Page 32 of Wait for You

Emil didn’t hold back. Probably as payback for the punches Mat had thrown. Either way, when Emil’s forehead connected with the bridge of Mat’s nose, he saw stars.

Cursing up a storm, he stumbled back a few steps and pressed a hand to his face. Blood didn’t drip from his nostrils, but the damn thing felt like it could be broken.

Riding the wave of pain burning through his face, he snarled at Emil before raising his gun and firing two shots at Dominguez’s chest. Knowing her part, she fell from the chair like a pro. She faced away from the cameras so no one saw her activate the blood packs under her shirt. The red liquid seeped out, spreading below her body.

Emiliano’s shock at the sight of the blood seemed real, but Mat didn’t give him time to recover. “Why were you withLos Lobos?” he yelled.

Emil glanced at his fake sister and started crying. “I saw the governor’s son. I know he’s your chemist.” He played his role beautifully while Mat tried not to flounder at the news.

He hadn’t expected Emiliano’s answer. After over a year undercover, he finally had the information he needed to finish his job and take the cartel down. Jagged bolts of electricity raced through his body. Topped with the adrenaline surging through his veins, he worried he couldn’t contain it all. But he had to. There would be time to digest the information about the chemist later.

Right now, he had to ensure his fellow Ranger and Imogen’s brother got out of there safely. Drawing Emil’s attention, he raised his weapon and said, “Wrong answer.”

Emil’s eyes widened before Mat pulled the trigger. As the gunshots sounded, Emil slumped in the chair. He had his ownset of blood packs, but he wouldn’t be able to trigger them while he faced the camera.

With a growl, Mat kicked the chair over. Emil toppled with it to the floor; the force of the landing made the blood packs burst. Staring down at Imogen’s brother, it looked like Mat had actually killed him. When she got a load of Emil, she was going to give Mat hell. Well, if he made it out of here alive. Every second was crucial, and he didn’t have a moment to waste worrying about her reaction.

Time for the part of the plan Imogen didn’t know about.

Mat holstered his useless weapon and climbed the stairs. He had to distract the lieutenant while Dominguez got Emiliano out. If Mat was lucky, he’d be able to follow them. If he wasn’t . . . at least Imogen and her brother were safe.

The security room opened before Mat had a chance to knock.

“Why did you kill them so quickly?” The lieutenant stormed at him as he came through the door.

The room was the size of a closet and filled with computer monitors. A quick glance showed it was empty. It came as no surprise the lieutenant had kicked the guards out so he didn’t have to share the small space. At least that part went according to plan.

With the lieutenant’s eyes on him, no one watched the cameras in the basement.

Mat shrugged and cupped his fingers around his nose. “Kid pissed me off. I didn’t see any reason to keep him around after he told us what you wanted to know.”

“It was stupid to let your guard down, Mateo.”El Jaguarnodded at Mat’s face. “Let the black eyes he gave you serve as a reminder.”

“Sí, patrón.” Mat nodded in deference. “I’ll clean up the mess, then put some ice on it.”

“Where’s the Sanchez siblings?” Julio shouted the question as he came up behind them.

Mat shifted his stance to look at the man whose face had gone purple with fury.

Part of him wanted to sag in relief that Dominguez had succeeded, but he managed to portray the picture of consternation as he said, “They’re dead. Bleedin’ all over the basement floor.”

“No, they’re not,” Julio growled.

Mat continued his show for the lieutenant and for the dwindling chance that he’d make it out of this house alive. “What do you mean?”

“They’re not fucking there,gringo. What did you do with them?”

“Julio, what are you saying? I watched him shoot them.” The lieutenant’s agitation grew as Julio continued to rage at Mat.

Knowing the cameras would be the next thing they checked, Mat tried to escape. “I’ll go check it out,patrón.”

He’d only made it a step before Julio stopped him. “Look at the cameras,jefe!”

“I’ve got Sanchez. Does anyone have eyes on Travers?” Dominguez’s voice sounded in Mat’s ear through the hidden comms unit, but he couldn’t respond.

A pistol pointed at his head, and it wasn’t filled with blanks.

???

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