by Angela Horn
“You really ready to take on a big dog like this Reaper?” Sawyer asked. “He’s wiping out whole packs and not newbie hunters either. One of these packs was the real deal. I’m not sure you’re ready for that.”
Lila wanted to rant at Sawyer. With all eyes on her though, she only shrugged.
“The Lord gave me a vision and I’m going to follow His will.”
“Yeah, well, you’ve been doing this all under a year and Sophie here hasn’t been doing it at all.”
“And him?” Lila said, thrusting her thumb back at Roman.
“We all know you’re planning to ditch him, so I don’t see how he’ll be much help when you meet up with the Reaper?”
“I didn’t know that,” Sophie said.
Lila rolled her eyes and sighed. “Don’t second guess the Lord, Sawyer. He really hates that.”
“Fine, you do what you want. Yet if even only half of the rumors about the Reaper are true, you’re in over your head. Don’t go ditching the big dog here and getting yourself killed.”
Lila glanced at Roman who studied her with that passive expression of his. Whatever he was thinking wasn’t clear from his reaction to her. Lila wished she could read his mind, just to know what he was hiding.
Turning to Sophie, she waved for her to get up. “We’re leaving.”
Instead of complaining like Lila assumed she would do, Sophie stood up quickly. She retrieved her bag and headed toward the hallway. Turning to follow her, Lila found Roman blocking her exit.
“I know you better than Sawyer and I know he’s right about you planning to ditch me. I also know telling you not to ditch me will only ensure that you do. You do need me though, whether you’ll admit it or not.”
Lila studied him, once again irritated by how she found him the least bit appealing. Whether she would admit needing his help, Lila couldn’t deny she liked the way he looked at her. Whatever they had before, she probably liked it back then too.
“I’ll play nice, Roman, but you need to remember that this mission is for me and Sophie. You weren’t part of my vision, so when the time comes, back off. Deal?”
Grinning, Roman nodded and Lila couldn’t help grinning back at him. Spotting Sophie waiting patiently down the hall with her own casual smile, Lila realized these hunters were bound to her by their shared pasts, even if only Roman knew the details. While Lila wanted to embrace this fact, she couldn’t really trust Roman or rely on Sophie which left her dreading the trip ahead.
Chapter Seven
The walk back to the room was a quiet one and Heidi said nothing before climbing into bed. Exhausted, she moved only once before her breathing shifted and she fell into an easy slumber. Spellbound by her breathing, Joaquin felt overwhelmed by many emotions, none of them helpful.
Watching her sleep from his chair near the door, Joaquin felt as he always did on assignment – alert and restless. Even with his mind on possible threats, he couldn’t help being irritated with Heidi. Curled up under a sheet, wearing only a shirt and panties, she apparently felt no concern over Joaquin taking advantage of her. Her naiveté or stupidity, whichever applied to Heidi, bothered him.
Leaving her to sleep, Joaquin stole a new car. He felt certain they would be on the road again by dawn. Returning to the room and his spot near the window, he peered out of the curtains a few times and stared at the back of the girl’s head.
Those emotions stirring in him felt awful and more than anything distracting. He could protect Heidi, return her to the US, and move on with his life without having any emotional connection to her. Or even a grand sense of redemption. Joaquin might not want to be a monster, but that didn’t mean he was looking for a chance to be a saint either.
Yawning painfully now, Joaquin knew he needed sleep, but his mind refused to relent to this necessity. He eyed Heidi in bed, wondering how she slept so comfortably when trouble searched for her in the darkness. Having gone over a decade without sleeping in a bed, he couldn’t imagine it feeling safe. Not tonight, not ever.
Once again, he found himself irritated with Heidi for her foolish behavior. No matter how she challenged him at dinner, she was just a lump – unwilling to think or act in a way that any normal person would. It unnerved him how he prolonged his life, let alone cared for, such a woman.
As hours passed, the girl continued to taunt him with her serene breathing. She should be frightened of him and the situation she was in. Instead, she slept peacefully as if to mock his predicament. Listening to her breathing forced him into another endless yawn. Feeling the fatigue infect him, he checked his weapons in the bag under his chair. Joaquin stretched, forcing himself to stay awake.
Heidi’s rhythmic breathing drew him closer to sleep. Closing his eyes finally, Joaquin imagined himself back at the motel. This time though he used his gun before the girl arrived to ruin his plan.
Joaquin didn’t even realize he had succumbed to his fatigue until his eyes opened to find Heidi edging towards the door. Dressed and holding his bag of supplies, she easily could have escaped if Joaquin hadn’t awoken at this exact moment.
Covering her mouth so she wouldn’t cry out in surprise, Joaquin twisted her wrist to force her to let go of his bag. She stared up at him, at first startled, then disappointed, and finally just resigned to her fate.
“What must I do to make you fear me, young Heidi? Should I tie you up? Maybe I can twist your wrist until we hear a snap?”
“You’re not going to help my friends.”
“No, I’m not,” Joaquin said, shoving her onto the bed as he returned his bag to the chair. “What exactly was your plan? These men, the ones hunting you, will have people looking for you at all of the obvious places. You can’t go to the border, the airport, the consulate. The cartel has too much money for you to just walk away. That’s why we are hiding in plain sight. None of them will expect that.”
“Then what? My friends are going to die.”
Joaquin glanced out of the curtains with a shrug. “No, they’ll probably be sold into slavery, maybe ransomed. Death won’t come quickly and you’re naïve to think it would.”
Heidi glared at him. “Why are you doing this?”
“Doing what? Protecting you from your stupidity? I honestly don’t know.”
“What exactly is your plan? We hide here in plain sight until what?”
Joaquin shrugged again and Heidi’s glare intensified.
“You don’t know. You have no plan and refuse to let me make my own. My friends meanwhile suffer. Maybe it was the devil that brought us together?”
“It does make more sense.”
Heidi could only sigh and Joaquin could only watch her. The urge to comfort her, to appease her insane ideas increased, but he fought the temptation.
As awkward as he felt with her glaring at him, Joaquin couldn’t break her gaze. He kept waiting for her to lose her temper and explode. Instead, her eyes betrayed only annoyance.
The phone’s plaintive ring startled them out of their standoff. While it might have been a mistake, a misplaced finger which rang up this room rather than another, Joaquin doubted it.
“Get your stuff.”
Heidi didn’t protest, grabbing the store bag with her belongings, while he seized his bag of supplies. Retrieving his gun, Joaquin opened the door slowly, scanning the empty hallway. Waving her out the door, he kept an eye on the hall behind them as they headed towards the stairs.
Once outside, Joaquin directed Heidi to the van he had stolen while she slept. Just when it seemed they would make a clean getaway, Heidi plopped herself on the ground. When Joaquin yanked at her arm, she went limp and he lost his grip.
“What are you doing?” he whispered.
“I don’t trust you. You won’t even tell me your real name.”
“What does it matter?” Joaquin grumbled, slipping his gun into the holster and leaning down to force her into the van.
“You think you can hide from what’s happening and keep your distance from me and your mis
sion by lying, but you only delay the truth,” she said, wiggling free from his grasp and crawling away. She grabbed the tire of another car and held on tightly.
“Stop this now.”
“Tell me your name.”
She was insane, Joaquin realized. Standing over her, he refused to play games with a crazy woman. He would force her into the car, even if he had to rip her apart to do it.
Joaquin pulled at her long limbs, but she didn’t budge. Just as he started to admonish her again, he detected the hushed voices of men approaching from the stairwell.
“You’re going to die,” he said, still fighting to tear her free of the tire.
“We all die,” Heidi whispered, her face determined, maybe even amused. “What do you care? You should leave me to die. My days as the devil’s bait can be over.”
“Fine, fine,” Joaquin said, almost desperate enough to give into her craziness. “My name is Paulo, okay? Now, let go.”
Heidi glanced up at him with a dismissive frown. “Not until you tell me your real name. If God’s will means so little to you, just leave me to die. I dare you.”
Joaquin could have strangled her right then. Yet so far, he hadn’t even found the resolve to tear off her limbs. Feeling the heat growing on the back of his neck, he calculated the time it would take for the cartel’s men to find them.
“My name is Joaquin.”
Smiling, Heidi let go of the tire. Pushing past him and into the van, she hunched in the backseat. Joining her in the car, Joaquin settled into the driver’s seat just as footsteps approached. Leaning over, he hoped they wouldn’t search each car in the lot. If the men found them though, Joaquin wouldn’t mind releasing some of his frustrations.
“Are you happy now?” Joaquin whispered.
Heidi smiled at him. “You struggle against God and it bruises your soul, but He’s always fine in the end.”
“Please shut up.”
Heidi’s smile widened, but she did as she was told. The men finished their search without putting in much effort. For a few minutes after the men disappeared back into the hotel, Joaquin waited, all while crouched over with Heidi grinning at him like a crazy woman.
Joaquin wished he might hate her, for it would make his plight easier. His life had never been about these complications and he felt too old to start indulging in them now. Even so, he found a smile on his face as he straightened in the driver’s seat and started the car.
Joaquin did not rush from the parking lot. Instead, he waited to see if the men returned. When the parking lot remained silent, he eased the van from its spot and headed away from the hotel. Heidi crawled from the backseat and settled on the floor in front of the passenger seat.
“How do you think they found us?” she asked.
“They probably sent out a description of us. We stand out and it wouldn’t have taken long for someone to notice.”
“I dreamt a monster told them where we were.”
“Yes, well that would make much more sense, wouldn’t it?”
A smiling Heidi held her knees to her chest and watched him. “Do you have a plan?”
“Yes.”
“Is it a good one?”
“Not particularly.”
“I want to trust you.”
Joaquin eyed her for a moment then nodded. “I know.”
“I think you’re worthy of my trust.”
Joaquin did not respond, for he did not agree. She was in a pretty peppy mood though and he didn’t want to spoil it.
“When you were fighting those men at the motel, were you scared?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because I knew I would win.”
“Did you hope you would die?”
He frowned at her. “No.”
“Are you good at fighting?”
“At killing, you mean?”
“Yes. You’re good, right?”
Joaquin nodded.
“Are you a bad man?”
Joaquin eyed her then returned his gaze to the dark road. “Yes.”
“Do you really want me to be scared of you?”
“Stop talking.”
“No.”
Joaquin grinned slightly. “Do you think your parents will worry if they don’t hear from you?”
“No, not for a long time. They have their own lives.”
“What do they do?”
“They teach at the University of Santa Cruz. That’s where I went to college. It’s where I’ve always lived. This is my first time away from home. I think it’s going pretty well so far.”
Joaquin studied her expression, but couldn’t tell if she was kidding.
“Your parents think you’re stupid or crazy to be here, yes?”
“They think I’m finding myself.”
Joaquin nodded. “So crazy then.”
Heidi smiled. “I found myself a few years ago, but I can’t be myself when I’m with them. I’m too weak, I guess.”
“Are they cruel?”
“No, they’re just lost. When people are lost, but too stubborn to admit it, they can be unyielding with others who are finding their way. I was lost and now I’m not. Maybe that will happen for you too?”
“Anything is possible,” Joaquin said, slowing the car and pulling into a closed gas station. “You can sit here.”
Heidi watched him pat the passenger seat then wiggled out of her odd position to join him.
“Where are we?”
“It doesn’t matter. I just wanted to see if we were followed. Now that I know we haven’t been, we’re going back.”
Heidi frowned, but said nothing.
“You should keep your hair down when we return to town.”
“How come?”
“You look like a little girl which makes me look like a pervert. We don’t need that kind of attention.”
Heidi nodded, pulling her ponytail down and shaking her blonde hair free.
“Are your parents alive, Joaquin?”
“No,” he said quickly and maybe harsher than he intended.
Heidi shrunk at his tone. Against his better judgment, he chose to soothe her with information she genuinely didn’t need nor deserve.
“My parents were murdered. It’s how I came to this line of work.”
“I’m sorry.”
For the first time, Heidi seemed genuinely unsure of him.
“I find you attractive,” Joaquin said, his eyes stuck on the road and away from her nervous expression.
“I know,” she said casually.
“Does this bother you?”
“Why would it?”
“When a man with your life in his hands finds you attractive, it could lead to something you don’t want.”
Heidi reached over and flicked his ear.
“Don’t be a dummy. You won’t do anything bad to me.”
Joaquin frowned at her certainty. After all, he had no idea where to take her next, let alone how to get her safely out of Mexico. The thought of her falling into cartel hands filled him with a deep dread. He felt willing to do almost anything to prevent whatever those men had in store for Heidi.
“I will find us a new hotel until I decide our next move.”
Heidi nodded, her eyes focused on the darkness outside. Joaquin knew she was thinking of those women, still pining to be their great savior. At that moment though, she couldn’t even save herself.
Glancing at her with a growing sense of unease, Joaquin was beginning to doubt he could save her either.
Chapter Eight
The three hunters arrived at a hotel around nine in the evening. They had spent a long and awkward car ride together with only REO Speedwagon and Journey to break up the silence. Sophie occasionally studied Roman and Lila, before returning to stare out of the window. Roman sat in the backseat, watching Lila. For her part, Lila tried to ignore them both.
Ignoring Roman wasn’t easy though. While he didn’t say anything, she felt him the whole drive. The annoying cold itch h
ad somehow turned into an annoying warm desire. His proximity taunted her, making her feel needy and curious and distracted. Lila wanted to keep her mind on the big dog she was hunting. Instead, all she could think about was the big dog in the backseat.
By the time they arrived at the hotel, Lila was desperate to be away from Roman and just as desperate to cling to him. No matter how infuriating her feelings were, Lila thought she hid her crazy well.
Upon their arrival, they learned the only available rooms were down the hall from each other. This information clearly rattled Roman, but he remained silent as he took his keycard. Lila felt him watching her and knew he was stressing the distance between the rooms. She just waved him off as she hurried Sophie down the hall. Shutting the door with a sense of relief and longing, Lila sighed loudly.
“He creeps me out,” Lila said, more to herself than Sophie.
“Was he your boyfriend or something?”
Lila rolled her eyes and threw her bag on the bed. “I guess he wants to hookup, but I don’t want a mate.”
“You’re lying,” Sophie said with a grin. “You love him and want to marry him and have his babies.” Sophie winked at Lila while searching for the TV remote. “Just go talk to him, but don’t be long and leave me defenseless.”
“You aren’t defenseless. You just act defenseless. It’s not the same thing.”
“Whatever. Just keep your smoochfest to a minimum.”
“Did I stutter, Sophie? I don’t want a mate.”
Sophie smirked. “Sure, sure. Now, stop being a brat about the whole thing and realize how lucky you are to have a sexy guy who’s spent years searching for you.”
Rolling her eyes again, Lila didn’t sense she was selling her disinterest well. She desperately wished she really was creeped out by Roman. Yet she ached to talk to him, to know more about what he was still hiding. Under the curiosity, another emotion clawed at her – a hungry desire. They shared a past and she wanted to know that past, maybe even rekindle it.
Despite the festering need to see him, Lila forced herself to wait in the hotel room with Sophie, watching E! News. Testing her resolve, Lila changed her first waiting period of twenty minutes to a longer thirty. She was aiming for forty five minutes when Sophie lost her patience.
