Page 10 of Lethal Vengeance
“Where are we going?” I snap back in frustration, placing my hands on my hips.
Fingers reach out to start buttoning my dress. “We’ve got a place not far from here.” As he nears my waist, he realizes a few buttons are missing and frowns.
I sigh and drape the black wrap over the ruined dress. My eyes drift from his face to the lean, cut abs he has on display. Silvery lines catch my attention and I reach out to glide my fingers across the scars crisscrossing his torso. Shutters come down, and he immediately steps back to pull on his shirt.
Humph, I understand now. “I’m surprised you trust me enough to bring me back to your place.”
“The meeting you set up via email is scheduled for tomorrow morning. I’m only moving the timetable up a few hours,” he returns, running a hand through his hair. “Are you ready?”
“I was hoping we could continue our… delightful encounter, but I’m guessing you don’t feel the same way?” I ask lightly, not wanting to seem desperate, even if my body is shouting obscenities at me right now.
He hesitates for a brief second. “We need to get going.”
I swallow hard but force my lips to curve into what I hope resembles a smile. “I’m not going anywhere without my gun.” Two can play this game.
He pulls out the one in his waistband and hands it to me. “Here.”
The fact that he pulled my gun on Rodrigo turns my fake smile into something more genuine. I gesture to the door and follow him out. When we get to the hall, I raise the gun and point it at him. “Hand me the earpiece.”
A tic jumps in his jaw, but something in my eyes convinces him. He removes it and holds it out for me to take.
Leaning over, I pluck it from his fingers. “Thank you for saving me from that psycho. I do appreciate it, as well as your offer of a… safe… haven. But I’m good. If you are who you say, I already have the address and I’ll see you tomorrow. If you’re not, I’ll make it a point to find you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to find someone to finish what you started.”
Fists clench tightly by his side, but he doesn’t move. I back slowly down the hallway to follow the plan I’d mapped out earlier. I’ve got plenty of safe houses in this city. One of them happens to be in the same building as our meeting tomorrow.
5
CRUZ
Silently following her through the kitchen to the back alley, I wait for her to turn toward the street. Instead, she crosses the alley to another door—La Vaquita. Based on the music blaring, it’s a club, and a good place for her to hide for a while.
I stand in the shadows with her words ringing in my ear. Thoughts of herfinishingwith someone else makes me want to plow my fist through the brick wall behind me. I lit that fire. Me.
For the past two weeks, I’ve watched her every move, listened to most of her conversations, and I still can’t figure her out. Her operation is comprised of nothing but sheer will and contacts. She’s completely independent, without any back-up, and in an extremely vulnerable position. Is it her goal to work for the cartel, or is there a bigger agenda?
At first, I thought she might be agency, but my contacts have never heard of her. And her jobs come from one source—Armando Morales.
She’s in deep, taking everything he throws at her, but to what purpose? I listened to the spiel she gave Armando about becoming a major player, but I’m not convinced. She spends too much time alone in dive bars, shunning the very life she’s building here.
Her face and eyes reveal little, but the darkness clinging to her is achingly familiar. I’d recognize those shadows anywhere, and I bet the others will too, especially Raider. Something is driving her to the edge, over and over, but stopping isn’t even a choice in her mind. I shake my head. She’ll either achieve her goal or be consumed by the darkness. Maybe both.
Those thoughts fill me with anger. If you’d asked me a week ago, I’d have shrugged and left her chances to fate, but I saw the devastation on her face when she returned from this last job. The obsessive need to search for answers. The tequila consumed to forget. It’s the reason I couldn’t finish what we’d started earlier.
My hand brushes against my thigh, and I wince.
Damn hellcat.
Peripheral movement makes me slide deeper into the shadows. Sterling strolls down the center between the two buildings and stops right in front of me.
A blond eyebrow is raised high on his head. A sure sign of his irritation. “Care to explain to me why you haven’t answered?” Posture ramrod straight, he shifts lightly on his feet, never taking his eyes off me.
“I don’t have my earpiece,” I mumble.
A line appears between his brows. “Did it fall out? I thought we tested them.”
“I took it out,” I drawl. He’s going to push until I give him all the answers, but hell if I’m going to make it easy on him.
“Why? I heard Rodrigo singing in the hallway, but the feed cut out. Did the earpiece quit working?”
