by Lisa Cardiff
“That sounds about right,” I said.
“Good, so now you see why I’d like to see the papers before we give them to anyone else. They’re going to be public soon enough anyway.”
I sighed. He was right. “The papers are hidden in my luggage.”
“Good.” Smirking, he tugged on a strand of my hair. “We’ll go over them at lunch and come up with a game plan.”
Deciding I needed to tune everything out and relax for a few minutes, I snagged my ear buds and phone from my purse. I scrolled through my playlists and selected one I used when I couldn’t sleep.
I glanced at Noah, and I noticed him eyeing me with one eyebrow raised.
I pulled out one of my ear buds. “What?”
He shook his head. “Nothing.”
My brows slammed together and I shoved him playfully on his shoulder. “No. Tell me. I can practically hear the wheels in your head turning.”
He surveyed me for a few seconds. “I just can’t figure out why a girl like you is mixed up with a drug cartel thug. I understand how you met him, but that doesn’t explain why you stuck around.”
I jabbed a finger in the center of his center. “Ryker’s not a drug cartel thug.”
He chuckled. “Oh, he is. Don’t try to deny it.”
I folded my arms across my chest. “You don’t know anything about Ryker or me.”
“Of course I do. You’re Hattie Covington. Your father is the US Attorney General. Evan Deveron is your ex-fiancé. You are weeks away from getting your master’s degree. You flaked on your internship at the Foreign Policy Council earlier this summer.” He leaned back in the seat and crossed his ankles. “And for some reason, you’re fixated on Ryker Vargas despite everything he and his family did to you.” I held up my hand, but he ignored me. “Yes, I know the Vargas Cartel held you hostage, and I know why. It’s not a secret. At least not with people who have connections.”
Heat rushed to my face and my gut twisted. I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came out of my mouth. Honestly, I didn’t have an explanation for my behavior. I didn’t understand my feelings for Ryker. I knew I loved him. I knew he made my heart beat faster, my life spin a little quicker, but none of that was his business. I didn’t owe him an explanation.
“Have I rendered you speechless?”
I huffed. “Just because you know a couple facts about my life doesn’t mean you know me,” I said, my voice raw and vulnerable. “Facts don’t sum up a person.”
He blinked, his eyes unreadable and then he ran a hand through his hair. “No, they don’t, but you’ve got to admit your relationship with Ryker doesn’t look so good on paper.”
“You do realize if I listed a bunch of random facts about you, you wouldn’t look so good either.” I squared my shoulders and tapped a finger on my lips. “You’re a mercenary for hire. People pay you to do bad things. You’ve killed people. You probably have more than one alias. Your loyalty only runs as deep as the pockets of the person paying you. Does that sound about right? Is that the sum of who you are, Noah? Or is there more to you than that?”
His nose flared, and then he shook his head, a cocky grin sliding across his face. “Touché, but that’s none of your business.”
I turned my head, holding his stare. “Then we agree on something. Don’t judge me and I won’t judge you.”
“Agreed,” he said.
I stuffed the ear bud back into my ear and closed my eyes. I hoped Ryker and I could wrap up this whole mess in less than a month.
Chapter Twenty
Ryker
Five days had passed since Hattie walked out of my life. I hadn’t tried to call her, and she hadn’t made any attempt to reach out to me. It was what we agreed, but it didn’t mean I liked it. In fact, I hated it, but I was determined to protect her.
According to Noah, they hadn’t made any progress in finding someone to feature the story about Senator Deveron’s connection to Mexican drug cartels. Apparently, he managed to buy influence at more than a few new organizations over the last few years. In the end, it wouldn’t matter. Somebody would cover the story and then it’d spread like an infectious disease. I just hoped it happened before Senator Deveron attempted to silence Hattie, but that was why I sent Noah with her.
I wasn’t having any more luck than Noah and Hattie. My instincts told me Emanuel was the key to getting me out from under Ignacio’s thumb. Regrettably, I hadn’t uncovered much of anything about him. Either he had a pristine record of unwavering service to Ignacio and the Vargas Cartel, or he covered his tracks with diabolical precision. I believed it was the latter rather than the former.
My whole life I had pushed harder and harder until I succeeded and got what I wanted. This time wouldn’t be any different. I had to keep my eyes open and have patience. Eventually, Emanuel would fuck up, and I’d be right there waiting for him.
I increased the incline on the treadmill, pushing myself to the limit, trying to forget everything for a few minutes and clear my mind. My feet pounded against the rubber track. Music blared from my ear buds. Sweat trickled down the side of my face and off my chin. My legs burned like I’d dipped them in fire, but I had no intention of stopping until physical exhaustion claimed my body. Maybe then, I’d have a chance of getting a decent night’s sleep for the first time since Hattie left.
Someone yanked one of my ear buds out of my ear. “What?” I barked, slamming my hand on the stop button. My eyes collided with Rever’s.
He lifted one eyebrow. “You’ve been calling me all week, but you haven’t left a message.”
I bent at the waist, cupping my knees as my chest heaved. “Why haven’t you answered your phone?”
“I’ve been busy trying to start a new life away from this hellhole.”
I pulled the other ear bud out of my ear, letting the cord dangle from the docking station. “Must be nice.”
Rever’s eyes drifted to the side. “Yeah, well, you’re in luck. It didn’t go too well so now I’m back.”
My brows slammed together. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He stared at me in silence for a few seconds and then shrugged.
“Are you going to explain or should we play twenty questions?”
“Anna left me.”
An involuntary laugh exploded from my lips. “I thought she was pregnant and you were going to get married.”
He swore under his breath, running a hand down the side of his face. “So did I.”
I took a long drink of my bottle of water. “So she’s not pregnant.”
“No.”
Clutching, the handrails on the treadmill, I gritted my teeth. “You lied to me?”
A bitter laugh erupted from his lungs and he raked his hand through his hair. “No. She lied to me. I guess I’m as dumb as everyone believes.”
“Why would she do that?”
“I don’t know.” He stuffed his hands into his pockets, his dark eyes stark. “We got into a fight. I left to give her some time to think, and she was gone when I came home in the morning.”
“Maybe she’ll come back.”
“No.” He shook his head. “She left a note.” He pulled a balled up piece of paper from his pocket. “You want to read her parting words?”
I eyed the paper in his hand. “No, I’ll pass, but you can summarize them for me.”
He glared at the paper and then he threw it across the room and into the trashcan. “Well, she flipped out when she found out you killed her brother, and her father was in the hospital. Things deteriorated from there.”
I wiped a white hand towel over my face and swung it over my shoulder. “I can only imagine.”
“It was a fucking mess. She threatened to leave me if I didn’t help her family. Can you fucking believe it?” His lips twisted into a sneer. “She actually wanted me to rally behind Juan fucking Alvarez. There is no love lost between Ignacio and me, but I’d never betray him for Alvarez trash.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Oh, really?�
�� I mocked. “Because I’m pretty sure you already did when you stole his money to start a life with Anna Alvarez.”
“Yeah, well, that was a mistake. She’s a fucking bitch. She lied about everything. I don’t even understand why. It doesn’t make sense. I don’t understand what she wanted to gain.”
I picked up the television remote and turned up the volume as loud as it would go.
Rever waved his hand at the television. “What the hell is that about?” he shouted. I pointed to my ear, and then at the walls.
He nodded. “Got it.”
“Will you spot me?” I asked as I stretched out on the charcoal weight bench. The angle of Rever’s body would block my face from Ignacio’s camera, and the loud volume would prevent anyone from hearing our conversation.
“Yeah.”
“I think Emanuel set you up,” I said as I lifted the weight bar. “I think he’s collaborating with Juan Alvarez. Actually, I think he’s been collaborating with him for a long time.”
“Emanuel? Ignacio’s ass kisser? Are we talking about the same person? He doesn’t have a rebel bone in his body. He’d never do anything Ignacio didn’t order.”
“Yes,” I ground out as I pushed the bar away from my chest. “We’re talking about the same person, but you’re wrong about him. He’s a traitor. I think he initiated this whole war between Juan and Ignacio.”
“You’re crazy.” Rever shook his head. “Emanuel’s so far up Ignacio’s ass, he’d never do anything like that. He’s been working for Dad for a long fucking time.”
“I know. Ignacio has reminded me on several occasions, but that’s why it makes sense. Ignacio would never suspect him. He could get away with anything.”
“I don’t know, man.”
“Think about it. He wanted you out of the picture. He made it happen. Then, all of a sudden I’m drawn back into the Vargas Cartel, but I don’t think he has any intention of allowing me to slip into Ignacio’s role.”
Rever lifted the bar out of my hands and placed it on top of the bar catcher. “What do you mean, he wanted me to fail?”
“He said he planted ideas in your head, made things available.” I lifted the bar again to do another set of reps. My entire body burned, but I couldn’t stop. I’d go crazy. I’d been spinning my wheels to no end for days.
Shadows flickered through Rever’s eyes. “You really think he could be working with Juan Alvarez?”
I lifted the weight bar eight more times, concentrating on the simultaneous burn and quiver of my pectoral muscles as I counted off the reps in my head.
Eight. Nine. Ten.
“No.” I handed the bar to Rever. “I think he’s playing Juan and Ignacio against each other.”
“Why would he do that?”
I licked my lips. “Think about it. If both cartels are weakened by this turf war, it leaves the whole region open to being exploited by other cartels or new leadership.”
Rever frowned. “How would that benefit Emanuel?”
I wiped my hand across my sweat stained forehead. “Emanuel wants to be the new leader to rise from the ashes, and consolidate the entire region under him. We all know he has people in the Alvarez Cartel feeding Emanuel information. Who’s to say they’re not working for both sides? I’m sure he has plenty of people loyal to him in the Vargas Cartel, but in order to unite everyone behind him, he needs to discredit both of Ignacio’s potential successors. Your name is already shit, and that leaves me.”
“And Juan’s successor apparent is dead.” Rever leaned his back against the wall behind him and tipped his head toward the ceiling.
I sat up and stretched my aching arm muscles over my head. “Yes, and Juan is in the hospital, and we killed almost all of his inner circle when we rescued Hattie.”
“Now the attempt on Ignacio’s life makes a lot of sense. I couldn’t believe his guard screwed up and allowed him to get shot.”
“Right, and who directs Ignacio’s personal guard?” I asked, the pieces of the puzzle shifting into place in my mind.
Rever whistled under his breath. “Emanuel directs the Fuerzas Especiales de Ignacio,” he said, referencing Ignacio’s paramilitary unit.
“Dammit.” I rubbed my temples. “If I suspected we were being manipulated, I would’ve let Enrique live. I played right into Emanuel’s hands.” Images of things Enrique did to Hattie flashed through my mind. “Then again, I probably still would’ve killed him for hurting Hattie.”
“Fuck,” Rever said, his voice rough.
“My thoughts exactly.”
“So what are we going to do?” Rever asked.
“You’re going to help me.”
He nodded. “I’m in. That fucker has manipulated me for the last time.”
I angled my chin to the side. “I have one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“Ignacio has to go too.”
“You’re planning to run the Vargas Cartel by yourself?”
“No,” I said. “You’re going to do it with me.”
He pursed his lips. “I don’t know. I think I’m done with this.”
“You owe me. I helped you with Anna.”
Rever scoffed. “Yeah, well, that didn’t turn out so great. She was jerking me around.”
I shrugged. “A debt for a debt, remember?” I reminded him. He had promised me if I helped with Anna, he owed me a favor in the future.
“I remember.” Rever scrubbed his hands over his face. “Why do you want my help running the cartel? What do I have to offer?”
“You know all the contacts. You know the history. I’d be running blind by myself.”
“What’s going to happen to Ignacio? Are you going to kill him?”
Standing up, I smiled. “No. I have other plans for him.”
Rever’s eyebrows lifted. “Should I ask?”
“No.” I patted him on his shoulder. “But I think you’ll like the outcome.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Hattie
“We’re wasting our time. There has to be another way,” I complained as I sat on the sofa in Ryker’s D.C. apartment to buckle my heels.
I hadn’t done anything about my living situation. The majority of my stuff was still at Vera’s apartment. She was my best friend, but after I saw the email she sent to Evan indicating she fed him information about me, I didn’t fully trust her. Also, I couldn’t imagine what she’d think if I showed up with Noah in tow.
He’d been my constant shadow for the last week, but tonight that was going to change. I’d promised to meet my parents at a restaurant for dinner tonight. Noah wanted to come with me, but I refused. Despite Noah’s insistence that we could introduce him to my parents as a friend from college, I didn’t think the lie would work. After hours of back and forth, we agreed he’d sit at the restaurant bar to keep an eye on me.
Noah glanced at his phone for a moment without comment. “We’re in luck. I have one more lead, and I don’t have any doubts they’ll print the story.” He cocked a brow. “In fact, I know they will.”
My heart skipped a beat. I’d love to wrap up this whole mess in the next couple of days. For the past week, I successfully avoided a confrontation with my parents and my professors while I focused all of my energy on exposing Senator Deveron. Unfortunately, my parents were getting increasingly suspicious.
First, I called them from Mexico pretending I’d taken a road trip to clear my head. Then, I didn’t reach out to them for another week after being abducted by the Alvarez Cartel. My dad had filed a missing person’s report when they couldn’t reach me. Now that I’d been home a week, I couldn’t avoid them any longer. I had to force myself to do normal things even though I felt as though my life had been turned upside down.
I grabbed my small rectangular black purse from the coffee table and opened the front door. “Are you going to tell me or were you planning to surprise me?”
He squeezed my upper arm. “I planned to tell you, but I don’t think you’ll like my idea
.”
I pressed the call button for the elevator. “What are you afraid of?”
He smirked. “That you’ll refuse to cooperate.”
“This doesn’t sound promising.” I groaned.
He lifted his eyebrows. “It’s perfect, actually. We should’ve started there rather than with the more reputable places.”
“Noah,” I cautioned as we stepped into the elevator. “You better tell me.”
“Fine, but it’s too late to cancel.” He shrugged. “We’re meeting a reporter from Star Weekly for coffee tomorrow morning.”
I gaped at him. “You can’t be serious.”
He winked at me. “Dead serious.”
I glared at him. “What the hell, Noah. I’m not entrusting this story to a grocery store tabloid. This isn’t some guess about who’s cheating or in rehab scandal. This is serious.”
He laughed softly as he stepped out of the elevator and into the parking garage. “I realize that, but a tabloid will take chances a mainstream news agency won’t. Think of the John Edwards love child scandal.”
“Yes, that’s my point exactly. That was a cheating scandal, involving an illegitimate love child. It belonged on the front page of a tabloid.”
He opened the passenger door of Ryker’s car and I slipped inside. It felt strange using all of Ryker’s things while he was still in Mexico doing God only knows what. I broke down and called him yesterday to listen to his voicemail. Even though it was irrational, I had hoped he’d answer the phone.
He slipped into the driver’s seat and drove out of the parking garage. “Look, I know it’s not ideal, but at least the story will be out in the open. Once they let the cat out of the bag, some independent websites will cover it too, and the networks won’t be able to ignore it. The story will have too much traction, especially with the mountain of evidence Ryker gave you.”