Page 25 of Retribution

I relaxed my body, letting down my guard while he breathed down my neck.

“You seem impressed,” I responded sweetly. “Have you seen a woman so hot before?”

“I see dozens of hot women like you daily.”

While we conversed, I slowly reached for my stiletto from it sheath attached to my belt. I leaned back into him, resting my head back on something hard which I assumed to be his shoulder.

“You horny little thing,” he said. “I should just have you before I kill you.”

He relaxed his grip just a little bit which gave me the opportunity to twist around, my blade sinking into his belly.

“Oh, who’s the horny one now?” I twisted the knife, sinking it deeper. “And who are you?”

“Fuck you!”

I pulled the blade and swiped it across the soft flesh of his throat. “No, fuck you!”

As he sank to the ground, I took a long look at him. Tall, thin, kinda boney, deep bronze skin, bleach blond hair and dark brown eyes. He wasn’t ugly but wasn’t great looking either. In his left ear he had an earring with a stone the color of blue topaz.

His name was Topaz, the one Santiago sent to do his dirty work. I stared down at the bloodied body as Luca and Sandy spoke of Topaz and his men.

While some of our men were injured and two died in the combat, most of Topaz crew were dead. The six who remained were placed into our custody as we pondered what to do with their leader.

“Return to sender with another message. This time, we follow the trail,” was my suggestion.

Luca looked at me like a proud husband. I rolled my eyes at him and turned away with a smile. That man knew how to make my heart flutter.

The plan was foolproof. The best of the street team would follow Topaz and his man wherever they went. If they had to split into groups to do it, so be it. But no one would return without a report on where Santiago was. That was an order.

Chapter 16

Ciara

Luca went all in, and I hesitated. I knew my hand was good but wasn’t sure how much. I looked at my cards, then looked at my money.

“All in,” I declared after a long minute.

“You sure?” he asked, cocking a brow.

“No … yes, yes I’m sure.” I sighed.

I wondered what his cards were. Did he have a royal flush? I drove me crazy not knowing.

“Come on,” I urged. “Lay your cards down.”

He placed a Jack of hearts, then a Jack of spades. He was doing this slowly. Two Jacks meant that he had either four of a kind or a full house. He placed another Jack, and my shoulders sagged, my heart sinking. I thought I’d lost until he set a queen down. That was three jacks and one queen. He had one card remaining in his hand, could it be another Jack?

“What’re you waiting for?” I urged. “Show me the last card.”

“No, you show me yours first.”

Impatiently I set down three tens and a queen. My phone buzzed but I let it ring out.

“Now show me your last card.”

“No, you show yours.”

“Are you kidding me?” The phone rang once more. “I should get this so just end the damn game.”