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I stood, frozen, as shrill ringing filled my ears.
I had been hoping I’d get away with the glass not being alarmed, but it appeared I was wrong. The big glass structure I’d spotted from the road was the covering for an expensive-looking indoor swimming pool. Green foliage of lush, thick-leaved plants were positioned in pots in every corner—big enough for me to hide behind, if needed. Even though it was dark, moonlight slatted in through the intact glass panels above, glinting on the clear surface of the water.
There was no possibility that the alarm hadn’t been heard. Its racket filled my ears, and I resisted the urge to cover them with my hands to block out the noise. But my hands were already occupied. I kept the gun gripped tightly, prepared to shoot at the first sign of movement. So far, the pool area remained empty, but I doubted I’d be alone for long. Torres’s men would be coming, and I needed to be ready for them when they arrived.
Moving quickly and quietly, I skirted the edge of the pool, heading toward a doorway which I assumed led on to the main part of the house. Where would Catalina be? I didn’t even want to consider the possibility that she wasn’t here at all and all of this would be for nothing. If I allowed doubt to creep into my mind, it could be deadly. Still, no one had made an appearance, and the racket from the alarm was masking any sound of people approaching. While that didn’t help me in finding Catalina, it covered my tracks as well.
I stepped into a wide, white painted hallway. Farther ahead, doors were positioned on either side. Keeping my back to the wall, the gun gripped tightly in my hand, I edged my way along the corridor. To my right, one of the doors stood open.
I paused, feeling uneasy.
Where the fuck was everyone? Of all the situations I’d envisaged, not immediately being accosted by Torres’s men hadn’t been one of them. Was this some kind of trap? There was no way they hadn’t heard the alarm, and I assumed the security system was smart enough to pinpoint the exact location of the breach.
The open doorway drew me.
Sensing something wasn’t quite right, I moved to the opposite side, so the open door was directly ahead of me, shielding me from whatever was behind it. I kept going, my back flush to the wall. I reached the door and paused, bracing myself for attack. When none came, I held the gun up to protect myself and then darted around the door. Instead of attack, I was faced with a set of stairs leading down to yet another corridor, this one made up of bare breezeblocks and lit by florescent bulbs.
I hesitated again, doubting myself. This could be a trap. But then again, it could also be where Catalina was being held and, if I didn’t check, I would have walked right past her.
Fuck it.
I ran down the steps and along the corridor. I was beneath the house now, and the temperature dropped by several degrees. My heart thumped hard in my chest, my mouth running dry. Something was telling me that this was where I’d find Catalina.
At the end of the corridor, I reached a second door. I thought it would be locked, but it opened easily, and I peered into the space beyond.
Four single beds were in the room, two with the heads against one wall, and the other two beds positioned opposite. A couple of posters of landscapes were hung from the wall, and women’s clothes were scattered across the floor and draped mainly over one of the beds. But the room was empty of people. Even though I was certain this was where Torres had been keeping Catalina, and some other girls as well, no one was here now.
A second door led onto a bathroom. I crossed the room and checked inside, making sure Catalina wasn’t hurt or tied up, or unconscious and unable to call for help. But just like the main part of the room, the space was empty.
Spinning on my heels, I ran back the way I’d come. The alarms were still sounding, my ears ringing from them.
Could Catalina have been moved? Had Torres taken her somewhere else for the night, and I’d picked the worst possible time to attempt to rescue her? I didn’t think he’d leave the house completely unguarded, however. Even if Catalina wasn’t here, it didn’t explain why I hadn’t seen anyone.
I took the stairs two at a time and was about to reach the top when a man ran past.
I didn’t hesitate. Taking the remaining steps, I crept back into the corridor, moving up behind the man. He was armed, pointing his gun in the direction I’d come. His shirt was speckled with what appeared to be blood splatter, and my stomach dropped at the sight. What the fuck was going on? I hadn’t been the one to cause the blood. In-house fighting, perhaps? I prayed the blood didn’t belong to Catalina or any of the other women Torres must have locked up here.
The sound of the alarms hid my progress. The man didn’t even know I was there until I wrapped my arm around his throat from behind and jammed the muzzle of my gun to his temple. Aware of the mistake he’d made by not being cautious of what was behind him, and not planning on doing the same, I spun both of us around, facing the way he’d just come.
I had to raise my voice, practically shouting to make myself heard. “Drop the gun.”
He let the weapon fall from his fingers, and it clattered to the floor.
“Who are you?” I demanded, my mouth close to his ear.
“Bartow,” he spluttered.
“You know Catalina?”
He nodded best he could with my arm around his throat. “Yeah, yeah. I know her.”
“Where is she?”
He jerked his head forward. “In the dining room. With the others.”
My heart soared at the knowledge she was close. “What others? How many are there?”
“Men. Four men.” His voice was strangled, and I struggled to hear him over the alarm.
So that was five against one, counting the guy in the headlock. The numbers weren’t in my favor, but I wasn’t going to let that hold me back. Catalina was practically within touching distance, and I would die before I lost her again.