Page 24 of Extraction

“Three lines inside a box.” I may not know much about the Canos family, but I did know that was their tag. “I’m in Perez land, and they wear?—”

“A snake with a gold ring around its neck,” I finished for him. Part of my job was to know these things.

“Right.” He seemed impressed I knew. “Well, those men wanted to know what direction she left and to see her room.”

“Did you show them the address you showed me?”

“Yeah, I did.” He tapped his thigh and looked uneasy. “I’m not looking for trouble but if those men risked everything to cross enemy lines to find that woman, I wasn’t going to get in their way.”

“I would have done the same.” I wasn’t about to judge him for that choice. The Cartel were ruthless and had zero regard for anyone’s life. They were only out for themselves. “Do you think it was the Canos’ soldiers who blew up your motel?”

“I have no idea, but what I do know is I’m outta here. Could you drop me off at the nearest bus station?”

“I can do that.” I thought about the address and map in my boot. I wiggled my toes and could feel them still in there. Thank God!

SEVEN

BRUNO

“Son of a bitch!” I tossed my crystal glass across the room and watched as it shattered against the massive stone fireplace.

“Lo lament?—”

“Nando!” I spun around and glared at the man I had ordered to drive the reporter around. “Hablas inglés?”

“Sí. Yes.” He seemed to struggle to switch to English and lowered his head. I had no sympathy for the pain he must have suffered. His face looked to be half melted from the explosion at the motel. “We did everything you asked. How could we know that Canos had his people follow us?”

“You should have been on watch,” I snarled and thought if he hadn’t been with me for so long, I’d snap his neck. I remembered what I told Nicole about Talya Canos, that she was dead, and that I wanted to be the one to find her baby. Everything came down to that fucking baby. She’d better realize that if she didn’t come back with that child, I’d hunt her down myself and kill her with my bare hands. “Where’s the girl?”

“She stole my truck and headed south. She’s with that fat motel owner.”

“Qué?” I stepped around my desk in a need to put a barrier between us. “Why the hell is he with her?”

“I don’t know.” He jumped when I slammed my fist against the fine mahogany desk.

“Mr. Perez,” my secretary buzzed in over the intercom, “Mr. Sanchez is here.”

“Yeah,” I grunted. “I don’t care what you need to do, Nando, but don’t come back until you fucking find her!”

“Yes, sir.” He raced out the door as Sully came in.

“Does he know he’s got a fucked up face? Because he’s got a fucked up face.” Sully Sanchez eased into a chair, and I raised a brow at his comfort level in my office. “I know things took a dark turn but, Bruno, everything will be fine.”

I crossed my arms at his assurance and my temper grew. “How can you predict such an outcome?”

“Because of what we have in place.” He reached over and poured himself a drink. “You can trust Nicole.”

“How?”

“Because I’ve tested her more than once. I even set up a big operation where if she had told anyone, the federales would have been all over it.” He shrugged. “Guess what? Nothing happened. She has been well paid and has shown me her loyalty more than once.”

“She has shown me nothing but disrespect.”

He squinted an eye at me. “Perhaps it’s your approach, mi amigo. Kidnapping, violence, the way you talk to her, perhaps it isn’t the best way to win over an American reporter. They conduct business very differently.”

I rolled my eyes at his soft approach. That was where we were very different.

“Where is she now?”

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