The Slayer (Untamed Hearts #2)(130)

He didn’t need to ask the Boricuas twice.

Neto opened the door for them as Chuito cautiously stepped around the dead bodies, trying not to slip on the pools of blood and gore, because that was the last thing he f*cking needed.

Outside was just as shocking as inside.

A sea of black SUVs lined the road as Italians surrounded the house like they were protecting Fort Knox. There were cop cars too, three that Chuito counted. He practically ran into Neto at the door because he was stopped there with a look of horror on his face.

“They’re in the mafia’s pocket.” Chuito knew it without asking, because the guys leaning against the cop cars weren’t in uniform. They were clearly off duty and there to detract anyone from calling the heat. Not that there seemed to be anyone around. Angel clearly picked this street because it was mostly abandoned, likely due to massive crime and the warehouse on the corner. “It’s fine,” he assured his crew in Spanish. “They’re all dirty.”

Neto and Miguel still weren’t moving, because like Marcos, they also had records and weren’t too inclined to trust that three cop cars was fine when they just walked out of the nightmare inside.

“Co?o,” Miguel whispered as he gave Chuito a look of disbelief.

“Yeah,” Chuito agreed, because knowing how connected the mafia was and actually seeing it were two different things. The Russians were insane to try to take Nova down. That was beyond fearless—it was a death wish Chuito didn’t have a name for. “I want you all out of this mess. Protect my chica. That’s all I need from you.”

Luis was the one who ran ahead and opened the door to Marcos’s truck parked in the driveway next to Tino’s GL.

“Is she hurt?” Luis asked in Spanish as he eyed Alaine in his arms. “Do we need to take her somewhere?”

“Marc is taking her to my mother. You guys follow,” Chuito said as he got to the car. “Protect the house. Lock down the street. We’ll meet you there.”

“You’re not coming?”

“No.” Chuito gave Luis a hard look. “I got something to take care of first.”

Luis glanced away, because he knew exactly what that meant.

“Where’s Junior?” Neto asked from behind him.

“He’s staying here.” Marcos still sounded really pissed off about it. “Chu—”

“He’s fine. I promise I won’t hurt your kid,” Chuito said as he put Alaine in the car, finally forcing her to see the chaotic sea of armed mafia gunman outside. Alaine looked behind her, but Chuito grabbed her face and met her gaze. “Listen to me, mami. Marc is taking you to my mother’s. She has clothes. Katie is there—” He turned back to his cousin. “Is Katie there?”

Marcos nodded. “Yeah, she’s there.”

“Okay.” Chuito turned back to Alaine, finding that he was fighting tears all of a sudden, in front of his crew, but what did he care. “I love you.”

“I want you to come.” Alaine grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly. “Come back with me. Don’t stay here. Please don’t stay here.”

“You have to go. I’ll meet you there.” He pulled back and looked down the street, because he still didn’t trust that real cops weren’t going to show up. “Get out of here. Get my cousin out. Get my boys out. They need a reason to leave, and you’re a good reason. They’ll keep you safe until I get to you.”

Alaine took a shuddering breath and looked past Chuito to Marcos and the others behind him. “I don’t want to leave you in that house. Please—”

“I’ll repent,” he offered her, because it was all he could think of that might work. It was the one thing she’d asked of him when she thought she was going to die. “Let me take care of this, and I’ll repent for you, but I need to stay.”

Alaine took another deep breath. Her hands were still shaking as she held on to him, but then she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. “I love you too.”

Chuito kissed her back, cupping her face for one long second he couldn’t afford. She was handling this much better than most women would. He’d underestimated her in that regard, and he planned to make it up to her. It was the only thing he could do.

He certainly couldn’t walk away from her now that she was neck-deep in the mafia bullshit. Nova would need her in.

For life.

If Nova hadn’t before, he did now, because she knew Tino had just caused a Russian apocalypse in that house, and Nova didn’t negotiate when it came to protecting Tino.

“Go.” He pulled away from her. “Get out. Right now. All of you.”

“Is Angel dead?” she asked in concern. “Or was that him I heard—”

“He’s dead,” Marcos answered for Chuito as he opened the driver’s-side door to his truck. “That motherf*cker is very dead, chica.” Then he leaned past Alaine and looked at Chuito, who wasn’t letting go of Alaine any more than she was releasing him. He said sharply in Spanish, “You want me to protect her? Let me get her out of here.”

Chuito let Alaine go and stepped back. “I love you,” he repeated and then closed the door before she could respond.

Alaine crumple in the seat, her body shaking with sobs before Marcos was out of the driveway. Chuito watched them disappear down the street and then turned to go back into the house without another word.