63. Antonio

Lucas breezes into the conference room adjacent to my office in the lodge. “Plane’s fueled. Everything’s in place.”

In addition to my men, Will has also sent a small cadre, and Mikhail and his men will be in Morocco as well, although they’re strictly behind the scenes, monitoring Nikitin’s movements.

We’ve been dropping resources in for the last two weeks. Including funneling men and women into Morocco through Algeria, the Canary Islands, and from all over Europe and Africa, by air, land, and sea.

We didn’t want a sudden influx so that there wouldn’t be anything to tip off Nikitin and draw him back into hiding. The only way we’ll need all the security is if we’re forced to take him down at the party. Hopefully it won’t come to that, but we need to be prepared.

I miss Daniela more than I’d ever admit to anyone, including myself. I want this over, so I can sink my cock into her warm body every day for the rest of my life. If she’ll have you. I don’t spend too much time on that thought. This is almost over. It has to be.

I’m not leaving Africa until we’ve put the sonofabitch in the ground.

“All right.” I glance from Cristiano to Lucas. “We’re ready.”

I turn to Lucas. “Take the rest of the afternoon off, and do whatever it is you need to do before we leave. Water your plants. Get your dick wet. Whatever. I don’t want to see you again until we board that plane tonight.”

Cristiano puts out his hand to Lucas. “You need anything, you know how to reach me, day or night.”

Lucas nods. “Don’t worry. I’m not afraid to wake your lazy ass up.”

“For the record,” Lucas says to me on his way out, “we could do this without you actually being there. He’ll show up if he even thinks you’re going to be there.”

“Maybe. But if he hears I’m there with beautiful women on my arm, throwing around money, it’ll piss him off to no end. Remember, he likes revenge.”

“Me too,” Lucas quips, before he disappears.

“Nikitin isn’t the only one who’s been seeing you with beautiful women on your arm,” Cristiano reminds me, tweaking my conscience, like it hasn’t been bothering me enough.

“I’m well aware. Trust me.”

“You don’t have to do this,” he continues, catching my eye. “I want the bastard, too. His fucking people abducted me off the street and held me prisoner. Nothing ever goes according to plan. We can find another way to get him. A way that isn’t going to risk your life.”

I need this to be over. If I die wiping him off the face of the earth, at least she’ll be safe. She has no value to him, except as a vehicle to get to me.

“I’m done looking over my shoulder. I’m done having people I care about blown out of the sky and abducted from alleys in broad daylight. But more than anything, I’m done living with the fear that Daniela is next. If Nikitin gets his filthy hands on her—” I suck in a long breath. “It will be a blessing if he kills her immediately. We both know it. She’s already been through hell. I’m not sure she can go through it again. She deserves better, even if I don’t.”

“I get it. I don’t like it, but I get it. But I want to go with you. I have skills that can be useful. I’m begging you to reconsider.”

I peer at him and shake my head. “No.”

“Is this because of—”

I hold out my hand to stop him. “It’s because Lucas is the right man to take with me. He has better technological skills than either you or me—or anyone else. And you’re the right man to leave here.”

He drums his fingers on the desk, impatiently, or maybe impertinently. Either way, he’s pissed to be left behind. Yes, it would be more than a little helpful to have him with us. But I need him here, more than I need him there.

“If anything happens to me, you have the ability to oversee Huntsman operations. You can transition Rafael, making sure he has all the support he needs to take over successfully. It will be a lot for him.” I pause to let some of this register with him. “And you’ll make sure Daniela and Valentina stay out of harm’s way, and that they have everything they need to make them happy. Lucas can do some of it, but you’re better at the emotional pieces. You have a kind of humanity that neither Lucas nor I have.”

He does. If I have to leave Daniela and Rafael in someone’s care, I want it to be his.

“You better fucking come back. Because I’m not cleaning up the shit you leave behind.” His words are tough, but it’s a cover for his voice that’s thick with emotion.

“You’re antsy because you’re staying behind. We have a solid plan.”

“I know,” Cristiano replies. “And I’m glad Lucas is with you. He’s meticulous. It’s just—this is bigger than what we normally get involved in. Other than lending Will a hand from time to time, and our little offensive in the US with Daniela, we operate in our little corner of Europe. We’re local thugs.”

Local thugs.I chuckle. “I plan on coming back and cleaning up my own shit. But I need to remain focused, and in order to do that, I need to leave someone behind who I’m confident can carry on if the plan goes off the rails.”

“I know you want this over, but don’t take any unnecessary risks. Nikitin is dangerous because he has nothing to lose. If he kills you, his luck could change overnight.”

“I don’t have a death wish.”

But I have everything to lose as long as that bastard is breathing.