Noises from above us told me I didn’t have time for that kind of shit. With blood still pouring from my thigh, I went back to Manuel’s lifeless body and tore off a piece of his shirt so I could wrap it around the wound. A quick inspection of the area told me he hadn’t harmed an artery, so I bandaged it up and took the knife that was strapped to his leg as well as the gun he’d had tucked into the back of his pants.

Checking the magazine, I chambered a bullet and took Cali’s hand. “Well, you know this house better than me. Which way is the bathroom? I really have to pee.”

There was a bathroom right by the stairs, and we went in together. It was small but clean. We both relieved ourselves and cleaned up somewhat, but I knew there was no use in hiding in the bathroom.

“Wait.” I stopped Cali from opening the door when a thought hit me. “Where is Ciana?”

The brunette shook her head. “I don’t know anything other than what I heard Manuel and his men saying on the cargo plane. They didn’t have her, but there was mention of some woman named Brion taking her.”

A chill went down my spine. “O’Brion?”

Cali scrunched her face in thought. “Yeah, that might have been it.”

I shoved down my fear for my cousin and pushed Cali behind me. “Do you have anyone you can trust here?”

“He had maybe five loyal men. The rest would have only followed him because they needed the job. All of the staff can be trusted. I loved them all. They are terrified of Manuel and would probably throw a party now that he’s dead… How did you do that, by the way? It was scary and beautiful all at the same time.”

“Ask me again when this is over,” I muttered. “Do you know which guards?” She hesitated and then nodded. “Okay, let’s go. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can get out of here.”

Seven dead bodies lay at my feet, one of which was that of Manuel Ramirez. Six of the seven had bullets in various parts of their bodies, but they had died the exact same way—with a shot straight to their brain. One thing Anya had drilled into me when she was teaching me to shoot was that the only way to truly ensure your enemy took his last breath was to put a bullet between their eyes. When it came to her teachings, I always listened to her advice.

Cali stood beside me, dispassionately taking in the sight of the lifeless bodies the remaining guards had piled up for me in the courtyard. Around us, the staff were vigilant but silent. Everyone was tense, yet I could almost feel their relief that the tyrant who had made all of their lives pure hell was finally gone.

“Now what?” Cali asked.

I shrugged my good shoulder. “Now, you do whatever you want. Didn’t Manuel say this was all yours now?”