"They haven't found you yet," Chase said as he stepped behind me. "Remember what I said earlier? All for one, and one for all. We're not going to let her kill you."
I turned on my heel and stared at him. "But technically I'm not employed by you. You have no loyalty to me. When you really look at it, I'm just in hiding with you at the moment. What the fuck am I supposed to do? I need to get out of here."
Chase shook his head. "There is nowhere in the world where they can't find you. They have contacts on every continent, in every country - you’re going to have to wait it out with us until we finish this job. I will help you hunt Carmen down, and protect you in the process. And you’ll get your cut for the ones you take down yourself." He inhaled deeply. "But this is your fight, Mack. She's not on our list, and we won't get paid for her demise. But it will give you your life back."
I took a long drag on my cigarette, and stayed silent. He was right. I had to somehow confront this issue. Not just an issue, either. The fucking woman was going around murdering other people who looked like me. "I need this to stop," I whispered.
Chase put his hands on my shoulders. "And eventually it will. Right now we have a job to do, and while she’s not a target, it's intimately connected to Carmen Amaro. The more we kill, the more we take down her defences. You need to wait it out. Learn."
I slowly nodded; Chase made sense.
"Listen. River’s going to track Alicio Mendoza today for me. But Nicandro is at home, and I think you and I should go and pay him a visit. Right now, he's not feeling so well from the ball last night. River slipped him a roofie. I want you in his apartment when he wakes."
"Me?"
Chase laughed and ruffled my hair. "Yes. I want him to think he slept with you last night. That way you can thoroughly distract him for a little while, so I can make sure he ingests some Ricin."
"And how exactly are you going to do that? Isn't that like rat poison or something?"
"No. No its not - it's extracted from castor beans. Thoroughly toxic." Chase frowned. "Takes a while for it to take effect on the body too, so you'll be well and truly out of the way by the time it does."
I liked the sound of that. Of not being there when he died, that was. Then my heart sank. "Does this mean I have to get dressed up again?"
Chase’s eye lit with mischievousness. "Only for a little while."
* * *
I was in the black dress and wig from last night, buckled up in the car waiting for Chase to get in. He was talking intently to both River and Gabe as I watched. There was something about Chase’s smooth exterior, dangerous smile, and quiet demeanour that really had me confused.
I had never in my life met someone as good looking as him. While my tummy flip-flopped all over the place whenever I was in close proximity to him, I knew that he was hands off. He did his job, and he got out. I questioned whether or not that went for his relationships as well. But he had shown me a different side of himself this morning - a side that I quite liked. I could almost see myself being with him in the future. Visions of Chase naked swam into my mind, and I blushed.
Now was not time to think about that.
He opened the car door, and slid behind the wheel. "You all good?" he asked.
I blushed again, and turned away from him. "Fine," I said shortly. "Get in, get the job done, and get out, right?"
"Mmm," he said as he reversed the car out. "That's the general gist of it."
Once we hit the road, Chase turned on some music. Like all of their cars, this one was black as well. I wondered if they ever drove any other colour. In England, I drove a bright red Mini Cooper, my favourite kind. Luke bought it for me for our five year anniversary. I loved that car more than anything - and it was yet another asset Luke was threatening to take away if I didn't pay him out.
I sat quietly, listening to the smooth beats playing. Not my usual sort of music, but it was very relaxing. It was jazz, but it had this gorgeous Spanish mix to it - a tango style I wouldn’t have thought would go with jazz. Chase drummed his fingers against the steering wheel as he drove.
He was dressed in his normal top-to-bottom designer clothes. I now knew how he afforded such luxuries. My research career never would have allowed me to have anything even remotely designer. Now I was in a different world - a world of assassinations, beheadings, the super-filthy rich, those who wanted money and power - and were ruthless enough to get it. I still felt as though I didn't know enough about the Cartel to fully understand the dynamics, but the more I read, the more it soaked in. I just had to wonder who had ordered all the hits that River, Chase, and Gabe were doing.
I leaned forward and turned down the music a little. "Chase?"
He looked at me, and my stomach flipped a little. "Yeah?"
"Who are we working for again? It’s another Cartel, right? Why are they getting us to do their dirty work?”
Chase pursed his lips a little before answering. "It's a directive from the Santa Muerte Cartel. I believe they want access to the Tijuana and USA borders, and the El Diablo Cartel is hindering that."
My blood ran cold. "You mean to say we’re helping another Cartel to smuggle drugs into the States?"
"That is a part of their operation, yes. I’m doing it for different reasons. A part of me is doing this for you. Had your plane not been blown to shit, I wouldn't have stayed here. Instead, I thought that this would help you resolve your issues with Carmen."
I blew out the breath I was holding. "You guys stayed because of me?"
"Yes."
"Because you got me into this mess?"
Chase smiled and shrugged. "That, and also...because I like you. You fit well with our team. And I don't say that about just anyone."
"Just how many people have you had on your team before?"
Chase shrugged. "A few. None were quite as pretty as you though." I felt a blush crawl up my face, and turned my face to the window so that he wouldn’t see my embarrassment. We were driving through a fairly swanky part of the city. I hadn't been in this area before. Low lying sleek apartment buildings surrounded us, and Chase started to slow the car.
Chase looked out the windscreen at a glass building, and pointed. "That's his building right there," he said. We found a park and got out of the car. I wanted nothing more than to have a cigarette right now. My nerves were starting to get to me.
"Which one's his?"
"Top floor," Chase said as he took my arm. "Come on, beautiful. You have a role to play."
Chase took two seconds with a small pick and the flick of his wrist, and he had Nicandro's apartment door unlocked.
He paused as he listened for any sign of movement before stepping through. "Take your dress off," he instructed.
I didn't have the nerve to start an argument with him right then, so I did as I was instructed, undoing the side zip, and letting it fall to the floor.
His eyes raked over my body and I shivered, immediately remembering the naked thoughts I had of him earlier. "Now your heels," he whispered.
I bent over, and undid the small buckles on my shoes with shaking fingers. I wished he didn't have to see me standing there in my underwear. In was unnerving.
He gave me a small smile when I stood up. "Now just relax, and go and get into bed with him." Before I turned to leave him standing at the door, he ruffled up my hair slightly. "Good, go."
The apartment was all wooden floors, and full height windows, every surface was glossy lacquer. It reminded me of something out of the magazine in Chase’s room. I crept through the apartment until I heard the sound of snoring. I snuck into Nicandro's room, and slid between the sheets, and faced the door. I tried to relax as much as I could. Chase peeped around the doorframe and winked.
This was my worst nightmare.
I tried to amuse myself with thoughts of flying home and paying Luke out and getting my house back into tip top shape. I really wanted to see my aunt, and I imagined what it would be like to pay her care fees a full year in advance. All I had to do was
make it home. There was no place like home, there was no place like home. My new mantra.
Nicandro rolled over towards me. I turned towards him. He was completely naked beneath the sheet. "Oh my god," I whispered. What the hell was I doing here?
As he lifted his arm over his head, I saw that he had a panther tattooed on the side of his ribcage. It didn't look like a normal tattoo though. It was red, and looked as though it was indented into his skin, making me desperately want to touch it - to trace it with my fingers. I wondered what the cat meant. Perhaps it was something stupid he did when he was younger. I tucked my hands beneath the pillow, which reeked of his cologne, and waited.
That was when he opened his eyes and looked at me. I wasn't expecting it. In fact, I almost jumped. Nicandro pushed himself half up, and as he took in the sight of me in his bed between his crisp white sheets, his eyes got wider.
I knew I should say something, but I had frozen in place.
Nicandro sighed, and put his head back on the pillow. He murmured something in Spanish, and I thought that was the best time to clarify I didn't speak the language.
"I'm sorry, I'm English," I said quietly.
"Oh, of course," Nicandro said, running his hand through his hair. "I was wondering what happened last night. I do not remember any of it."
I smiled. "So you don’t remember me then?" I traced the muscles on his arm. "Because I certainly remember you." I didn't know where that came from, but I had a feeling he would like it.
"Who are you?" He rubbed his eyes. "You are very beautiful, but who are you?"
I chewed my bottom lip, and gave a little frown. "I’m Ciara. You really don't remember?"
Nicandro looked at me baffled, and shook his head. "Not really." He sat up, and rubbed his eyes again. Then he groaned. "I need water. And aspirin. Would you mind?"
I had no idea what effect taking a roofie had, as I had never been subjected to it, but this guy looked like he was in pain. I almost felt sorry for him.
I slid out from the sheets, and knew without looking back that he was watching my arse in my back lacy underwear. I left the room, and made my way towards the kitchen, hoping like hell I would find whatever I needed in there. I opened a few cupboards and felt Chase slide up silently beside me. He handed me an aspirin, and I filled up a glass of water to drop it into.
Chase held my arm back though and used an eye dropper to drip some liquid Ricin into the water. It didn't seem like enough in my opinion. I doubted only a few drops would kill someone. But I dropped the pill into the water to dissolve, and slowly walked back to the bedroom.
"So was it a memorable evening?" Nicandro asked me as I entered. He was sitting up against some pillows, the sheet only covering his lower half, leaving washboard abs bare. He had no other markings on his body apart from the cat.
Forcing a smile, I nodded. "Yes. It was." I winked at him and handed him the glass of medicated water.
"Good."
I watched as he drank it back in one go. "Are you all right?"
He nodded as he put the glass on his side table and picked up his phone to check his messages.
"I should probably go," I said quietly.
"What if I'm not done with you yet?"
I swallowed, trying to push my fear down. I lay back against the pillows, in a suggestive pose. "Well then, you better make it fast," I whispered. "Or I'm going to run late."
He grinned. "You'll be as late as I want you to be."
Oh boy. At the rate Nicandro was going, I wasn't going to have much of a choice. I hoped that Chase would get his backside into gear and help me out here.
As Nicandro grinned at me, I saw his jaw tense and his eyes fill with agony. He released my knickers, and pulled away, shaking his head. "I'm sorry," he muttered, clutching at his abdomen. "I don't feel so good."
I sat up as he grimaced again, and then he stood, shook his head, and ran from the room to the ensuite. He closed the door, and I could hear him trying to throw up. Now was the best time to make my exit.
I turned and saw Chase beckoning me from the doorway. "Come on," he mouthed as he crossed the room and picked up Nicandro’s glass.
"Nicandro, I think I'm going to go ..." I called out.
There was a few moments silence before I heard him groan, "Okay."
I didn't need to be told a second time. I leapt out of his bed, adjusting my underwear back into correct position before following Chase out. He helped me into my dress, and I carried my shoes.
We stepped into the elevator and I turned to Chase, about to ask him about the Ricin contamination and the glass. But Chase shook his head, and lifted his finger to his lips. I quickly shut my mouth, and turned to face the door. He slipped the glass into my handbag before we reached the ground floor.
When the elevator reached the bottom, it dinged and the doors parted.
That was when I saw Alvarez standing there waiting for the elevator to arrive. My gut dropped a million miles per hour when his steady gaze met mine.
"Ciara," he said, stepping forward and kissing me lightly on the cheek. "We must stop running into each other like this." He smiled.
"I know, funny isn't it?" I stammered. I suddenly remembered Chase standing beside me, "Oh, I'm sorry. This is..."
"Davin," Chase said holding his hand out. "Her brother."
"Davin," Alvarez repeated as he shook his hand. "Alvarez. Ciara and I keep bumping into each other. This is what..." He wiggled his eyebrows at me. "Our third serendipitous meeting?"
I forced a laugh to my lips. "Yes. Most unusual." I put my arm through Chase's. "Anyway, we're running late. We have a lunch meeting."
Alvarez frowned at me. "Lunch? But you're still dressed in what you wore last night."
Shit. I desperately wanted to head-slap myself for that blunder. "Yes, I'm off home to change now, actually. Hence why we're running late. I dressed in the first thing I saw this morning so I could come and pick up my brother."
Alvarez smiled. "Well don't forget to call me. We have a dancing date to attend to."
I shook my head. "Of course not. I'll give you a call tomorrow and we can sort something out."
He leaned down and kissed me on the cheek again. "Lovely to see you again." As he straightened, he said to Chase, "And nice to meet you as well."
"Likewise," Chase said with his usual confident composure.
Alvarez stepped into the elevator, and as the doors closed, Chase tugged me out of the apartment complex doors, and across the road to the car. I had a feeling that Alvarez would be watching our car if he got to a window fast enough. The thought of it sent shivers down my spine, and I forced myself not to look up at the building as Chase nudged me towards the driver's seat to maintain our cover.
I started the car up, and carefully pulled out of the park. Chase told me to drive straight ahead. I hated driving in Tijuana, hated it with the rental they first got me, and I still hated it now. The drivers were erratic, there was loads of traffic heading to the border, and everyone seemed more impatient than was necessary.
Both River and Chase were much more composed when driving in this city.
"That was close, Mack," Chase said quietly from the passenger's seat. "With Alvarez, I mean."
I nodded, still too nervous about the whole meeting to say anything.
"Chances are he could be going up to meet with Nicandro. We don't know."
I shook my head, keeping an eye on the road in front of us.
Chase pulled out his phone, and dialled a number. "Gabe. Everything is set up; you should be able to link through now." There was a pause as Gabe responded. "Yes. Three of them. Also - we just bumped into Alvarez when we were leaving the building. You better check to see if he's meeting with Nicandro."
My throat closed at the thought, and my hands gripped the steering wheel. Alvarez would know that I didn't leave with Nicandro last night, and if Nicandro told him about waking up with me, it would open a whole new can of worms that I really didn't want to deal with right now.
I swore, and thumped the wheel.
Chase looked over at me in surprise, eyebrows raised. "What? You forget something?"
"No... Just thinking, that's all." I sighed when Chase didn't say anything. "Okay, I'm just hoping like hell that Nicandro keeps his mouth shut about me if he is meeting with Alvarez. I'm pretty sure Alvarez watched me leave the ball with River last night. He'll know something is up if he discovers that I apparently slept with Nicandro."
Chase patted my leg gently, causing the butterflies inside me to return to their dance routine, and I swallowed.
"If anything happens, we'll try and cover you."
"Damn straight," I muttered. I threw my hands up at the traffic in front of us, "Now, where the fuck am I supposed to be going here?"
* * *
While I had been in the bed with Nicandro, Chase had set up pinhole cameras around the apartment which Gabe could tap into. So, by the time we got home, Gabe was watching every movement of Nicandro's closely. So I knew that after we saw Alvarez, he had gone up to Nicandro's, who had told Alvarez he thought he had food poisoning. Thankfully, without even mentioning me, he sent Alvarez away and said that he would call him later.
Apparently, because Ricin has a delayed reaction, sometimes it could take a while for the person to die. Chase assured me that he had poisoned a number of other things in the kitchen as well, so if Nicandro ate, or drank the water in the kettle, he would poison himself even more.
I needed something to do, which was why I was in my room, flicking that business card through my fingers. As if I didn’t have enough to worry about with Carmen hunting me down, now I was worried about Alvarez trying to meet with me.
I needed to do more research. That's what I needed. I always felt better if I knew more about the subject worrying me. So research on Alvarez was probably the best diversion I could have right now.
I pulled myself up into sitting position on the sofa and looked around, wondering where to start. My room was a freaking mess due to the constant clothing changes and unscheduled trips out. The life that Chase, River, and Gabe lived was on the edge. Anything could happen at any time, and they were ready for it. I wasn’t. I liked everything to be planned out meticulously in advance.
Tijuana Nights (The Nights Series Book 1) Page 8