Confessed (Vargas Cartel #3) Page 5

  I cringed inwardly. Somehow I’d ended up indebted and tied to the Vargas Cartel for the rest of my life. Just that fleeting reminder made me want to dive into another bottle of tequila. If Hattie were safe, I’d do exactly that. Alcohol had the benefit of blurring unpleasant truths.

  I gestured to the other two men. “What about you two?”

  “I’m Rick,” the blond haired man seated in the middle said. “I did two tours in Afghanistan. I’ve been freelancing in Mexico for the last three years.”

  “Me too,” the last man said. “Rick and I were in the military together. We’ve worked together a few times, but most of the time, we do our own thing. I’m Eric, by the way.”

  I walked the length of the room with my arms folded across my chest. These three men weren’t the only ex-military, muscle-for-hire, in Mexico with adequate qualifications. With US unemployment at a high, particularly for military veterans, tons of ex-military personnel floated in and out of Mexico looking to make a quick buck. I could spend weeks interviewing potential candidates, but I didn’t have weeks. Hattie could be dead in a matter of days. As a rule, I didn’t trust anyone else’s judgment, but right now I had to trust Emanuel and Ignacio.

  I swiped a stack of papers from the desk and handed each one of the men a stack of photos of the Alvarez safe house. “Okay. This is where they’re holding the hostage.”

  “When are we going to move on the location?” Noah asked as he studied the photos.

  “Tonight,” I answered.

  “Don’t you think we should do a little recon first?” Rick said, cocking his head to the side.

  “That would be ideal, but time is of the essence.”

  Rick whistled as he shook his head.

  I shot him a leveling stare. “Is that going to be a problem for you? If so, you can get the fuck out now. Either you’re all in or you’re not.”

  Rick scrubbed the side of his face. “You’re asking us to take a leap of faith here. A lot can go wrong.”

  “You’re absolutely right. This mission could blow up in our faces whether or not we spend a week staking out the Alvarez safe house.” I paused in front of him, resting my hands on my hips. “Either way, I’ve agreed to compensate you for the added risk and time constraints. If it’s not adequate, then you can walk out right now.” I waved my hand toward the door.

  Rick’s lips curled. “This is a suicide mission. We don’t know if the place is booby-trapped or how many men we’ll encounter. At least let a few of us do a quick surveillance run tonight so we’re not running blind.”

  “He has a point,” Noah said, propping his ankle on the opposite leg. “The security might change the following night, but it’d give us more information than a few pictures.”

  “No,” I spat, my hands shaking with violence. “If someone sees us, they’ll move her or kill her and we’ll be right back to square one, except they’ll know we want her.”

  Noah’s nostrils flared. “And if we fail because we’re unprepared, they’ll cut off her head and deliver it to her family or you by sunrise.”

  “Failing isn’t an option.” I curled my hands into balls. “Are you saying you’re not good enough to do this?”

  Noah’s lips thinned, and his eyes glittered. “No, I’ll do it, but I want seventy-five percent of the money dropped into my account before I’ll lift a finger.”

  I glanced out the window. An older man with gray hair crouched in the garden beds planting flowers. “Are you worried you’re not going to make it out?”

  “No. I always come out on top.” He chuckled as he leaned back. “I’m worried you won’t make it out and I won’t be paid.”

  “I’m not worried about myself, but I’ll wire the money to your account tonight.”

  “One more thing,” Noah said.

  “What’s that?”

  “The final twenty-five percent payment won’t be dependent on whether the girl lives or dies.”

  “No.” I gritted my teeth. “I need there to be an incentive for you to do everything in your power keep her alive.”

  Noah ran his fingers over his lips. “Fine, but if they kill her before we show up, I still want all the money you promised me.”

  A shiver ghosted down my spine. I hoped his words weren’t prophetic. Hattie couldn’t die. I wouldn’t allow it. Life couldn’t be that cruel. I swiped my hand across my forehead, hardening my heart. “Deal,” I barked with a wintry smile. “Now, let’s bang out the logistics so we can get everything ready.”

  Chapter Seven

  Hattie

  “Wake up.”

  A boot rammed into my lower back, not hard enough to injure me, but with enough force to get my attention. I scrambled to my knees and pushed my greasy, matted hair from my face. My stare collided with Enrique’s, and I quickly lowered my gaze.

  “Okay. Okay. I’m up,” I mumbled.

  “We’re moving you to a new location today.”

  I chewed on my lower lip, stifling the questions stampeding like a herd of cattle through my mind. Instead, I nodded with half-lowered eyelids. Ryker promised he’d come for me tonight. Hopefully, Enrique intended to move me into another room inside this house rather than to a new location. Even if he moved me across the country, I wouldn’t object too much. Twenty-four hours in a damp room with a decaying corpse was enough.

  The toe of his black boot moved up and down as he glared at me.

  Tap, tap, pause.

  Tap, tap, pause, and repeat.

  “Get up. I have to remove your shackles.”

  As I stood up, I peeked at him from beneath the shield of my lashes. Looking at Enrique reminded me of staring at the devil. His teeth winked in the dim light, and an aura of menacing evil emanated from him. His dark eyes gleamed with an unholy light as he rubbed his palms together in anticipation of inflicting pain. Icy terror shot down my spine, and the air felt heavy against my chest.

  “The new room doesn’t have any restraints, but if you’re a good girl, I won’t handcuff you.” He sucked his lips into his mouth. “If not, I’ll have to improvise.”

  He started with the thick bands of metal around my wrists. He unlocked one and then the other. I closed my eyes, shivering in frozen silence as his sweaty hands coasted along my skin. Seconds later, he crouched at my feet, freeing both my ankles, and a heavy gasp fell from my lips.

  I stepped to the side, but his hand closed around my ankle. I glanced at him as his fingers ghosted up the inside of my calf. The glide of his course fingertips branded my skin. Bile clawed up my throat. My muscles stiffened, and I coiled my hands into tight balls of fury. I couldn’t breathe. When he reached the inside of my knee, I bit the inside of my cheek until the metallic taste of blood swirled around my mouth.

  Oh my God. Oh my God. Please don’t do this. Please don’t let this happen. Please don’t let him find the phone.

  I should’ve fought.

  I should’ve kicked.

  I should’ve bolted for the door.

  I should’ve screamed, but I didn’t want to die.

  A gun glinted from the waistband of his pants, turning every cell in my body to ice. I clamped my eyes shut as my mind whirled, searching for a happy memory, something to anchor me to my life away from this moment. Away from this evil.

  Tremors hijacked my legs, slowly slithering up my body until my muscles rippled in nonstop waves of violence and disgust. My feet were rooted to the floor.

  When his fingers reached the bottom of my running shorts, I couldn’t take it any longer. Rage tore through me like a bolt of lightning, and I jerked my leg to the side. “Don’t touch me,” I spat through my teeth.

  He cocked an eyebrow. “I thought we could have a little fun.”

  “Fuck you,” I snarled.

  A sinister smile slid across his too smug face. “That’s exactly what I had in mind.”

  My gaze zipped around the room. Adrenaline pumped through my veins. My heart thundered erratically as if someone had pressed a defibrillator to m
y chest. Then, everything clicked into place, and I lunged for the door. I didn’t know where it’d lead me. I didn’t even know if I’d get more than ten steps before Enrique put a bullet through my back, but common sense fled in favor of dignity and self-respect.

  When I reached the threshold, he fisted his hand in the tangled strands of my hair and wrenched me backward. Pins and needles exploded in my scalp.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” He punctuated each word with a tug of my hair, inexorably dragging me backward.

  Hot tears prickled the corners of my eyes. My chest heaved like I couldn’t catch my breath. Disjointed pants puffed from my mouth, bouncing off the concrete walls. Thousands of curses tumbled through my brain, but I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. I felt like I was drowning. What I wanted to do wasn’t relevant.

  “Get on your knees, puta.” He slammed his hand between my shoulder blades and I tumbled face first onto all fours. Fire zigzagged up my limbs. My hair shrouded the sides of my face. Whimpers and incoherent pleas vomited from my mouth.

  He whipped the gun out of his waistband. It dangled restlessly from his fingertips. His obsidian eyes seared my skin as he unbuckled his belt with one hand. The metal of the buckle rattled unnaturally through my ears. Next came the slide of leather that resembled the hiss of a snake. With a flick of his wrist, he opened his fly, and he shoved his pants down to his mid-thigh, exposing his red boxers.

  “No. No. No,” I murmured between broken sobs and trembling lips.

  “Crawl over here. You need to earn your keep.”

  I shook my head violently from side to side. “No.”

  He lifted the gun and pointed it at my face. “Do it or I’ll pull the fucking trigger.”

  I glanced over my shoulder toward the open door. Then, my gaze slid down his body, my face carefully blank. “Go ahead. Kill me,” I taunted as I came to my knees. I refused to do what he wanted. I wouldn’t beg for mercy.

  Enrique whipped his head from side to side, popping his neck. Then, a smile crept across his face.

  “If you’re holding out for Ryker Vargas, don’t bother. He’s not coming for you. He abandoned you, so you may as well enjoy your time with me.”

  My stomach rolled and I wrapped my arms around my waist, trying to hold together the fractured pieces of my courage. “You’re wrong.”

  He tipped up his head and chuckled. “Ah, how cute. You really think he cares about you. You really think he loves you. He hasn’t done a damn thing for over four days. If the Vargases had my woman, I wouldn’t let a single day pass.”

  A tight smile curved my lips upward. “I don’t think he loves me. I know he does. He’ll come for me.”

  “Really?” His eyebrows vaulted up his forehead, and one side of his mouth hitched upward like he knew a dirty secret. “Then why did he tell us to do whatever the hell we wanted with you?”

  I gasped.

  He snickered. “He told us to go ahead and call your dad because he didn’t give a shit what happened to you. He doesn’t want anything to do with you. You’re—and this is a direct quote—not worth the energy or the resources.”

  My stomach plunged. The edges of my vision blurred and spun in kaleidoscope-worthy circles. “You’re lying,” I hissed, feeling like my heart had flat-lined.

  His hands circled my upper arms, and he tugged me flush against his body, my head slamming into his thighs. “Be a good little girl, and pull out my cock. You need to do something mind-blowing to convince me I should let you live a couple more days.”

  “Never.” I gagged as my stomach convulsed, but nothing came out.

  His hands gripped the collar of my shirt and tore it down the front. “I’m waiting,” he said, trailing the pad of his thumb around the edges of my sports bra.

  “You can keep waiting,” I taunted, feeling reckless. Feeling like I didn’t have any reason to live. If Ryker gave up on our baby and me, I didn’t want to live.

  At that moment, I didn’t think I had much left to lose. Ryker told me he’d find me, but I might be dead by then. Fear could go fuck itself. I would have to be dead and cold, my soul long gone from this world before I’d willingly allow Enrique to use me.

  Enquire pulled down his boxers and shoved his gun against the side of my head. “Do it.”

  “No,” I screamed through my teeth.

  Our eyes battled silently for a few exaggerated seconds. Then, heavy footsteps echoed down the hallway, but I refused to tear my attention from his face. I had to be ready for anything.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Juan Alvarez roared as he paused at the entrance to the room.

  “What does it look like?” Enrique said, grinding his gun into the side of my head.

  “I asked to you move her to a new location and meet me in the office. We don’t have time for this shit today,” Juan countered, his eyes slanted into razor like slits. “We have to get ready.”

  Relief tingled down my spine, and my body sagged.

  “You heard him,” Enrique barked as he kneed me in the chest. “Get up.”

  I tumbled onto my back and my head smacked against the concrete. Sweat sprung from my pores and pain vibrated inside my skull. Gasping, I rolled to the side and cupped the back of my head. Moisture spilled from the corners of my eyes. I wanted to disappear.

  “Fuck,” I grumbled.

  My head hurt.

  My muscles hurt.

  My heart hurt.

  Every inch of my body felt like I had been put through a meat grinder.

  “Enrique,” Juan growled, running his hands through his silver threaded hair. “I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but we have people waiting for us. If you want to play with her, come back tonight. I don’t give a shit, but do it on your own time.”

  His words hit my chest like a pile of stones, and the air whooshed out of my lungs. My limbs trembled in waves with an excess of fear and adrenaline.

  Juan tugged me to my feet by my arms. His fleshy fingers dug into my skin as I steadied myself.

  “Walk!” Juan shouted as he cracked his knuckles like a prizefighter trying to intimidate his opponent. He shouldn’t have bothered. I was already scared out of my mind. What happened at the Vargas Cartel compound was child’s play compared to this.

  “Okay. Okay,” I mumbled as I stumbled to the door.

  Enrique pulled up his pants without fastening the buckle. Then, he stomped by me pointing his gun at my face. “Follow me and don’t do anything stupid.”

  We walked up a narrow set of concrete stairs. Light flooded the main floor of the house. I shaded my eyes with my hand as I sucked air into my lungs through my nose. I couldn’t fill my lungs fast enough to clear the stench of death from my body. I’d been breathing through my mouth since Enrique shot Raul and left his body in the room with me.

  “Are you sure you want her upstairs?” Enrique asked Juan, pausing at the base of the rust-colored tiled stairwell.

  “Yes.” Juan nodded. “Put her in the last room on the left and don’t waste any more time.”

  Enrique spun around with his lips pursed. “I’m not an idiot. I heard you the first fucking time.”

  “If you heard me the first time, I wouldn’t have walked into the room with your pants around your ankles and your cock hanging out.”

  “Gilipollas,” Enrique murmured as he started walking up the stairs. His heavy boots thumped against the floor.

  “Enrique, you’re my oldest son. I love you, but don’t talk back to me or second-guess me again. Do what you’re told and shut your fucking mouth.”

  Enrique’s shoulders tensed, but he kept walking. I followed him. I didn’t have a choice. The only thing keeping me from throwing myself down the stairs was Ryker’s promise he’d find me tonight. A few more hours and this would be over. One way or another.

  Enrique flung open the light brown wooden door. I halted, unsure what to do.

  “What are you waiting for? A fucking invitation?” His rancid breath washed over
my face.

  “No.” I shook my head as I stepped through the opening.

  “Take a fucking shower. You smell like shit. I don’t want to have to tie a bandana around my face when I come back for you tonight.”

  He slammed the door and locked it. The room was better than the basement. Almost anything would be better than being chained to a wall in a room with a dead body. I shivered.

  The room had a twin-sized yellowed cot on a metal frame and a barred window on the far side of the room. I opened the door next to me. It was a small bathroom with floor to ceiling square sky blue ceramic tiles. A showerhead came out of the center of the ceiling with a rusted floor drain directly below it. A white wall-mounted sink and a toilet with a cracked seat were located on opposite walls.

  Briefly, I considered refusing to shower so Enrique would leave me alone, but in the end I turned on the shower and stripped off my clothes.

  My blood and Raul’s blood mingled, staining my hands and clothes. Sweat and dirt coated my skin. I couldn’t comb through the snarled strands of my hair. I needed to scrub the memory of the last few days from my skin. Maybe then I could gain some much-needed clarity and perspective.

  I stepped under the shower and cranked the rusted lever. The pipes banged against the wall. Icy russet colored water poured from the ceiling. My breath hitched and then evened out when the water warmed. I stood under the weak spray longer than I should have, given my circumstances, but a shower had never felt so good.

  Chapter Eight

  Ryker

  “This is it. We’re here,” I said.

  I pulled the black SUV over to the side of the road. As planned, the two SUVs behind us followed suit. I had divided us into three teams. Noah and I would hike up the side of the mountain and enter through the back door. Rick would wait here until I contacted him. He and his team would neutralize the men guarding the driveway. Eric and his team would hike up with Noah and me, and enter the safe house through the front door. Eric would engage and kill anyone in the building. Noah and I would find Hattie.