Page 63 of Fast Vengeance

Oceane’s heart pounded against her ribs as the Federale drove her to the meeting point. A park a few miles from the Cancún vacation house, where her father had pushed her on the swings when she was little.

They had been given the location only a few minutes after she’d texted the contact upon her arrival at a local airstrip. A precaution, to ensure the police wouldn’t have time to set up a sting to arrest the man coming to get her.

She knew the park well. Once, she and her mother had set up a picnic on a blanket beneath the shade of a grove of palms and together they’d eaten lunch, finishing off the meal with the special chocolate cake they’d made, spiced with cinnamon and cayenne.

One of so many treasured, happy memories she had of her little family. She’d felt so secure. So safe. But it turned out it had all been a lie.

She pulled herself from her reverie as familiar landmarks caught her attention and ordered her nerves to calm. They had planted a tiny tracking chip in the underwire of her bra. Even with a scanning device, no one was likely to find it. The Mexican federal agents were using it to track her to wherever she was taken. From there they would move in to arrest Nieto, while Gabe and his team would try to rescue Brock. Then…

Then she would finally be free.

She focused on the scenery outside her window. The city was so beautiful at night with all the lights gleaming. Since it was almost one in the morning all the shops and restaurants were closed, only the occasional bar open. The streets were quiet, the sidewalks all but deserted as they approached the park.

“Are you ready?” the fed up front asked her.

“Yes.” As ready as I’ll ever be.

He parked under a streetlight, making it easier for the men coming to get her to see it was only her and the driver in the car. He stepped out and opened her door for her.

She took a steadying breath. This was it. No turning back now.

She stepped out of the vehicle, locked her shaking knees and looked around. The fed stayed beside her, his body partially blocking hers as another vehicle drew up. A sleek Jaguar. It parked across the street, the engine still purring.

The driver’s door opened.

A bittersweet pang hit her when she saw the familiar man climbing out. “David,” she said, a wave of anguish threatening to crash over her. She had known Nieto’s head of security since she was a child. What atrocities had he committed or covered up on Nieto’s behalf?

The handsome, middle-aged man smiled at her, his expression so kind it made something sharp twist in her chest. “Hello, mija.”

She swallowed back the tears burning the back of her throat, her mind at war with itself. He’d always been so kind to her. How was it possible he was involved in all the atrocities her father was responsible for? “Is it just you?” She had expected more of an armed escort.

“Yes. We thought you’d be most comfortable that way.” He held out a hand toward her. “Shall we go?”

She forced herself to nod, step away from the agent and cross the road to where David waited, strangely comforted by his presence.

The park behind him was enclosed by trees and other vegetation. It looked deserted, but she knew David would have set up at least one of his men there with a rifle, just in case. She shivered, the sense of security she had always felt around him ripped from her.

She climbed into the Jag. The interior smelled brand new, the sweet scent of high-grain leather rich in the air. “Is he waiting for me?” she asked as David pulled away from the curb.

“Yes. He’ll be so happy to see you. He’s been waiting for this a long time.”

She rubbed her damp palms over her jean-clad thighs. “So have I.” She pushed back the anger and sadness building inside her, the questions crowding the back of her throat. Losing her cool with David wouldn’t do anyone any good. She would wait until she confronted her father to let it all out.

At least she was safe now, strange as that thought was. Her father had gone to extraordinary lengths to try and bring her back to him alive, and he had sent David to get her personally. She was precious cargo to him, after all. Though she still didn’t understand why in light of everything he’d done.

“Has Agent Hamilton been set free?” she asked.

“I’m not sure.”

Bullshit. David knew everything that went on with her father’s activities.

“That was the deal. My father needs to let him go. Now.”

“You can talk to him about it when you see him.”

She sat there fuming, trying to think of a way to sway him. Or at least have him convince Nieto to let Brock go.

David made several sharp turns when he reached the city center. She glanced in the side mirror, wondering if any of the headlights behind them were from someone on the taskforce following her. Perhaps the federal agents were watching them via satellite, or maybe CCTVs or drones, she wasn’t sure.

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