NERO: Chapter 77

My phone is in one hand as I open the throttle on my newly acquired plane. I needed something faster, and by the time this one is missed, it’ll all be over.

Rocco is on a call next to me, executing his orders, the shit in Chicago forgotten about.

King would’ve gotten the ball rolling, using a codename to activate local assets, but I need Rocco to arrange the final details.

My eyes go back and forth between my flight speed and the dot on my phone screen. The dot showing me Payton’s location.

I’m not sure how she’d feel about the tracker I put in the pendant on her necklace, but when it leads me right to her, I’m confident she’ll thank me.

I haven’t decided if I’ll tell her I had it made from Arthur’s melted down ring, she might balk at that. But the trophy of his death belongs to her.

And she belongs to me.

After today, when I get her back home, I’m putting a tracker under her fucking skin.

And if Robert doesn’t die on his own, I’m going to rip him apart myself. Feeding the pieces to Toto.

Every second that goes by, I feel sicker and sicker.

My worst nightmare is playing out in front of me. The dot moving further and further away from our home. And closer to Mikhail’s.

Fucking Mikhail.

The idiot forgets that I know that house, that I’ve done this before.

And this time I’m going to kill him. Like I should’ve done in the first place. Then I’m going to burn the whole thing to the ground.

With quick fingers, I swipe away from the tracking screen for one second to make another call.

As soon as it starts ringing, I put it on speaker and switch back to watching Payton.

The fed answers. “This oughtta be good.”

“I need a favor.”

“Yeah? And I need to keep my job.”

“We both know that’s a lie.”

“Fair. But I would like to stay out of prison.”

Being a fed in prison would be rough. But being one of the best underground MMA fighters I’ve ever seen, I doubt he’d have too much trouble.

He sighs. “What is it?”

“I need to keep a road clear.”

“For how long?”

I glance down at the dot, seeing it slow. “Twenty minutes.”

“Where?”

I tell him the name of the street and the name of the cross streets, designating the length I’ll need.

The neighborhood is a lot like mine. The blocks, if they can be called that, are long. And mercifully straight. So my plan should work.

“What’ll you do for me?” he asks.

“How about I kill Mikhail?” I keep my voice even.

The fed laughs. “Considering the address you just gave me, I have a feeling you’re gonna do that anyway.”

“Then I’ll owe you one.”

He sighs. “I don’t want a war in my backyard, Nero. I can’t brush that off.”

“There isn’t going to be a war.”

“No?”

“This is an extermination.”

He’s quiet for a moment. “What happened?”

My mouth opens, and I have to swallow before I can get the words out. “He has my woman.”

“Fuck,” the fed curses. “Alright, fine. I’ll jam shit on my end, keep my boys off your back. But twenty is all I can buy you.” I can hear him typing on a keyboard. “When is this starting?”

I look at my GPS and the now stationary dot of Payton’s tracker. “I’ll land in thirty.”

“Land? What the fuck are––”

I hang up.

Hang on, Baby. I’m almost there.