August glared at Todd, who was sitting on the chair pushed against the wall in Rami’s house. Toth had insisted on handcuffing him, which was probably smart since the slimy sonofabitch had a tendency to run and hide.
The anxiety mounting in August’s chest was enough to give him heart palpitations. Alvarez hadn’t called back and they were running out of valuable time. He turned back to the computer in front of him. He’d been reading up on Val Alvarez. The man was wanted in three countries for rape, murder, and drug and human trafficking.
Suspecting the man’s crimes was one thing. Reading about his victims and cruel forms of torture was another. Bile had practically disintegrated August’s esophagus, and every swallow spread heat through his diaphragm.
But he needed to know everything there was to know about Alvarez. The man had nine children from five different women. And as much as hurting innocent children went against everything August believed in, he wasn’t beyond making the threat. He’d say anything, anything, to get Alvarez’s attention. He had to choose his words wisely, though.
Toth was in Rami’s office using the facial-recognition software to trace the men who’d taken Gigi from the apartment building. It was a damn good thing they had surveillance footage, but following the intruders’ vehicle using street cameras was tedious and time-consuming.
“Don’t worry,” Rami said, cutting into August’s thick cloud of worry. His friend sat across the table, his laptop in front of him. Ghost had taken off after explaining he had some business to take care of. He’d asked the guys to let him know when they found something. “Toth’s good. He’ll find her in an hour, tops.”
August leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “We don’t have an hour.”
“If we had Dana, this would be faster,” Rami mused.
“Have you spoken to her?” It took every effort for August to find genuine concern for Taschen. Which made him feel like a piece of shit. The guy had been shot in the head and chest trying to protect Gigi and might die.
At least Taschen was in the safety of the hospital getting help. Gigi could be already dead—or being tortured—while he fucking sat here.
“Yeah, she’s a mess. One of us should be at the hospital, but—”
“Go if you need to.” August’s voice came out rough and gravelly, but he meant it. The last thing he wanted to do was hold back his friends when one of them was fighting for their lives.
Having manpower to get Gigi out was important, but if he had to do it on his own, he fucking would. He’d gone through worse, and he’d walk over fire to get to her.
Rami twisted his face. “Nah, man. That’s not what I meant. Taschen wouldn’t want us sitting in the hospital when we could be doing something useful.”
August nodded. “That’s true.” Because it was. Taschen might be annoying and hardheaded sometimes, but he had a big heart. And he’d fight to protect Gigi if he were here.
“What’d Dana say?”
Rami massaged the tattoo over his eye. “Last I heard they took him into surgery. That was an hour ago. She said she’d let me know as soon as he’s out.”
“Good. Can you send one of the interns there? Take her some food or something? She probably won’t leave.”
Rami pulled out his phone. “Good idea. I’ll get one of the guys over there.” A ding sounded from Rami’s phone, and he smiled tentatively. “He’s in recovery. Stable.”
A small weight lifted from August’s chest. The anvil pressing on his windpipe was still there, but he couldn’t not be grateful Taschen might pull through. Rami left the room to tell Toth, and August brought his attention back to the man who’d started this whole mess.
“I didn’t mean to endanger Gigi,” Todd said pleadingly. “Believe it or not, I love her.”
August reared back and got to his feet. “Are you insane? You nearly had her killed, for fuck’s sake. She was in witness protection because of you. That’s not love.”
Todd straightened in his chair, his eyes sharpening. “I knew you had a thing for her.”
Hot breath blew from August’s nose as he took a step closer to Todd. The man cowered. “I’ve got more than a thing for her. And if you cared about her at all, you’d do whatever Alvarez wants.”
“He wants me dead,” Todd blustered.
“No shit. You stole money from a Mexican cartel. What’d you think would happen?”
Todd’s expression fell. “I had no choice. I’d been helping the Radcliffes for years. One thing led to another and I got in over my head.”
“And lined your pockets in the process.”
Rami entered the room and squeezed past August, clapping him on the shoulder as he went. “Move away, dude. If you mess up his face, Alvarez might not recognize him.”
“That’s the only reason I haven’t broken his jaw.” But August heeded Rami’s warning and retreated a few paces. “Does Toth have anything or what? I can’t sit here all day.”
“I know. Just have patience. Maybe if—”
August’s phone rang. He pulled out his device and stared at the screen: Unknown Caller.
“I think it’s Alvarez,” he hissed. Moving quickly toward the living room, he accepted the call and placed the phone to his ear. “August speaking.”
“It’s me.” The thick accent was confirmation enough. “I’ve come to a decision.”
“Go,” August commanded, not wanting to waste another damn second.
“We will meet you and make the trade.”
He expelled a tense breath. If Alvarez was willing to agree to the deal, Gigi was alive. August hit the speaker button so Rami could hear. “Good. Where and when?”
Alvarez rattled off the location of a lookout point. “7:30 p.m.” He hung up.
“Toth,” Rami called.
Satisfaction fissured through August’s veins. He couldn’t be too excited. Not yet. Not until Gigi was in his arms and this whole thing was over. August looked at the clock on the stove. They had two hours. Using Maps on his phone, he looked up the distance from Rami’s house to the location Alvarez had given. Thirty minutes.
That meant they had to leave soon.
Toth entered the room and Rami told him about the meeting. Toth rubbed his hands together. “Fucking right. Let’s get this over with.”
Doubt rolled in, forcing out some of the relief August had momentarily been given. “I didn’t get any visual or verbal confirmation that she’s okay. Hell, how do we know for sure he even has her?”
Rami cursed and Toth folded his arms across his chest. “I agree. We need some kind of assurance he’s going to follow through. Text him. Ask for a picture of Gigi.”
He wanted more than a picture. He sent Alvarez a text.
I need proof you have Gigi and she’s okay.
His mouth went dry as he hit the send button. Looking from Rami to Toth, worry bubbled in his stomach.
Toth spoke first. “It’ll be fine. If he really wants to trade, which he must or he wouldn’t have called you, then he’ll respond.”
“In the meantime, let’s load up.” Rami drew a circle with his index finger in the air.
“Wait, what about me?” Todd moaned from his chair.
August scoffed, Toth smirked, and Rami laid a hand on the idiot’s shoulder. “You’re getting what’s coming to you. But you should feel good about this. If all goes well, Gigi will be free of the control your actions have had over her life.”
August tried to swallow the fear welling in his throat. If all goes well . . .
He had his anxiety and doubts, but he also had one thing Alvarez wanted more than anything: Todd. There was no reason to believe the cartel leader would back out or refuse to give proof of Gigi being alive and well.
This was a win-win situation. Gigi wouldn’t provide Alvarez with enough satisfaction—he’d want Todd ten times over. August just had to keep reminding himself Gigi wasn’t the real target here. Once Alvarez had what he wanted, he’d disappear.
Rami and Toth began scooping up their bags of ammunition and guns, just in case. They also packed Taschen’s drone. August’s phone vibrated in his hand and adrenaline swelled his muscles. He glanced down at the screen, and the image of Gigi kneeling on the floor in a nasty bedroom with her hands behind her back, duct tape over her mouth, and horror bright in her eyes made his breath hitch.
A burning sensation started deep behind his solar plexus and fired through his chest.
He had his confirmation.
Now he’d kill whoever had put that terrified look in her eyes.
* * *
As Alec took her picture, Gigi wanted to scream. If it weren’t for the damn tape she would have.
He slammed the door and locked it again, and she let out a frustrated grunt. Micha stopped chewing her bone and looked at her questioningly then went back to work. At least the dog had growled when Alec got close.
I won’t blame you if you chew off his face, Micha.
Realization struck her. He’d taken a picture of her. Why? Her mind spun through the possibilities.
Maybe to prove to his boss that they’d accomplished the task. Or was it more than that? Why was a photo necessary? Clearly he was trying to show she was in captivity—and unharmed.
Little bursts of hope erupted inside her. Maybe Alvarez was going to make a deal. After all, August had gone to fetch Todd while she’d been kidnapped. What if August was negotiating her rescue?
She closed her eyes on a prayer. Yes, yes, please, God.
August would fight for her. He’d do everything in his power to keep her safe and by now, he’d be back from the senator’s place.
But could Alvarez be trusted? Could Alec and Marko? No, of course not. Especially not Alec. He might not kill her without instructions, but he could do a lot more—a lot worse.
Music bumped from the living room and Micha whined, clearly not liking the noise. Gigi glanced at the window. If she tried to escape, she might piss off her captors. If she twiddled her thumbs, she could be awaiting her death.
She couldn’t take the risk of assuming that the photo had been for August. After all, the cartel was into human trafficking. She knew that because of what had happened to her sister. It was very possible the photo was for a buyer.
Panic shot her to her feet. She had to get out of there. The constant vibration of the music was enough to give her a headache. Hopefully it was loud enough to cover the sounds of the dresser moving and the window opening.
Yanking her hands apart as much as possible, she stretched and pulled at the tape. Her shoulders burned, the muscles and tendons already strained from the awkward position. Slouching on an exasperated breath, she looked around the room. The tape wasn’t too tight. With enough work she could pull it off, but if she could find something to dig underneath the restraint, she’d loosen it easier.
Her gaze landed on the knob of the wooden dresser. She moved across the room, turned her back to the dresser, and felt around for the metal nub. Working her hands beneath the knob, she got it hooked underneath the tape and then jammed down her wrists.
Sweat coated her skin and the burning sensation in her arms intensified until her forearms buzzed with lack of blood flow.
The tape pulled on her skin, but she only wiggled and twisted harder. In less than a minute the tape had more slack. Lifting her hands from the dresser, she yanked them apart again and the binding gave way.
Yes!
She snapped off the tape, this time not caring if the guys came in and found that her hands were free. She was getting the hell out. Her skin screamed as she ripped the tape off her mouth, and she stifled a yelp, though it wasn’t as if anyone would hear her over all the racket.
Micha must have sensed something was up because she hopped to her feet and wagged her tail. Gigi patted her head. “Sorry, girl. You have to stay here. But how about you don’t bark when I leave, okay?”
Micha licked her hand and Gigi gave her another scratch. Making friends with the cartel’s dog, possibly a killer, couldn’t be a bad thing. Hopefully the pit bull would have reservations about attacking her if she ran.
One could hope.
This sweet marshmallow of a dog could probably turn violent if necessary.
Gigi moved to the side of the dresser and gave it a little push. Damn thing was heavy. Chewing her bottom lip, she weighed the risks. If she pushed it across the wooden floor, it’d make noise. Probably not enough to be heard over the music, but that wasn’t a chance she wanted to take. An idea struck her. She quickly grabbed four pieces of strewn clothing then placed the items under the legs of the dresser. She then slid the piece of furniture soundlessly in front of the door.
Micha whined, and a pang hit Gigi. The dog would be locked in the room, but there was no help for it. She couldn’t risk carrying Micha outside. Marko seemed to care for the dog, so he’d find a way to get to her.
Gigi returned to the window. Grabbing the edge of the cardboard, she peeled off the tape. A gentle ripping sound split the air, but it was nowhere near loud enough to be heard over the music. In seconds she had the whole strip of cardboard tossed aside. Sure enough, there was no screen on the window. With the help of the mattress, the sill was at the height of her abdomen.
The temptation of freedom surrounded her. She was so close to escaping. Her heart raced in her chest.
Unlatching the window, she pushed it open. Cool night air touched her face, and she gasped with relief. The metal track rattled as she opened the window further, and every muscle in her body bunched. Squeezing her eyes together and inhaling, she waited.
Other than the annoying music, no sounds came from the living room.
If her captors couldn’t hear her pulse roaring through her veins, then they probably hadn’t heard the window. Swallowing, she braced her palms on the ledge and hefted herself up. After climbing onto the sill, she hung onto the frame and lowered herself.
The drop wasn’t far, maybe five feet or so. She landed between two starved bushes. The neglected branches scraped her arms and legs. She pushed them away. Urgency swirled around her stomach as she edged closer to the house.
The backyard was in front of her. Based on the layout she’d seen, she assumed the living-room window was to her left. Pressing her back to the chipped brown siding, she turned her gaze in that direction.
Sure enough, a big picture window swallowed up a chunk of the siding. Unlike the bedroom she’d been kept in, this window didn’t have any cardboard to hide its occupants. Alec stood adjacent to the window, a cigarette in hand as he bobbed his head to the ear-splitting music.
Her stomach surged to her throat. Fear sucked at her ankles, threatening to drag her to the ground. Part of her wanted to duck. To bolt. To do anything but just stand there, but she couldn’t for the life of her move.
She was frozen. Terrified that if she so much as blinked he’d turn his attention to her. The siding was cool against her bare palms, jolting her back to reality. If she didn’t do something soon, they’d notice she was missing and come after her anyway.
Shifting her gaze straight ahead to the alleyway, she calculated her escape. The yard wasn’t as deep as it was wide. It was maybe thirty feet to the gate next to the garage. Against the house, she was basked in darkness. But the back porch light was on and she’d need to run through the glow to reach the gate. If she ran now, she could surely make it to the alleyway before they caught her. But if they looked out the window, they’d spot her running, and there wouldn’t be anywhere to hide once she hit the alley.
It was a gamble.
Swinging her gaze back to the window, she watched as Alec accepted a beer from Marko. Now was her chance. Tearing away from the wall, she ran.
Her feet wisped over the grass, the long blades dusting her pant legs. Her chest heaved with every stride and her breath came in heavy gasps. Reaching the gate, she flipped up the latch.
Then she sprinted, running like she’d never run in her life.
A sense of freedom expanded in her chest. She’d done it. She’d escaped. Tears of relief mixed with the rush of adrenaline.
“Get her!”
Alarm whistled inside her head as the foul taste of fear touched her tongue. A scream bellowed from her throat. She kept running.