Page 15 of Alejandro's Prey

Gina was pretty sure he’d heard, but Selena didn’t repeat herself. The priest continued his tour, moving them further through the church, taking them through several doors. She wondered why he was bothering with them. He didn’t seem to feel particularly motivated to be kind toward any of them.

“You simply must see the foundations,” he muttered, taking them toward a set of stairs. He began descending before the women had a chance to decline his offer. “Oldest part of the church. More than 300 years.”

“Yes, you said,” Selena replied drily, but the priest was descending at a rapid rate.

The lighting seemed to be almost as old as this part of the church and there was a noticeable chill. “I think we should turn around,” the bodyguard who’d accompanied them said, lifting his cell phone to look at it. “No service,” he said with a frown as they stopped on a landing.

“I think so too,” Gina agreed, hugging herself to ward off the chill and squinting into the shadowy darkness, trying to see which way the priest had gone.

A muffled pop sounded next to them startling her. The bodyguard collapsed, falling against Gina. She hurtled sideways catching herself against a stone pillar. She blinked, trying to see what’d happened and then blinked again as she tried to reach for the man to see why he was hurt, but Selena caught her hand.

“No, Gina,” she said, her voice calm but urgent. “You can’t help him.”

“I’m sorry,” the priest said, stepping into what little light there was, a gun raised in his hand. “I need you to come with me now.”

“You shot him!” Gina said accusingly.

“Start moving or she’ll be next. I only need to take the bride alive, though both would be better,” he said coldly. “We had no idea Reyes’ man had amadrein the city or we would have lured him out of hiding a long time ago.”

Selena snorted. “You would have tried.”

“Move,” he snapped and waved the gun, indicating they should walk further into the shadowy damp tunnel.

Selena maintained her hold on Gina and they moved together ahead of the priest. At one point, Selena took a shuffling step, pretended to stumble against Gina and went down on one knee. Gina knew it was an act because the older woman was careful to put most of her weight against Gina so she wouldn’t hurt herself. Gina grunted in protest, stumbling herself.

“Are you okay?” she asked, attempting to sound concerned instead of sarcastic.

“Fine, fine,” Selena said in a frail voice. “Help me up though.” As soon as Gina leaned over her, wrapping her arms around Selena, the other woman pressed her lips against Gina’s ear and whispered, “Are you armed?”

Gina shook her head.

Once she was back on her feet the priest shoved them forward and snapped, “Faster, or I kill the slow Señora Morales and hand over the young one.”

“Okay, we’re walking!” Gina cried, clutching Selena and praying she didn’t have any more stupid tricks to try. Unless it was stabbing the priest in the eye with his own cross and stealing his gun.

When they moved through a particularly dark shadow Selena pressed something cold and hard into Gina’s hand. She felt it with her fingers and quickly surmised it was a switchblade. A helluva lot bigger of a blade than the one she’d tried to use the day before. Well! The older Señora Morales had some decent tricks up her sleeve after all. Gina shoved it down the front of her dress when she was sure the priest wasn’t looking and caught the quick, approving grin Selena sent her.

“Stop here,” he commanded them.

Gina looked around but didn’t see anything special. Until he threw open a door leading outside. Bright sunlight streamed through the door, blinding them after their brief walk through the dank tunnel. Rapid Spanish met her ears. The cadence, the words, the way they were speaking told her everything she needed to know. Gang.

Two men entered through the door, their street clothes and tattoos pronouncing them thugs. Gina shuddered and flinched back when one of them reached for her. She lifted her hand instinctively to fight him off, but Selena said sharply, “Don’t fight back, girl.” Gina caught her eye and read between the lines,fight later when we have an advantage. She immediately dropped her hands. It took every ounce of self-control to let the man drag her into his body, to allow him to grab her by the face, yank on her hair and leer down at her, all while licking his lips and rubbing himself on her.

“Luego,” the other man said, snapping his fingers at the guy holding Gina.Awesome, she thought, vomit rising in her throat, he just gave the guy holding her permission to fuck her later. He tossed a stack of bills at the priest and dragged Selena toward the open door. Gina was pushed out the door too and into a car similar to the one that was used to attack her and Alejandro the night before.

As she was being shoved into the car, Gina resisted, turning to glare at the priest who stood in the open doorway clutching his money against his chest. Unable to resist, she pointed at him. “Alejandro is going to kill you for this, old man,” she hissed. “He’s going to take you apart piece by bloody piece until there’s nothing left. Then he’s going to piss on those pieces and set them on fire. Not even the devil will take you after he’s done!”

“May God be with you child,” the priest said, his eyes devoid of emotion. He slammed the door shut, leaving the women to their fate.

“You made the wrong choice!” she yelled elbowing the man holding her as he grabbed her by the neck and shoved her face first into the back of the car. Her skirt went flying everywhere. She heard it tear as he shoved it aside and hopped in after her. Selena was crammed in against the opposite door. There was a driver and the other guy in the front seat.

Selena took Gina’s hand and squeezed. “Shhh, calm down. It won’t help to scream at them.”

“Actually, I do feel a little better,” Gina snapped, glaring straight ahead.

The guy in the front passenger seat turned, pointed a gun at Selena’s head and told her in Spanish not to touch the door next to her. She held up her hands and assured him she wouldn’t. He then told them both not to do anything stupid and they would be delivered safely to ‘the boss.’ Gina cast a sideways glance toward Selena. Apparently, the boss wasn’t among these bad guys. Not that she was surprised. Stealing Alejandro’s mother and bride straight out of a church on such little notice under the noses of so many bodyguards with the help of a priest took both planning and balls of steel. It wasn’t the hallmark of ordinary street thugs.

“Put your seatbelt on,” Selena said in English. Gina frowned and glanced at her, thinking she can’t have heard the other woman correctly. Considering they were being kidnapped and driven toward what was almost certainly a gruesome death she didn’t really think seatbelts were paramount. Selena sighed, turned dark, annoyed eyes toward Gina. “I said, put your seatbelt on,niña. I don’t like repeating myself.”

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