“Up ahead.” August bounced in his seat, pointing in the direction of the small dirt road that twisted away from the highway and spread out to a wide clearing that overlooked the edge of the mountain.
Trees stretched for miles, and the continual rise and fall of treetops and peaks would’ve been breathtaking if their circumstances weren’t so dire.
Rami steered onto the dirt road and the Tahoe bumped over the uneven terrain. As soon as Rami pulled over, August leapt out. No way he could sit another fucking second. “Why aren’t they here yet?” he barked as Rami and Toth got out, leaving Todd inside.
Toth glanced at his watch. “We’re five minutes early. They should be here soon.”
August checked the clip of his Glock. Leaving the front passenger door open, he kept his AR-15 at the ready. He needed to be prepared to shoot and kill if something went awry, but he also didn’t want to get off on the wrong foot with Alvarez.
He couldn’t make a stupid move based on emotion. He had to keep his head on straight, had to treat Gigi’s rescue like any other mission—common sense needed to be stronger than impulse.
Todd had been oddly quiet during the ride. His skin was pale and sallow, and frown lines were etched around his mouth. If the guy hadn’t made his own bed, August might feel bad for him. But he didn’t. Todd was a means to an end. Specifically, the end of Gigi being hunted. He’d made his choice long ago and had been well aware of the risks.
Todd’s eyes, small and pitiful, looked to August, silently pleading. August cocked the weapon in his hand.
Todd gulped and turned to look out the back window.
Headlights were approaching from the highway. The vehicle slowed and turned onto the dirt road.
“All set?” Rami asked.
“Yup.” Toth held his gun low at his side.
August rounded the truck to stand in front. He wouldn’t hide the Glock in his hand. Surely Alvarez would expect nothing less.
The sleek black SUV parked facing the Tahoe. The driver’s-side door opened and a man in a suit stepped out.
Tension electrified August’s muscles. His gaze was hyperfocused on the vehicle, searching the tinted windows for any sign of Gigi. But they were too dark. He could see only an occupant in the front passenger seat, through the untinted windshield. A man. Aviators concealed his eyes, but the weathered skin and graying hair told August it was Alvarez.
“Show us Todd,” the driver commanded.
Apprehension made August’s hair stand on end. “I want to see Gigi first.” His voice boomed with authority.
The driver turned to glance at Alvarez, but the man in the front seat shook his head. The driver took a step forward. “We need to see Todd first. Then we’ll bring out the woman.”
“What do you want to do?” Toth asked.
He didn’t want to waste any more time. “Bring him out.”
Toth signaled to Rami, who opened the back door and hauled a handcuffed Todd out into the open. Rami shoved him forward a few feet, keeping his gun trained on him. August kept his finger on the trigger of his own gun but his gaze on the driver and Alvarez.
Todd stood trembling on the dirt road, his body hunched forward and sniffles and sobs escaping his throat.
The driver turned to his boss. “Is that him?”
Alvarez climbed out of the car and the driver moved to his side, gun drawn as if ready to take a bullet for the man.
“It’s him,” August shouted with impatience. “Now let us have Gigi and you can take Todd.”
“That’s Todd,” Alvarez confirmed. He went back to the SUV and opened the rear door. Someone stepped out and August’s heart lurched, his attention riveted on the partially hidden person.
The driver motioned for Todd to move forward, and he started to walk.
“Wait, I don’t see her,” August hissed. His senses prickled and his brain took in the quick movements of Alvarez getting back in the vehicle. “It’s a setup!” August screamed.
Crack, crack!
Gunfire erupted. The man who’d exited the back of the SUV fired rapidly at them then dove back inside. Rami and Toth returned shots as rage blasted through August with the force of an explosion. Bullets ripped through Todd’s body. Blood and brain matter splattered the dirt.
A jolt hit August in the abdomen, and he grunted as pain radiated across his midsection. The familiar dull ache without the burn of metal through flesh assured him the bullet had hit his vest.
August threw himself to the ground, aimed, and fired. Bullets rapped against Alvarez’s SUV but he was already inside, the driver peeling away.
“No!” August screamed, kicking the dirt.
“What the fuck just happened?” Rami bellowed, his hand pressed to his head.
They hadn’t brought Gigi. August tipped his head back, and a roar vibrated his throat.
“Are you guys okay?”
Toth’s question didn’t penetrate the crimson haze of August’s fury. The taste of murder burned his hungry mouth, and his hands throbbed with the need to end someone’s life. Not just someone’s. Alvarez’s.
“August,” Toth demanded.
“Hit in the vest,” he blurted. “I’m fine.”
“Me too,” Rami said. “You’re shot.” He pointed to Toth.
August snapped his attention to his friend. His sleeve was torn. Blood oozed from his arm.
“It’s fine.” Toth glanced at the wound. “Just a graze.”
August swiveled to look at Todd’s bloodied form. “He’s gone.” Their one bargaining chip. He dragged his hand through his hair. Jesus Christ, how had he fucked this up so bad?
Toth muttered several curses as he pulled out his phone then started shouting at whoever was on the other end.
“Get in the vehicle,” Rami ordered.
August did so without a second glance at Todd’s lifeless form. He’d gotten what he’d deserved, but the trade had been a bust.
Toth jumped in the back. “Are you going to follow them?” he growled, as Rami shifted into gear and lurched down the dirt road.
August fisted his hand on his thigh. “Don’t bother. Gigi’s not with him, but we’re going to find out where he’s keeping her.”
He didn’t want to acknowledge that the photo could have been hours old. Didn’t want to give voice to the reality that Gigi could already be dead. He wouldn’t accept that option. She was alive. Every fiber of his being confirmed that.
And he wouldn’t rest until he found her.
“If we follow him, we can beat it out of him,” Rami offered. He turned onto the highway.
“I’ve got a better idea,” August said.
“What?” Toth asked.
“We’re going to pay Senator Radcliffe another visit. Any chance you can find out if he’s still in San Juan?”
Toth snorted. “Piece of cake.”
There was a chance Senator Radcliffe didn’t know where Gigi was or where the cartel could be holding her. But if anyone had a lot to lose, it was him.
They’d run out of leverage against Alvarez. Now they had to find other means to get to Gigi. Before Alvarez cut his losses.
* * *
Gigi’s runners slapped against the gravel. Pumping her arms at her sides, she willed her legs to push harder, faster. Her muscles burned as she ran down the length of the alleyway. Another scream lodged in her throat, but she didn’t release it.
Didn’t dare waste the energy. Not yet.
“There she is!”
Gigi threw her gaze over her shoulder to see Marko and Alec skidding over the loose stones. Tears clogged her throat. Every gasp made her chest ache, but she had to keep running.
Goddammit, I should have taken up running years ago.
The sun had fallen. Wind whipped her hair and the strands flew in front of her eyes. Dashing them away, she charged on. Footsteps crunched angrily behind her. They were getting closer—and fast. If she didn’t lose them or find somewhere to hide soon, they’d reach her in seconds. But every yard she whizzed past was gated or fenced, the towering wooden planks well over her head.
There was nowhere to hide. All she could do was run and pray the night swallowed her.
Up ahead the alley curved to the left. If she could push herself the last fifty feet, she’d have maybe fifteen seconds to lose them.
Picking up speed, she drove her feet harder and harder into the unrelenting ground. Each footstep shook her joints, but she didn’t slow. Her heart was like a hummingbird’s wings, vibrating more than beating.
Please, God. Help me get away.
She reached the bend in the road and soared around it. To her left was a junkyard. The clearing was full of shadowed piles of what appeared to be scrap metal and garbage. It also contained three out-of-commission cars.
It was her only shot.
Darting through the yellow, barren grass, she went straight for the vehicles. She tried the handle on an old Camaro. The door creaked open and she lunged inside. After closing the door softly behind her, she clambered over the seat and into the back.
The scent of musty leather and cigarette smoke permeated the air. Dust and grime covered the stained floor and ripped seats. Getting low to the ground, she wedged her body into the footwell.
“Stop,” Alec bellowed in English. “She’s probably hiding in here.”
Gigi’s pants echoed in the tight space. Clamping her hand over her lips, she forced her breath in and out of her nose. Her chest ached with every small intake of air, the amount not enough to replenish all the oxygen she’d lost while running.
Her legs trembled and her hands shook. Pressing her knees together to stop the miniscule movements, she prayed like hell that her pursuers wouldn’t search inside the cars.
“You look over there!” Marko shouted.
The clink-clank of junk being kicked around reached her ears. A shudder racked her spine. They’d surely turn over every stone to find her. Tears burned her eyes and throat. Her mouth ached for water. Her lips and tongue as rough as sandpaper.
The men shouted to each other, moving further away. Were they giving up? Looking somewhere else? Hope flared inside her. If they left, she could hide a bit longer and then knock on someone’s door and ask to use their phone.
Not ideal in this sketchy neighborhood, but it was better than walking right into Marko and Alec’s path. She strained her ears but couldn’t hear a sound over the rasping of air through her nostrils and the drumming of her heart.
She sucked in a mouthful of air and held her breath so she could listen.
Silence.
Relief spread through her. Oh, god. They’ve moved on. I did it. I lost them.
She’d wait fifteen minutes or so to be sure. Then she’d—
The door beside her flung open and Alec’s leering smiled filled the space. Gigi screamed and tried to scramble from the floor. His fingers sank into her hair, tearing her backward.
“No!” The cry belted out from deep within her, pulling with it the balloon of hope she’d clung to. He yanked her roughly and agony split her scalp. His other hand closed over her bicep, and she fell backward onto the ground.
The wind coughed from her lungs and her chest spasmed. Before she could get her bearings and attack, Alec’s fist connected with her jaw. Stars blipped in front of her vision.
“Come on, man! All those bruises are going to piss off Alvarez.”
Gigi lifted her hand to her throbbing face and stared at the two men. Alec looked ready to throw one of his brutal punches at Marko, but Marko didn’t stand down. Alec’s chest heaved with anger. “She fucking escaped because of you. I’ll make sure Alvarez knows. You’re too fucking soft.”
Marko reached forward, grabbing her elbow roughly. “I’m not soft. I don’t give a fuck about this puta. But I know Alvarez doesn’t like his merchandise roughed up. Too hard to sell.”
“Get her back to the fucking house.”
Marko’s fingers bit into her arm as he hauled her toward the alleyway. Her gaze swung desperately around the quiet alley. No cars came or went. No people. Just fences, garages, and backyards.
If they succeeded in taking her back to the house, they’d make sure she didn’t escape again. They might even put her somewhere else. The bedroom had been bad enough, but the unknown made her footsteps falter.
“Keep moving,” Marko growled. She didn’t need to be a mind reader to surmise he was pissed off she’d made him look bad. Or worse—made him regret not being ruthless with her. She’d severed his olive branch and hadn’t even achieved her goal.
“Where’s Alvarez?” she asked, as the soles of her shoes scuffed over the uneven terrain.
She needed to keep them talking and distracted. Her brain worked at warp speed while her gaze whipped around the alley. If someone—anyone—would just drive down the laneway, she might have a damn chance at survival.
“He’ll be here.” Dismay saturated Marko’s tone.
“It’s none of your business,” Alec barked.
“I want to see him.”
Alec’s derisive laugh tweaked the hair on the back of her neck. “You’ll wish you never said that.”
Marko grunted. The backyard she’d escaped from loomed before her. As if of their own accord, her heels dug into the ground. “No.” She jerked in Marko’s hold.
He didn’t lose his grip, and Alec’s fingers jammed into her spine, shoving her forward. Common sense told her not to fight—she’d probably end up getting punched again—but the weight of trepidation was heavy in her stomach.
“Move.” Alec’s threatening tone sent a shiver to her toes, and he jabbed her spine again as Marko opened the gate.
The panic rushing inside her like a trapped tidal wave burst through the surface. Tearing out of Marko’s hold, she whirled around and kneed Alec in his junk. He yelped and keeled over. Curses and screams hit her back as she took off again. Furious footsteps scuffled after her.
She ran for her life.