by Laura Marie
Her heart hammered in her chest, and she looked around, expecting Gustavo, but instead she saw a group of six men. Without another thought, she ran over the rocky terrain and deeper into the woods.
She pumped her arms and ran in a zigzag pattern as the men shot at her. Their bullets whizzed by her head, causing her to run to the right instead of the left. As she rounded a cluster of bushes and trees, someone grabbed her around the neck in a clothesline move then sent her into a midair spin then onto her back. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t scream for help. They had knocked the wind out of her. As her eyes regained focus and she began to take little breaths, she saw her attacker. Ramos stood over her and placed his boot on her chest so she couldn’t move.
He pointed a gun right at her head. The red glow of the laser sat between her eyes. She panted for air and then felt numb. She believed that these were her final moments, and she instantly thought of Gustavo. If only she could have seen him one more time.
* * * *
Ramos pulled her up by her shirt, ripping the material with forcefulness. He abruptly turned her around as the six other heavily armed men gathered around her. They each eyed her as if she were a piece of meat. They licked their lips and began to say disgusting things to her in Spanish. She shivered with fear.
“Maybe I should just throw you to the dogs and tell Armando that you were killed in the gun battle,” he whispered next to her ear. Then he bit her neck, breaking the skin.
Immediately, she cried out and pulled away. Then she heard what sounded like a helicopter somewhere in the distance near the house. Before she could make a run for it, she felt the blow to the back of her head then saw darkness.
* * * *
Gustavo was nearly out of ammunition as he pushed farther through the woods. He fired upon a group of five men, and they in turn, fired back. He was hit by a bullet in the shoulder, but it was only a flesh wound. He didn’t care about himself. He only cared about getting to Elloisa. The sound of the helicopter told him that Zach and the others had arrived. He sighed in relief but knew this fight wasn’t over yet. He had yet to find the leaders of the two sets of soldiers.
His wound oozed with blood, but he trekked farther into the woods. That was when the shot rang out and hit the tree limb next to his head. He hit the dirt as more bullets whizzed by. Another twenty minutes and the sun would begin to rise giving up everyone’s location. He heard more gunfire behind him then made his move, lighting up the area to his right with rapid fire. A few more shots rang out from that location, and then silence filled the air. He got them. He knew they were dead.
Quickly, he made it to the rough terrain and to where the cave was hidden. He prayed that he found Elloisa safe and unharmed. But as he approached the rocks, he saw the blood and then a very dead-looking drug dealer. Avalar had been shot in the forehead.
He quickly looked inside the cave. Turning on the flashlight, he saw where a scuffle had occurred and also that the bag he left for Elloisa was open.
Then outside of the cave, he heard a special whistle and knew that Zach was approaching. He whistled a return signal, and Zach made his way inside.
“What the hell went down out there? It’s a damn war zone. There are bodies all over.”
Gustavo half paid attention to Zach as he went over the contents of the bag. Elloisa had put the detection device on. Thank God.
“Elloisa!” Mathew yelled out her name as he entered the cave.
Gustavo caught his gaze and shook his head.
Mathew hit the wall.
“You were supposed to protect her. You said that you would protect her with your life!” he yelled as he lunged for Gustavo. Zach grabbed Mathew before he could punch Gustavo.
“Hey. Did you not see how many fucking dead bodies are out there? It was a war zone. Not just a dozen men against Gustavo. There had to be at least fifty men out there,” Zach stated then released Mathew.
He sighed and stared at Gustavo. “Do you even know who has her?” Gustavo was silent a moment as he stood up and stared at Mathew and Zach. “Ramos.”
Mathew’s eyes widened then he turned around and left the cave. Both men followed him.
“Wait, Mathew. You don’t know which way they went.”
“I don’t care. They couldn’t have gone far. I’m not going to leave her. I failed her once, and I won’t do it again.”
“You won’t fail her again. I know how to find her,” Gustavo stated as the other men approached. In the distance, Gustavo heard sirens and knew that the regular cavalry was on their way.
“Call John and have him send someone over here to clean up this mess with the locals.”
“That was a helicopter I heard, right?” Gustavo asked Zach.
Zach chuckled.
“Your chariot awaits, prince.”
Chapter 18
“Oh my God, Jerry. He’s going to kill her!” Teressa cried out as John Falco explained the latest update on Elloisa.
Jerry clenched his teeth as he held his wife in his arms.
“Where are Mathew, Gustavo, and the men now?” Jerry asked.
“Trying to get to Elloisa. Gustavo was shot but he’s refusing medical attention until Elloisa is safe.”
“How are they going to locate Elloisa now? She could be halfway to Mexico in one of Armando’s private jets.”
“We have all the airports, both commercial and private, covered. Border patrol is on the lookout as well. Plus we’re about to raid all the locations involved with Armando’s cartel. Jack said that numerous big shots are expected at this one location this morning. Perhaps Armando will show up before he tries to escape the country with Elloisa.”
“This is all hearsay and guessing. I want concrete information. I want my daughter back and safe.”
“I understand and so does Gustavo. He said that he knows where to find her. I don’t know how he knows but he does. The two of them spent the last few weeks together. He trained her for this situation. They had an escape plan ready and they followed it. No one expected Avalar to come after Elloisa for himself.”
“Why would Avalar want Elloisa?” Jerry asked.
John looked at Jerry then at Teressa, indicating he didn’t want to show disrespect.
“You think he wanted to use her to get to Armando?” Jerry asked.
“Avalar wanted Elloisa for himself.” Teressa whispered then began to cry as she laid her face against her husband’s chest.
That’s when the phone rang.
“It’s Salvatore. What’s going on?” he asked, and John explained.
“We should meet you and get together with Gustavo and Zach. We want in on this.”
“What about the raids?” John asked.
“We failed our sister once before. We’re not going to fail her again. Besides, we have all our bases covered. We just received some intel about Philippe, Javaughn, and Demacio Cruz. They’ve arrived at the airport and are en route to the main location. This is gonna go down whether we are in the front lines or we go after Elloisa and Armando.”
“It’s your choice, Salvatore. Call Mathew and connect with him. He’ll tell you where he’s at.”
John hung up the phone and hoped that they would get to Elloisa in time.
* * * *
Elloisa slowly opened her eyes. Her head was throbbing and her vision blurry. She tried to move her hands and realized that they were tied behind her back. Her feet were tied to the chair she sat in so that she couldn’t move. In front of her was concrete and a television screen.
She tried looking around her but couldn’t see what was behind her, only what was in her peripheral vision and directly in front.
Her chin burned but no longer felt as if it were bleeding. Glancing down, she saw the blood on her shirt from her head wound and also that her shirt was ripped.
Past her cleavage, she saw that the heart pin remained in place. Gustavo would find her. She was confident of that.
The sound of a metal door opening caught her attention, b
ut it was behind her. She had no idea if it was Ramos entering or Armando himself. The tears rolled down her cheeks.
She heard the footsteps then sensed the large figure behind her. Immediately, his cologne hit her nostrils, and she gasped just as Armando clutched her hair from behind.
He yanked it, causing her head to go back and exposing her throat to his other hand.
His dark black eyes held her gaze, and immediately she saw his anger and his hatred toward her.
He clicked his tongue and his lips in reprimand then squeezed her head and scalp tighter. She gasped as her chest pushed out, and she leaned back into his hold in hopes of relieving some of the pressure.
“You’ve been a naughty girl, Elloisa. Your punishments will be fierce.” He practically growled at her. Then he pressed his other hand over her throat, causing her to push forward, which added additional pain to her head and neck.
His hard hand pressed over her collarbone and right to her breasts. She cried out, “Get off of me! Don’t you touch me.”
He released his hold on her breast and her hair, abruptly sending her body forward as he moved around to the front of her. As her body bounced back into position on the chair, he struck her across the mouth.
“You will obey me or you will be killed.”
“I hate you,” she stated with such vehemence that Armando chuckled at her gall.
“I’m all you have. You either come back with me to Mexico or die here with the rest of your family.”
“They’ll find you and they’ll kill you,” she yelled, and he struck her again, causing pain to radiate across her mouth and cheekbone. Her insides burned with anger and hatred for Armando. “I’d rather die.”
“That option is not out of the question.”
“The agent who has been protecting you is dead. Your parents and your brothers are accessible.”
“They’ll find you and they will kill you, Armando. This is over.”
“It is not over!” he yelled.
Then he picked her up, chair and all, and shook her. He was out of control and an absolute maniac. She cried out in pain from his hold on her. Then he dropped her to the floor as if she were nothing. The chair broke as her shoulder and arm hit the floor.
“You have nothing without me. I own you, and you are mine for eternity, remember?” He spoke to her calmly. When she didn’t respond, he gave a kick to her ribs.
“Stop it! Stop hurting me.”
“Why should I? You tried to kill me.”
“If I wanted you dead, I would have killed you, Armando. I just wanted to be free.”
“You had your freedom, and now it is time to return to Mexico, our home.”
“I have a family.”
He smiled then looked at her sideways as she lay on the floor. He flipped open his phone. “Not for long,” he whispered as he made the call.
Immediately the television popped on. It took a few seconds for her to see what was on it. The picture showed the outside of the precinct that Jack and Salvatore were in. Then as if on cue, they emerged with a few other men through the front door.
“I will kill them, and I will kill your parents if you refuse to come back to Mexico,” he stated firmly.
“I won’t go with you. I will never go back.”
“Fine. Then their death is on your hands.”
“Now,” he stated into the phone, and just then two shots rang out, hitting both Jack and Salvatore. Both of her brothers fell to the ground bleeding. There was chaos, screaming, and yelling as men drew guns out of holsters and looked around for the sniper shot.
Elloisa cried out. “No! Oh, God, no, Armando!”
He spoke into the phone again and the television screen changed. It now showed the outside of DEA Headquarters.
“One command, one word, and the building goes up in flames, starting with John Falco’s floor.”
She knew he would do it and that he was capable of such evil. She sobbed on the floor.
Armando lifted her up and cradled her in his arms.
He held her gaze as the tears rolled down her cheeks.
“Hug me, Elloisa, and tell me that you are mine and that you are ready to go home.”
Images of her brothers being shot filled her mind. He also said that Gustavo was dead. She had to save her parents. They had to survive.
“Do you promise not to kill my parents or Mathew?”
“I make no promises to you who betrayed my trust and my commitment.”
She stared at him a moment, feeling defeated and lost. Her life wasn’t worth living if he killed her family.
“They live or I die, whether by your hands or by my own.”
He contemplated her words. She practically saw his thoughts.
“It is done. Your parents and brother live.”
Then he covered her mouth, kissing her. It was obvious that he didn’t care about the pain the kiss caused due to her lips which were cut from him hitting her, and neither did he dislike the taste of blood. He seemed frantic for more of her and then came the knock at the door.
He pulled her shirt down as he placed her on her own two feet, holding her against his waist.
It was Ramos, and he looked pleased as well as angry.
“The brothers are dead. The parents and other brother are accessible. What would you like me to do?”
“Leave them alone, but send them a message,” Armando stated, and she immediately stared up at him, wondering what he was up to now.
“Tell them that their daughter is dead and that it was I who killed her.”
Elloisa cried. He was ensuring that they wouldn’t follow them back to Mexico. He was covering all his bases.
“And what about the meeting we had scheduled? Do I cancel it all, or do we back down and let Demacio handle it?”
Armando looked at his watch. “We have an hour. The meeting is right next door. Let me have some time alone with Elloisa, and then I will meet you and we’ll head over. Call the airport and have them get the jet ready. We’ll leave as soon as the meeting is finished.”
Ramos nodded his head then gave Elloisa the evil eye. She wished that she had had the chance to kill him.
* * * *
“Officer down! We have two officers down outside the main entrance.” One agent radioed inside as he covered Jack and Salvatore along with a group of other agents. A crowd rushed through the front door, guns aimed and ready to fire as they surrounded the scene. Sirens blared in the distance as emergency vehicles rushed to the scene.
“Salvatore, are you okay?”
“Aside from my brother landing on top of me, I think I’m okay.”
“Well, I’m not. I hit my freaking head on the concrete,” Jack replied.
“Stay down and pretend you’re unconscious. If they think you’re dead, then they’ll leave,” one of the other agents said.
* * * *
“Okay, what do we got, Gustavo?” Mathew asked as he, Jerry, John, and a few of the agents watched Gustavo locate Elloisa.
The thing started beeping and gave a position.
“Okay. It looks like she’s near the building in this area. Where is this street?” Gustavo asked.
“Holy shit! That’s right across the street from the warehouse we’re raiding in less than thirty minutes,” Mathew replied as he glanced at his watch.
“What do you think?” Jerry asked Gustavo.
“I think the narcissistic bastard is going to go through with the meeting before he leaves the country with Elloisa.”
“What if he hurt her already? We don’t even know if she’s alive,” John asked.
Everyone was silent.
“She’s alive,” Gustavo stated confidently.
“Gustavo?” Teressa asked as tears rolled down her cheeks.
“I know she is. I’m going to get her back to you.”
There seemed to be a silent understanding that went through the room. Then Gustavo began to issue orders.
“Get on the horn with your brothers and
verify this location pronto. I want everything we can get on the location, including blueprints and ventilation systems.” They began to make calls and establish how they would get in and get out of there.
John’s cell phone rang.
“Hello?” John answered.
“Oh, no. Are they alive?” he asked, concerned. They listened as John finished the phone call. He immediately looked at Jerry and Teressa. “Jack and Salvatore were shot coming out of their precinct.”
Teressa cried then covered her mouth.
“They’re alive. They were wearing bulletproof vests.”
“Oh, thank God,” Jerry added as Teressa collapsed into a nearby chair.
“Armando is going to kill Elloisa. He wants all of us dead,” she cried.
“We’re going to continue with our plan of attack. Let’s move on this while we still have a chance,” Gustavo told everyone, and they prepared to leave.
* * * *
Elloisa wondered what the hell Armando was up to. He brought her all the way down to the basement of the building and deep into the boiler room. It was loud and smelled really bad down there. It was also very hot as the sweat trickled down her spine underneath her shirt.
Gustavo wiped his brow then spoke with Ramos.
“The door is all the way on the other side. I want you to grab the car and swing it around to the back of this building. Wait there until you receive my call. We will enter the other building through this doorway, and when I tell you to get ready, you leave here, get Elloisa, and start the car. Wait for me. If anyone looks suspicious, kill them.”
“Are we just going to leave her here?” Ramos asked as he took in the sight of Elloisa.
Armando looked her over.
“I don’t trust bringing her with us. Look what Avalar attempted to do. We’ll tie her up somewhere in the dark back there.”
“No, Armando, please don’t do that. I promise to stay quiet.”
Armando grabbed Elloisa by the throat and shoved her against the hard pipe.
