Pop,” Niko said in Greek. “The DEA was lucky to have you as an agent and I’m damn proud to be your son. Wherever you are, I hope you understand that. I hope you’re having a hell of a party. I’m sorry I didn’t make it back in time to say good-bye.”
Niko had been feverish, recovering from a bullet wound to the thigh while waiting for transport out of a remote Afghani village when Rafe, his younger brother and fellow SSU agent, had shown up and given him the news that Pop was critically ill. Rafe hadn’t found Niko in time, though. Pop had died before their plane reached the States.
“I love you, Pop,” he said softly.
Jesus, it was a good thing he was alone. His fellow SSU agents would bust a gut laughing if they caught him talking to a grave. Yet oddly, as the sun broke through the high-flying clouds and warmed his hair, he felt a degree of peace creep into him.
“Thanks, Pop.” Niko gave a two-finger salute to the sky, then wiped the last of his tears away and turned to go.
He’d only gone a few steps when a black stretch limo with tinted windows pulled alongside him. The hairs on the back of his neck bristled and his hand went automatically to the pistol under his left arm.
His sixth sense knew who was in the car even before the window rolled down to reveal Jaime Alvarez’s broad, gloating face. A familiar mix of shame, helplessness, and frustration surged through Niko. But then his brain kicked in, reminding him that he wasn’t undercover any more. He’d never again have to stomp down his conscience as he followed Alvarez’s orders.
“So, Niko, finally your father is dead,” the crime lord said in Spanish. The corner of Alvarez’s mouth deepened in a satisfied smile, but his eyes spoke of retribution. He’d ordered Leander Andros killed when Niko was thirteen, but the shooter’s aim had been off and his dad had ended up paralyzed instead.
“Now who will protect your mother?” Alvarez said silkily.
Niko’s skin flashed hot with fury. “Step out of the limo and we’ll find out, pendejo .”
Alvarez shook his head. “Ah, hijo , how you wound me with your disrespect.”
“I’m not your fucking son.” He wanted to reach through the window and wipe the smug smile off Alvarez’s face. His father had been a strong, honorable man who’d never stopped loving Niko, even when his son had been little better than the brutal, ruthless men he worked to bring down.
The crime lord’s eyes glittered with malice. “I loved you like a son. You should have been my successor. My ultimate revenge against your family. Instead, you betrayed me.” His nostrils flared and a vein ticked under his eye. “You, who spent time in prison, who knows what it is like to be locked in a cage like an animal—”
For the first time since he’d known Alvarez, Niko let all his hatred for the man show. He sent the man a cold smile. “It’s precisely knowing where you were headed that kept me going all those years. Did you really think I’d come to respect you? To enjoy the life you led?”
“I gave you power. Money. Trust. In return, you dared—” Alvarez’s voice cracked. “You dared to turn me in to the authorities. For those ten years I spent behind bars, you will watch your family die.”
Alvarez paused.
“You should have killed me when you had the chance.” Alvarez’s lips turned up in a chilling mockery of a smile. “I will enjoy watching you suffer. You remember how skilled I am at making death come slowly and with great pain, don’t you, hijo ?”
Niko kept his face impassive, though his instincts urged him to attack. Alvarez didn’t make idle threats. Niko had hired guards for his family after the crime lord’s release from prison, but he still felt a twist of fear in his gut at the implied danger.
Yet he knew better than to betray his fear by so much as a twitch of his eye. Instead, Niko crossed his arms over his chest and assumed a bored expression. “Yeah, well, your power is
Niko had been feverish, recovering from a bullet wound to the thigh while waiting for transport out of a remote Afghani village when Rafe, his younger brother and fellow SSU agent, had shown up and given him the news that Pop was critically ill. Rafe hadn’t found Niko in time, though. Pop had died before their plane reached the States.
“I love you, Pop,” he said softly.
Jesus, it was a good thing he was alone. His fellow SSU agents would bust a gut laughing if they caught him talking to a grave. Yet oddly, as the sun broke through the high-flying clouds and warmed his hair, he felt a degree of peace creep into him.
“Thanks, Pop.” Niko gave a two-finger salute to the sky, then wiped the last of his tears away and turned to go.
He’d only gone a few steps when a black stretch limo with tinted windows pulled alongside him. The hairs on the back of his neck bristled and his hand went automatically to the pistol under his left arm.
His sixth sense knew who was in the car even before the window rolled down to reveal Jaime Alvarez’s broad, gloating face. A familiar mix of shame, helplessness, and frustration surged through Niko. But then his brain kicked in, reminding him that he wasn’t undercover any more. He’d never again have to stomp down his conscience as he followed Alvarez’s orders.
“So, Niko, finally your father is dead,” the crime lord said in Spanish. The corner of Alvarez’s mouth deepened in a satisfied smile, but his eyes spoke of retribution. He’d ordered Leander Andros killed when Niko was thirteen, but the shooter’s aim had been off and his dad had ended up paralyzed instead.
“Now who will protect your mother?” Alvarez said silkily.
Niko’s skin flashed hot with fury. “Step out of the limo and we’ll find out, pendejo .”
Alvarez shook his head. “Ah, hijo , how you wound me with your disrespect.”
“I’m not your fucking son.” He wanted to reach through the window and wipe the smug smile off Alvarez’s face. His father had been a strong, honorable man who’d never stopped loving Niko, even when his son had been little better than the brutal, ruthless men he worked to bring down.
The crime lord’s eyes glittered with malice. “I loved you like a son. You should have been my successor. My ultimate revenge against your family. Instead, you betrayed me.” His nostrils flared and a vein ticked under his eye. “You, who spent time in prison, who knows what it is like to be locked in a cage like an animal—”
For the first time since he’d known Alvarez, Niko let all his hatred for the man show. He sent the man a cold smile. “It’s precisely knowing where you were headed that kept me going all those years. Did you really think I’d come to respect you? To enjoy the life you led?”
“I gave you power. Money. Trust. In return, you dared—” Alvarez’s voice cracked. “You dared to turn me in to the authorities. For those ten years I spent behind bars, you will watch your family die.”
Alvarez paused.
“You should have killed me when you had the chance.” Alvarez’s lips turned up in a chilling mockery of a smile. “I will enjoy watching you suffer. You remember how skilled I am at making death come slowly and with great pain, don’t you, hijo ?”
Niko kept his face impassive, though his instincts urged him to attack. Alvarez didn’t make idle threats. Niko had hired guards for his family after the crime lord’s release from prison, but he still felt a twist of fear in his gut at the implied danger.
Yet he knew better than to betray his fear by so much as a twitch of his eye. Instead, Niko crossed his arms over his chest and assumed a bored expression. “Yeah, well, your power is
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