Page 89 of The Perfect Stranger

In the hours that followed, under coercion, Nina hacked into Garcia’s account to have the money transferred.

She did it, knowing her career was over.

But there was some hope.

She could never be a criminal, even if her life depended on it.

Nina Cross, a framed FBI agent who had lost everyone she’d ever loved to the hands of criminals, had now fooled South America’s leading cartel drug lords.

She’s done what so many had failed to do.

What Gabriel didn’t know was she was using a coded sequence that would allow masked funds to appear in someone’s account only to vanish shortly after.

For now, they would celebrate a win.

They would celebrate the Florez cartel profits and gloat in the wake of the Baja cartel demise.

Nina’s job was complete and yet Luis Santos was nowhere to be seen.

“You’re treading on thin ice,” Felix warned, his voice low, careful to not be heard.

I watched while he cleaned his disassembled Glock.

“I don’t know what you’ve got planned, and for that I’m glad, but you need to reign it in.”

“Is it that obvious?”

“Tell me it isn’t.”

“I’m going to check on her.”

Felix started to piece the gun back together. “She’s not there.” He stopped what he was doing, his eyes telling me all I needed to know.

My blood ran cold and yet I felt burning rage.

That night Gabriel had indeed taken to celebrating his success.

When I thought Nina was resting in her room, she had been in his. And not by her own accord.

I was already on my feet when I heard Felix.

“Good timing,” was all he muttered keeping his hands busy, head low, and turned down the hallway to see Nina hurriedly exiting Gabriel’s room. She was flustered, close to tears and wearing a fresh bruise on her left cheek. Her eyes met mine while silently bypassing me and she disappeared into the bedroom.

“Don’t fuck up whatever you have going,” Felix warned.

Something told me it was too late for that.

“Cariña, what happened to you?” I asked, stepping over the threshold.

Nina held her index finger over her lips and gestured around the room.

I shook my head and walked to the side table and opened the drawer. She glanced inside to the see the four bugs I had found earlier carefully planted around her room. Closing the drawer, I sat her on the bed.

“Gabriel,” Nina said quietly looking away, her voice shaky with both rage and hurt. “Where were you?” She said it like the accusation it was.

I stepped close, my thumb caressing her cheek as I repeated my apology.

“What did he do to you?”

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