Page 70 of Rogue Voice

Bea glared at him, trying to catch his eye, but the man didn’t look up as he opened the SUV door.

It was only once he was inside the vehicle, sitting behind Roberts, that he looked up at her. “So. Are you going to introduce me to your friend, Roberts?”

Roberts took off slowly, engaging the lock as he did so. “How long have we known each other, Thorne?”

“Many years.”

“Many years,” Roberts nodded. “And in all that time, I’ve never known you to be stupid. So stop pretending to be stupid now. You know perfectly well who this is.”

Thorne nodded, relaxing back into his seat as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

“Okay. Cards on the table, then. I know this is Beatriz Cruz. What I don’t know is, where are you taking her?”

“I don’t think that’s any of your business,” Emiliano’s voice said, coming up from between the seats in the third row.

If Thorne was surprised, he didn’t let on. “Ah, Emiliano Cruz. How interesting.”

Roberts’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. He drove fast now that they were past the police. “Keep the gun trained on him, Emiliano. Shoot both of them if he moves.”

Bea turned her head to look at Thorne, expecting to see fear, concern. Instead, he winked at her, then looked away. “So that’s how it is,” he said, addressing Roberts once again. “I always knew there was something wrong with you, Roberts. The story around the office was, your family was very rich, and that’s how you could afford those fancy holidays, those nicer than normal suits, all those little extras.”

Roberts smiled. “That’s good to hear. I spent a lot of time and effort spreading those rumors. After all, what’s money for, if not to make life more enjoyable?” He shook his head. “Alas, now you’re going to have to die.” Thorne shrugged, as if it was all the same to him.

From the back of the car, Emiliano’s voice came loud and clear. He was no longer under the blankets. “Say goodnight, asshole.”

“Wait,” Roberts said. “We may still need him.” He tossed Thorne a pair of handcuffs. “Handcuff yourself to the door. And you, look forward.”

The metallic clack of the handcuffs sliding shut still resonated in Bea’s ears by the time the harbor came into sight.

33

Bea

How long will the oxygen last?

Bea’s breaths came as shallow pants. There wasn’t enough air left. She wasn’t getting enough oxygen into her lungs.

“Hey,” Thorne said, his voice low and calm. As if they weren’t tied down, each in their own chair, in the middle of a shipping container. “Breathe slow and deep. We’ve got plenty of air.”

Bea heard what he wasn’t saying.Air is the least of our problems.She forced herself to do as he said. There was so much she wanted to say, so many questions she wanted to ask, but she didn’t dare open her mouth. Because she knew Emiliano, and he wouldn’t be far away, not now that he’d found her again.

Speak of the devil.

Emiliano and Roberts walked in, carefully shutting the door behind them. Suddenly, the container seemed a lot smaller. Roberts was calm, but Emiliano’s face was an angry mask.

“Relax, Emiliano.”

“Relax? Easy for you to say, Roberts.”

“Oscar Aguilar was a danger to our operation. Sooner or later, he would have double-crossed you.”

Aguilar.Something has happened.

Emiliano sighed. “I guess you won’t be marrying Oscar after all,florecilla,” he said. “Miguel killed him. Then one of Oscar’s men killed Miguel. Idiots. You just can’t trust anyone anymore.”

“Sit down, Emiliano,” Roberts said, pointing to the ridiculous-looking velvet sofa lining one end of the container. “Make yourself at home.”

Emiliano ignored him. Bea could feel him, standing right behind her, his hot breath falling on her neck. “That means we saved your virginity for nothing, Beatriz. But not to worry, I’m planning on enjoying it now.” His meaty hand closed around her hair, pulling her head back. “I’m going to fuck you. I’m going to fuck that warm, tight pussy raw. I’m going to?—”

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