Tijuana Nights (The Nights Series Book 1)

by Leigh K. Hunt

  "How long?"

  River smiled. "As long as it takes."

  I cringed. That could seem like forever in such close proximity to the woman who wanted my head.

  "Gabe could be in a compromising position. Don't worry, Carmen will leave him to his own devices so she can be head of command shortly, and he'll be free to go." Chase was smiling from ear to ear, and I realised then that he loved this sort of drama.

  Carmen. Head of command. If I didn't watch it, I really was going to be sick soon. Thank god I didn't have anything in my tummy to heave up.

  Chase pulled me behind some trees down the side of the house, and I watched River disappear ahead of us. "Quiet," he whispered.

  I forced myself to control my nervous breathing. Armed men ran out of one of the house doors, and straight past us.

  "Amateurs," Chase muttered. Then he pulled me forward, and we stood behind the next set of trees. We were so close to the house now, I could see people through the windows.

  "God, how many people are in there?"

  Chase assessed them critically from the safety of darkness. "Who knows? Gabe did warn us that she had a contingent of cartel members here."

  I swallowed. "Oh boy."

  "Brace yourself," Chase whispered. And I did. But I braced myself against him. I heard another grenade blast on the opposite boundary.

  "Where the hell is he?"

  Chase pointed to the roof. "Up there. He can throw grenades a good distance from heights." He suddenly clamped his hand over my mouth before I could respond as all hell broke loose inside.

  Carmen came into view, and I felt myself suck in a breath through Chase's hand. He realised, and loosened his grip on me. "Sorry," he whispered almost inaudibly.

  I watched Carmen issue orders to people around her as she stood in a negligee, baring her long bronze legs and leaving little else to the imagination. I couldn't believe that all these people knew that she was cheating on her husband - their boss! And yet, Javier either didn’t know, or he cared too little to do anything about it. And then as I watched her take command, I realised that she was a natural born leader. I always had the impression that she was just a cartel wife, and that was why Javier courting me was so offensive to her status and rank within the cartel.

  It appeared that I was wrong. Watching her now, it was damn clear that she was the boss. There were no two ways about it.

  "I need to get closer," Chase whispered. "Do you want to stay here, or are you coming with me?"

  I gave him a quick nod to say I was coming, and followed him from the bushes. We ran quickly up the pathway alongside the house, towards the back. Chase found an open window and inched it silently open to climb through it.

  I swung my leg over. I knew this wasn't a good idea, but there was no way I was staying out there in the garden by myself. I watched Chase check the hallway outside the room, and then he shone his phone around the room we were standing in. It looked like a small, unused sitting room. There were a couple of older styled sofas, a bookshelf lining the back, and a TV mounted on the wall. If I didn't know any better, I would say it looked like a man cave, but for someone much, much older.

  Chase sent a text to Gabe explaining where we were. I hoped that was the end of it and we could get out of here as soon as possible.

  Another explosion rocked the house, this one much closer. I pursed my lips. The last thing we needed was for River to blow the shit out of us. Chase signalled to me to get down behind the large couch. I didn't question or argue - it was common sense in case somebody walked in and found us.

  I knelt beside him and rested my head on the floor. I sat there quietly until something foreign greeted my senses. Muffled sounds came through the floorboards, and I strained to hear properly through the vibrations of the people running around in the house. And then I heard something that sounded like a whimper.

  I moved my head into a better position and listened closer. It wasn't just one whimper. It was a whole lot of whimpering and crying. Right beneath us.

  Alarm swept through me and my blood ran cold. There were people down there. I suddenly looked up at Chase. "Can you hear that?"

  His gaze met mine, and he lowered his head to the floor for a few moments.

  He lifted his head again, and then put it back to the floor. "There are people down there," he murmured. "Women, by the sounds of it."

  "Oh my god." I tried to keep my voice down. "What if they aren't meant to be here?"

  Chase shook his head. "I'm not sure, Mack. They could be anyone."

  I lowered my head back to the floorboards, and as I listened, I could make out some of the words. "They're speaking English." I sat up again and looked at him. "Chase. I don't think they're meant to be here."

  He pursed his lips at me, and looked at his watch. "Our operation is to get Gabe out."

  I stared at Chase incredulously. "But what if these people need us?" Panic started to well within me. Nothing about this was good. I dropped my ear to the floor again. 'Please help us,' I heard someone say.

  "We have to get them out," I whispered. "They're asking for help."

  I saw doubt creep across his features, and then he shook his head. "We don't know what we'd be getting ourselves into. I don't want to compromise the mission."

  Frustration ripped through me.

  Right then, the door burst open, and Chase and I both knelt silently to the floor.

  "Chase?" A whisper came through the darkness.

  Gabe.

  Chase sat up, and peeked over the sofa. "Gabe," he spoke softly. "Are you ready to go yet?"

  "Yeah."

  I had my head pressed to the floorboards once again. They were crying and whimpering. Obviously these people needed our help. I didn't know what to do, but I wanted to do something. Chase grabbed my arm.

  "Come on, Mack. We have to go."

  Another blast ruptured somewhere, and I heard the house groan. I looked at Chase in alarm. "He's going to bring the house down."

  Chase shrugged. "Possibly."

  "There are a bunch of people down there that it will fall on!" I looked between Chase and Gabe.

  Gabe sighed. "Yes. We have to go."

  Chase heaved me up off the floor, and we made our way towards the window. People were really running around the property now, I could smell smoke and it plumed in through the windows of the house.

  Chase sent a message to River, and before I knew it, we were going out the window. "Go to the trees," Chase instructed. I didn't need to be told twice. As soon as my feet hit the ground, I was running.

  We reached the shrubbery, and knelt down to let it cover us. And then I had an idea. "Chase, do you have any grenades on you?"

  He nodded, and lifted his finger to his lips, which made me go still. People ran past up the path in the direction we'd just come from. Rapid gun fire erupted from somewhere, and I prayed that River was all right. It was also a stark reminder of the gun I still held tightly in my hand.

  "I'll throw a grenade in the general direction of those people as we leave, and they may have a chance of getting out," Chase whispered in my ear. "But when I do, we’re going to have to run for our lives, because people are going to be swarming the area as soon as it happens."

  I gave Chase a silent nod of thanks. He somehow knew what I was thinking. At least we had tried something. If they were hostages, I hoped they survived.

  A message came through on Gabe's phone. "River's out near the road," Chase whispered. As we stood, Chase threw a grenade high over his head with all of his might. "Run," he ordered.

  Gabe and I raced through the bushes and out onto the pathway. I heard Chase behind us, then the explosion rocketed through the air. And then I could hear nothing but my own breathing as I ran for my life down the dark pathway, trying not to tread on Gabe's heels.

  A big man suddenly stepped out on the path in front of us, and we skidded to a stop. And then he fell in front of me. I looked down at him stunned, and saw he had a bullet-hole, precisely betwe
en his eyes.

  Chase grabbed me. "Come on," he urged.

  We continued to run towards the entrance. The Mercedes pulled up at the gates, and Chase threw me into the backseat with him, and Gabe somehow managed to make it into the front. River pulled the car away, the doors still open. Gunfire ripped through the night, and I heard a series of bullets hit the car.

  As River gained control of the vehicle, both Gabe and Chase managed to pull their doors closed.

  "That was fucking close," River shouted at us.

  Close. "Oh my god," I moaned. River threw the car around a few bends and Chase and I were thrown around the backseat.

  "Are you all right?" Chase asked me.

  "No," I answered. "No I'm not." I pulled myself into a seated position, and tried to inhale deeply to calm myself down. "I think I'm going to throw up," I commented. I leaned against my door, head against the cool glass. And then the window started winding down. I leaned my head out of the speeding car, gulping in oxygen.

  Chase pulled me in once he was sure I wasn't going to be sick, and wound my window up. "Best you don't lean out for too long," he said quietly. "It's not good practice to hang out of windows."

  I shook my head and rolled my eyes. The motion was making me feel ill. Gabe passed me some water from the front seat.

  "Thanks," I said gratefully. I uncapped it, and drank half of the bottle down.

  "We're going to have to make a hasty exit when we get to the airport," River said to Gabe. "Set it up."

  "We can't go," I said. "What about all those people back there?"

  "What people?" River's eyes cut to me in the rear-vision mirror.

  Gabe groaned. "The people." He sighed. "She's talking about all the women they have trafficked in. That was why Carmen flew us down there in the first place. A shipment of women came in through Cabo san Lucas."

  "Human trafficking?"

  Gabe nodded. "Yeah, that. Carmen flew in to inspect them. They're all women, collected from around the place. You know... south. Anyway, they are all undergoing breast implant surgery tomorrow for the cartel to insert bags of pure heroin, and then they'll be sent north across the border."

  "Jesus Christ," I spluttered. "You're not serious?"

  Gabe turned to me. "Deadly."

  I started trembling. I had effectively sent those women to their death. They would be cut open in less than hygienic circumstances, given a heroin boob job, and then trafficked to the States. I wound down my window again, this time I really was going to throw up. My stomach heaved, but little other than water came out.

  After a few moments of bringing up bile, I started to gain control of my stomach again and I pulled myself back into the car. Chase handed me the water bottle, and I drank the rest.

  "This is a nightmare," I whispered.

  Chase lay a hand on my knee reassuringly. "You’re having an adrenaline crash. Most people get it in a milder form, but then again, most people don't go on an all out rescue mission like we just did."

  "That's what you call this?" I choked. "An adrenaline crash?" After I said it, I seemed to recall that often people got emotional and threw up when they had an adrenaline surge, but I couldn't recall where on earth I'd heard that. I wound up the window, and sat back in my seat properly and was quiet for a few moments. "I think I need my bed."

  And it wasn’t like I had the luxury of putting it off either.

  9

  When I woke, I found myself in bed at River's house, fully clothed. I vaguely remembered getting off the flight back to Tijuana, and getting into the car. However, I didn't remember making it from the car to my bed. I took a wild guess and assumed that River and Chase had transported me.

  Curious about the time, I looked at my watch, and was startled to see that it was after two in the afternoon. "Oh god," I muttered. I threw the covers off, and rolled to a stand. At least they had the decency to remove my shoes before putting me under the covers.

  I stumbled into the shower, and soaked myself for far too long under the falling water. It felt good to wash away all of the shit from last night. I couldn't believe that we'd been on a whirlwind trip down to Cabo San Lucas, and basically blown up a house to get Gabe out. And I couldn't believe that Carmen was importing women to fill their cup size with heroin. The thought of the whole operation made me sick. Transporting drugs inside somebody’s breasts was sick. The fact that Carmen was the person behind the operation was even worse considering she was a woman. If anything, I would have expected a woman to be against that sort of inhumane act. It just showed how cold hearted Carmen really was.

  When I eventually got out and towelled myself dry, I got my underwear on, and decided to tie a sarong around myself as opposed to getting fully dressed. I had a sneaking feeling that it wouldn't be too long before I was seeking the solace of my bed and clean sheets again. I thanked my lucky stars that I had washed it all yesterday. There was something special about clean sheets. I knew that if I ever won the lottery - I would have them put on my bed every day.

  I saw my new gold iPhone sitting on my bedside table, and a grin spread across my face. I picked it up, checked it for any messages. There were a couple from Jax asking if everything was okay with my holiday. I responded saying that everything was fabulous and that we would have a good catch up when I got back, and tucked the phone into my bra strap. I missed Jax and her eccentric French ways, and I longed to tell her all my woes. Part of me wanted to ask what the situation was like back home with Annalise, Jax’s friend and Escort Services boss, but I had left in such a rush, that I also didn’t want to know. But it was best if Jax didn’t worry about me, or else she would be on the first flight out here. I was dying for a cigarette and a cup of coffee, so I left the sanctuary of my room in search of the good stuff.

  I wandered into the kitchen, and found Chase leaning against the bench, dressed in shorts, a white shirt, and a very nice pair of glasses. I automatically caught my breath, and I felt my face flare up. Memories of the previous evening assaulted my senses, and I paused to contain myself.

  "Afternoon," he said warmly. He turned around, opened a cupboard, and passed me a cup.

  I smiled shyly at him, and accepted the cup. "Thanks," I mumbled.

  As I turned to the coffee pot, I felt him move beside me. "So… did you sleep well?"

  I nodded. "Yeah. Not bad." I wondered what on earth else I should say. "Did you?" I enquired.

  He smiled down at me. "It could have been better."

  I froze, wondering what the hell he was implying, and if he was referencing anything to me or us in particular. "Always the case. The others up yet?"

  "Of course. Those two can survive on hardly any sleep at all. I was more concerned about you though. You feeling okay?"

  I thought of those women trapped in Carmen's basement, and felt anger well within me. Without meaning to, I rounded on him. "Not really, actually. Chase... we left those people there to fend for themselves."

  He nodded slowly. "I know."

  "And what if some of them died because of us? Whether they managed to get out or not. What that bitch is doing to them is completely fucking inhumane. I can't believe that even someone as sadistic as her would have the audacity to cut women open all for the sake of drug trafficking. We should have got them out."

  Chase pursed his lips, and gazed at me silently.

  I felt myself swallow as I met his eyes. "Sorry."

  "You finished yet?"

  I shrank back from him, crossed my arms, and stared out the kitchen window.

  "Mack. Our mission was to get Gabe out. We don't usually deviate from the mission, or else things can start to go terribly wrong. I know that you're compassionate, and you care. But when we're not all on the same page, people get hurt. What would you do if we managed to save all those people - god knows how - we weren't set up for those logistics - but can you even imagine what it would be like if we lost any one of us in the process?"

  I pursed my lips together, forcing the lump in my throat down. Th
is was all too real.

  "I'm serious." He exhaled with a sigh. "Do you have any idea what they would do to any one of us if we were captured? They would torture us, find out who we are, and because of the damage we’ve done to their cartel already - they would probably kidnap and murder all of our loved ones in the process. That's how ruthless they are, Mack, and that's probably an understatement."

  I couldn't help it. Tears fell from my eyes, and I sniffed. Chase wrapped his big, strong arms around me, and I found myself embracing him back, sniffing and silently crying against his shoulder. "I'm sorry," I whispered. "I guess I just didn't understand the reasons behind your decision."

  He kissed me lightly on the head and pulled back.

  Gabe walked in humming along with his headphones carrying his dirty dishes, his eyes widened as he saw us. Then he saw my red cheeks and puffy eyes, stopped, and pulled his headphones off. "Erm... did I just interrupt a lover's quarrel or something?"

  My eyes cut directly to Chase, and he looked back at me in alarm.

  "Just kidding!" Gabe laughed "Geez. You people take me far too seriously sometimes."

  I suddenly remembered to breathe. Chase patted me on the arm, and I picked up my coffee to take a slurp from it.

  "Mack's still a little upset from last night," Chase told Gabe.

  Gabe chuckled. "Women, eh?"

  Chase rolled his eyes, throwing his hands up in the air with feigned frustration. "Women."

  "I need a fag," I muttered, carrying my coffee from the kitchen and into the living room. I found my backpack on the table behind the sofa, and fished out my pack of cigarettes, only to find it empty. I walked back to the kitchen needing to ask if we could go and get some more, but I walked right into what looked like to be an argument between Chase and Gabe.

  "Errr.... lover's quarrel?" I commented.

  Chase gave Gabe a thunderous warning look, and then stalked past me.

  Gabe shrugged at me, muttering about how Chase couldn't take a joke. I swallowed, leaving my question for later. If they weren't going to help me get a new pack of cigarettes, I was happy to take a car and help myself.