Page 27 of Naughty and Nice
“I love you. Now stay quiet.”
The call ended.
Em pounded the steering wheel with the butt of his hand.
Andrés’s name, Em’s father, appeared on the screen.
Em answered, “Qué pasa?”
“Three of Cabezõn’s men are down. We captured another. He’s not being forthcoming with information, but from outside footage, we believe there are at least two more inside the apartments.”
“Inside,” we both exclaimed.
“Who do we have on the inside?” Em asked.
“Horace and Javier are unaccounted for.” Andrés’s voice lowered. “Hijo, dónde esta Isabella?”
“Mia’s office, in the bathroom. Fuck, get to her.”
“Tío,” I said. “The other women, including Liliana, are most likely in the shelter room, the big lecture hall at the back of the building. They’re all our priority.”
“Sí,” Andrés replied. “My daughter-in-law first.” The call ended, filling the car with silence.
“The hell?” Em growled. “Isabella is more important than all of them.”
“They’re all important.”
We were only minutes away.
The metaphorical wheels were turning in Em’s head. He wasn’t happy with my prioritization. I was afraid he’d go off half-cocked if he thought he could rescue Isabella. “I should tell you something before we get to the apartments.”
“If it’s about my wife being equal to whores, I don’t want to hear it.”
“It’s about Liliana.”
Em clenched his jaw and nodded.
“I asked her to marry me.”
Chapter
Twelve
Liliana
* * *
The sound of gunshots reverberated through the dark lecture hall. “Go,” I whispered. “Hide behind the tables.”
The room’s design had four tiers of table rows, with a half-wall from the desks down.
Someone tugged on my arm. “Liliana,” she whispered. “Come with us.”
“I will. Por favor, apurense.”
Footsteps and shuffling filled the air.
Despite the commotion, within my ears, the thump of my pulse dominated.
