Page 73 of The Perfect Stranger

The door opened, and I pocketed the cell. I could feel her eyes watching, but I couldn’t look at the woman who wanted me so much to be her savior. Instead, I made for the car, and she followed.

Back on the highway, careening toward her murky fate, I broke the silence.

“I’m sorry I shot you.”

Her head snapped around at the admission, eyes wide in confused horror.

“You shot me?”

I nodded, keeping my focus on the road ahead.

“Why? On purpose? Were you trying to kill me?”

“Firstly…” I began, “…I shot you because I needed you out of the picture. You were in the way, ready to cause yourself more grief by taking aim at one of them. Immobilized, you out of harm’s way. Your Glock was no match for their assault rifles and ambition. Like I said, I’m sorry it came down to shooting you. So yes, I guess it was on purpose.”

“What if you missed my arm and killed me?”

This time I smiled, chuckled even. “Cariña, I’ve engaged in tactical operations for many years. When I aim, I never miss.”

“Tact Force, hey?” My lips twitched at the small amount of information she’d won. “Were you an FBI Division? Special Forces?”

I cast Nina a sideways glance and her eyes softened.

When I didn’t answer, she fell silent for a good minute, lost in thought. “Were they Los Santos? I saw a tattoo on the man’s chest of the Mother Mary.”

Up until now, I could have passed them off as Baja.

“Yes, they were Los Santos. Possibly the same ones that were looking through your window.”

“How do they keep finding me?”

“Los Santos are everywhere. It’s complicated.”

“They are out to kill me. So please explain.”

I understood her frustration, and while I wasn’t yet in the position to reveal my true self, the least I could do was fill her in on our common enemy.

For the next thirty minutes, I told her about the trio of waring cartels. I connected the dots between the Florez, Santos and Baja kingpins who were engaged in a drug-fueled battle. I spoke of the violence and the control each held over certain parts of Mexico, South America, and the US.

“How does this correlate back to me?”

“For the most part, it won’t. But it will, at least, give you some insight into what you’re dealing with.” I revealed the truth about the allegiance between Los Santos and Baja to get their hands on the Florez fortune and how overnight the deal had gone belly up.

“So what’s the issue?”

“Luis Santos Rodriguez.” I didn’t hide my disdain.

“What happened?”

He destroyed a whole town. Slaughtered my father. What hasn’t he done?

“Los Santos and Baja cartels both saw an opportunity they had missed almost five years ago. To get their money that was owed to them. With the Florez cartel destroyed, the FBI put a hold on all accounts including those off-shore.”

“Is this where I come in?” she asked, nervous for the answer.

“Perhaps.”

I couldn’t bring myself to tell her she played the leading role in this dangerous game.

I couldn’t tell her that her daddy worked for, and was killed by, a drug cartel.

I couldn’t tell her that she was collateral damage for everyone else’s fuck ups.

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