Romancing the Alpha: An Action-Adventure Romance Boxed Set

by Zoe York

  “There’s too many places to hide,” Iman said, “and too many people. This is crazy.”

  We pulled into the parking lot, which was entirely empty. Except for one car.

  “No, this is crazy,” one of the other guys said. “This parking lot hasn’t been empty like this…ever.”

  John got out and inspected the lone car in the otherwise empty lot. “This is one of Leo’s cars from the resort,” he called. He headed back and started swiftly assembling an arsenal of guns. He strapped an assault rifle, courtesy of Leo, to his back.

  “The girls are here,” he told me. “Both of them. I know it.”

  “This is a setup,” I said, careful to keep my voice low. I didn’t want the men getting more alarmed than they already were; we were going to need their help.

  “I know,” John said. “Ramirez wants me. He wants me to see him hurt my wife. The fact that he has Mer as well is probably just a bonus for him.”

  “What else can you tell me about him?” I asked, strapping a semiautomatic gun to my arm.

  “He has lots of loyal employees. There’s not much he’s afraid of.”

  “Any weaknesses?” I asked.

  “Just the one that I killed the last time I was down here,” John said, his face resigned.

  “Right,” I said. I turned to the other men, who were looking like they were about to run. “We gotta do something with these guys,” I said to John. “I think they’d be happy to shoot us and get out of here. Do you want to bribe them?”

  John looked at them for a beat. “No. Cut them loose. We’ll be fine on our own.”

  “Gentlemen,” I called to them. “I’m going to send you on your way.”

  Iman watched my face. “Why should we trust you?”

  “You shouldn’t. But you don’t really have another option. If you try to shoot me, I’ll just shoot you first. So before you go, tell me anything that might be helpful about the ruins. Anything useful.”

  “There are cenotes in there,” one of the men said. “They have tall grasses around them that are good for cover.”

  “The Temple of the Warriors and the Columns could provide decent places to hide. You just have to make sure no one’s in there, first,” Iman said.

  “You’re walking into an ambush,” the last man said. “If they’re up in the pyramid and hidden in the columns, they will shoot you down like dogs. You need to go around back and walk from the road. Enter where the Sacred Cenote is and come up on the temple and the plaza from behind.”

  John took the car keys and tossed them to the last man. “You drop us off there. You can take the car from there.”

  “You’re crazy, you know that—right?” the man asked John.

  “I know that. Right,” John said. He smiled tightly at him. “Let’s do this.”

  ***

  The men drove us around the back and we got off near the edge of what looked like a forest. “Thank you,” I said. “You might want to check on Leo when you get back. He’s not doing well.”

  “Do you two…have this?” the man asked me. He looked at me as if he were looking at a dead man.

  “Oh yeah,” I said, with false bravado. “We’ve totally got this.”

  He nodded at me, and they drove away, the dust rising from the street. “How many men do you think Ramirez has?” I asked.

  “Plenty,” John said. “I think he has plenty.”

  Without another word, we headed into the trees, towards what I hoped was the Sacred Cenote. John pulled out his phone and checked a map on it, also checking the compass. “We’re actually pretty close,” he said. “The cenote’s right on the other side, once we get through these trees. I don’t remember seeing it before, but the map says it’s separated from the rest of the plaza by a walkway. If it’s clear, we’ll be able to come into the main area from the back.”

  “Okay,” I said. We were moving fast. “Then let’s hope it’s clear.”

  “Do you want to make some sort of plan?” John asked, as we continued to move closer.

  “Let’s get our wives back,” I said. “And then let’s get the hell out of here.”

  “That sounds appropriate,” John agreed.

  We came to the edge of the trees, and I could see the Sacred Cenote, down at the bottom of a spiraling cave. Unlike the beautiful water we’d swum in earlier, this lagoon was thick and green, surrounded by brush and crumbling ruins.

  “For a sacred cenote, it sure looks like an immunio-booster smoothie,” I told John.

  “You definitely don’t want to swim in that,” he said, looking at the water warily. “The Mayans believed that the spirit of the Kukulkan, the plumed serpent, went back to the heavens through that cenote after he visited for the equinox. It’s not for casual, mere mortal swimming.”

  “How do you know that?” I asked.

  “I told you—I’ve visited the ruins before. This is an amazing place. The Mayans built these temples in accordance with their calendar. During the Equinox, you can see the descent of the Kukulkan down the biggest pyramid—El Castillo. It’s incredible.” He paused for a beat and looked at me. “This really was going to be a cool trip. We should come back sometime under, uh, different circumstances.”

  “I think I’ll vacation in Florida next year,” I said. “Just sayin’.”

  He nodded at me and then checked the map again. “There’s a path straight ahead. We can follow that to the main plaza.”

  I tried not to think about Mer in this ancient, holy place. Or Liberty, captured by a man who wanted to kill her to settle a long-standing debt. “Do you think they have them both?” I asked.

  “Knowing Liberty, I’m sure she tried to get Meredith free before she turned herself in.”

  I nodded, but I didn’t say anything. I’m sure that’s what Liberty had done, too. But would Ramirez have let my wife go so easily?

  We crept along the path, on the verge of finding out.

  — ELEVEN —

  LIBERTY

  I would have said it was a pleasure to meet Gerardo Ramirez, too, but I didn’t want to start out with a lie. I was in enough trouble as it was. I watched as Meredith disappeared, and I sent silent prayers her way. Please be safe, I thought. I looked up at Ramirez, who was waiting for me.

  Because otherwise, this will have been for nothing.

  “Come,” he called and motioned for me.

  I took a deep breath; the sun suddenly seemed hotter. My head hurt as I walked towards him, my temples throbbing dully.

  “You know that I know your husband,” he said, as I got closer. I could only see the outline of his face.

  “So I’ve heard,” I said.

  When I reached him, I sucked in a deep breath. His face was lined harshly, the amber-colored skin weathered by years of too much sun. But it was his eyes that had me worried. They sparkled with curiosity as he looked at me, like I was a shiny new toy for him to play with or a puzzle to try to piece together.

  After he took me apart.

  He grabbed my wrist as I reached him and held onto me tightly, his fingers sinking into my skin.

  “You don’t have to do that,” I said, looking at his hand. “It’s not like I’d get too far if I ran.”

  “I know.” He smiled at me and then turned to the guard behind him. “Go get the other girl,” he ordered.

  “No!” I yelled. “We had a deal!” I struggled against him and tried to get free, but he just laughed.

  “I don’t make deals when it comes to revenge,” he said. “I’ve been waiting for this for a long time. I’m going to enjoy every opportunity that comes my way.”

  “Every opportunity for what?” I asked, still struggling.

  “Every opportunity to make your husband feel regret.”

  I stopped struggling and looked up at him. “He already feels it. He didn’t want to hurt your wife. John would never have done that on purpose.”

  “It’s nice that you have such faith in your husband, but you happen to be wrong. I was there. He sh
ot her and killed her and then he tried to kill me, too. There was no remorse. Nothing. He just came down here, killed a bunch of people—all to protect that criminal, Leo—and then left the mess behind. And now he comes back here for a vacation.”

  “He didn’t know she was driving,” I insisted. “It was a shootout. I’m sure you’re familiar with them—the people involved get shot. And killed.”

  “What he did was kill someone innocent to protect someone guilty. And he did it for money.” Ramirez watched my face. “Sounds like a crime to me. He deserves justice.”

  I pointed to myself and to him. “This isn’t justice. It’s revenge.”

  “To me, that’s the same thing,” he said. He looked out to the far side of the plaza. “Ah, here we are.”

  I watched in horror as the guard came back, his arms wrapped around a struggling Meredith. He brought her alongside me, and we just looked at each other. She was pale and sweating, on the verge of tears.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered.

  Meredith shook her head. “I should’ve run faster. Both times,” she said. She looked flushed and resigned as the guard put her hands behind her back and nudged her towards the pyramid.

  I tried to get my arm away from Ramirez again, and he held it tighter, pushing me towards the pyramid as well. “Where are you taking us?” I screeched. The pyramid steps were steep; the structure rose above us like a skyscraper. At the base of the stairs were two large carvings of a serpent’s head.

  I shivered; I didn’t want to go up those steps. The serpents were ominous, frightening. There was a building at the top with a lone, dark door.

  I didn’t want to go through that door.

  “We’re going to see the view,” Ramirez said. “And wait to see who else shows up.”

  Meredith just looked at me, and I tried to get myself under control. The pain in my head had been usurped by the pounding of my heart. But I had to put on a brave face for her; it was my fault she’d been taken in the first place.

  Plus, I’d been kidnapped a few times before. I had to lead by example.

  “Please don’t make me go up there again,” Meredith pleaded. Ramirez didn’t acknowledge her, and the guard nudged her forward. We climbed up the steep steps slowly. Ramirez released me but kept me in line by aiming his gun directly at me. I had no choice but to climb. As frightened as I was, I was still in awe of the pyramid. The stones were enormous. The intricate design and construction were amazing.

  How did they do this? I wondered, trying to picture the ancient Mayans piecing this behemoth of a building together. It was a relief to have something to ogle over, other than my current predicament. But I tried not to look down. The stairs were at an angle that was extremely steep; every time I looked back towards the grass, I got dizzy.

  Meredith was looking even more pale. “It’s okay,” I told her, even though it wasn’t.

  “I’m afraid of heights,” she said, clinging to the stones

  “Just look up. We’re almost to the top, see?”

  “That’s what I’m worried about,” she said. I could hear her breathing—rapid, almost hysterical gulps.

  “We need to stop,” I told Ramirez. “She’s ill.”

  “Not this act again. Carry her,” he snapped to the guard. I watched in terror as the guard immediately hoisted Meredith up over his shoulder, grunting and swaying underneath her weight and the odd angle.

  “Oh my God, oh my God—” Meredith screamed and clapped her hands over her eyes as she dangled over the guard’s shoulders, facing the ground.

  “It’s okay, Mer,” I said again, stupidly. Clearly, it was not okay. “We’re almost there. Just close your eyes.”

  She kept her hands over her eyes. I could hear her sobbing.

  “Fucking Americans,” Ramirez said and nudged me forward again. “Everybody’s got a phobia.”

  “You don’t have phobias in Mexico?” I asked, exasperated.

  “Sure we do—fear of getting shot in a cartel fight, fear of not having enough food for our children, fear of contaminated water. Real shit to be worried about.”

  I looked over at Meredith, who was now positively green. It looked as if she was worried about some pretty real shit to me.

  My own breathing became labored during our long, steep climb. After what seemed like forever, we reached the top. The guard put Meredith down. She opened her eyes, looked at how high up we were, and promptly bent over and threw up near the guard’s feet.

  “¿Pero qué coño?” the guard yelled and jumped back.

  Ramirez laughed at him. I leaned over and rubbed Meredith’s back. “It’s okay,” I said. “It's going to be okay.”

  Meredith looked up at me, her eyes wild. “You don’t need to keep saying that. It’s obviously not going to be okay. Not even close.”

  This was where I wanted to tell her that her husband was a badass, and that nothing was going to stop him from getting to her. And that the same thing went for my husband. They were coming for us, I knew it.

  Unfortunately, I was pretty sure that was exactly what Gerardo Ramirez wanted.

  “What now?” I asked him, straightening myself and looking at him.

  “Now, we wait,” he said. “Enjoy the view.”

  Meredith and I put our backs against the cool stones and slid down to sit on the side of the temple, as far away from the edge as possible. I looked out at the esplanade. I could see ruins in every direction. There were carvings of snakes, faces, and gods. There were also what looked like a hundred columns spread out around another, lower temple. They looked like pieces of an enormous, intricate chess game.

  “What are those?” I asked.

  “The Group of a Thousand Columns,” Ramirez said. “There were other temples surrounding The Temple of the Warriors.” He motioned to the lower temple surrounded by the columns. “Those were part of the infrastructure.”

  “What did the Mayans use this place for?” I asked.

  “It was a place of worship. And the center of their civilization—it was a trade hub,” he said. “But no one knows why they abandoned it.”

  “Huh,” I said, not sure how to proceed with him. “It’s fascinating. I’d like to explore it, uh…under other circumstances.”

  Ramirez just looked at me.

  “What are you going to do with us?” I blurted out, unable to help myself.

  “I’m going to wait for your man to show up,” he said. “And then when he gets here, I’m going to let him watch while I kill you.”

  “Huh. Is that really necessary?” I asked. “Can’t you just—you know—scare him a little bit, instead? You have kidnapped us, you know. I’m sure he’s very upset right now. Isn’t that enough?”

  Ramirez looked at me as though I had three heads. “No, it’s not enough,” he said.

  I saw Meredith watching me like I was crazy-talking.

  Neither of these reactions was going to stop me, however. One thing I’d learned was that everyone, even every bad guy, wanted something. I just had to cross my fingers that Ramirez wanted something more than he wanted to kill me in front of John.

  I was crossing all my fingers that he wanted something more.

  “Isn’t there anything else that you want?” I continued, undeterred. “Because my husband has a lot of resources. And a lot of friends. If there was something he could do for you…”

  “There is nothing he can do to give me my wife back. Do you understand that?” He was beginning to look like he wanted to cut all three of my heads off.

  “Of course I do,” I said in a reassuring tone, “and I’m sure he understands that, too. But maybe there is something you want more than just killing me? More than just making him suffer?”

  “Nothing comes to mind,” Ramirez said.

  Meredith was staring at me, still green, and looking more and more worried by the second.

  Still, I didn’t stop. “Money? Immunity? A helicopter?” I offered.

  “You’re his most significant resource,”
Ramirez said. “I’m looking forward to utilizing you.”

  “Killing me isn't going to bring your wife back,” I said

  “I know,” he said. “But it will make me feel better.”

  “It might not make you feel better. I’m actually a very nice person,” I said. “Right, Meredith?”

  “I actually like you less than I thought I did,” Meredith said, looking at me accusatorially.

  I sighed. “I kind of get that a lot.”

  Meredith motioned to Ramirez. “I’m not trying to be mean, but he’s obviously upset. And he’s the one with all the guns. So don’t make this any worse—just leave him alone.” She wrapped her arms around her knees and buried her face in them, as if being alone was the only thing that could help anyone.

  I could understand why Meredith was less than pleased with me; we’d brought her and Matthew down here for a vacation, and it had turned out to be the worst decision of our lives. I’d tried to rescue her, and I’d failed spectacularly. And now we were prisoners at the top of this enormous pyramid, our husbands most likely risking their lives on their way to try and rescue us.

  “Mer, no matter what happens—I want you to know that I’m so sorry that things turned out like this,” I said.

  “I know,” Meredith said. “But it’s making me rethink Matthew’s decision. And I’m really pissed at you about that.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, confused.

  Meredith just shook her head, keeping her face buried. “I’ll tell you later. If there is a later.”

  Ramirez stood up. “It’s time to go in,” he said, motioning to the building.

  “No, thank you,” I said automatically. The interior of the building looked dark and cramped. It was hot out here, and high up, but at least it wasn’t in there.

  “Like all of my offers, it’s not one you can refuse,” he said and grabbed me. “Let’s go.”

  ***

  I don’t know how long we were inside the small, dark space of the interior temple, but it seemed like forever. I watched as the sun moved across the sky to the west. Ramirez and his men came and went from the top of the pyramid, but there was always at least one guard with us, his gun trained on our faces.