I kicked small rocks out of my way as I walked Ogden Avenue. Satan’s Army territory protected me from my club, but who knew when or if one of Vasquez’s guys would try to turn me over. Staying behind enemy lines would only be temporary, but I had no clue where I’d go next.
My plans to leave Vegas dimmed as I realized I wouldn’t be safe anywhere. I’d made an oath for life with the Outriggers and they’d never stop until I fulfilled my promise. I could run forever, assume another name, hell, maybe even settle down, but I’d always be looking over my shoulder or listening for the rumble of a bike.
That left me with only one option to avoid death at the hands of the Outriggers: I had to convince them of Ryder’s corruption.
Besides, the man I wanted was here and I wasn’t ready to give him up. I’d only met Cooper a week ago, but in that time, he’d saved my life—twice—and given me hope for a normal life. With him, I saw a future without guns, drugs, blood, and bad sex. Who could say no to that?
I laughed at my own stupidity as I rounded the corner of Ogden and Fourth. Cooper was CIA. He had no intentions of leaving as far as I could tell and I’d never have the balls to ask. “Somebody better send you back to school because you forgot how to leave guys behind without a second thought, idiot,” I muttered to myself.
“Cherry!”
The sound of my name drowned out the rest of my chastisements.
I froze in the middle of the sidewalk. No one knew where I was. Unless they’d followed me from my apartment. I stopped for only a second then quickened my pace, remembering where I was; Satan’s Army territory. Rounding yet another corner, this time onto Freemont Street, I decided to take my chances in the middle of chaos. Perhaps the crowds gathering for the Freemont Experience would actually be good for something other than making traffic a living nightmare. I entered the throng in a hurry. I didn’t care who’d followed me. It didn’t matter. Getting to my club and convincing them to overturn their presidential vote had made its way to the top of my list the second I’d jumped out onto my fire escape. I couldn’t take the chance of getting caught before then.
Sweat-glazed bodies pressed against me from all sides, the ninety-degree weather making it so much worse than any enclosed space. I held my breath as cigarette smoke assaulted my nose and mouth, and pushed myself toward the glowing lights and loud music of the Freemont Experience. My paranoia had risen to an alarming level when I heard my name again. This time closer. It was impossible. Even the best tracker couldn’t have kept tabs on me in the middle of five hundred people on a darkened street. At least not the ones I knew.
Somebody grabbed my arm, twisting me around into a wall of hardened flesh.
“Stop running.” Cooper stared down at me, a mixture of concern and frustration simmering in his eyes. He tried to catch his breath around his words. “Please.”
My knees nearly buckled in relief as I wrapped my arms around him. One of my hysterical laughs rippled through my chest and shoulders as I took comfort in his hold. “How did you find me?”
“I went back to your apartment for my cuffs,” he said over my shoulder, still somewhat out of breath. I heard the smile in his voice, possibly from the memories of what we’d done with the cuffs. “When I got there, Ryder’s old lady pulled a gun on me. You’d already gone out the window, so I left my partner there and ran after you.”
I clung to him, almost as if for dear life. “You arrested them?”
“Well, I didn’t. But I’ve been assured they’re on their way to lockup for B and E and assault with a firearm.”
My paranoia subsided as I listened to his racing heartbeat, not completely, but enough to enjoy the delusion of safety. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you.”
“Wow,” Cooper remarked and pushed me arm's length away. A smile pulled at one corner of his mouth, the sexy grin I loved appearing to calm my pounding heart. “It’s almost as if you like me or something. What did you say when we met up again? Oh, right, this was supposed to be a one-time thing.”
“Well, I had just gotten hit in the face with a skateboard. So you can’t take everything I said to heart. I could have had brain damage at the time.”
“What about now?” Cooper pulled me back into him, chest-to-chest, his swollen groin pressing against my lower belly. “Your face looks almost healed and despite the fact you ran from me into the middle of these sweaty bastards, you’re not running now.”
“What if I do? Like you.” Did he have any idea of how much his answer mattered to me? I didn’t want to think about his possible rejection because it didn’t fit into my plans. “What if I don’t want this to be a one-night thing anymore? We could run for it. Hide.”
“I think we’ve gone past one night, don’t you agree?” His smile made me laugh, but after a moment, his face grew serious. His hold tightened as his eyes narrowed in on me. “I worked hard to get where I am, Cherry. It took me years to find a career that makes me happy and I don’t want to give that up. Not yet.”
Chapter Eleven
This was so not good.
The atmosphere pressed in on me from every side. Sweaty bodies, the sour taste of cigarette smoke, bright lights and loud music took over my thoughts. I backed away from Cooper slightly, still within reach, but out of his grasp. My heart plummeted into my stomach as I tried to swallow around the lump in my throat. Tears flooded my eyes as if he’d hit me in the gut. I studied the crowd surrounding us in order to hide my reaction to basically getting rejected and nodded as if I were in agreement with his admission, not really seeing the people staring back at me.
“I understand.”
I lied.
Who wanted to stay in a life filled with drugs, guns and blood? If the past week had taught me anything, it was that those three things lead to worse things. Betrayal by the people you thought you knew, for one. Or death, in Talon’s instance. I didn’t want this life anymore and for a brief instant, I’d thought Cooper wanted the same.
I couldn’t imagine him having a death wish, but who was I to say? We barely knew each other. I had no idea where he’d grown up, if he went to college or had fallen in love once. Did he have kids or a hobby? I couldn’t answer any of those questions. Ironic how the person who’d given me hope of a normal future with those exact elements didn’t want to leave his chaotic one. I couldn’t blame him. I’d set the rules when we met; one night. Nothing more.
But I wanted more now.
And as Cooper had just enlightened me, he didn’t.
“Cherry.” He reached for me, but I stepped away.
My gaze connected with his for a brief instant and I refused to acknowledge the sorrow in his eyes. The tears threatened to escape. I had to get away from him before they spilled over and revealed how much I’d betrayed myself. Why hadn’t I listened to Trish back at the clubhouse? I’d known going in this would be impossible. “I won’t be at the warehouse tomorrow,” I yelled over the mob. “There’s something I have to do.”
I didn’t wait for his answer and turned my back on him. Cooper called my name several times as I slid further into the crowd, his voice tugging at the pain taking my heart’s place.
He’d made his way through the barrier I’d constructed specifically for non-committal situations. I’d gone soft and closed my eyes to the real world. I wished we’d never had sex. Now that I knew what I’d be missing, I had a sudden desire to go back to the moment when I didn’t know who he was, and the only thing between us was just lust. For a handful of moments, including those precious hours in each other’s arms, he’d been mine and we’d had a future.
Bastard.
I wasn’t paying attention to the people around me as I made my way off Freemont. The crowd had served its purpose and so had Cooper. I had to remember that. I’d gone to him for help and he’d lived up to it. Nothing more. I wiped the falling tears from my face and when I rounded the next corner, I froze.
“Cherry!” Big and Blonde smiled at me with a wide grin. Wrapping her arms around my gan
gly frame, she nearly squeezed me to death with a hug. She pulled away. The snot and tears she’d practically drowned me in upon our first meeting were gone, but I suddenly became very uncomfortable in her grasp. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
I blinked twice to make sure I wasn’t seeing things. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to pay you the rest of your money.” She released me. It was hard to imagine the outfit Blondie wore could even hold her bright red lipstick, let alone a single dollar bill. The black Lycra pantsuit fit skin-tight against her curves. A pair of red pumps caught my eyes and I was instantly reminded of Olivia Newton John’s outfit in the last scene of Grease. Only Blondie didn’t have the jacket. It wouldn’t have helped to keep all that woman in, but it wouldn’t have hurt either.
The money she’d given me exactly a week ago warmed against my own chest as I thought her statement over. She’d paid me to beat Cooper to a pulp. Obviously I didn’t have it in me at the time. Now, however, I could imagine giving him a swift kick in the ass. “What are you talking about? I didn’t do anything.”
“Sure you did! I saw the whole thing.” Big and Blonde took hold of my hand, lacing her fingers through mine. “Come on, I’ll show you.”
Dread settled in the pit of my stomach. I tried to shake her hand off, but to no avail. Her grip was strong and I wasn’t. “Where are we going?”
“Over here.” She dragged me behind her into a side alley behind one of the hotels. About ten feet in, she stopped over a pile of clothing. The odor of rotting food and rats penetrated my nose and I could barely focus. Blondie kept hold of my hand, but motioned to the pile at my feet. I worked to concentrate and upon closer inspection, I realized it wasn’t just clothing.
I nearly screamed as recognition pushed through the haziness of the last few seconds. “Cooper!”
Blood trickled down one side of his head and I lunged toward him. Blondie held me back with an arm across my neck and another over my mouth.
“Do exactly as I say, and we’ll let you live,” she said in my ear.
My eyes remained glued on the man I’d turned my back on a little over ten minutes ago, the man I’d let myself fall in love with, and I shuddered with dread. A physical pain at the sight of his battered face made my stomach roll as I imagined what had happened to him after I left. Did he call out my name when they attacked him and I’d ignored it? Did they know he was CIA?
“You have no idea what you’ve done,” I whimpered through an ever-tightening grasp on my larynx. The tears I’d refused to shed moments ago slid down my face as my attacker pulled me away from Cooper. I had no idea where she’d take me or why she was doing this and I swung my fist into her face as hard as I could. My knuckles connected with her nose and she let go for a brief second. Pain radiated down my arm as I pivoted back toward Cooper. I couldn’t concentrate on how much my hand hurt. I had to get him out of here somehow.
Blondie dropped to one knee, her hands cradling her nose. “Stupid bitch! You broke my nose.”
“Yeah, payback’s a bitch,” I bit out. I tried to shake the pain off as I lunged toward the man pulling Cooper over his shoulder. Before I could get far, however, a black bag was pulled over my head and a strong grip pulled me back. I screamed into the fabric and kicked backward as hard as I could.
My foot missed the target and suddenly I couldn’t move my feet at all. Somebody grabbed my ankles. “Get her in the van,” a male voice ordered. Mexican from his accent.
Blondie, or whomever she worked for, had used Cooper to get to me.
And I’d make them pay for it.
****
The black bag over my head was pulled away once they’d sat me down in some uncomfortable chair. I hadn’t been able to set myself free in whatever vehicle they’d thrown me into, but by the speed they’d driven and how many turns my captors had taken, I figured we’d ended up somewhere along Rancho. Empty warehouses dotted North Las Vegas; some located further back from the road. This room looked like it belonged to one of them, but I was just guessing. It took my eyes a few seconds to adjust, but my lungs inhaled the fresh air as fast as possible. The bright lights, ominous feel, and lack of furniture made me feel like I’d been put in an interrogation room. Only thing missing was a pane of one-way glass.
Across from me, Cooper sat unconscious, wrists bound behind his back, each ankle strapped to an identical chair as mine. My heart went out to him despite my brain chastising me for falling in love with an unobtainable man. Nothing in the room gave me a clue as to where we’d been taken. A bare light bulb swung back and forth above me, casting shadows across Cooper’s features. The effect darkened the dried blood on his skin and shirt, and made me shiver. We’d been dragged into something bigger than either of us suspected.
Someone moved to my right and I slowly lifted my gaze toward the man with the tattoo on his neck. The snake stood out against his mocha skin, but the handlebar mustache and long, black hair didn’t really fit his sixtyish age. Strange, I didn’t remember him being so old. Mexican, tall, and well built, the man who’d pulled me into this mess leaned against the wall to my right, his brown eyes steady with mine.
“You should have left well enough alone, chica,” he said.
His tone of voice sent a chill down my spine and I had to work to control my shaking hands. They’d been tied behind my back, but I wouldn’t allow him to see just how nervous I was and clasped them together. Scenarios launched into the front of my mind as I considered how I’d get us out of this mess. Cooper was still unconscious and despite his elderly appearance, our captor had been in the special ops with him. I had to assume his interrogation and combat skills were level if not more advanced, and definitely exceeded my own. “Believe me, I wanted to.”
He sauntered toward me slowly. I cringed away when he crouched in front of me, a lighter in one hand and an unlit cigar in the other. Up close, I saw tiny scars running down the pockmarked skin of his face. I’m sure there was a story behind each one, but I didn’t want to hear them. My nightmares were filled with too many monsters as it was.
“Do you know who I am?” His breath smelled of smoke and peanuts and I turned away before I gagged. I hadn’t eaten since before Cooper came to my apartment, over twenty-four hours ago, but my stomach didn’t care. It forced bile into my throat and I swallowed it back down with a wince.
I shook my head and dug my nails into my palms to keep control of the tremors racing down my arms and legs. Exhaustion had started to take over the second they’d put the black bag over my head, but my panic kept me going. I had to fix this. I had to get Cooper out of here.
He’d rejected me, but that didn’t change the way I felt about him. I couldn’t let him suffer for something that wasn’t his fault.
“Good. We’ll keep it that way.” My captor stood then circled behind me. “Don’t go anywhere.”
Staring into his scarred face set me on edge, but not seeing him made it worse. Silence settled over the room and all I heard was Cooper’s even breathing and the pounding behind my ears. I didn’t want to turn around or even move for fear I’d provoke whoever the hell this guy was.
Nothing in the room gave me an idea if he’d remained in the room, but my anxiety urged me to act. “Cooper,” I whispered.
No response. From Cooper or my kidnapper.
I chanced a glance behind me. He’d gone. Turning my full attention back toward Cooper, I took a deep breath. I leveraged my feet against the concrete flooring, ignoring the dark brown stains decorating it, and balanced my weight on my toes. The ropes around my ankles and the cross bar of the chair made it difficult to walk, and I simply jerked forward. The chair moved a few inches in Cooper’s direction, but the resounding noise made me halt my progress. I hadn’t considered how loud my plan would be and I couldn’t give myself away.
I didn’t have time to come up with another strategy as Blondie stepped into the room. She carried a blue plastic bin with some type of liquid in it and ambled toward Coope
r with it.
“What is that?” Every nerve in my body felt exposed as I watched her lift the bin over his head. In a swift movement, she dumped the contents onto his head and Cooper bolted awake.
He exhaled in a rush, blowing drops of liquid off his lips as he struggled against the ropes holding him to the chair. Cooper’s brown eyes surveyed the room, took in Blondie in all her glory, then settled on me. “Cherry? What is this?”
“I—”
“Nolan,” a male voice interrupted. Hispanic. Our captor. “I’d like to say it’s nice to see you in one piece, but I’m quite disappointed my request of Cherry didn’t work out.”
Cooper’s face hardened, his body growing tense. He flipped droplets of water off his face with a jerk of his head as he spoke through clenched teeth. “Treja. Didn’t peg the cartel as the kidnapping type. You usually just kill your victims and leave me to clean up the mess.”
“Don’t worry, my friend.” Treja walked toward me.
I tried to dodge his hand as he reached for me, but failed. He took a handful of my hair and pulled my head back, exposing my throat. The pain brought tears to my eyes, but I refused to cry out. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.
“We’ll get to that part.” Treja shot a smile over his shoulder. The intense light from the naked bulb in the ceiling reflected off the oversized knife’s polished surface, casting illusions around the room. He set the knife directly under my voice box. “Starting with her.”
Chapter Twelve
“I’ll cut your heart out if you hurt her.” Cooper’s eyes narrowed, but that wasn’t the only indication of the anger radiating off him. Heat crept into his face, turning his pale skin pinkish. Muscles bunched in his arms and shoulders as if he were trying to stop the blade at my throat from spilling blood.
I didn’t know what to make of his threat. He’d rejected me not even two hours ago, yet his tone indicated something along the lines of concern.
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