Tijuana Nights (The Nights Series Book 1)

by Leigh K. Hunt

  I got out of the car with Chase, and he opened up the back. He handed me a very thin black wetsuit to put on. I stripped off my jacket and track-pants, and pulled the wetsuit on as quickly as I could. I didn’t want to be caught out here in the dark by someone I didn’t know whilst standing in my underwear. By the time I turned back to Chase, he was already zipping himself up. He grabbed a hood, and told me to put it on. I did as I was told, and found it strangely bizarre that it had a black mesh that covered my face. I sat in the back of the car while trying to pull my boots on. The boots weren’t like normal boots that I had seen surfers wear. They were wide at my toes, liked webbed feet. But they felt comfortable and roomy.

  Chase silently handed me a slim-line dive tank. He helped me get it on my back, and strapped it on before he did his own. I noticed how lightweight it was, and how it hugged my back. He wrapped a heavy belt around me, and connected a small breathing apparatus to the tank, which then clipped around my neck, so that I could easily reach it through the mesh front of my hood.

  Gabe came silently around the car and spoke in a whispered voice to us, “Okay, you’re all set to go,” he confirmed. “Go through the back door around there, and you’ll see the pool dead ahead. It won’t be long before Jandro gets up for his morning training session. The guards are all asleep, and I’ve pumped some amyl nitrate through the ventilation system of the guard’s quarters, so they’ll wake pretty dopey.”

  Chase nodded. “Good work.” He grabbed my hand. “Come on,” he instructed. We followed the path that Gabe had given us, and slipped in through a door in the stone wall. We stood in a pump house that was hot and steamy. “Now, when we get in the water, we are going to stay stationary until Jandro gets in.”

  “Won’t he see us?”

  Chase shook his head, and pointed through a glass door at the end of the room. I walked over, and looked out at the enormous pool. Then I noticed something incredibly unusual. “It’s black?”

  Chase smiled beneath the gauze. “Yes. And that’s why we have black suits on. Sometimes the best assassination is the one when they don’t even know you were there.”

  We walked through the glass door, and as I watched Chase slip silently into the water, I saw a large blade glinting on his belt.

  I slid into the pool after him, trying to be quiet, but I still made a bit of a splash. Looked like I wasn’t graceful at this either.

  “You ready?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know, Chase. What am I even doing here?”

  He gave me a slow smile in the dim light and moved closer towards me. “We've never done a job together, I wanted you to see me at work and this is safe way to do it. This is a different and very covert way to kill someone. You never know when you might need to do something like this.” He leaned even closer to me, “You look gorgeous dressed up like a sleepy platypus.”

  I pursed my lips in amusement, forcing a giggle down.

  “You ready yet?” He put his hand up to my covered face, and brushed it lightly down my cheek, causing me to shiver with the explosion of memories from earlier when he’d touched me.

  I took a deep breath and nodded, not trusting myself to speak, and put my mouth piece in. We dove to the bottom of the pool. It was a strange sensation sitting there at the bottom of the pool with Chase. I had never been diving before, and I definitely couldn’t imagine what it would be like in actual open water or the sea. I thought that would scare the crap out of me. In a pool with no predators, it all seemed a little easier.

  I looked over at Chase, who was facing the surface. He pointed and I looked up to see that some lights had been turned on. Chase checked his watch, and held his arm out so I could see the face. We had been in the water for more than fifteen minutes already. I wondered how long our tanks could give us oxygen for. That was something I didn’t particularly want to think about right now. I guessed Chase would make us surface before anything like that happened.

  Jandro dived into the pool right at that moment, and my heart began to race. I watched with anticipation as he did lengths, just waiting for him to see us.

  Chase moved languidly across the bottom, out towards the middle. Jandro took that moment when he was above me at the water’s edge to take a break. I held my breath as his feet dangled down about a metre above me. I looked out in the water, and almost couldn’t see Chase anymore – just a faint outline. It was strange not being able to communicate during this. It was so different to all of the other jobs I had been out on with River where he would give me a step by step instruction of what was happening. It was at a time like this one when I desperately wished I had ESP with Chase so I could at least understand what was going on in his head.

  Jandro dipped down in the water, and I shrank back without making much movement. I really did not want him to accidentally touch me. That would blow this whole operation out of the water, literally. The place would become a state of havoc.

  Jandro took off through the water in a backstroke, and I watched intently. Chase sprang up from the bottom and met him in the middle of the pool. I couldn’t quite see properly, so I swam closer. Chase wrapped his gloved hands around Jandro’s neck, and squeezed. Jandro struggled in the water, but since Chase was crushing his windpipe, I doubted whether Jandro could even breathe, let alone shout out. Chase wrapped his body tightly around Jandro, and continued to hold his neck with his forearm.

  It felt like it took forever for the struggling to stop. When it did, Chase twisted Jandro’s head, and I thought I heard a slight crack through the water, but really I had probably imagined it. Then he let the body go.

  I didn’t know what it was, but I felt like crying. Something about that kill was just so personal. We were all sharing the same pool, and Chase had taken Jandro’s life with his bare hands. There hadn’t been much of a fight once Chase had wrapped himself around Jandro.

  I wondered how long it would take for the guards to find him. If I had learnt anything this morning, it was that Chase was a serious pro. He was a professional killer in every sense of the word. I had seen River kill, and didn’t really bat an eyelid… but when it came to him… well. When it came to him, it was an art form, and he didn’t even use the knife. I had thought this might get bloody and brutal, but it hadn’t. It was clean, and almost natural. I was officially in awe of his skills. It made me want him even more than before. He was sexy, and dangerous, and that ramped up my emotional connection to him even more. He was exciting.

  Chase dived down to me, and pointed to the other end of the pool. We swam towards it, surfaced, and climbed out. I took the apparatus from my mouth, and Chase grabbed my hand. “Come on,” he whispered. “Time to run.”

  He led me through the pool’s filter room, and out the back. Gabe had towels at the ready when we reached the car. I didn’t bother changing, and neither did Chase. We just got in silently, and Gabe drove out the gates.

  I sat there numbly, wondering what the hell had just happened. “Wow….” I muttered. I heard Gabe chuckle from the front seat. “Just wow.”

  “Pretty up close and personal, isn’t it?” Gabe said. “The first time I ever saw that, I was probably feeling the same as you are now. And you know what the best part is?”

  I shook my head. “What?”

  “Nobody even knows you were there.”

  And that was the moment when I wondered if I could do a similar sort of stunt on Carmen. “Does Carmen have a pool?”

  12

  I was dressed and ready to go meet Alvarez. River had taken it upon himself to do my makeup while telling me about killing some woman named Beila, who was another Cartel member on the list.

  I reached up to his face, and tentative ran my fingers gently down the scratches on his face. “You’re a mess,” I said, my voice quiet.

  He nodded. “I garrotted her – like with Regina. She was quite nasty, and a heck of a lot stronger that she looked.” His eyes met mine. “But enough about that. I’m assuming you and Chase have managed to sort something out betwe
en you?”

  Colour flared to my face, and I looked down at the floor, biting my lip.

  “Look, Mack. Right from the first night we met you, there was obvious tension between you and him…” He smiled. “I’m just pleased that it’s positive tension now.”

  I snorted, remembering. “He wanted to kill me.”

  “He did,” River agreed, “But it’s been obvious to both me and Gabe for a while now that our best friend was falling for you. And rightly so. You’re a beautiful, smart woman. I consider you like a sister. Don’t ever forget that. Especially not tonight when you’re with Alvarez. Use those skills you have, and your wit and looks to your advantage. It doesn’t matter if you can’t dance. Alvarez likes you for a reason.”

  I laughed, relieved that the tension was dissolved. “Are you saying that my dance moves aren’t attractive?”

  River smirked, his eyes laughing with amusement. “I’m saying that if Alvarez only liked women for their dancing skills – yeah – he could probably do better than you.” He brushed some hair away from my face tenderly, and leaned forward to lightly kiss me on the cheek. I could feel a warm sensation of trust surround me from him. He really did consider me part of his family. I felt accepted. I stood and wrapped my arms around him, embracing as a smile lit my face.

  “You’re all good, Mack. Now, go knock him dead with your dance moves.”

  I was damn nervous about going to Alvarez's place. But I guess it had to be done.

  When River finally let me go, I ran straight into Chase in the hallway. He gripped both my shoulders. "Slow down, tiger," he commented with a smirk. "I was just coming to see if you were ready to go."

  I hesitantly nodded. "Sort of."

  He smiled down at me. "Good. If you're ready to go, I'll take you there. I want to keep watch on the place and be your back up in case anything goes wrong."

  My mouth went dry. "What could go wrong?" I squeaked.

  Chase shrugged. "Anything really... I may have to take him out while you’re there. You'll be fine though. I've got your back. Now..." he smiled. "Go get your bag or whatever it is you need. I'll be out in the car."

  I ran straight to my room, glancing at my watch. "Bloody River," I muttered as I threw a few things into my handbag.

  I heard a knock at the door, and Gabe poked his head around it. "I have something for you before you go," he said, grinning. He walked over to me, and pinned one of the most beautiful broaches I had ever seen to the strap of my dress.

  "That's gorgeous," I commented as I ran my fingers over it.

  Gabe nodded. "It sure is. It has a camera and microphone in it, so you're linked up to us here and on our mobiles. Just in case..."

  I sighed, of course it was. "Honestly - what could go wrong? Chase is all worried about it, and now you..." I watched Gabe closely, but he wouldn't meet my eye. "Is there something you're not telling me about Alvarez?"

  He shook his head. "Go." He shooed me out the door. "You're running late."

  Damn it, he was right. I picked up my bag, and ran out to the car. It rumbled to life as soon as I closed the door, and I settled into the soft red leather seats. Chase put some music on, and I noticed that it was from the USB stick he handed to me the other day which I’d never got around to plugging in.

  Drum and Bass sounded throughout the car, and I turned to Chase in surprise. "You have this?"

  He smiled. "I've been known to listen to a variety of music. But I remembered what you said the other day about how this was your favourite sort, so I loaded some."

  I smiled, letting the music and the vibrations from the car’s engine wrap around my senses. I closed my eyes, and realised that I could smell Chase's cologne as well. I didn't want to go to Alvarez's house. I wanted to stay here listening to amazing music in this car, and hang out with a man I really liked who made me feel safe.

  But that wasn't going to happen.

  Chase grabbed my hand, and I opened my eyes to look at him. "You're going to do great," he said.

  I smiled lazily at him. "I would prefer to stay here with you."

  "I know." He laughed. "Believe me when I say this - I would like nothing more than for you to hang out here with me as well. But you have a job to do."

  That was the thing about Chase. He was just so damn focused on his work, our work, and what we had to do in order to make it all happen.

  I then wondered why he was really here with me.

  "Do you have an ulterior motive, Chase?"

  "When? Now?"

  I nodded.

  "When it comes to you, Mack, all my motives are ulterior."

  I laughed. "Gee, well that clarifies things. No ... I mean ... Are you going to take Alvarez out while I'm there?"

  He shrugged. "Depends."

  "On what?"

  "On what his ulterior motives are, for one."

  I rolled my eyes. "Oh come on, Chase. You know what his ulterior motives are. You know he's going to try his best to get me into bed with him. I'm not going in blind, you know."

  Chase pursed his lips together, and kept his eyes on the road. "And how are you going to handle that, then?"

  I sighed. "I have no idea. I'll figure that out at the time." I glanced at him. I could tell he was angry from the set of his jaw, and the way he refused to look at me. I could feel something simmering beneath his surface. “How are you going to handle it?” I asked, almost inaudibly.

  He exhaled. "Well, just know that I will have a gun trained on him as much as I can, so if you ever need my help, you just give me the signal."

  Great. Now I was never going to be able to relax. It was bad enough knowing that Alvarez was in the El Diablo Cartel, let alone that he liked me, was going dance with me, but now I knew that Chase would be aiming at him the entire time. I was already nervous enough!

  Chase started to slow the car down as we turned a corner into a dusty but tree lined street. He pulled up in front of a walled complex, and showed me the gate. "Go ring the buzzer and you'll find him."

  I looked at Chase, and he finally met my eye. "What are you going to do now?"

  He gave me a tired smile. "I'll find a tree and perch up there for a while. Go." He leaned over and opened my door.

  He was so close, I could smell the shampoo residue in his hair, and the raw scent of him mixed with expensive cologne. He paused, and I froze.

  "Now?" I whispered.

  "Yes." He was just inches away from me.

  "Okay," I said, my tone breathy.

  He put his hand on the back of my seat, and kissed me. "You look beautiful, Mack." He smiled slowly. "Seriously."

  My heart stuttered. "Thanks."

  I had to leave. It was too intense, and I needed to mentally prepare myself for Alvarez. I gave him a quick peck on the corner of his mouth. "Take care," I whispered as I got out of the car.

  I waited at the gate to be buzzed in, glancing over my shoulder at Chase before I walked through. The garden was pristine and manicured, with a heap of trees. It was obvious that Alvarez had gardeners come in and do the work, as I doubted he would have the time to do it himself.

  I walked up the pathway to a modest sized house. He opened the front door before I reached it.

  "Ciara." He exhaled with a light sigh, kissing me lightly on the cheek. "How lovely to see you."

  I smiled. "Likewise," I said as I followed him into the foyer. There was a small table displaying a large arrangement of blooming flowers, and I stopped to smell them.

  Alvarez smiled as he watched me. "Ah, I see you have an appreciation for the more beautiful things in life."

  "Mmmm," I responded.

  He touched my bare elbow. "Come through to the kitchen."

  I followed him through a set of double doors, and stepped into an expansive kitchen full of light. "Nice place," I said genuinely.

  "Thank you." He smiled as he pulled two glasses from a large rack that sat above the bar area. "Wine?"

  I nodded, looking around. There was a dining nook at the far e
nd of the kitchen, with French doors that opened onto a bricked patio area. Seating was placed out there with large bright cushions, for people enjoy the garden.

  "This house belonged to my parents. It was one of their smaller properties. I moved in when I was eighteen." He shrugged. "And I guess I never really left."

  I smiled. "Your parents had good taste." I perched on one of the barstools, and took my glass of white from him.

  "Yes, I thought so." He laughed. "I do feel at home here, I must admit."

  "What sort of work did your parents do?"

  He took a sip of his wine before answering me. "Oh, imports and exports. You know - that sort of thing."

  Oh boy, I thought. I fixed a smile on my face. "Looks like it was a lucrative business," I commented. "My parents were fairly boring. My dad was an accountant, and my mother was a housewife."

  He laughed. "I'm sure they were more interesting than just that. Tell me - what do you do Ciara?"

  "Me?" I took a sip of wine and gave him a small smile. "I'm a historian."

  "A historian? Well I would never have guessed it." He chuckled. "You don't look like one."

  "Really? Well obviously I love Egyptian history." I patted my Cleopatra styled hair. "Mostly I research early civilisations, human migration, and war history."

  Alvarez paused, looking thoughtful for a few moments. "And what brings you here to Mexico?"

  I shrugged. "Holiday mainly. My brother, Davin? You met him the other day."

  Alvarez nodded.

  "Anyway, he's working here at the moment. Lucero and I decided to come out for a holiday. We were meant to be travelling down to Brazil, and spending some time in Rio de Janeiro, but that hasn't exactly panned out."

  "Why is that?"

  I shrugged, and played with the stem of my wine glass. "Davin has him working at the moment."