Chapter 55: Chapter 55

C H A P T E R - T W E N T Y - T H R E E

Ramona was by my other side, clutching my hand firmly and firmly as I sat in the waiting area of the hospital, leaning on her.

Dad was in the waiting area across from Falcone, a few of his commandos, and other men. Justin Chavez, Hector Nava, Oliver Chavez, and Luke Tenido were the first three. The two individuals that helped Falcone in the rescue operation were Justin and Hector. I only realized how I recognized them after being whisked from the apartment.

The media had taken notice of Justin Chavez's private detective company after one of their investigations. Hector, Oliver, and Luke were just a few of his pals, all of whom I was familiar with.

Hector and Justin collaborated. His brother Oliver was a police officer. Luke was a cop and a buddy of his. The tales of their travels and love affairs had long since been reported in the media. This was followed by the publication of other novels in the Rock Babes series, which shared personal details of these thrilling but romantic escapades. Books that I own, read frequently, and wish I had edited In Manila, they were all well-known.

Upon closer examination, they were all likewise hunky badasses and quite attractive.

Nevertheless, this was lost on me since Betsy was visiting her comatose fiancé in his hospital ward when I first met her, and I was aware that the talk was one-sided because Brett was not only asleep but also had a tube down his neck.

I shut my eyes, but as I felt a sudden, profound threat fill the space, I opened them. Then, as Skull, Magtanggol, Ryan, and two other guys stormed into the room, my body tightened in preparation for flight.

His attention was focused on Falcone, and it was clear that my intervention had made him feel much worse. He would, however, be witness to my rescue.

My eyes were on him, my skin was tingling, my mind was immobilized with terror, and my body was ready to take flight even in the company of a slew of badass commandos and simple badasses.

What exactly was he doing there?

"Wait, what the fuck? " he clipped at Falcone, that dangerous energy moving off him in dark waves, and all the badasses went on quick alert.

“Come again?" Falcone questioned quietly, his gaze fixed on Skull, his look indicating he was far more unhappy than Skull was.

"A year and a half," Skull said, taking a combative attitude that was far too close to Falcone. "I spent a year and a half of my fuckin' life on this fuckin' shit, the last month bangin' that piece of trash, pretendin' I got off on it, all the time tryin' not to vomit and prayin' my dick'll stay hard at the same time prayin' that stickin' it in her wouldn't buy me some disease where it would fall the fuck off and I was this close, this fucking close. You bust in there, and that year and a half is gone."

Falcone's body twisted in a frightening way, and he asked, still in that terrifyingly quiet voice, "Perhaps you'll explain."

"He's DEA, Falcone," Magtanggol said, his words relaxing my body but not taking away my amazement.

Falcone's physique was tense.

"You were part in an operation when one of my men was killed," Falcone said.

"I was part in an operation where I finally got close to a skank who could be used to nail another skank who could be used to nail my boyfriend."

When that didn't work, she still proved useful in getting me that other skank because she introduced me to that skank's sister, who I could then use either as a tool to help me take out the players who supply half the shit circulating Manila or directly to take out the players who supply half the fucking shit circulating fucking Manila," Skull explained.

I was perplexed by his comment, but I knew the others were not. I knew this since Skull's comment was received with an increase in unfriendliness. The difference was so great that breathing became difficult.

"You telling me you drank my man and planned to use my lady as bait?" " Falcone muttered, and Ramona clutched my fingers.

"Uh-oh, I see a psycho badass coming," she grumbled.

"She was covered," Skull said.

"By who?" Falcone inquired.

Skull said, "By my guy inside Roarke's crew."

“Roarke?" Falcone remarked, and it was a marvel that he could move his lips when his face had gone to stone.

"I see it's sinkin' in," Skull grumbled.

"You had to use Gia, Roarke would have ripped her up, Isabelle knows it, so she'd step in, then he'd keep Gia and enjoy his crap with Isabelle, and if he left any of 'em breathing, they'd spent the rest of their lives wishing he hadn't," Falcone retorted.

Oh boy. That didn't sound promising. That sounded really terrible. That sounded like I needed to rush to the mall and buy some attractive underwear as a prize for my rescue.

Skull said, "I had it covered."

“Your man inside? " Falcone inquired, his tone cynical but yet furious.

"Yeah," Skull said.

"They smelt him, they wouldn't play, they'd slash his fuckin' neck and toss him in the Platte," Falcone said. "You have no way of knowing about this."

"I had to use Isabelle or Gia, and before I gave her over, I woulda wired and tagged her so we could know precisely where she was and hear everything that was going on," Skull retorted. "And, by the way, she was in on this stuff, but you and Wonder Cop were here," he jerked his thumb towards Magtanggol.

"were breathin' so hot and heavy down her neck, sirens rang before I could get her goddamned bedroom door open the night I broke in to give her a heads up."

That clarified things for me, which was a bit of a relief. At the very least, that indicated there wasn't another unknown individual chasing me for malicious motives.

It was evident that neither Falcone nor Magtanggol felt relieved.

“What?" Falcone said quietly.

"You heard me, dude, with your hero in shining armor nonsense, you messed this every way you could," Skull said.

"Perhaps if you allowed Falcone and me in on this stuff, it wouldn't be screwed," Magtanggol grumbled.

Skull leaned back, his brow furrowed. "Yeah, I woulda kept my cover if I had sit-downs with The Rock and John McClane," he said as he leaned back in.

"Did you miss me telling you how far I had to go to preserve my cover, bangin' that disgusting, foul-mouthed, drug-addled piece of ass?" ”

Sarcasm, and it was evident that neither Falcone nor Magtanggol enjoyed it.

"Roarke would expose a wire and a tag in a split second," Justin Chavez chimed in, taking Falcone's (and mine) side.

Skull answered, "My man was primed."

"He'd reveal Isabelle, and he wouldn't do it with a threat on Gia, he'd do it with a sword slashing through her skin," Hector Nava said, looking dissatisfied as well.

"I'll say it again," Skull said, "my man was primed."

"You took a big risk without telling the main player you were using her for this stuff," Luke Tenido hissed as he pointed at me.

"I believe you, Chavez, are more aware than anybody else that the streets of Manila have been saturated with goods." When Kane Allen pulled out of the safety business, you lads on the Force were in so deep that you petitioned the Pope to declare a miracle," Skull responded, Luke's face tightened and a muscle in his cheek pinched.

"And the second half of that miracle was Giabella Gomez."

Okay, first and foremost, if I had been given the opportunity to decide whether or not I wanted to participate, I would not have wanted any part of that miracle, not only because I was a scaredy cat, but also because I felt that perhaps someone trained should have had that job, and secondly, I didn't know whether it was annoying or comforting to know all this shit was linked together.

"We don't play it like that in Manila," Oliver Chavez said.

"Yeah, and that's why you have so much product flooding your streets," Skull said as Falcone advanced.

He got chest to chest and eye to eye with Skull, closing the gap in a way that couldn't be misunderstood.

"Let's go back to talking about you downin' my man and targeting my wife, I want to hear a bit more about that," he replied quietly, obviously stating that he didn't want to hear about it, he wanted to pull Skull's head off.

"Uh-oh," murmured Ramona.