An icy-cold hand of fear trailed down her spine. “If I were a cop, don’t you think you’d be arrested by now?”
His bulging eyes flicked over her face. His hot breath hit her face, and sweat gathered at his stubble. He inched her away from him, keeping his grip tight on her hair. She balanced her weight on the balls of her feet, trying to take the pressure off her scalp.
“She wants to play, boys. Hector, you’re first.”
Hector threw back his head, his dark hair fanned out wildly around his shoulders as he let out a hoot of laughter. He tucked the gun back in his pants. Maddie took a step back and let her hands hang open at her sides. Three against one—odds she hadn’t been up against since she’d taken Combat Hapkido. They hadn’t tied her up–she still had a chance.
Hector licked his cracked bottom lip with his thick tongue. He stood several inches taller than her, though he was maybe an inch shorter than Nate. He was heavy and bulky, which wasn’t a bad thing. He’d have a lot of body to throw around, but it would also weigh him down.
A soft whoosh reached her ears. Her gaze fell down to his hand where a long, thick blade protruded. The sun caught it, sending a glare into her eyes. He moved closer, his strides long. He bounced on the balls of his feet as he closed in.
Maddie smiled.
She spun in a flurry of movement. The top of her foot chopped through the air and connected with the side of his knee. He crumpled like a wet towel. He let out a howl as he folded to the ground, but his grip tightened on the knife. Adrenaline shot through her veins like a firehose. She stomped her foot down on his wrist and his hold loosened. She grabbed the knife and stood over him. The handle was hot in her hand, its smooth plastic branding her.
Her arm threatened to tremble, her muscles tight. She’d never stabbed anyone before. But when it came down to her life over theirs—she’d do it without blinking.
“Hector, get the fuck up, you pussy.” Carlos growled from behind him. “Diego, grab her. Enough of this shit.” He cut his hand through the air. “I don’t give a damn about who she claims to be. Kill her.”
Hector staggered to his feet, reached around, and pulled the automatic from the waistband of his pants. Diego closed his hands into tight fists, thankfully unarmed. Maddie took a step back, keeping her eyes trained on the two men. Carlos turned his back and stormed toward the door.
No! She couldn’t lose him. Once he walked out of that door, they had nothing. She forced her brain to think. Keeping him close was the only option, even if it limited her chances of survival.
“Stop,” she called. Carlos’s back tensed and his steps halted, but he didn’t turn around. “You’re right. I’ve been lying to you.” All the moisture left her mouth. The muscles in her hands flexed as she kept the knife poised in front of her. Out of the corner of her eye, he moved. She shifted her gaze as Carlos retraced his steps.
“C’mon, boss. She’s talking shit again,” Hector groaned.
Carlos held out his hand. “Wait. I want to hear this.” He focused on her, his eyes unflinching. “Talk.”
“I moved to Miami to find you. My best friend is Zoe Ramez. Do you recognize the name?”
His tongue moved along the inside of his lip and one eye narrowed at her. “No.”
She sucked in a deep breath of air and took another step backward. She had to get out of here. If she could take Hector, she could get the gun. Her insides went weak at the image of young, sweet Leila. Tears burned her throat and she lifted her chin. The bastard had gotten her hooked on drugs, used her, and didn’t even remember her name.
Hate shot through her veins and burned her skin. If she couldn’t get Carlos arrested, she’d at least get vengeance for Leila. “Her younger sister was Leila Ramez. She was nineteen years old when you met her and got her hooked on cocaine, and then meth. She died in a damn alleyway because of you.” She spat the words at him, her breath coming out in erratic puffs of air.
Carlos shoved his hands in his pockets, and tilted his head at her. “Ah, Leila.” His accent thickened at the memory. A hard glint flashed across his eyes. “I do remember her. Such a shame. She became quite popular with my friends. She’d do anything for a hit.”
Maddie’s lip threatened to quiver. She sucked it in between her teeth and narrowed her eyes at him. “You piece of shit,” she breathed. “How does it feel to know you were duped by a woman?” She let out a loose laugh and shook her head. “Do you remember how you dogged my heels for weeks, begging for my attention? Damn, you must feel stupid.”
He moved quickly, crossing the distance that separated them. His fist shot out and connected with her cheekbone. Pain exploded through the side of her face and her ears rang. She stumbled backward, but caught her balance before she landed on the floor.
She tightened her hand on the knife, pulled her elbow back, and slashed it through the air. He dodged to the right, and she missed by an inch. A set of arms closed around her from behind, locking her in place.
Hector.
“Go ahead, boss. Take a few shots before we finish this bitch.” Satisfaction laced Hector’s voice. Carlos slowly rolled up his sleeves. He reached out and wrestled the knife from her hand. Her arms lay trapped beneath Hector’s meaty biceps. His chest pressed to her back, the stickiness of his sweat melding them together. Revulsion lodged in her throat, the acidic burn of bile hit her palate. She swallowed it down and glared at Carlos.
“Don’t you find it a little pathetic that you need someone to hold me down? You’re not man enough to risk going up against me?”
He wiggled his fingers at his side and took a step closer, sandwiching her between them. He grabbed her jaw in his hand, squishing her mouth. “It’s a shame you’re a snitch. You have a nice, pretty little tongue.” He spoke evenly, his tone a whisper.
A trickle of terror slashed down her spine. Images filled her mind of Fabian. A whimper bit at her throat, but she forced it down. She pinched her lips together, as if that would somehow prevent him from following through with his threat. Her eyes flicked from Carlos to Diego hovering behind him, his hand rubbing his knuckles, and then dropped to Hector’s hold.
There were three of them. Panic bubbled inside her, but she wouldn’t let her mind wander to what they could do to her.
Carlos let go of her face, and her skin tingled with the surge of blood flow returning. Hector shifted his hold, tightening it. A smile cut Carlos’s face, creasing the skin around his eyes.
Whack!
The back of his hand connected with her cheek. Her head snapped to the side and heat flooded the abused spot. She worked her jaw and turned her head back to meet his eyes.
“Such a cocky thing, aren’t you?” He let out an amused laugh. His foot shot out and connected with the wound on her abdomen. Agony shot through her insides, turning her stomach. A scream of pain ripped from her throat. Warmth spread across her stomach. She was bleeding heavier.
She sucked in several deep breaths. Her hair had fallen over her face. Her weight hung in Hector’s hold and her knees threatened to buckle.
“My turn.” Diego stepped in front of Carlos, menace wrinkled his aging skin. Tears burned the backs of her eyes. She’d failed. Not just Leila and Zoe, but herself, Nate and her family. She’d die at the hands of Carlos Santiago and they wouldn’t even be granted a body to bury and mourn.
Diego’s fist connected with her jaw, rattling her brain. Stars flashed in front of her eyes and the tinny taste of blood trickled into her mouth. She blinked away the darkness that crept in, wanting to drag her down. She couldn’t die like this.
She squared her jaw and met Carlos and Diego’s satisfied smirks. Diego shook his hand in the air as if he’d hurt his wrist. She smiled.
“Is that all you’ve got?”
Diego widened his stance, but Carlos moved him aside. “Enough. I want the last shot, and then you can kill her.” His fist rose in the
air, and the light caught the hard line of his jaw, resembling Tony.
Tony!
She nearly bounced against Hector as the idea popped into her head like bread in a toaster. “Don’t you want to hear what I did to Tony first?”
Carlos’s fist wavered and Hector’s body clenched against hers.
Yes.
She had their interest. All she had to do was keep them talking long enough to formulate a plan.
Chapter 25
Nate dragged his hand through his hair, his fingers grasped at the strands until his scalp burned. Cold air blasted him in the face through the vents in the truck, but all it did was turn his sweat cold against his boiling skin. He kept his gaze on the purple and black building. Bars caged in the windows except for the fire escape on the second level.
They were wasting valuable fucking time.
“Where the hell is he?” he seethed.
Ashley let out a sigh and lifted the mic at the neckline of her shirt. “Dylan, where are you?” She pressed her finger to the bud in her ear and then turned to him. “He just parked and is on foot. Only a few blocks away.”
Nate’s phone buzzed in his pocket and hope surged through him. He pulled it out and read the screen.
Josh.
His chest sank and he swiped to answer. “Yeah,” he said.
“I have some info on Diego Sanchez. He owns a club in Old San Juan called Club Viejo. I wasn’t able to find any ties to Carlos with regards to ownership, but from what I’ve found out, Carlos and Diego go way back. I can work on getting a warrant, there’s enough to—”
“No need. Thanks for your work.” Nate disconnected. “Diego owns Club Viejo and there’s a lot of background on him and Carlos. She has to be there.”
She just has to.
Nate made an impatient sound under his breath. “I’m not waiting around while they could be doing god knows what to her.” He opened the passenger door and climbed out. He slammed the door and the vehicle shook. He didn’t have a plan and he didn’t need one. This wasn’t about the case anymore and hadn’t been from the beginning. He’d go in, shoot Carlos and his buddies in the fucking head, and get Maddie out.
He strode by local musicians that sat on the side of the old cobblestone streets. Coins piled on the red felt liner of their guitar cases. Heat still hung in the air despite the sun setting below the skyline and dusk coated over the stars.
Ashley’s fingers curled around his elbow and yanked, but his arm didn’t budge. She planted her feet beside him, bringing him to a dead stop.
He reeled on her. “What?”
“You can’t just walk in. Geez, Nate. Screw your head back on please. Let’s talk about this for two minutes.”
Hot air burned his nostrils on an exhale. He shook his head, but let her tow him to the side of the building next to them.
“Let me go in first, and survey the club. Your stride has FBI written all over it.”
“Hold up.” A deep purr sounded near his ear. Nate pulled out his gun and whipped around, shoving the mouth of it in Dylan’s chest.
“Jesus,” Dylan squeaked. “Jumpy are we?”
Ashley chuckled behind him. “Did you pee your panties, Dyl?”
He narrowed his eyes into slits at her but a smile played on his mouth. Nate’s scowl deepened and he lowered his weapon. Thankfully the dark shadows concealed them and no one had witnessed him pull his Glock. “Use your head. I could have shot you.”
“I thought you guys were going to wait? Parking is a bitch in this part of town. I just ran like three blocks.”
Nate hung his weapon close to his hip and out of sight from any passersby. “No time. Maddie’s inside,” he said, nodding to the building beside them. A pool of dread opened in his stomach. God, please let her be there. Logically, they could have taken her somewhere else… she could be anywhere. He took a deep steadying breath. No. She was here. His nerve endings tingled, his senses picking up on her energy.
“Well, shit. What the hell are we waiting for?”
Ashley grabbed Dylan’s arm, stopping them both. “Maybe we should split up. Dylan, you and I can go in the front entrance, and Nate, why don’t you look for a way in through the back? We’ll surround them.”
Nate rubbed his palm over the back of his neck. This was taking too long. But damn, Ashley was right. It would serve them better to split up, especially if he could get Maddie out of harm’s way before shots went off.
“Do you have your earpiece?”
Nate closed his eyes and groaned. Shit. He’d been in such a damn hurry that he’d completely forgotten.
Ashley patted his arm. “Don’t worry. I have my phone.”
“All right, wait here.” He flicked his gaze to Dylan and back. “I’ll text you when I’m in position.”
“Okay,” she said, nodding. Dylan leaned back against the wall, and Ashley dragged her toe across the pavement.
It was on the tip of his tongue to tell them to pay attention, but he didn’t want to waste one more second. He jogged toward the back of the building, slowing when he reached the corner. He pressed his back against the shaded wall, and held his automatic poised in the air. An alley ran behind the building, sealing him off from the rest of downtown. He inched his nose around the edge and scanned the alley behind the building. A white van sat close to the rear exit. Hope surged through him. It had to be the same van that they’d used to grab her. She had to be here. Another car, a black BMW with a green rental sticker, filled one of the last two parking spots.
He lowered his weapon and moved toward the large steel door. The pewter knob burned his palm as he turned it. It didn’t move. Fuck! It was locked. He resisted the urge to pound his fist in the door, and stepped back and took in the full exterior. There was a small balcony on the second story. A ladder hung nearby, but he wouldn’t be able to pull it down without hitting the van. Not that he gave a shit if he damaged the vehicle. He wouldn’t be able to reach the ladder from the hood of the car. But, if he climbed onto the roof of the van, that would put him directly below the balcony.
The building wasn’t that high. He’d be able to pull himself up and get in through the window. He tucked his gun in the waistband of his pants and rubbed his damp palms on the tops of his thighs. Sweat rolled down his spine as he stepped up on to the back bumper and hefted himself on the hood.
He climbed on top of the roof of the van and tilted his head back to survey the distance to the balcony. He reached his hands up, but still needed another foot. He bent his knees into a deep squat and leapt off the ground. His hands closed around the vertical balcony bars. The muscles in his hands screamed as he swung his feet up and positioned them on the rods.
He swung his legs over the railing and dropped onto the floor of the balcony. The old wrought iron creaked beneath his feet. He cupped his hands and pressed them to the glass. A black leather couch took up one wall, and a floor-to-ceiling stripper pole highlighted the center of the room. Black lights hung from the wall, illuminating every piece of white in the room to a vibrant purple.
The room was empty.
He pressed his hands to the glass and heaved it up. The old wood shook with each inch he raised it until there was enough clearance for him to climb through. He lowered his feet to the floor and the laminate creaked beneath his weight. The muscles in his shoulders tensed and he froze. Music bumped from the floor below, hopefully blocking out the telltale noise.
He widened his stride, balancing his weight on the balls of his feet. He pulled his gun out and moved his finger to the trigger.
He skirted around the stripper pole and the black light caught his crisp white T-shirt, making him stick out like a purple dinosaur. He paused at the doorway, his breath shallow and barely audible to his own ears. Voices carried from down the hall, but he’d have to get closer to make anything out over the hum of the party downstairs.
/> At the closed door, he pulled out his phone. Not having his earpiece was a really shitty deal. At least he had some form of communication. He moved his fingers swiftly across the screen.
I’m in.
He kept his phone in his free hand. As soon as he was closer and could get a vantage point, he’d let them know he was in position. He eased open the door, light from the hall streamed into the dark room, and he scanned the hall before pressing his back to the doorjamb. He kept his Glock drawn and pointed to the floor. A loud smack resounded through the air. He froze. Ice coated his skin and his breath stalled in his lungs. He’d heard that sound too many times to count in his life. Had been on both the receiving and delivering ends of it.
“Is that all you’ve got?” Maddie’s defiant, derisive voice cut through him. His teeth ground together and the muscles in his face grew hard. Dammit to hell and back, what was she thinking challenging them? Anger seared through his body. He’d wring her damn neck—
But she was alive…
Carlos’s deep, rumbling voice followed. “Enough. I want the last shot, and then you can kill her.”
Fear gripped his heart. He had to close in before it was too late. He kept his back flat to the doorjamb and peered around the corner. A short hallway led straight ahead, breaking off to the left where their voices drifted from.
He crossed the distance in five wide strides. His pulse drummed against his eye socket, threatening to blind him. He peered around the corner of the hallway and into the larger sitting area. Hector’s back took up most of his view, Carlos and another man stood beyond them. Through Hector’s wide stance, Maddie’s slim legs flashed at him. He bit a hole in the top of his tongue. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. His fingers itched to fire, but he couldn’t risk it.
“Don’t you want to hear what I did to Tony first?”
Nate’s shoulders eased down and he shook his head, the corner of his mouth tugged into a smile. Later, he’d give her props for quick thinking. He pulled out his phone and typed a message to Ashley.
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