Page 80 of Unfettered

By the time I’m done pulling myself together, I frantically study the data as I pace the room. Leandro is thorough, impressively so. If he didn’t make a habit of pissing off everyone around him, things would certainly go much easier. I can certainly see why Lio fell for the guy, on a protect him level. Smart, manipulative—since Lio seems to be into that—and innocent-looking. Yeah, that would be his crack.

Still, the extra time waiting for Joel has worked out well. If we leave when he meets up with me, we can surprise Gerald when he gets back from his mid-morning stroll. Pop right into his house either before or after him, since he doesn’t turn on his fucking security system, except for overnight or during trips. I can’t understand the insanity, but I will use it to my advantage.

Running my fingers through my hair nervously, I decide I’m as prepared as I can be, hating the nervousness that runs through me. It's my first job back, though, and it's with Joel.

I suppose it’s fair to have some anxiety, but fuck if I don’t wish I had Il Padrone giving me his strength for this. It surprises me how much comfort I used to draw from him. If only…

Shit. No, I can’t go down that road. I’m strong enough to do this on my own. And if not, I can put Jayden and Roman first in my mind. Those two wouldn’t steer me wrong.

I jog toward the front door, knowing that’s where Joel will meet me. He’s already there, his arms crossed and his brow furrowed. I’m early, but from the sneer he sends my way, he doesn’t give a shit. I ignore it, hoping he’ll lighten up eventually. It’s not my fault his brother put him up to this.

“Let me grab my keys and we can go.” I smile at him as I say it, hoping he’ll relax. All he does is pull out his keys and deepen his sneer.

“I’m driving. Turns out I have precious cargo to protect…royalty even,” he snaps at me.

Hiding a grimace, and a sinking feeling that this is going to suck, I keep my mouth shut as I head outside. He somehow makes it to the driver’s side before I’m fully in the passenger’s seat. I ignore his huff, but I can’t resist a soft hiss of pain as my sore ass lands on the seat. Fuck. Jayden did not take it easy on me.

“Great… Just what I wanted to know. Although, I suppose this prepares me for the chance you’ll mess up,” Joel grumbles.

I rub my forehead, worried I’m going to explode and say something that will put my ass further on the line. Drawing a deep breath, I calmly reply, “I had planned to take Marcus or Antonio. Your brother decided that it should be you that comes with me. Hopefully, this will be quick, and you can go about your duties afterward. This will at least give us time to bond.”

“Right,” Joel states flatly, snorting at the thought. His hands tighten around the steering wheel as he increases the speed of the SUV. “Spending time with one of his Playthings is exactly what I want to do. And bonding? Why bother? You won’t be under his thumb for long. At least, not if your nickname is true. You certainly won't deserve him.”

My hands clench into fists, but I force myself to look out at the quickly passing scenery instead of defending myself. I’ll prove him wrong. But words are meaningless, so why bother?

I let the sound of his crappy taste in music fade from my mind as I concentrate on what’s to come. It doesn’t take too long before we arrive at Gerald’s house. Considering the money he has, it’s not surprising where he’s located.

Joel pulls onto an access road. Thankfully, some rich people are idiots. Sure, the neighbors aren’t close, but who the fuck then doesn’t use their security, and chooses to have a nice little access road that the public, technically, isn’t supposed to encroach on? But sure, having private access to a lake makes it all worth it, right?

I shake my head, even as I exchange a glance with Joel. He may hate me, or at least be unsure of me, but even we can agree that Gerald is a dumbass. Really, taking him out is a gift to society.

We both get out of the SUV, closing the doors quietly in case noise travels. I glance down at my phone as it lets out a ping. Reading it quickly, I snort before looking over at Joel.

“Gerald just entered his house again from his daily stroll. Leandro verified that he did not turn on the security. We can walk right in.”

It’s a slight jog, but we’re out of sight of the main road, and can enter from the back. We both pull on gloves, so our fingerprints aren’t left behind. Then I slowly open the back door. Listening, I don’t hear anything, so I walk in with Joel shadowing me. It makes me itch between my shoulder blades, having him at my back. I may be a little paranoid about family who know how to use knives… I’d rather have him where I can see him.

We enter through a mudroom, though it seems in disuse. Next up is a bar, and finally, the kitchen. Still, no sign of our quarry. Frustration burns inside me, but I push forward, into a family room. That’s when I finally catch a snippet that gives me some direction.

“Listen, Senator, it’s about time you answered the phone,” Gerald speaks urgently—and loudly. It sounds like we’ll actually be doing the Senator’s dirty work for him, but maybe the guy can give us some intel before I send him to Hell.

There’s a loud woof that has me freezing in my tracks. I glance down a side hallway toward where I heard Gerald’s voice, especially as another bark comes. The slamming of a door has me breathing in relief that we won’t be interrupted. The only problem? There’s no way I want to hurt a dog.

The sound of claws on hardwood comes faster—closer—and I’m shoved to the side as Joel takes up a bodyguard stance. Oh, fuck that so much. I go to move him back, when one of the largest dogs I’ve ever seen comes barreling out of a different hallway. It’s black, bulky, and the size of the fucking teeth…

“Rottweiler,” Joel mutters. He shakes his head, his hand reaching for a weapon.

This time, I jump into action, knocking him off balance before I crouch down, holding my hand out for the pup to sniff. Sure, the pup looks like it can kill me, but unless Gerald has trained the dog to be violent, it’s one of the sweetest, goofiest breeds out there.

Sure enough, it comes skidding to a halt, it’s tongue hanging out as it creeps forward the last couple inches to sniff my hand. I get a swipe of his tongue before he comes closer and butts his head against my chest. It’s only thanks to the exercises that Jayden has made me do that I keep my balance, because the pup has strength to him. And from his oversized paws, I’m guessing he probably hasn’t even hit a year yet.

“Good boy,” I whisper quietly, before standing and running my hand over his head.

The sudden sound of glass breaking has me jerking upright, my hand going to my weapon. There’s an immediate thump, and my heart beats faster.

From the way the pup whimpers and backs up, I don’t think loud noises are an uncommon occurrence, and my stomach twists at the thought of what that pup may have gone through.

Breathing out, I gesture for Joel to follow, and carefully, silently, we head toward the hallway where we heard Gerald’s voice. We pass a couple of guest rooms, but I’m intent on the one room that has a closed door. The sound of labored breathing and cursing has me frantically pushing it open, hoping the sinking feeling coursing through me is wrong.