Page 42 of Strike Fast

He sighed, pushing away the loneliness he tried so hard to ignore. It bothered him less and less these days, but sometimes…

His gaze strayed over his shoulder to the sprawling hacienda he’d built. For some reason, ordering a whore up here to the main house didn’t appeal to him tonight. He’d given up the idea of finding someone to love who would love him back when he was eighteen. He’d loved once and only once, back then when he was young and stupid, and all he’d gotten in return was his heart stomped on when she’d left him, complaining that he was too poor to waste her life on.

That ultimate betrayal, after his worthless slut of a mother had ditched him and his brothers, had changed him. Now women were nothing more than objects for him to control, buy or sell as he pleased.

If the girl who’d crushed his heart could only see him now, that bitch would be sorry. But thatotherbitch escaping him last week still burned like a hot coal in the bottom of his gut.

Seven days he’d waited for news, either about her or one of the agents involved in the sting that had taken her from him. A lead. A tip. Something. Anything that might allow him to strike back at the people who had humiliated him with that raid last weekend.

Carlos stopped at the corral fence and set the sole of his cowboy boot on the lower rail as he held out a handful of cornhusks to the giraffe watching him from the far corner. At least his animals made him happy. Animals were simple. Loyal, once he earned their trust. Unlike their human counterparts.

This young female was exceptionally wary of humans, however. Fearful of approaching lest she be beaten with sticks the moment she got close, as the men from the circus had done to her when she’d foraged for food in their tent. They’d nearly killed her.

“Come on, I brought this out just for you,” he crooned, tossing some over the top rail and scooping out another big handful from the bucket he’d brought from the kitchen.

The animal twitched its ears and stared back at him with those huge brown eyes surrounded by insanely long eyelashes. Such a pretty girl.

Whatever it took, he was determined to get this one to eat from his hand.

He waited there, unmoving for God only knew how long. His upper arm rested on the top rail, his hand long since having fallen asleep because of the awkward position, the cornhusks still in his fist. Then the giraffe took a step toward him.

Carlos held his breath, waiting. He’d spent hours doing exactly this, standing at the fence and letting her get used to his scent. Making sure he stayed still, never doing anything that might startle her. Showing her he wasn’t to be feared. Was the effort finally paying off?

She took another halting step. Then another. And another. Until she was close enough to stretch out her long, spotted neck to sniff at the offering while still leaving a foot of space between her muzzle and his hand.

He didn’t dare move, enthralled, willing her to come that last few inches and take from him. He wasn’t a patient man, never had been, and his money and power meant he didn’t have to rectify that character flaw. But he had patience enough for this. To offer another lost soul who’d known only fear and deprivation a chance for something better. The shot at a better life.

The giraffe’s nostrils flared and her long purple tongue darted out to curl around the husks, snatching them from his hand without making contact.

“Cheater,” he told her, and reached down for another handful from the bucket.

The crunch of footsteps over the gravel path that connected the corral with the back lawn sounded behind him. Startled, the giraffe jerked her head up and whirled around to lope away back to the safety of the far side of the corral.

Madre de Cristo. Carlos spun around to find Antonio striding toward him, and threw his hands up. “What the fuck are you doing? She was almost ready to take from my hand!”

Antonio stopped, looking uncharacteristically uncertain as he stood there staring at Carlos.

Carlos heaved out an irritated sigh and set his hands on his hips. “What?”

“I just thought I should tell you…One of our contacts has ID’d some of the men on the DEA team from last week.”

“How many?”

“Two.”

They’d been working this angle for a week, and only managed to identify two members? Pathetic. “And?”

“And…there might be a weakness we can exploit.”

“Might?” He stared at Antonio, incredulous, not even caring about what kind of weakness he meant. “You come out here and interrupt me about this with amight?” Maybe it was time to open up the spot of head enforcer. Or clean his ranks entirely. How was he ever going to take over the cartel with a bunch of incompetent idiots under him?

Antonio cleared his throat. “We’re looking at targeting one of the agent’s family members. I was going to send one of the guys up there tonight. To D.C.”

“Just get it done.” Beyond annoyed, impatient for results that might actually get him somewhere, Carlos flapped a hand at him. “Go. And don’t tell me again until you have something solid.”

“Sure, boss.”

He turned back to face the giraffe as Antonio’s footsteps faded away behind him. She’d been spooked and wouldn’t approach him now. He was back at square one.

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