by Sable Hunter
“I’m not sure I want to hear it,” she said wearily.
“You don’t have a choice. I think if you’re going to lay your life on the line for something, you should understand what’s going on.” He pointed to the couch. “Why don’t you sit down?”
“I’d rather stand, thank you.”
He waved a dismissive hand. “Esteban is in the cartel’s back pocket, he launders money for them and they owe him. He won’t be arrested. I, on the other hand, am being blackmailed. I’ve been doctoring my horses, giving them steroids. I’ve thrown races for money. But now, he wants more.”
“What, more money? More what?”
Footsteps coming from the hall caused Isabella to jerk around her. Rodrigo Esteban stood there, carrying his own gun. “This is simple revenge, my dear.”
Isabella stared at Esteban. He was older, but still recognizable, with his hooked nose and close-set eyes. Even as a child he’d made her skin crawl. “You killed my family!”
She stood and ran toward him, her fists raised to strike him, but her uncle stopped her, clasped her arm and pulled her back.
“Don’t be a fool!” Don Luis yelled at her.
“Your father was a fool, thinking he could change history and tradition. His move hurt us all, he destroyed my career, my dream.” Esteban smiled at her, an evil smile. “And now I find out you are following in his footsteps. You are La Diosa.”
“How did you know?”
“You stood up to my bull, Hurricane. Did you not know he belonged to me? I’m surprised you survived. The bulls I raise are given an intensive…and painful training program. They are taught to fight, to resist, and to prevail. Failure is rewarded with punishment.”
Esteban’s words made Isabella want to throw up. “What do you want?” she screamed at him. “I’ll give it to you if it’s in my power, just don’t hurt my friends!”
“Yes, you’re right. This is in your power. Only you can stop this.”
“How?”
“I want you to fight one of my bulls. If you survive, the hostages will be released.”
“My death will make you happy?” She tried to fathom the depth of his evil.
“Very. Your father tampered with the order of things, the way of our people, my personal goals. His actions had to be curtailed and so must yours, La Diosa. You will fight Desperado. I am having him brought here from the states. Until then, you will contact no one.”
Esteban instructed Don Luis to take Isabella to a windowless room in the basement and secure the door. As he was guiding her to the makeshift prison, she couldn’t resist asking more questions. “Where are Magdalena and Renata? The others?”
“Somewhere safe.”
“What if I survive? What then?”
Don Luis scoffed. “You will not survive, he will ensure that – one way or the other.”
Seeing her uncle seemed to be in a confessing mood, she took advantage. “Did my father really die without a will?”
“Of course not. I stole it. After my brother and his twit of a wife were out of the way, I couldn’t let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity pass me by.”
“What did it cost to keep Esteban at bay all of this time?”
“I am paying him, you fool. He was content with that, but you ruined it when you threatened to cut me off. And when he found out who you are? He couldn’t resist.”
Isabella wondered how he found out about her, then she remembered the night at Hardbodies and him living so close, she realized there were many ways.
When he opened the door of the room and shoved her in, Isabella couldn’t resist one final question. “Did you know I was La Diosa?”
“Of course, I kept hoping you’d be killed. Unfortunately, you seem to have nine lives like an alley cat. After you whored yourself to the Texan, I was afraid you’d marry him. When Esteban confronted me with your identity, I decided to help him. He’ll end up with the ranch either way, but if I cooperate, he will let me live here until I die.”
Isabella shook her head. “If you trust him, you’re a fool.”
Once he left her alone, Isabella slid to the floor and cried.
Today, she’d lost everything.
She needed a hero, but the only one she knew, wouldn’t be coming to her rescue.
If Bull were flexible, he would’ve kicked himself in the ass to Austin and back. He’d done what he thought was best, but breaking Isabella’s heart was unforgiveable. If he closed his eyes, he could still see the sadness on her face as she’d gazed at him that one last time.
His day hadn’t gone from bad to worse, he’d already hit rock bottom when he pushed Isabella out of his life.
As far as how the rest of it went, he spent the time canceling events and making apologies. By the time this fiasco was over, the reputation of Redford Stock Contractors would be mud. It might not have been his horse that started the problem, but he’d helped spread the virus and that was all anyone would remember.
After hanging up the phone, Bull rested his head in his hands and wished for a quart of Jack Daniels to drown his sorrows in.
“Boss?”
“I can’t handle any more bad news, Dax.”
“I think you’d better listen to this. Armando says…”
“I don’t really care what Armando says.”
Bull hoped Dax would just go away, if he didn’t acknowledge him further.
He was wrong.
“This is important, Bull. Armando says that Esteban has Isabella. He’s taken her and her family hostage and is forcing her to face Desperado in the ring.”
Bull heard him, then tried to make sense of what he heard. “What the fuck did you say?”
Dax tried to explain. “Esteban used to bullfight with Romero Miguel, Isabella’s father. Armando thinks he killed the matador or had him killed. He doesn’t know all the details, but Esteban and her uncle are working together. I’m sure there’s money involved, not to mention that big ranch but…”
Bull held up his hand. “Tell me about Isabella, where is she now?”
“At Terra Dura, she’ll face Desperado in two days. Armando doesn’t think he intends for her to survive.”
Bull jumped up and slammed his hat on his head.
“Where are you going, Boss?”
“Mexico.”
…Bull used the time it took to drive from Leakey to Kerrville to come up with a plan. He was shaking like a damn leaf. The idea of Isabella at the mercy of some madman made his blood run cold. He knew if he could get to Canyon, Josh, and some of the others, they could help him think. He’d have to get a plane ticket, but there was no way he could take a gun on the airplane. He’d need a gun. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” he bellowed, slamming his fist on the steering wheel.
When he skidded to a stop in the back drive of Tebow, Bull was out of his truck and halfway to the blacksmith shop before his engine stopped running. “Brady!” he bellowed. “I need help!”
Canyon was standing over his anvil with a hammer in his hand. Jacob was with him, holding a piece of rebar in the fire. “What’s wrong, Redford?”
“I need to go to Mexico, Isabella is in trouble.”
He immediately had their attention. All it took was laying out the facts and Jacob got busy. Canyon called Josh and Josh called Mateo. Aron brought them all together and came up with a plan. “Performing rescues in Mexico has become our forte. After the family rescued me from that female drug lord, we rescued Noah’s mother from a serial killer. Don’t worry, we’ve got this down to a science.” He smiled, but he wasn’t being disrespectful. Bull was grateful he had someone to help him think.
“All I need is some quick way to get my hands on a horse and a gun once I get there. I’m planning on handling this myself. Isabella used to have so much faith in me, she thought I could take on the world singlehandedly.” He gazed at his friends with desperation on his face. “I want to earn that pure, sweet trust again.”
“You can take our plane, Noah will fly you.” Aron pointed at Mateo.
“Do you know anyone near…?” He looked at Bull. “What the name of this town, I don’t remember?”
“Aguascalientes.”
“Yea, near there?” Still speaking to Mateo, Aron pulled up a map on his computer. “See, here it is, almost due west of Tampico, smack dab in the middle of the country.”
Mateo was already on the job. “I think so, let me speak to Sophia. I believe she knows a gentleman in the neighboring village of Jesus Maria who could help us with weapons and mounts.” He left to do so and Bull felt guilty for getting angry when the young man had shown his respect to Isabella. Now, he was grateful for any help these people could give him.
“Jacob, get a hold of Saxon and Micah to see if they can get us any in-depth information on the area and the ranch,” Aron continued, making notes and checking schedules. “It’s been so long since I’ve been there, I don’t remember much.”
“Aron,” Bull interrupted him, “I’ve been to Terra Dura recently. I know the layout of the ranch.”
“Good, we can mark that off.” Aron did so.
Bull continued thinking aloud. “We also have a man on the inside, so to speak. He’s not there, but he works for Esteban here.”
“Talk to him, pick his brain. Ask him how many men we’ll be facing and what they’ll be shooting” He checked his watch. “We’ll leave here at six in the morning.”
“Isabella!”
The sound of Renata’s voice brought her to her feet. “Are you okay?”
Renata hugged her tight. “I’m not much worse for wear. Don Luis brought me to you. I was throwing such a fit, it was either that or shoot me.”
“How is Magdalena?”
“She’s scared, like we all are.” She sniffed, running her hand over Isabella’s hair. “I always knew your uncle was bat shit crazy, now he’s proved it.”
“Where were they keeping you?”
“In the barn, they have the men all tied up in the tack room with just one man standing guard. What are we going to do, Isabella? How are we going to get out of this?”
Isabella held her head up high. “I will face Desperado and I will tame him.” She had no choice. She had no options.
“I heard the men talking, they say Desperado is not like the other bulls you’ve faced.”
Isabella felt her courage falter. She couldn’t let Renata see how she felt. “I will persuade him to submit.” She took Renata’s hands. “Either way, Esteban will be appeased and all of you will be released.” She hoped. She prayed. Isabella didn’t think she would be allowed to survive, no matter the outcome of the bullfight.
Her fate, at this point, wasn’t of consequence. As long as Renata and her friends were allowed to escape, she could handle it. “Take care of Lola for me. And Bonita, I give you Bonita.”
“Hush, we’ll both walk away from this.” Holding Isabella’s hand, she asked the one question Isabella had dreaded. “What of Benedict? Surely, he’ll…”
“No. He doesn’t know about any of this. We…are no more.” An epiphany dawned in Isabella. As if calming angel’s wings settled over her heart, she saw the end from the beginning. A smile came to her lips. “This is for the best. I’m glad he doesn’t know. I’m glad we parted before…” A peace that passed understanding enveloped Isabella. If Bull knew nothing of her fate, he would be safe.
…A little over eight hundred miles away, a Lear jet winged its way from Kerrville to Aguascalientes. Bull sat at the window and watched the clouds go by, his mind on Isabella. All around him sat his friends – Canyon, Josh, Joseph, and his new friend, Mateo. Noah was at the controls, he’d become the designated pilot after the family had decided to acquire a plane. For the other rescue missions, they’d borrowed their friend, Kyle Chancellor’s, jet - that he just happened to be the Governor of the Lone Star state was a bonus. After having seen how many emergencies could arise in such a big family, the McCoys relented and spent a little of the money they had squirreled back. Bull had heard Jacob laugh and say Aron still had the first dime he’d ever made and was holding onto it so tight, his fingerprint was plainly visible in the silver.
“Hey, Bull, everything’s going to be okay. We’ll get there in time and snatch Isabella away before she ever gets within spitting distance of Desperado.”
“Thanks, Josh. I appreciate you all for coming with me.”
“It is our privilege to do this for La Diosa,” Mateo said with near reverence. He’d been doubly impressed to learn of Isabella’s secret identity. “She is very brave. If it were just the bull she faced, I know she would prevail. The evil men, this is who she must not battle alone.”
Bull had no intention of her facing either of them alone. He could still remember Dax telling him that Esteban was known to torture his animals to make them mean. Hurricane had been bad enough, but Desperado…he was a different monster altogether. He shuddered at the thought of his beauty facing the beast.
Before he knew it, Noah was landing the Lear. When they were ready to debark, Mateo hailed a man waiting outside with a long gooseneck trailer and a double-cab truck. Tony Salazar turned the keys over to Mateo with the news that a tool box on the back was filled with pistols, rifles, and ammunition. All the weapons were equipped with silencers. Once Noah had the plane secured and Salazar left the scene with someone who’d followed him to the site, the six men from Texas headed to Terra Dura. “We should have plenty of time, the plane hauling Desperado didn’t arrive until late last night,” Bull said, checking his phone to see if Dax had sent any more details he’d ferreted from Armando.
“What did Kane find out on Esteban?” Joseph asked as they pulled away from the airport.
“I didn’t get to talk to him very long, but I passed on the info Armando had fed us. Basically, he verified what details he could, but the best thing to come out of all of this is the rescue of Doff’s widow and Armando’s sister. They were found locked in an upstairs bedroom, both being held prisoner. If Esteban tries to return to the US, he’ll be picked up at the border.”
“How about Armando? What will happen to him?” Canyon asked, knowing more about the situation than the rest.
Bull shrugged. “I guess I have a new employee. I owe him one, don’t you think?”
Isabella was dragged from her basement prison before dawn, while Renata had been returned to wait with the other hostages. Apparently. Esteban saw fit to allow her to prepare herself. She was permitted to bathe and dress in whatever clothes she deemed appropriate. Isabella felt like a vestal virgin being prepared for sacrifice to a demon god. Only…she wasn’t a virgin and Desperado was no god. He was an angry bull, taught only to attack and attack and attack. His inbred anger had served him well in the rodeo ring, giving the cowboys the epitome of a challenge. None had lasted the full eight seconds, but the real test was not the ride itself, but the task of escaping the deadly horns and hooves of the bull once they were of his back. Desperado was dead set on killing whatever got in his way.
Since this was no ordinary fight, Isabella did not choose to wear the costume of a matador. She laid aside the garments of La Diosa and chose to wear a plain white dress with a scoop neck, no sleeves and a full skirt. She would wear no hat and carry no sword. The cape she chose was her father’s, the full red sail of Romero Miguel. In her hair, she wore a white silk rose, one belonging to her mother. She wished she had something of Benedict’s to carry with her, some talisman to cling to when facing her greatest battle. Since she had no such charm, she carried in her heart the love she felt for him, the love that still lived even though it was unrequited.
“Are you ready, Isabella?”
Her uncle’s voice broke through her reverie. “Is it time?”
“Yes.”
“I daresay you won’t be wishing me luck.” She knew she was worth more dead to him than she ever had been worth alive.
“I think the odds are stacked against you to such an extent that my sentiment will have little bearing.”
Isabella nodded and followed him from her room. As s
he walked through the hacienda, it occurred to her that this did not feel like home any longer. Perhaps it was the presence of those who wished her ill, a taint that permeated the very walls. Benedict’s small cabin was where she longed to be, the joy she had known there far surpassed any serenity she’d felt here since the death of her parents. More so than surviving, Isabella wished her father and mother’s killer could be brought to justice. As she walked, the notion that none of them would be allowed to escape rose in her breast.
The peace she’d taken comfort from fled and a new phoenix of courage rose from the flames.
She could do this.
Somehow, someway she would survive.
And when she did, she’d see Rodrigo Esteban pay for his crimes.
CHAPTER
THIRTEEN
Riding abreast, the six Texas cowboys crossed over the property line and onto Terra Dura. “Piece of cake,” Joseph muttered. “At least there was no electric fence or cameras like we faced when we invaded the female drug lord’s domain to rescue Aron.”
“Female drug lord, isn’t that a contradiction in terms? Wouldn’t it be female drug lady?” Canyon asked in a conversational tone.
“I don’t think so,” Noah laughed. “Although we did refer to Martina Delgado as a queenpin a few times, instead of a kingpin.”
“Sometimes words are not sufficient,” Mateo observed, enjoying being a part of this quest. “I struggle with the English language at times.”
“Well, you do a helluva lot better with English than I do with Spanish, I’ll tell you that for sure,” Bull said with admiration.
To avoid detection, they’d entered the ranch at one of the farthest points from the hacienda. After riding at a quick pace for about an hour, Bull reminded them of their plan, “Armando thinks the hostages are being held in the main barn next to the stables.”
“I suppose Armando has an unsuspecting contact here, one who is not aware he is betraying his boss,” Josh observed, his eyes busy scanning the horizon.
