Page 112 of Crowned In Blood
Fuck!
Felipe dragged himself to the front door, and I shot once more, but he swung it closed.
Then his house turned into a steel fortress. Large metal storm panels rolled down in front of every door and window. I shot at the gate, but it did nothing.
We finished off the last of Felipe’s men, then Marco pulled me to my feet.
“Do you think the bazooka can blow a hole through it?” I asked.
“It should, but I don’t like that he’s in there while we’re out in the open.”
I nodded, quickly checking for any spaces I thought Felipe could defend from. There had to be a reason he’d barricaded himself in his house, and it wasn’t just to protect his family. He either had reinforcements to call, or another way to deal with us.
Marco whistled, capturing our men’s attention, and I made a circle in the air, then pointed to the few remaining cars, commanding them to fall back and regroup.
“Keep your eyes open,” Marco warned. “He’s planning something.”
Our men nodded. But just as we went to reload the bazooka, the metal creaked, slowly rolling back up.
What the fuck?
I exchanged glances with Marco, who was just as confused and concerned as I was. Slowly, we approached the gates, guns drawn. The hairs on every inch of my body stood at attention as my eyes darted to each window and door.
I couldn’t see any movement or anyone as we made our way to the front steps. Slowly, the door opened, and there stood Felipe’s daughter, Julianna.
Her eyes widened as she took in our army, then shifted to me, and then Marco. “Are you Catalina Salazar and Marco Torrino?”
“Yes.” I lowered my gun slightly. Not that I wouldn’t shoot her if I had to, but I truly hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
She met my eyes and squared her shoulders, then held out her hand, revealing a small gray USB. “This has everything I have on my father. Every deal, bank account, transaction that he’s made, every business venture, associate he’s met with, and alliance he’s formed.”
I drew back. My gaze shifted to Marco’s, and he nodded, confirming he’d cover me if anything happened.
I tucked my gun into the holster at my waist and took the USB cautiously from her. “Why are you giving us this?”
“My father has been trafficking women and children. He’s a disgusting bastard, and he needs to be stopped.”
Felipe was involved in trafficking?
Could this be what we’d been searching for?
We hadn’t been able to make a link between Felipe, Fernando, and Simon, but maybe this was why. If what Julianna was saying was true, it’s possible Fernando and Felipe were secretly in business together, or Felipe followed in Fernando’s footsteps once he passed, and that's why he was now working with Simon.
Either way, this should help us find my missing people.
“What do you want in return?” Marco stepped closer to me. But the moment he did, Julianna flinched.
It was quick, but we both saw it. Felipe had been hurting her,abusingher.
Marco immediately shifted back, not wanting to make her more uncomfortable.
She gulped, her gaze focusing back on me, and when she spoke, her voice was unsteady. “I… I can’t stop him. I can’t fix what he’s done, not by myself.” She licked her lips, then a hardness set into her. One that shouldn’t have had to be there. One I recognized all too well. “Kill him. I don’t care how, but kill him. And my mother.”
I tilted my head. “Both of them?”
“Yes.” Julianna clenched her hands. “She knew, and she supported him. She’s a selfish person who only cares about herself. I know we’re not saints. But that… that’s not something I can accept.”
“Do you realize what this will mean for you? You would be the new head of a family where we’ve killed off many of your men. Your assets and protection would be limited, and you would need to use everything you have to rebuild.”
