He let himself into his room and went straight to the bar. Normally, he wouldn’t dare to have too many drinks while working. But right now, one wouldn’t hurt. He poured three fingers of whiskey in a glass and slammed it back. Its rich flavor coated his throat, and then the burning sensation followed. He slammed the glass down, turned to the couch, and sat.
His phone vibrated in his pocket. If it was Maddie, he’d break the damn thing. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen.
Ethan.
This time, he had no remorse when he ignored the call. It had been a long time since he’d been in a monogamous relationship—or had even wanted one. From what he knew, Maddie hadn’t had a serious relationship in a while either. But fuck, it hurt like hell that someone else was enjoying her. Maybe he should have kept listening.
His phone vibrated again. He locked his jaw. God, Ethan was being a fucking hemorrhoid lately. He lifted the phone, this time ready to answer, but it wasn’t Ethan.
Maddie’s encrypted number lit up the screen. Tension settled into his shoulders and he punched answer.
“Hello?” He didn’t bother trying to hide the chill in his voice.
“It’s me.” She spoke softly, her voice barely above a whisper. Fuck. That meant she had risked calling him with Carlos around.
“What are you doing?” he rasped. He kept his voice low, as if Carlos could hear him.
“I need to talk to you. Don’t worry, Carlos is out cold in the bedroom, and I’m in the office.”
He made a sound under his breath. They were too late in the game to be getting sloppy.
“You shouldn’t have called.” He rested his elbow on his knee and held his forehead in his palm.
“I know. Something happened with Carlos and me. It’s not a big deal, but I wanted—”
“I heard.” His voice went hoarse. “Dylan called me down when he overheard.”
“It’s not what you think. I gave him the pills, but I had to—”
Disgust curled his insides in a tight ball. “You let him touch you?”
“No…” Her voice faltered. “Not really. I just had to let him think we’d been intimate so he wouldn’t wake up realizing I’d drugged him.”
He pinched his temples together between his thumb and forefinger. She’d been in a tough position, but damn it to hell and back, she never should have been there in the first place.
“I get it, Maddie. But this is screwed right up. You never should have gotten in this deep.” The raging need for another drink coursed through him. “Look, you’d better get back in case he wakes up or something. Let me know before you guys disembark in the morning.” He disconnected the call and dropped the phone beside him. Carlos should be out for the night with the roofies, but she was right, it was hard to say what he’d remember in the morning.
God, he hoped she hadn’t done more than she’d claimed to eliminate his doubts.
* * * *
Bang, bang, bang!
Nate groaned and shifted on the bed. His arm flopped over and pain shot through his wrist. What the fuck? His eyelids fluttered and light shone into his eyes, blinding him. The object he’d hit his wrist on filled his line of vision. The coffee table. No wonder he felt like a bag of shit, he’d passed out on the couch. A jackhammer roared into his skull and he pressed the pads of his fingers into his eye sockets. He shouldn’t have stayed up so late. The last time he’d looked at the clock it had been five a.m. He needed a shower and a cup of coffee more than he needed his next breath. They had a big day ahead, and he would need his stamina.
Memories of last night hit him and his headache intensified.
Bang! Bang!
Annoyance shot through him. He leapt off the couch and stumbled to the door, not bothering to put pants on over his boxers or find his shirt from yesterday. He scowled and pulled the door open.
Ashley stood there, her eyebrows pinched together, and annoyance flashing in her brown eyes. She shoved at his chest and let herself in.
“What the hell happened to you last night? I was locked out and had to crash at Dylan’s.”
Shit. He’d forgotten that Ashley had been keeping an eye on Hector last night. Knowing Hector’s gambling habits, she’d probably been out long after he’d passed out. He rubbed his hand through his hair and yawned. His eyes raked over her and he frowned. She wore one of Dylan’s T-shirts and a pair of his sweat pants. Nate’s lips twitched. Well, at least his demise had benefited his friends.
“What happened to your key?”
She made a tsking sound. “It must have demagnetized from my phone.”
“You could have gone to the front desk, you know. They would have given you a new key.”
Her cheeks turned deep crimson and a realization dawned on him. He rubbed his hand over his face to hide his grin.
She pointed her small index finger at his nose. “Shut up.”
He raised his hands in the air in surrender, his shoulders shook on a chuckle. “Sorry.”
She glowered at him.
“What time is it?”
“Oh my god. You’re just waking up!” She pressed her fingers to her temples as if she could somehow make clothes appear on his body. Tough shit. Nothing was happening until he had coffee.
“I’m fine. I just need some coffee.”
“We don’t have time,” she hissed. “It’s nearly one p.m. You’re lucky I showered at Dylan’s and just need to get dressed. We docked an hour ago and Carlos and Maddie have just gotten off the ship.”
The bottom of his stomach dropped out. “What?” Adrenaline shot through him. He flipped his wrist over but it was bare—his watch sat on the coffee table near the couch. How the hell had he slept so long? He was normally up before six a.m. every day without fail. He hadn’t gotten eight hours of sleep in ten years, why the hell had his body chosen to shut down now? He strode across the floor, scooped his phone up from the coffee table, and brought it to life.
Six missed calls and two text messages.
“Dylan’s following them, but we don’t have much time. Of all the days for you to screw up…” She turned on her heel and marched into the bedroom, and returned two minutes later dressed in shorts and a navy T-shirt. “You have ten minutes to get ready or I’m leaving without you.”
He opened the missed calls first as he turned toward the bedroom. “I’m going. Think you can grab me a coffee and meet me downstairs? I have a splitting headache.” No doubt from over sleeping and lack of caffeine.
Ashley tapped her foot. “I suppose making you suffer won’t serve me well. Hurry up though. You have nine minutes now.” Her eyebrow lifted as she sidled past him.
As if he would be late. He turned his attention back to his phone as he made his way to the bathroom in the master bedroom.
Ethan had called two hours ago and Maddie only minutes after. The rest were Ashley and Dylan. He went to his text messages, both from Maddie,
Please don’t be upset. I can explain.
He opened and closed his hands and set his phone on the bathroom counter. Shit. She probably thought he was ignoring her because of last night. Sure, he’d tossed and turned because of it, but no way in hell he’d punish her for something like that.
He stepped under the hot spray and lathered the bar of soap in his hands. A few minutes later, he climbed out of the shower and a thick cloud of steam welcomed him. He glanced at his phone—five minutes before Ashley left. He didn’t doubt that she would follow through with her threat.
His phone vibrated as he dropped a dollop of toothpaste on his toothbrush.
Cal.
He hadn’t talked to him in almost two weeks. With he and Lana having a newborn baby, he’d been afraid to call and wake anyone. He let the call go to voicemail, there was no way he had time to chat, especially not today.
Seconds later, it went off again. He i
gnored it, rinsed his mouth, and ran his knuckles over the stubble on his jaw. It’d have to stay for another day, he’d shave tonight if they all survived. He strode to the walk-in closet and got dressed, shoving his phone in his pocket before making his way to the front door.
It vibrated again in his pocket.
Jesus, everyone was up his ass today. He pulled it out and accepted the call. “Yeah,” he barked as he punched the elevator button.
Gracie’s ear-piercing scream reverberated through his eardrum. He yanked the phone away and yelped. “Christ, what are you doing to that kid?”
“Sorry, she wants Lana. One minute.”
Gracie’s screams diminished and Cal returned to the line. “What’s going on, dude? Ethan is losing his shit. Maddie is off doing god-knows-what and you’re avoiding everyone.”
“I’m not avoiding anyone, I’m busy. Ethan has been blowing up my phone all week about Maddie and I told him I was working on a case. She called him the other night so what’s his deal?” He snapped his mouth shut as soon as the words were out.
Cal either didn’t catch the slip up or he was too sleep-deprived to care.
“He’s settled down about Maddie for now, but he wants to talk to you.”
A big pool of dread opened in his chest. The elevator opened and he stepped inside.
“What about?”
“That’s for him to tell you. I just wanted to ask you personally if something is bothering you. As paranoid as Ethan has been with Maddie gone, he’s usually right about things, and something is off with you.”
He jabbed the main level button with his thumb. He couldn’t do this anymore, he needed to tell someone.
“You’re going to wish you hadn’t asked that, bro.”
Silence hung between them. Nate pressed his hip against the rail of the elevator and dropped the back of his head against the mirror.
“I’m seeing Maddie. But it’s a lot worse than that. We’re—”
“Holy, fucking shit!” Cal’s voice boomed into him. “Are you fucking insane? Seriously. Do you need me to take you to a mental hospital? Ethan is going to skin you. Of all the stupid, selfish, asshole things to do, this takes the cake.”
“Easy, you prick. I care about her.”
A stream of curses a mile long earned Cal a reprimand from Lana in the background.
“Fix this, man. I don’t know how, and I don’t care. But keep me the hell out of it.” The line went dead as the elevator door opened.
Nate breathed out a sigh. Cal was pissed, but it was nothing in comparison to what Ethan’s reaction would be. Still, the weight that had been crushing his chest for the last nine months had lifted.
Fix it? How the fuck was he supposed to do that?
Chapter 22
Maddie pinched the front of her T-shirt and tugged it away from her chest. The material clung to a puddle of sweat between the pads of her bra. Ugh, so gross. The cab didn’t have air conditioning and the open windows only allowed the humidity in. She sent a look to Carlos and adjusted her shoulder bag across her chest. He’d warned her that they would have a lot of walking through the cobblestone streets once they stopped.
Nate hadn’t answered her call this morning and they’d left the ship almost an hour ago. God, she’d been stupid to think he’d understand. How much had he heard? She pushed Nate from her mind for now. She’d have to convince him to listen to her.
Pastel colored buildings lined the streets, their vibrant contrast brought life to the neighborhood. As Carlos had said, the streets were tight and cobblestone. It would be difficult to maneuver. Hector lit a cigarette in the front seat, and let out a deep exhale, as if the weight of the world had been on his bulky shoulders. Smoke billowed to the back. Maddie scrunched her nose and turned her head toward the window. God, she wished Hector didn’t have to be here. When he’d been waiting for them on the main level of the ship her skin had prickled. Carlos never took her to business meetings. This, he’d said, would be fairly quick and he’d wanted to show her some of his hometown. Would he make the exchange right in front of her? After what they’d been through, she didn’t expect him to trust her—unless it was a test. Her stomach twisted. That wouldn’t be good either. Should she act surprised? Maybe something like, Oh, honey. I didn’t know you’re one of the biggest drug lords in the US. Coke? I never would have guessed.
She let out a puff of air through tight lips. Yeah right. She wouldn’t be able to say that without laughing. Maybe she could make a phone call, act distracted… but if Carlos wanted her to see him in action, he’d make sure she did.
The cab slowed and pulled over on the side of the street. Carlos unfolded some money from a wad of bills and passed it to the driver.
“Keep the change.” He stepped out, his hand held tightly to the black duffel bag. She mumbled a thank you to the driver and followed Carlos out of the car. The sun shone brightly, making the vibrant buildings dance with life. A smile touched her lips. Despite the reasons she was here, she was eager to experience some of the culture.
“We have a lot of walking still. We’re running late, so try to stay close.” Carlos turned toward a narrow alleyway and her throat tightened. Her feet hitched with the reluctance to follow.
“Why didn’t we have the driver take us closer?”
A beat passed. Carlos stopped and turned to her. Hector took a long drag on his cigarette, his gaze toward the street. He’d barely looked at her since their confrontation with Carlos and for that, she was grateful. Maddie looked up at Carlos and raised her eyebrows.
“It’s not an easily traveled area.”
Maddie’s pulse racked up a notch. That didn’t make sense. They were supposed to be going to his family’s yacht company. Why would that be in an area not easily traveled? She nodded in response. Best not to question him. She pulled her sunglasses over her eyes and swept her gaze around before entering the mouth of the alleyway. Where the hell was Nate? If he’d known she was leaving with Carlos, he would have sent someone to tail them. But there’d been no indication of anyone following them.
The ground beneath her feet turned to broken concrete. As they got deeper, the well-maintained buildings turned seedy. Stucco peeled off the walls, and rust covered the wrought iron around the windows. A young girl tore down the alleyway, her feet bare and her ratty dress covered in dirt.
They stepped out the other end of the alley and her shoulders relaxed. Cars bustled down the streets and a long line of vehicles wedged together at the side of the road. Good god, how would anyone be able to back out of their spots?
“This way, it’s at the end of the street,” Carlos said, gesturing ahead. Hector walked several paces in front, and Carlos picked up his speed. A middle-aged woman slammed into Maddie’s shoulder, reeling her back. Maddie turned around and opened her mouth to say something, but the woman was gone. Her dark hair fanned out behind her.
Maddie scoffed and shook her head. She turned back in the direction she’d been walking. Carlos’s ebony head bounced down the sidewalk. She held her shoulder bag close to her side and jogged after them. The sidewalks were busy, with merchant tables cluttering the walkway and people clustered everywhere.
If she didn’t hurry, she’d lose him. The door of a white van opened next to her as she sidled around a small boy. Carlos was getting farther. She turned to lift the flap of her purse. Maybe she could try Nate again and—
An arm closed around her biceps and a rag slammed roughly over her mouth. A sickly sweet scent filled her nostrils. He towed her backward, dragging her toward the open van door. Panic made her blood pressure spike and fear bit its ferocious teeth into her.
Her instincts took over. She dove her body as far forward as his arm would allow, and then snapped her head back sharply. The back of her skull connected with his nose. A curse spat in her ear, but she shook her head and twisted against the tight hold.
&nbs
p; Determination locked her joints, and he struggled to move her. She wouldn’t go down without a fight.
She repeated the movement for another blow at his face, but this time her vision waned and her eyelids fluttered. White latex gloves covered his hands and thick, black material adorned his arms.
White covered hands—more gloves—reached out from the van and grabbed her feet. She let out a scream, but the hand with the rag tightened and only a squeak escaped. They dropped her on the floor of the van and her head slammed against something hard. The other pair of hands snagged her wrists. She kicked her foot out, catching the second man in the jaw and skewing the black mask over his face.
“Fucking cunt,” he snarled. His fingertips dug into her wrists and she winced. A patch of dark skin flashed beneath his mask but he didn’t let go. He leaned forward and secured a zip-tie around her wrists.
The door rattled shut and the rag pressed harder into her face. A dark fog misted over her eyes and she let her lids flutter shut. Maybe she could fake it…
“Vámonos!” he yelled at the driver.
The vehicle bumped over the road and her body jostled against a sharp turn. Her eyelids lifted and closed, lifted and closed…
Her body sank into the floor and her face went numb. Darkness washed over her, sucking her away from consciousness. She couldn’t pass out. She had to stay alert. She’d be completely at their mercy if she didn’t fight against it.
Nate’s laughing green eyes filled her vision and her heart constricted.
Nate, where are you?
Tears stung the backs of her eyes and her body went lax. She imagined Nate’s warmth surrounding her as she fell deep into oblivion.
* * * *
Vomit hit her palate. She retched, but it slid back down her throat, burning her esophagus. Her eyes filled with water, spilling over her cheeks. She gagged again, but nothing came up. Her shoulders ached and her fingers tingled with loss of blood flow. She sat in a chair, her hands tied behind her back, and her feet stretched out in front of her. Her chin rested on her chest, and the muscles in the back of her neck screamed.
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