Defending Raven (Mountain Mercenaries #7)(70)

“Okay, Papá,” David whispered.

Every time he heard that name come out of his son’s mouth, Dave fell more and more in love, and it made him even more determined to get him and Raven out of Peru.

Hyperalert and still listening to the progress del Rio and his men were making toward the hut from the reports he was getting through his headset, Dave made a beeline for the crude stairway the residents had built into the back corner of the barrio, so they could easily go up and over the cinder-block wall separating them from the nicer neighborhood on the other side.

He saw Ball and Gray approach after he was on top of the wall, and they immediately began to dismantle the staircase. He hoped it wouldn’t take long, since it was constructed of boxes, pallets, and whatever other trash the residents had been able to scavenge, but the pile was immense.

The top of the wall was only about two feet wide, but Dave had no problem keeping his balance. He might be a big man, but he was agile—and he was carrying the most precious thing in his life. There was a twenty-foot drop-off on the other side, because of the hill the barrio was built on, but two hundred feet down the wall was a large slope that butted up to it, taking the twenty feet down to only eight. Walking along the top was the most dangerous part of the plan. They were exposed, and there was nowhere to hide. The other men had a plan to make their way to his location and fan out around them, but if del Rio wanted to pull out a gun and shoot, they’d be sitting ducks.

But Dave was fairly certain the man wouldn’t do that. He was conceited, and killing him quickly wouldn’t be satisfying enough. Dave had a feeling the second del Rio realized who he was, and that he’d survived only to outmaneuver him, he would crave some one-on-one retribution.

He was also betting the asshole wouldn’t want to damage his investment . . . David. He had a lot of plans for the boy, and it wasn’t likely he’d order his men to shoot either of them.

At least, Dave was counting on that.

He started walking, reaching the halfway point to his destination when del Rio’s men spotted him and ran toward him with their weapons drawn. Dave had time to tell his men that he’d been spotted and to get their asses to his location to mitigate the threat when del Rio called out.

“Stop right there, or I’ll order my men to shoot!”

Eyeing how much farther he had to go, Dave knew he could make it to where he needed to be with five or six quick steps. But there was no way he was going to risk David getting shot. He needed the cover of his team so he could make it the last fifteen feet or so to relative safety.

He turned to face the man who’d made his life a living hell for the last ten years.

Del Rio looked up at him in absolute fury. “You!” he exclaimed.

“Me,” Dave confirmed, squinting at the light shining in his eyes that someone was using to spotlight him on the wall.

“I told my man to make sure you were dead. I should’ve known when he didn’t return that he’d failed,” del Rio said in disgust.

“I’m not dead,” Dave told him flatly.

In an instant, the anger disappeared from his tone, and the arrogance returned. “No matter. You aren’t going to get away with my boy,” del Rio said as he tugged on his suit jacket and absently brushed dirt off the front.

“Like hell I’m not,” Dave called out. He heard his men through the radio telling him they’d be there in twenty seconds. Just enough time to tell del Rio what he thought of him before he could get out of there with his son. David was holding him with a firm grip and had his head buried in his neck.

Tightening one arm around the boy’s waist, Dave didn’t give del Rio time to say anything else.

“I’d planned to give you a quick and easy death. There’s no way I’m going to let you live to continue to ruin the lives of women and children as if they’re nothing but dirt under your shoe. But now, I’m going to make sure you suffer endless pain before you die. For every woman you forced into a life she didn’t want. For every child who lost their mother, and for every kid you stole from their family and forced to do things no sane person would allow, you’ll pay.”

Del Rio laughed. “And how do you propose to do that?” he asked. “You’re the one surrounded with no way out. You have no idea how much power I hold in this country. I own the government, the military, the police. Even the people in this shithole work for me! There’s nowhere you can go and nowhere you can hide. Just give me the boy, and I’ll make sure your death is quick.”

“That’s what’s wrong with people like you. You think you’re invincible. News flash, Roberto, you’re not.”

Dave saw that the use of his first name pissed him off. Del Rio loved being known by his surname. Loved the fear it struck in the hearts of his countrymen.

Ten seconds.

“I’m going to kill you,” del Rio growled. “Then I’m going to find your woman, bring her back to my home, and offer her up for free to anyone who wants a go. Maybe I’ll bring her to the barrios and allow anyone and everyone to take their shot without giving a fucking sol in return! You’ve fucked not only her, but anyone she associates with as well. They’ll all pay for your interference!”

Dave didn’t rise to the bait, but he felt David trembling against him and was relieved this conversation was almost done. His men would converge on del Rio and his goons, and in seconds, all hell was going to break loose. “The problem with being on top is that you have a hell of a long way to fall.” He mock-saluted the man on the ground beneath him. “So long, Roberto. I won’t ever see you again, but you’ll constantly be looking over your shoulder. Karma is a bitch—and she’s coming for you.”