by Lisa Cardiff
I nodded. “I’ve got your back.”
Rever glanced over his shoulder, a wide smile on his face. “You better, asshole. This was all your idea. If it fails, I’m blaming you.”
He didn’t wait for my response. He shot the deadbolt on the door. The wood splintered, and I shaded my face, protecting my eyes from the flying debris. With his gun in front of his body, he kicked the door open. Following his lead, I slid my gun out of the holster.
Emanuel stepped out of the shadows, his gun drawn. “What the hell are you two doing here?”
“Put your gun down before I put a bullet between your eyes,” Rever said, his voice cold as ice.
The veins on the side of Emanuel’s neck pulsed with anger. “Ignacio is going to kill both of you.”
“We’ll take our chances with Ignacio.” I pulled the trigger of my gun and successfully shot him in the foot, immobilizing him.
The gun slipped from his hand, and he stumbled forward onto one knee. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“You know,” I started, “after I talked to you last week, I had an epiphany.” I tapped my gun against my thigh.
“You’re crazy,” he growled through clenched teeth.
“All this time, you were pretending to be Ignacio’s faithful servant without any ambition for more,” I continued, ignoring his words. “Then, I realized you not only wanted more, but you were also actively manipulating Ignacio and Juan to consolidate the resources of the two most powerful cartels in this region behind you. Only Ignacio and Juan were too stupid to see you for what you are.”
“You’ll never prove anything,” he taunted, reaching for his gun on the floor in front of him.
Pop!
I shot his hand.
“You piece of shit. You’re going to kill me.”
“He’s right,” Rever said, his voice eerily flat. “You shouldn’t toy with him before we get him to the torture room. If he loses too much blood, we’ll have to let him recover before the fun starts, and I’m in the mood to see lots of blood. I have so many plans for him.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m an immediate gratification type of guy. Maybe we could do it here.”
“Nah. We have better tools at the compound. We should wait.”
Emanuel grabbed a knife from the inside of his pant leg. He lurched forward and it flew through the air in slow motion heading for Rever.
“Rever, watch out,” I screamed, but it was too late.
The knife plunged into Rever’s shoulder. He staggered backward, falling to his knees. His eyes widened, and his lips parted. I charged forward, tackling Emanuel. His head cracked against the tile floor. My legs straddling his waist, I wrapped my hands around his neck. Emanuel clawed at my arm, but I didn’t feel anything. I wanted to strangle the life from his body second by second. His lips turned blue. His eyes bulged. His legs twitched. A haze of red filled my vision as I summoned the specter of death with my bare hands.
“That’s enough,” Rever grunted. He pulled the knife from his shoulder and tossed it on the floor. Blood oozed out of his wound, staining his white shirt.
“No.” I tightened my hands around his neck. “He helped Juan Alvarez abduct Hattie. She could’ve been killed.”
Rever slid a pair of handcuffs across the floor. “Yeah, well, we need to get a confession before you kill him. Otherwise, we’ll never get Ignacio to do what we want him to do.”
My body sagged, and my grip on his neck loosened. “Fuck,” I yelled, slamming my fist into the wall behind me. White dust coated my knuckles.
“Don’t worry. You’ll get the chance to do whatever you want with him,” Rever said, cupping his shoulder. Blood seeped through his fingers.
I spat on Emanuel’s face and flipped him onto his back. I snapped one ring of the cuffs around his wrist and the other around the iron stair railing.
“Take my car keys,” Rever said, dangling them from his fingers.
I snatched them out of his hand and started moving toward the front door.
“Text me when you’re out front and get the duct tape out of the glove box.”
“I’m on it. See you in a few minutes.”
“Hurry the fuck up. I don’t want to get in a gun fight while you’re gone.” His hardened gaze drifted across the room. “I have to find some bleach to clean this mess up. I don’t want it to look like we murdered someone in here.” He chuckled at his own joke. “That’ll come later. Much later.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Hattie
Sunlight streamed through the edges of the dark brown wooden blinds. I stretched my arms over my head, rolled onto my side and inhaled. Even though weeks had passed since Ryker had slept in this bed, I pretended I could smell his scent. Honestly, it smelled more like laundry detergent than anything else.
“You’re awake. I was afraid you planned to sleep until lunchtime,” Noah said, tapping a magazine against his thigh. A slim bar of light slashed across the sharp angles of his face, making the lower half light and the upper half dark.
“I was tired. I didn’t go to bed until late.” I scooted up to the headboard. “Speaking of which, have you heard from Ryker?”
“No.” He glanced to the side, his eyes distant. “Nothing.”
I eyed him somberly, wishing I could ignore the persistent stabbing in my chest. “But you’ve heard something, right?”
He scrubbed his hand down the side of his face. “Just that there are some internal power struggles going on inside the Vargas Cartel.”
I buried my hands in the sheets. “You’re scaring me. What does that mean?”
Leaning forward, he rested his elbows on his knees. The rolled up magazine dangled from one hand. “I don’t have all the details.”
“What details do you have?”
“Emanuel, Ignacio’s right-hand man, disappeared a couple of days ago. His apartment was covered in blood. Nobody knows if he’s alive. Rumors place Rever and Ryker in the area around the time he went missing, but that doesn’t mean a whole helluva a lot.”
I cringed. “Do you think they killed him?”
“If they haven’t killed him, they will soon.”
My mouth dropped open, and my gut heaved. “Seriously? Why would they do that?”
“I don’t know for sure.” He exhaled, unrolled the magazine and held up the cover for me to see it. “On a different note, we did it.”
I scanned the glossy cover. Senator Deveron had his head bowed, and dark sunglasses covered his eyes. A blurb on the left-hand column in bright yellow print said, Senator Deveron funded by Mexican drug cartels.
I jumped out of bed and snatched the magazine out of his hand. “I didn’t believe they’d actually do it.”
Noah stood. “Go to page ten.”
I flipped open the magazine and scanned the story. “This is so good. They didn’t hold back at all.”
“Nope.”
I closed the magazine. “So what happens now?”
“We sit back and watch the show. The mainstream media has picked up the story. It’s only a matter of time before he’s forced to resign.”
A warm glow trickled through my veins. For the first time in two weeks, I could finally breathe. “Do you think he’ll go to jail?”
“He should.” Noah shrugged, a mischievous smile spreading across his face. “I think that’s up to the Department of Justice, but I think you have some strings you can pull there,” he said, referencing my dad.
“You’re right.” I tossed the magazine on top of the bed and wrapped my arms around his waist. “Thanks so much for your help. I know Ryker’s paying you, but you didn’t have to do it. You probably have better things to do than play babysitter and accompany me to meetings.”
He leaned back and my hands slid from his body. “I would’ve done it for free.” He brushed his knuckles along my jaw, and my heart tripped in my chest. “You needed help and I wanted to be the one to help you. You didn’t deserve what happened to you.”
&n
bsp; Unease trickled down my spine. I laughed nervously and backpedaled a few steps, my eyes trained on the grains of hardwood beneath my bare feet.
“It all worked out. It led me to Ryker so I can’t be mad about that. He makes me happy.”
He took one step closer to me, his golden eyes focused on me with enough heat to unnerve me. The air around us pressed against my chest, suffocating me. “Does he really make you happy or is that just what you want to believe?”
I shook my head slowly from side to side, never taking my eyes off him. “Noah, what’s going on? What are you doing?”
He grabbed my hand. “Why are you with Ryker?”
My throat thickened. “Because I love him,” I choked out.
His lips pursed into a tight line. “Do you really? Or are you just holding onto him because you don’t feel like you have anyone else who cares about you? Or because of the baby?”
Tension curled my muscles into tight balls, and my pulse galloped inside my chest. “I don’t need to explain anything to you.” I yanked my hand away from him.
“You do understand that Ryker and Rever are trying to wrestle control of the Vargas Cartel from Ignacio.”
“Why would they do that? Neither of them wants anything to do with it.”
“They didn’t want anything to do with the cartel when it meant being controlled by Ignacio. If they could call the shots, they might feel differently. That’s what is going on right now, or at least that’s what my sources suspect.”
Stunned, hurt, and angry didn’t begin to express how I felt at that moment. My stomach swirled uncomfortably, and my knees wilted. I stumbled backward and sat on the bed. “Why didn’t you tell me that earlier?”
“I didn’t want to spell it out. I wanted you to read between the lines.”
I pressed my palms into my eyes, willing the tears to disappear. I needed to be strong. I promised Ryker I’d be strong. He promised we’d end up together, and I still wanted a life with him even if it meant I’d be the wife of a notorious drug lord. I nearly laughed at the ridiculousness of my reality.
“Do you realize what you’ll be giving up to be with him?”
My hands dropped from my face. “I think I have an idea?” The words came out as a question.
“You’d be ostracized by your family. You won’t be able to come back to the States. Ryker would keep you tucked away in a glass cage for the rest of your—”
“No, he wouldn’t,” I said, interrupting him.
“He wouldn’t have any choice. If he didn’t, his rivals would use you to get to him.”
Even though I wanted to sink to my knees, I pretended to be unfazed. I stood, ignoring the sinking feeling in my gut. “I trust Ryker. He would never do anything like that.” I flipped my hair over my shoulder. “I need to get dressed. Please leave.”
His heated stare settled on me, and it felt like I was standing in front of the pearly gates on judgment day. My gaze dipped to my feet, and I studied the circular grains on the hardwood floor. I had to look away. Otherwise, I think I would’ve shattered into a million unrecognizable pieces.
“Think about it, Hattie. You’re not meant for that kind of life. You need to find someone who’s willing to choose you over everything.”
Spots dotted my vision and anger gnawed at my heart. I wouldn’t leave him, not even if it meant a lifetime as part of the Vargas Cartel. I wasn’t stupid. I understood what kind of things he’d have to do if he succeeded. He’d kill and torture people, but none of that would stop me from loving him. When I looked at Ryker, I’d always see who he was deep down in his heart.
“Ryker is that person,” I hissed. “Stop this.” I sliced my hand through the air. “Whatever it is. I know what I’m doing. I understand the risks. I don’t expect everything to be perfect, but I do expect you to keep your opinion to yourself unless I ask you for it.”
He raked his hands through his hair. Disapproval etched deep grooves into his forehead. “You’re right. I should keep my opinions to myself. I shouldn’t ask all the questions that come to mind.” He smiled, but he looked pained. “But if you need help getting away or you realize you’re in over your head, I’ll help you. All you have to do is call. You know that, right?”
I nodded, my insides coiling from the sincerity in his eyes. “Thanks, Noah. I appreciate the offer. I really do, but I knew when I chose Ryker that everything wouldn’t be sunshine and rainbows. I’m not going to back out now.” He opened his mouth to respond, and I shook my head. “I don’t want to back out.”
He sighed and walked toward the door. “All right, Hattie. I won’t say anything else. Just know the option is always there whether it’s two months or two years from now.”
My heart constricted at his protective words. “Why do you want to help me?”
He lifted one shoulder, a faint smile on his lips. “You remind me of someone I used to know.”
“Do you want to elaborate?”
“Maybe some other time.”
I nodded. “How long are you sticking around here?”
“Actually, I’m leaving this afternoon. I have a new assignment overseas.”
His gaze lingered on me for a moment and then he closed the door softly. I sat on the edge of the bed and bowed my head. I hoped Ryker made good on his promises because I had successfully alienated everyone who had ever cared about me.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Ryker
Rever finished tying Emanuel’s legs and arms to the chair and then he rolled his sleeves to his elbows.
“Point the camera over here,” Rever said as he pulled the pillowcase off Emanuel’s head. “And make sure you get his entire body on the screen.”
After we arrived at the compound yesterday, we did a half-assed job at patching up Emanuel’s wounds, and left him shackled to the wall in the same shack where I’d housed Hattie months ago. Today, we needed to do everything possible to get Emanuel to confess on tape. We wouldn’t kill him, though. We’d save that decision for Ignacio.
I angled the tripod to capture Emanuel’s entire body on the video and peeked through the lens. “I think I’ve got it.”
“Good.” Rever twirled his knife through his fingers like a baton. “I think I’ll spare you the explanation of what’s going to happen now,” Rever said as he circled Emanuel’s chair. “We all have intimate knowledge of how these types of interrogations work.”
Emanuel spit on the floor in front of him, narrowly missing Rever’s shoes. “Chinga tu madre.”
Rever chuckled. “You’re lucky I’m not very fond of my mother either or I might be tempted to cut off your cock for talking about her like that.”
Emanuel’s eyes narrowed into slits. “You can do whatever you want. I won’t tell you anything.”
“How do you think we should start?” Rever ran the knife along the tips of his fingers, testing the sharpness of the blade. “I’ve always been a fan of starting small.” He shrugged. “You know…fingers, toes, ears. I don’t want him to lose consciousness too soon.”
I pointed to the small water buckets lining the wall. “I’ve always wanted to see waterboarding in action. I’d like to know what all the fuss is about.”
Rever sucked his lips into his mouth as he angled his head to the side. “Good idea. I think you’re right. It’s an efficient method of breaking someone without causing a mortal injury. Most of the time, anyway.”
I lifted the bucket of water. “Do you want to tip the chair back or pour the water?”
“I’ll hold the chair,” Rever said. He tipped chair backward, lifting the front legs off the ground so that Emanuel’s lungs were higher than his mouth to avoid total suffocation.
I pulled a thin white rag from my back pocket and draped it over his eyes. I lifted the bucket and poured water on the rag. With one hand, Rever slowly lowered the saturated rag until it covered Emanuel’s mouth and his upturned nose. He put his hand over the wet rag, suffocating him for thirty seconds to increase the carbon dioxide level i
n Emanuel’s bloodstream. When Rever lifted his hand, I dumped water over the rag for sixty seconds. Then, Rever ripped the rag off his face. Emanuel gagged, sucking in three giant mouthfuls of air. He slapped the rag over his face and started the process again. We repeated the entire thing a half dozen times until Emanuel’s lips were blue, and his entire body trembled.
Rever slammed all four legs of Emanuel’s chair on the ground. “Are you working with Juan Alvarez?”
“Fuck you,” Emanuel said, his voice hoarse.
Rever crouched on the floor and plunged his knife under Emanuel big toenail. He twisted the knife in a seesawing motion until the toenail peeled off Emanuel’s foot.
A scream echoed through the room, and Emanuel jerked against his restraints. Blood pooled on the cement floor beneath his foot.
“Do you want to answer me now?” Rever barked.
Emanuel glared, his entire body vibrating with anger and hatred. He clenched his jaw, his eyes blinking rapidly. “Go to hell! You can do this for days, and I won’t tell you a damn thing.”
“My pleasure. I was just getting started,” Rever said, thrusting his knife under the next toenail. Bile rolled in my stomach as another bloody nail skittered across the floor, brushing the tip of my shoe. Emanuel sagged in his chair.
It didn’t look like Rever minded the violence. In fact, he seemed to be in his element. Inhaling through my mouth, I suppressed the urge to vomit on the floor. Emanuel had to believe Rever and I were united in everything in order for this to work. Likewise, I’d be dumb to expose any weaknesses to Rever. We were brothers, but loyalty only stretched so far in our world. Loyalties shifted like the wind. Money and power spoke louder than blood ties.
“Do you have anything to tell me now?” Rever yelled.
“I paid the Alvarez whore to ride your dick. Did she tell you that? She fucks any guy who shows interest, but I had to pay her to fuck you,” Emanuel sneered. “How does that make you feel?”
