Venomous King (Venom #2)

28. Diego

Chapter twenty-eight

Diego

“True love germinates in the soil of sacrifice, sprouts in the garden of surrender, and matures in the matrimony of servanthood. Love isn’t love until it has cost you something.”

Kris Valloton

W e move through the woods, our teams hidden in the dense foliage, fully armed and prepared. The gravity of our mission hangs heavy in the cold night air, visible in every breath I take. What if our plan goes askew? What if they harm the girls in their defense? I can’t allow myself to think like that, or I will fall into bitter despair, and ruin the plan. The need to charge ahead, and storm the compound to get them back, is almost overwhelming, and only the fear of the consequences of my actions halts me, and forces me to be rational.

To my left, I can see Theo, Carter, my man Vega, and a few more of Stella’s mercenaries, climbing quickly through the hills surrounding the compound. They are mere shadows, unless you know exactly where to look. The plan is for them to close off any avenue of escape to the rear, while my team, and Clark’s, take the front and side entrances.

Stella’s mercenaries were able to get an aerial drone to give us an idea of the layout of the building, and Stella, with her vast contacts and wealth, was able to access blueprints. We have an idea of where they are holding the girls, but no confirmation as of yet, on whether they are alive. I feel it deep within my soul that they are. My heart would know if Issy took her last breath. Isn’t that why I never gave up hope all these years, despite the evidence telling me she was gone. A part of me always believed she was still alive, and I’ll use that same knowledge and belief to lead me now.

A tap on my right shoulder has me turning and meeting solemn, crystal-blue eyes. He motions his head to the right, and I follow him into a thick crop of Dogwood bushes. He looks a bit comical, like a man playing at being a soldier, all strutted up in the black tactical gear Stella provided. I’m not even sure the prick will be able to shoot to kill if necessary, but he refused to remain behind, insisting that he had a right to rescue his girls. I’m not going to lie, he’s earned some of my respect through this whole mess, by remaining calm, logical, and determined to get Issy and Julia back. Even when Stella wanted to flay my skin from my bones, for being the cause of the Sanchez cartel taking them, he stood by my side, refusing to back down. It still doesn’t mean I like the fucker, but I hate him a little less in this instance.

“Promise me, no matter what, they get out alive. Vow to me that you will protect them, from this moment forward, and nothing like this will ever happen to our girls again.” His eyes implore me, and I can see the fear clearly etched in their depths. Fuck. Why does this prick have to get all sentimental right now? I’m barely holding my own sanity together, and he wants me to hold his hand too?

A part of me wants to be a dick and taunt him, to stop that fear that is already taking hold of him from further festering, but I see how serious he is. “I promise you.” I grip both his shoulders tightly. “No one will ever hurt the girls again, not even me. You have my fucking promise, pretty boy, now get your shit together, or I’ll punch you in the nuts.”

I go to pull away from him, and he yanks me back by the front of my vest. “If I’m wounded or dying, you leave me behind and get them out, no matter what Isabella demands, do you understand? They are the most important thing.”

I yank his fingers off of me and shrug away his hold. Does he really think that I would risk the girls for him? What a fucking idiot, I would be happy to be rid of him. Liar , my mind replies. You no longer want him dead, and some part of you is finally satisfied with the life you were experiencing with the girls and him. He balances out all your darkness, so you don’t drown the girls in nothing but violence. I quirk my lips up in a grin that I know is frightening to others. “Don’t worry about dying, Boy Scout; just make sure to aim your gun at the enemy, and keep firing until they stop moving.”

“You know I’m a farmer’s son, right, asshole? I grew up shooting guns on the farm,” he replies with a groan.

We return to our battalion and begin moving towards the front entrance. Stella’s men have already dispatched the guards all along the perimeter of the property without raising the alarm. There are a few stationed here that we must get through before we can enter, but we won’t be able to kill them, without alerting those within that we have arrived. I’m hoping that our sheer numbers will be enough to overtake them. I ready my gun, holding it tightly, and saying a final prayer that we will all get out of this alive, and that my girls will be safe.

“Go, go, go,” blares through the concealed earphone in my ear, and everyone charges forward. I shoot the enemy closest to me and keep going, not bothering to wait to see if he lives. We keep moving and are almost at the wide, solid wood door, when I am thrown to the ground from behind by a heavy weight, pushing my face down to the ground, and I attempt to wrestle it off of me. I fire blankly into the body above me, not knowing if it’s a friend or foe until it stops moving. It’s lifted off of me, and I struggle to get a deep breath into my lungs. I squint up and see Kai’s scowling face staring down at me.

“Get up, asshole, we need to get to the girls,” he growls, before rushing off toward the remaining enemies, and I observe him firing his gun with complete accuracy, and taking two men down. Well, look at that, pretty boy actually has some damn skills.

I’m on my feet and firing within seconds, gunfire and screams sounding all around us, and it’s beautiful music to my ears. I reach the door, just as a huge explosion sounds from the side of the compound. Clark is making his entrance, and we are behind making ours. “BLOW THE FUCKING DOOR, NOW!” I shout, and a man with a rocket launcher moves forward, aiming at the door. The explosion is so loud that I fear my eardrums are bleeding, but after wavering for a second on unsteady feet, I charge through the remains of the doorway and into the smoke, ready to kill anyone I meet.

It’s complete mayhem, with debris floating, and smoke in the air. Clark’s men are already pushing further within, and I can hear screams coming from the direction of the back, as Theo and Carter’s group make themselves known. No one is escaping this place alive that had a hand in taking my girls.

I race down a smoke-filled corridor, reloading my clip and shooting anyone who tries to stop me, as I slam door after door open. Empty. They’re all fucking empty, so where are the girls? Were they never here? Was our intel incorrect? Just as I’m about to turn back, I hear a scream that has all the hair on my body standing on end. Julia.

I search the last room on the right, but don’t see her. Smoke has reached this part of the compound, and shattered glass is everywhere. Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpse a small, pink sneaker on the ground. Cautiously, I start to move slowly, searching every shadow for my little girl, or someone lying in wait to murder me. I don’t have to wait long. A long-haired man dashes out with a blade raised above his head, and tries to stab me. I fire and get him in the shoulder, but he keeps coming. I fire again, this time getting him in the thigh, and he goes down for a moment, then gets back up, trying once again to charge me. What the fuck, seriously? This time I don’t fuck around, hitting him right between the eyes, and he crumples to the ground. Finally, fucker.

After scouring the rest of the room, I don’t find any further signs of Julia, even though I was sure I heard her scream coming from here. Could my mind be playing tricks on me? I rush back out into the fighting, making my way to the last couple of rooms on this side before I stop cold. In front of me is my little girl, her hands and feet tied together by an electrical cord, tears trailing down her blotchy face, and her mouth bound by a dirty rag. She thrashes against the bindings, and her beautiful, terrified green eyes meet mine. I take a step towards her only to realize they have her in a kiddie pool of water, and there are two large wires plunged within its depths. No, fuck no, not my little girl.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Diego. One more step toward her, and we’ll see if little Julia’s heart can withstand electrocution.” The smug voice has me tearing my eyes away from Julia and meeting Sonja Sanchez. She stands there in a black lace corset, tight leather pants, and ridiculous sky-scraper high heels, looking like a fucking villain right out of some raunchy comic book.

“Release her now, Sonja. This has gone on long enough,” I grit, my heart racing inside of my chest with every whimper that escapes Julia. Hold on, my little cherub, I’m going to get you out of here.

A chuckle sounds through the air. “Why would I do that, Diego, hmmm? What incentive do I have to comply with your demand? You’re going to kill me anyway for taking your puta (bitch), and this worthless child.“ She takes a step closer, and that’s when I notice one of her men near a generator. My eyes follow the line of the wires inside of the pool right to him. Fuck, if he turns that on, he’ll kill Julia instantly. There is no way her frail heart would survive the charge.

“You’re surrounded, Sonja; there is no way out for you. Why did you take them? You had to know that I would hunt you down and end you.” My eyes dart back and forth, trying desperately to come up with a way to get Julia out of here safely. Keep her talking, the longer we stand here, the better the chance of someone from our side finding us. Then I can yank Julia out before he powers the generator. I can’t lose her now, not now that I finally found her. She’s a part of me, the best part of me.

“You were mine, Diego. Our fathers wanted an alliance between the families, but you kept delaying the inevitable, all with hopes that ‘woman’ would return to you. She didn’t though, did she?“ Her burgundy lips part in a malicious grin that causes my blood pressure to rise further, and my fists to clench, as I tighten my hold on my weapon. I will end this bitch, and before I am done, I will cut out her insolent tongue and rip off her collagen-filled lips, before tearing out her beating heart, for daring to touch what is mine. “She ran and hid from you for years, and was even set to marry someone else, before you found her. You wasted all those years pining for her like a love-sick fool. The great and powerful Diego Cabano, la serpiente (the serpent) , destroyed for love.”

“I was never yours, I always saw right through you, Sonja. You didn’t want my love. You wanted my empire. You’re a black widow, I would have been dead within months of marrying you.”

She walks over towards Julia, and my little girl’s breathing becomes irate and ragged. Fuck, she’s so scared and can’t breathe. “Julia, look at Papi (daddy) . Everything is going to be fine. Do you hear me, cherub? Look at me, my pretty girl, I promise you everything will be okay; just breathe for me.”

“How touching, I never pictured you as a family man, just a killer. Regardless, you will watch your little girl die here before your eyes, and if your puta (bitch) is not already dead at my brother’s hands, she’ll wish she was.”

I put her comment about Issy to the back of my mind. Right now, I need to focus on Julia; once she is safe, I can deal with getting Issy back, and killing anyone who hurt her. Watching my scared little girl is like venom racing inside of me, slithering within my bloodstream to my very core, taking root with all the hate, pain, and rage I have, infecting me until I feel like it may be too late to do anything, except destroy everything around me. This woman thinks she can take my child from me, but does she realize that I will not end her life slowly if my Julia dies? No, excruciating pain will be part of every second of her life, because I will keep her alive indefinitely to suffer at my hands.

“Let her go, and I will assure your survival, Sonja. I will guarantee your safety out of the country and back to Mexico.” The words feel like acid leaving my lips, and there is nothing I want to do more than torture and end this bitch’s life, but for my daughter, I would even let this rat stab me in my heart and end me, anything to keep Julia safe.

A cold laugh echoes around the room, and Sonja’s hand reaches up, cradling Julia’s little face. “Do you hear your Papi (daddy) ? He says he will let me live if I release you, he thinks I’m a fool, and that I don’t know the minute you’re out of danger, he will put a bullet through my heart.“ She turns her cold, dark eyes on me, and I see the decision in their depth. She’s going to murder my child, and there is nothing I can offer her to stop her.

The sound of various heavy boots racing toward me has hope growing in my chest, but fear prevents me from looking away from Julia and Sonja. The terror that the minute I take my eyes off them, Julia will be gone, is paralyzing. “JULIA!” Kai’s voice shouts, and he halts abruptly next to me. I have to grab onto his arm, to prevent him from rushing forward.

“Don’t. She has her in a pool of water, with electrical charges ready to go off!” I grit through my teeth, daring for just a brief second to meet his frightened gaze.

“This is the other one? My, my, your puta (bitch) does have taste, at least; he’s quite a looker.“ I can feel Kai’s whole body tense next to me, at the insult to Issy with the veiled compliment.

“Lovebug, breathe. Daddy and Papi are here, all will be well. Just breathe for us,“ Kai implores Julia, who is getting more worked up by the second. Soon enough, she won’t be able to breathe at all. We have to get to her now.

“UGH! Another worthless cause, I see. The child is weak and useless. She will never survive in our world, and you know that, Diego. Weakness must be cut out, or it festers and infects everything around us. I would be doing you a favor if I ended her life. She cannot inherit your empire, she would be dead within moments of taking your seat. I could give you strong male heirs that would rule our world. You would be invincible with me at your side.”

Kai and I quickly glance at each other. I motion with my chin at Sonja, and then look down at the gun he has forgotten in his hand. “Remember what I vowed to you.” His chin nods slightly, and his eyes scan the room, before coming back to rest on Sonja. “Lovebug, look at Daddy.” Kai tucks his gun into the back of his pants, and starts signing with his hands. I manage to pick up a few of the words he’s sending her, from the lessons Issy and Julia have been giving me. “Close, eyes, love, you.” Julia nods her little head and closes her eyes, her lips trembling with the sobs she’s trying to suppress.

“Make it count, pretty boy .“ I dash forward towards Julia. In that exact second, he raises his hand and fires the gun at Sonja, the blast taking her by surprise as I lunge forward, diving into the pool, and throwing Julia backward out of it. I’m not fast enough, and my legs are still within the pool once the generator is activated. My whole body seizes; all of my muscles tighten at the same time, as if an elastic band surrounds them and is being pulled tautly, to the breaking point, as the current races through me. My eyes focus on my daughter, who is safe on the ground, away from the water and struggling. More shots can be heard around us, as a dark shadow races towards the generator. My teeth clatter together as heat bursts through my body, all my hair stands on end, and my eyes threaten to roll into my head. My mouth fills with blood from my teeth nicking my tongue, and then it suddenly stops.

“Jesus fuck, you unhinged bastard!” Clark’s irate voice penetrates through the numbness as he accesses me, turns me over, and raises my legs while shredding parts of my clothing. “Diego, stay with me, focus on me.”

“J... ul... ia,” the sound is ragged, coming from my lips, a mere whisper before the world goes black.