Our new vantage point gives us a better view of what the Marrones are up against. It seems I was worried for nothing. The Becerra’s have effectively been picked off one by one, only five or six armed men remaining. Now that we’ve managed to flank them without being spotted, they’re as good as finished.
Up ahead, two men stand with their backs toward us. Zane gives me a nod. We’re moving in, and this time, I’m going to get my hands dirty. We need to take them out at the same time or risk giving up our position. With my gun in hand, we advance as a team.
My heart races. My God, am I about to kill a man? I told myself I’d do what I have to, but now that the moment’s upon me? I draw closer and closer, the tip of my gun pointed directly at the base of the man’s skull. It’d be so easy. All I have to do is pull the trigger, yet—
I freeze, a deer in the headlights.
But Zane was right. It’s him or me. What the hell am I panicking for?
It takes me a moment too long to push the doubt out of my head. The man turns, noticing my presence. He reacts quickly, ripping the gun from my hand and throwing me off kilter. I hit the ground, winded and dazed. Before I know it, he’s on top of me with his gun pointed directly between my eyes.
My body moves on its own. Weeks upon weeks of training with Natalia has imbued me with enough muscle memory to react by itself. I’ve been in this position before, I’ve been pinned and on the brink of defeat, but now I’m armed with the knowledge of how to disarm him.
Before he even has a chance to pull the trigger, I twist my body out of the way. He fires, but the bullet pierces the ground instead of my skull. My ears ring loudly, the sound deafening. My attacker attempts to shoot me again, but before he can I drive my knee up into his groin while simultaneously ripping his own gun out of his hand.
We both fumble for the weapon, covered in dirt and sweat and gunpowder. No matter how hard I strain, I can’t reach it, but thankfully neither can he.
So he resorts to strangling me instead.
The pressure on my windpipe makes my eyes water. My lungs burn, somehow about to burst and deflate at the same time. Black encroaches on the edges of my vision.
Fuck. Fuck. This is a shitty way to die. Just when I’m on the brink of passing out, Zane fires. My assailant’s body slumps to the ground. I try not to think about the bloody mess. If I do, I may very well vomit my guts out. I gasp and wheeze, one hand flying to my sore throat.
“I’ve got you,” Zane says, already by my side. “Deep breaths, darling. You’re safe.”
I cling to him, tears streaking down my cheeks. “Shit, I—Why didn’t I shoot him? I should have—I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
He holds me close, pressing a light kiss to my hair. “It’s okay, Willow. It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not! He could have killed me. I thought I was ready! I should have held my own.”
“Nobody’s blaming you, darling. You’re never really ready to take a life.” Zane helps me to my feet, but I don’t trust my wobbly legs to hold me upright. “It’s done, Willow. Just relax.”
The tips of my fingers and toes buzz. Everything is too hot and too cold and too loud. It’s not until several long moments later that I realize there’s nothing to listen to. No more gunfire, no more angry shouting or screams of pain. The fight is over.
And I didn’t help a damn bit.
“Willow!” Renata calls to me. She rushes out the front door, looking pale and frantic as she checks me over. “Are you alright? Did they hurt you?”
I shake my head numbly. “No. No, I’m fine, Abuela.”
“Those fuckers!” Natalia screeches, coming out with a machine gun held up with one hand. “Let me at them,Mama. Let me go to them and take them all out. They’re getting too fucking bold, coming here to attack us at our home.” Natalia kicks one of the dead men at her feet. “We’re wasting time here, sitting around in our fortress. I want to take the fight to them.”
Renata sighs heavily as she takes my hand and gives my fingers a comforting squeeze. “Let our captains deal with the matter.”
“No,” Natalia snaps. “Remember what you always told me when I was a little girl? If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.”
“Our men are thinning out Becerra’s numbers. There are too many of them to take on directly.”
“You’re not getting it. Why waste time picking off the ants when we can go straight to the source and destroy their colonies?”
I frown. “What are you trying to say?”
Natalia rolls her eyes. “We go after their warehouses. Drugs, ammunition, money laundering depots. The only way to stop Becerra from coming after us is to take away his income. No money, no hired guns. No hired guns, no army to protect his sorry ass.”
Renata nods slowly. “Mr. Phillips and I have discussed this option at length. It was too dangerous to truly consider it before, but now…” My grandmother turns to face Zane. “What do you think?”
Zane’s expression is hard and impassable. His hand is firm against the small of my back, his way of telling me he’s here for me. “If we move quickly, we might be able to catch them off guard. They expect this attack to leave us scrambling. If we gather the troops and hit them hard and fast, they won’t have any time to recover.”