by Jordan Dane
“But if we go in with guns blazing, we could start a war,” Landry said. “We’d have the Cuban government on our butts.”
“That’s why we’ll need Esteban Ruiz on our side. He hired us. He claims he wants to protect us. Let’s test his sincerity.” Athena shifted her gaze between every member of her team. “I have to be honest with you. Rafael may have a death wish. He may not want to be saved, but I don’t see the justice in letting him be killed by the same cartel that slaughtered his family. But this is my fight, not yours. He’s my brother. I brought him on this mission.”
“You don’t have to prove anything to me, Athena,” Rafferty said, looking her square in the eye. “I’m backing your play. We’re a team. I can’t speak for anyone else, but if my wife and kid were murdered like that, I’d send someone to meet Jesus, pronto. It’s pretty clear Borrego thought he was untouchable because he was in Cuba. He was wrong, but the killing has to stop somewhere.”
“What he said.” Landry nodded.
“I’ve been on Rafe’s side since I met him,” Jacquie said. “He’s a good man who still loves his wife and child, and he was a cop following orders and doing a tough job when he crossed paths with the Borrego cartel. The justice system failed him, but someone has to stand on his side. I’m in. What do you want us to do?”
“I promised Grey I wouldn’t jeopardize any of you because of my brother. I can’t break that promise.” Athena gritted her teeth.
“In case you missed it, we just took a vote,” Rafferty said. “You tell Grey we’re in this fight. Omega men don’t leave their men—or women—behind. If something like this ever happened to me, I’d want to know you had my sorry butt. Don’t make me doubt that. It’s what we’re about. You and Grey may have started this party, but I’m in it all the way.”
“What he said.” Landry winked at her.
Athena looked into the eyes of her team. She craved Grey’s voice and his counsel. She wanted to draw from his strength, but she was team leader, here and now. The example she set for her team would go well beyond this mission. It would mold their future.
She couldn’t leave Rafe to the mercy of a brutal drug cartel. She had to do everything in her power to bring him home. This had nothing to do with Rafe being her brother. In her bones she knew Grey would understand.
But if she wanted the Omega Team’s reputation to mean something, she’d have to deal with the shell casing evidence after her brother was safe—even if it would tear her apart to do it. Yet she couldn’t see the justice in Rafael dying at the hands of a ruthless and unchecked cartel boss.
Athena ached for his loss of Elena and Ariana, but throwing her brother’s body onto the funeral pyre made no sense. She had to talk to Rafael to get at the truth. She couldn’t do that if he was dead.
“I’ll call Ruiz. Gear up and wait for my orders. And thanks.”
She had to convince Ruiz to back her up. Athena only hoped that asking for the politician’s help didn’t make things worse for Rafe. If her brother died because she trusted the wrong man, she’d never forgive herself.
***
Late afternoon
Rafael worked the streets and found the turf of the gangs working with the Borregos. Gangs carried out the orders of the cartel leaders. They were young foot soldiers in a never ending war.
Graffiti had been his first clue. He hit a few bars and listened and watched. Camila Borrego was no wilting flower. She had been trained by her father to take over the business. Rafe had no right to expect that his death would be easy in the hands of a woman. Camila had become as cruel and merciless as her father.
Rafe would wait for nightfall to make his move, to give Athena and her team time to leave the country. He’d draw attention and be brought to the woman who would carry out his fate. He prayed Camila would not continue her revenge after he was gone, and hurt Athena in Cuba or in the United States. Rafe knew that meant he couldn’t die easily. He’d have to outlast her torture, to satisfy her bloodlust.
But as he walked down a side street, a taxi screeched to a stop near him. People ducked for cover. Within seconds, the streets were empty and he was alone. He couldn’t expect any help. In Mexico, taxis were used by the cartels to run drugs through the city, under the noses of the cops. Cuba was no different.
It took all his courage to stand his ground and accept what would happen.
Two men jumped from the cab with guns, while the driver stayed behind the wheel. A big man with sweat-stained clothes and a dirty ball cap carried a shot gun and came at him first. Another wiry guy—with dark skin and coal black eyes that were watery and jaundice yellow—leveled an AR-15 at him.
Rafael raised both his hands.
“Trabajas para Camila Borrego?” He asked if these men worked for Camila. “Camila Borrego. Take me to her.”
Before he got an answer, the smaller gunman hit him in the belly using the butt of his AR-15. It knocked the wind out of him and he doubled over in excruciating pain. He dropped to his knees with his eyes watering. He couldn’t breathe.
“C-camila…B-borrego.” He coughed and gasped for air. “Let m-me talk…to her.”
Rafe didn’t give up. He cried out her name and begged to speak to her.
“Déjame hablar con ella,” he said again.
The big man stepped closer to Rafe. His shadow blocked what remained of the sun and cast a chill over his skin.
“We don’t work for that bitch,” the man said. “Lights out, Rafael.”
Still on his knees, Rafe looked up into the face of the big man in shock and squinted into the flickering sun. The man knew his name—and worse, he didn’t work for Camila Borrego.
The shotgun came down on Rafael’s head. An explosion of pain shot through his skull—and his body collapsed hard to the cement—until darkness swallowed him.
Chapter 9
Borrego Ranch
Outside Havana, Cuba
Dusk
From the looks of it, Athena guessed the sprawling ranch covered countless acres with an imposing residence at its heart. Made of white stucco with huge timbers and stone, the style looked almost Mediterranean. Ruiz came to Camila Borrego’s ranch with a small army rolling in behind him as his armor-fortified limousine drove through a stone archway, with his Vice Presidential flag flapping in the breeze. The slick politician wouldn’t take any chances with his glorious career.
“Impressive compound.” Athena peered through the backseat window as she sat next to Vice President Esteban Ruiz. “Business must be good.”
“Yes, unfortunately, that is true,” Ruiz said. “For now.”
Athena had her team split up. She rode with Ruiz in his vehicle, while Landry and Rafferty accompanied the man’s second in command, Victor Torres. Ruiz had seen to it that Athena and her team wore Kevlar vests and tactical gear. They were issued Glock handguns, only to be used if their lives were threatened.
As they drove up to the hacienda, Camila Borrego stepped through the massive front entry. She glared at their intrusion, but as they stopped and opened the car doors, she forced a smile.
“To what do I owe this honor, Mr. Vice President? Have you come for another campaign donation?”
“You cannot buy my vote, Camila. Your father never supported my ambitions. I doubt your sincerity.”
“That makes two of us.” Her smile faded when she saw Athena at his side. “It is a pleasure to see you again, Miss Madero. How is your brother, Rafael?”
Ruiz flinched when he learned Camila had met Athena before. He fixed his icy stare at her.
“What is the meaning of this?” he asked. “You two have met? How is this possible?”
Camila looked as if she were pleased to stir things up.
“This one came to my rancho, to see the place where my father had been murdered. She found a shell casing, evidence left behind by the killer.” Camila grinned at Athena. “I’m surprised you would keep this a secret from the Vice President. Didn’t he hire your agency to uncover the truth?”
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Camila waited for Athena to speak. So did Ruiz.
“It’s true he hired my agency, but our investigation must be run independently. My brother and I did visit the crime scene, at our own risk. Camila was gracious enough to allow us safe passage. That is all.”
“Yet you come to me for help to locate your brother, who is missing, and you believe Miss Borrego abducted him,” Ruiz said. “I do not call that gracious.”
Athena ignored the hostility radiating off Ruiz and focused on Camila. The dark-haired beauty kept her eyes alert as her men closed in tight. Rifles appeared on the roofline and other cartel soldados drove up in trucks and SUVs. Tensions were high.
“Maybe I presumed too much. It’s true my brother is missing, but perhaps he is here as your guest.”
Camila caught the eye of one of her men—sending him a silent signal between them—as she crossed her arms.
“I have not seen your brother since last night. I did not abduct him, nor did I invite him here as my guest. What now, Vice President? Will you start a war over this foreigner?”
Athena’s heart pounded hard, as Rafferty and Landry stood by her side. She had to know if Camila Borrego held Rafael. She wasn’t leaving, no matter what Ruiz did.
***
Hotel Inglaterra
Downtown Havana
Jacquie paced her hotel bedroom, feeling utterly useless.
Athena had ordered her to stay behind, in case Rafael returned, but that wasn’t going to happen and she knew it. He’d left with no intention of coming back.
“I have to do something.”
She fiddled with her hands as she stared out the window to watch the sun set across the city. It would be dark soon and she had a bad feeling. Jacquie knew she’d be an albatross in a fight, but it still hurt to be left behind while her team searched for Rafael. She may never see any of them again. That thought killed her.
“Get to work.” She nudged her glasses, pushing them up her nose. “Be useful.”
Jacquie knew there was only one way for her to help her team now—at the keyboard.
“No one trusts you, Ruiz. Let’s find out why.”
Her fingers blazed over the keys as her eyes searched the screen and followed a path she knew well. She’d start with the man’s email and hack into his official government account as well as any personal ones she could locate. If he texted, she would get her hands on those messages, too. In the end, he would have nothing to hide from her.
“You’re mine now, hand kisser,” she whispered.
***
Rafael heard the strained creak of leather through the darkness. It prodded his consciousness until a chill forged through his hands and feet. His body drifted in the dark as if he weren’t anchored to anything. When he tried lifting his head, the sheer weight of it sent shards of pain down his spine.
Someone cried out in agony. It took him awhile to realize the cry had been his.
Rafe cracked his eyes open and his head exploded with an intense and throbbing ache as a bright light stabbed his eye sockets. He forced his eyes to stay open but he couldn’t focus. Everything spiraled around him in a blur.
Cold. His fingers had lost their feeling.
He smelled blood and the skin on his face had a crusty layer that made it hard to see out of his left eye. When he dared to look up, he saw his hands tied above his head, to wooden rafters. He dangled from leather straps and his arms had gone numb. He nudged his feet and he couldn’t touch the ground.
How? What the hell?
With bleary eyes, he strained to see where he was. Nothing came into focus for long. He grasped at the images to make them stay. A door creaked open. Wooden. Feet shuffled across the crunch of hay. Shit. He smelled horse or cow shit. A barn. Every sense brought him more of the puzzle.
“He’s awake.”
A man’s voice forced him to turn his head toward the sound.
“Good. Dead meat is no fun. Torture is all about the screams.” Another man stepped into his range of vision. A face shot from the gloom.
Rafael remembered seeing the guy before. The taxi. The big man from the cab.
“C-camila.” Rafe struggled to say her name. “Wh-where…is she?”
“That bitch is no lifeline for you, Rafael.”
The man held a machete to his chest and slowly trailed the sharp edge down to his belly. Rafe cried out and grimaced, holding his breath in agony. Warm blood raced down his body and a coppery taint filled the smothering heat of the barn.
The man stepped back to admire his handiwork. Rafael kicked at him and writhed against his restraints.
“Who ordered you to kill me? If it wasn’t Camila, then who?” When the man only laughed, he said, “How do you know my name?”
“You don’t get to ask questions, Madero.”
The man balled his big fist and thrust it hard into Rafe’s ribs. He pummeled his body as he side-stepped around him, using him as a punching bag. Every blow brought stars to Rafe’s watering eyes. When he felt a rib break and heard the crunch, he nearly lost consciousness.
Take it. Don’t pass out. Do it for Athena.
Rafael winced at every blow. The man wasn’t letting up. He fought to escape the mounting pain, struggling to hang on. If he died at Camila’s hands, he would’ve understood, but this made no sense. He tried to kick and fight back, but hoisting the weight of his body exhausted him. He wasn’t going to win.
He would die in this barn and no one would ever find his body.
When he stopped his struggle, a soft sound came to him. He heard it plainly, beyond the grunts of his punisher. The sound filled his ears until everything else faded to nothing and he dared to say her name.
Ariana.
The sound came again. Yes, he heard her soft gurgle and a sweet coo. Ariana. Her morning baby talk echoed in his mind, a distant memory that grew louder. It felt as if he could reach out his hand and touch his baby girl. When he peered through the darkest shadows, he saw what his eyes craved.
Elena held their little girl in her arms and smiled at him. She was with him, both his girls.
Elena, mi amor.
Rafael didn’t feel the pain any more. It ebbed to a dull ache before it vanished.
Te quiero, mi vida. He told Elena how much he loved her, and in Spanish she said, “Yo te quiero más” I love you more.
He kept his eyes on his wife and child—even when the machete cut into him.
Chapter 10
Borrego Ranch
Camila’s wall of muscle stood around her, the woman’s soldados ready for a fight. Athena heard the Vice President’s men move. Dirt crunched under their boots and the metallic sound of weapons shifting in their hands made her skin crawl. Rafferty and Landry put distance between her and tensed their bodies, ready to move.
“This has cluster fuck potential. Split up. Don’t be a bullet magnet,” Rafferty muttered under his breath.
Athena knew if anyone got trigger happy, she and her men would make a tougher target if they weren’t lined up like bowling pins. Smart. Anything could set off the mounting and palpable friction.
She slowed her breathing and stilled her heart to a dull thump in her ears as she stared at the woman cartel boss. She didn’t want to be the first to blink as she waited to hear what Ruiz would tell Camila Borrego. Would the man back her play—a foreigner—or would Camila’s threat of violence be too much hostility for him?
“There is no need for blood here today, Camila.” Ruiz said. “Miss Madero only needs reassurance her brother isn’t with you. That is all. We are not accusing you of anything. I am only asking your cooperation, in a sign of good faith.”
Camila glared at the man as if she willed his head to catch fire. If Athena didn’t need Ruiz on her side at the moment, she might’ve considered fanning the flames.
“Very well. I can provide such assurance, but only under two conditions.” Camila fixed her eyes on Athena and her men. “Only one man will trespass on my private property to look for Rafae
l Madero.”
The woman pointed to Sam Rafferty and said, “That one. Only him.”
Rafferty glanced to Landry and smirked.
“Don’t feel bad. I’m just havin’ a good hair day,” he whispered.
Landry rolled his eyes, but the tension never left his face.
“What else?” Ruiz asked. “What’s your other condition?”
“I want time alone with Athena Madero. Woman to woman.”
Before Ruiz could object, Athena spoke up.
“Agreed.” She nodded and said to Rafferty, “Search every square inch on her order.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Camila gave the nod and Rafferty humped it through the front door. The woman cartel boss waved her hand at two of her men and they followed Sam, to make sure he didn’t take a detour.
“Come and join me.” Camila swept an arm toward Athena and welcomed her to enter her home. “We shall speak openly, so we understand one another.”
Athena tensed her jaw and glanced over her shoulder at Esteban Ruiz. The man did not look happy.
***
Inside the spacious fortress of Camila Borrego, Athena followed the woman to a drawing room near the foyer. A tasteful chandelier of dripping crystal hung from the center of the round room and added a feminine touch of bling. A massive stacked rock surround fireplace with a raised hearth of travertine stone anchored one side of a room of white furnishings with glass accents—an unusual blend of contemporary with traditional elements of texture.
Apparently the drug trade had its perks.
True to Camila’s word, they were alone. The cartel boss had dismissed her men and offered her a seat.
After Athena chose a plush chair, the woman stepped toward a small bar and opened a fresh bottle of white wine. From the stern look on Camila’s face, Athena knew there would be no small talk.