Cover us!"

Alejandro is in front, crouching and firing while I move behind him. The fight becomes more and more chaotic. My men move in sync, covering each other as we push forward.

An explosion rocks the building, shaking the ground beneath us. I cough as dust fills the air, but I keep moving. I can't stop now.

We clear room after room, but there's no sign of Mariano. Finally, we reach the back of the warehouse. I kick open a door, my gun raised.

It's empty.

"No," I whisper, my chest tightening. "Fuckng hell."

Alejandro steps inside, looking around. He punches the wall. "He's not here."

I swallow hard, forcing the disappointment down. "We need to get out of here. Now."

We retreat, my men covering each other as we leave the building. The fight doesn't stop until we're outside. But then it becomes an ambush. We're surrounded by wild looking men, their violence evident in the way they're grunting.

And I don't need to look too closely to know who they fight for.

Radimr and his fucking big men.

"Do you think you can handle fighting them?" Alejandro draws back until his huge form is shielding me.

I chuckle. "I'm a big girl, baby. Killed five of those fuckers while my ribs were ripped apart."

"That's my girl. . ." he praises.

On signal, one of my men detonates a bomb strapped inside the warehouse. The explosion vibrates the ground, even throwing some of the men off balance. A distraction, the good kind. The warehouse burns behind us, more explosions tearing through it.

And that's when we strike. My men fan out, taking the men into an intense fight they didn't see coming. Alejandro moves like a shadow, quick and deadly, taking out two men before they even see him.

One of the attackers rushes at me, swinging the butt of his rifle. I dodge, grabbing his arm and twisting hard. He yells, but I don't hesitate-I shoot him point-blank.

Another explosion goes off, throwing dirt and debris everywhere. I shield my face, coughing as I try to stay focused.

"Push forward!" I yell to my men.

Alejandro steps in front of me, his movements fluid as he takes out the last man standing.

The silence that follows feels deafening.

I lower my gun, my chest heaving. My men regroup, their faces grim, determined.

"We need to move," Alejandro says, his voice steady. "They'll send more."

I nod in agreement and we're all running into the van. The van speeds through the rocky deserts and all that filters into my ears are the curse words flying out my men's mouth. I lean back, and run a hand through my hair, my head shaking.

Alejandro's cologne wafts through my nostrils as he crosses over and sits beside me. "Is there something you're not telling me, Maria?" he asks, his tone pinged with suspicion.

I crane my head to the side and stare at him with indifference. "I don't know what you're talking about." I reply.

"You don't?" He chuckles wryly, "yet, here you are, looking so unbothered, so relaxed after you failed to rescue your brother. Is this a joke to you?"

"I did not fail," I respond, my tone sharp.

His brows pull into a frown as he asks, "what?"

"I did not fail," I repeat, "I don't fail. I simply put up a show for them, a distraction. The real game is yet to begin."