Blind Justice

by TL Reeve

  Omar grabbed his go-bag then pulled out his laptop. “How bad?”

  “On a scale of one to we’re all going to die?” Duncan cut his gaze toward Omar. “About an eight.”

  “Damn.” Omar stuck the thumb drive into his computer. When the video ran through in slow motion, Omar winced. “Didn’t even see it coming.”

  “No, which made it easier for Raul to grab him too.” Duncan scratched the scruff on his cheek. He had to keep his mind occupied. If he allowed his mind to wander and contemplate what could be happening to Enzo, he’d go insane. “If what I’m seeing is right, it appears they’ve been watching us the whole time, waiting for one of them to be alone.”

  “I agree. Raul’s smart like that. He won’t do it when someone else is there, because it’d cause too much of a scene. This though, this is more his style. Question is, did he do the same with Bex or did he send someone to grab her too?”

  “Depends on the timing. We know that Enzo has been gone for—” Duncan glanced at his watch. “four hours. If Raul grabbed Bex, it would be tight.”

  “But doable. Considering.”

  Duncan grunted. “We need to set up a meeting with everyone.”

  “Right. I’d ask if you want me to grab something to eat, but I might not be reliable in the food category.” Omar gave a wry grin.

  Duncan laughed. “No. I’m good. We’ll pick dinner up for Bella later. For now, let’s get everyone on the line and hope we find Enzo soon.”

  For the next hour, Omar and Duncan worked together to get their meeting set up while Bella made them dinner with whatever Duncan had in the apartment. Omar abstained. As he’d been ready to call in for their meeting, Duncan’s phone rang. Unknown number flashed on the screen, and he frowned before sliding his finger across the surface.

  “Hello?”

  For long moments, no one answered. Then a raspy inhale accompanied a cough and another ragged breath. Duncan’s hand clenched. Rage burned through his veins. When the man coughed again then groaned, he lost his shit.

  “I swear, when I find you, there will be nothing left of you for your family to claim.” The venom poured from Duncan. His chest heaved from exertion.

  A maniacal chuckle amped up the fury whipping around Duncan. “One of them will die tonight. Can you guess which one it will be?”

  Then the line went dead.

  Son of a bitch!

  Duncan threw his phone against the wall. Raul was going to pay. Even if he lost everything, he would make sure the monster would get what was coming to him. Omar cleared his throat, and his gaze snapped to where Bella sat on the couch, giving them room.

  Duncan sighed. “This is why emotions have no place in ops, and this is a fucking op!” He slammed out of the apartment and took a deep breath, trying to still the riotous feelings clawing at him from the inside.

  He fucked up.

  He tripped and fell into the passion of having partners.

  He loved them both, and now, he was going to lose them.

  Chapter Nine

  The longer they drove, the longer Raul tortured him by talking. Enzo bit his tongue several times. If he said anything, he had no doubt Raul would pull the vehicle over and they’d kill him right there in the middle of nowhere. So, he focused on Bella, knowing each mile away from the compound was another mile farther away from them finding her.

  She had to survive.

  Enzo schooled his features when Raul brought up his pops. He wouldn’t allow the man to get any type of reaction out of him.

  “Ignacio begged for me to end his life. So, I dragged it out and made him scream for the sweet relief of my blade across his throat.” Raul turned in his seat, and their gazes clashed. “I forced him watch my men fuck Naomi. You should know, he never begged for me to spare her life.”

  Enzo winced.

  It didn’t surprise him about his pops. The old man had only ever been concerned about himself. Fuck everyone else. Enzo never understood why Bella’s mom married or even stayed with his pops for so long. Naomi, like her daughter, was a sweet woman. She never did shit to anyone. She deserved better and shouldn’t have died the way she did. Enzo loved Naomi like she was his birth mom, and from day one, she treated Enzo like he’d been hers. She’d gone to bat for him with the teachers, time and time again. Hell, she even went up against his pops more times than he could count. Naomi’s death hadn’t been warranted. She’d earned her happy ending.

  Guilt ate Enzo.

  Because of him, their parents were gone.

  Because of him, they’d never have a normal life.

  Bella could never know about what Raul did to Naomi. It would destroy her. He realized during the trial it would come out, and when it did, that information would be what broke his Bella. If he lived through this ordeal, he had to make another pact with Duncan to keep the circumstances of Naomi’s death secret.

  “I will find Bella. She will suffer the same fate as her mother.” Raul sneered when Enzo said nothing. “Just as you’ll suffer the same as your father. It’s the cost of betraying me.”

  When Enzo didn’t react to his taunts, Raul curled his lip in disgust. He got off on mind games. He enjoyed the reaction more than the accompanying fight. He’d seen the man do it time and time again. It was also why Raul liked to see Oscar fight his men. It was the idea of watching the light drain from their eyes seconds before Oscar shot them in the head. The body count, minus the ones Bella assisted, made it clear how much of a game life and death was to Raul. His reign of terror wouldn’t stop until someone ended him.

  Panic settled in Enzo’s stomach as they pulled into an abandoned neighborhood. Almost all of the houses were boarded up. The front and back yards hadn’t been cut in some time, and none of the streetlights were on. They hadn’t been on the road for very long, only about twenty minutes at most, which meant they were still in or around the DC area. The house they pulled up to looked like a rundown shack. Sure, it had four walls, but the roof had holes, and the windows were cracked or broken.

  Raul and the driver exited the vehicle after they parked the SUV in the driveway. When the door opened, Enzo stared at them. If they wanted him to get out, they’d have to force him. He didn’t have to make it easy on them. This was where Raul brought him to die, so Raul had to work for it.

  The second the man to his right reached for him, Enzo mule kicked him, landing the blow in the middle of his massive chest. The man grunted, taking a knee, while the other bodyguard grabbed for Enzo again. He wished he could throw a punch, but fucking Raul had bound his hands. When Enzo launched into another kick, the second guard grabbed his leg and jerked him out before tossing him to the ground. Grit and rocks dug into his knees and face, adding to his pain. He ignored the sting, though. He still wouldn’t give the fuckers any satisfaction.

  “Enough,” Raul hollered. “You knew the game when you joined up, Enzo. You played your hand, and you lost. Now you have to deal with the consequences.”

  True, but nowhere in the rules did it say he couldn’t fight back. “What are you waiting for then?”

  Raul smiled, twisting his scared face into an awful visage. “Your death can go quickly. All you have to do is tell me what I want to know.”

  Enzo scoffed. He wasn’t a rat, and he would never give up Bella. “Vete a la mierda.” He spit out the dirt in his mouth and narrowed his eyes.

  Raul brushed the dust off his suit jacket before he crouched in front of Enzo. “It’s your choice. Personally, I hope you stay silent and don’t squeal like a fucking pig. It means we can fuck you up for longer.”

  Raul stepped back, and Enzo surged to his feet with help from one of Raul’s henchmen. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the glint of something metal, shaped like a gun. The man lifted it, and a second later, another burst of pain cracked through his skull. His vision narrowed to where Raul stood five feet or so in front of him. He noticed the cruel smirk on his face and the distinct outline of another figure beside him. Enzo didn’t understand what
was happening. He took a step forward then everything went dark.

  Enzo groaned. Where the fuck am I? The sickening throb in his head confirmed his suspicions from before. He had a concussion. When he opened his eyes, the world spun, and his stomach lurched. He hadn’t eaten since breakfast, so even as his stomach pitched, nothing came out. He dry-heaved once more then groaned. Every inch of his body hurt like a son of a bitch. Was his own fault too. If only he’d been paying attention. He hadn’t even realized he’d stepped off the property until he got cracked in the head. He took several deep breaths, willing his body to settle so he could think.

  He’d been zip tied to a heavy wooden chair. His arms were secured behind him, and his ankles were held to the chair’s legs. He glanced around the room, trying to adjust to the low light, even with the halo effect caused by the concussion. The house was also quiet. Abnormally so. He should’ve heard talking, but there was nothing. Had he blown an ear drum? It would make sense.

  He wigged his fingers in an attempt to restore blood flow to his hands and brushed up against warm flesh and a delicate hand. Hijo de puta. He wasn’t alone.

  Enzo forced his eyes open. Even though he hadn’t told Raul where Bella was hiding, he was terrified the man had somehow found her. He glanced over his shoulder and winced as pain lanced his head. Another person sat to the side, almost behind him. They were back to back. Surprise and shock filled him. The person had short, curly brown hair mussed up from what Enzo suspected was fighting. A cast covered her arm as well. She wore a school uniform. What the fuck is going on here?

  “You’re a kid,” he said, his voice weak and thready.

  She nodded.

  When she turned her head, he swore he was looking at a younger, prettier version of Raul. The stories were right. From the time he joined the Nieto Cartel, he’d heard rumors about Raul having a kid. No one saw her or him, so it’d been relegated to an urban legend. “You look like him. People have been placing bets on your legitimacy for years.”

  The elusive child of Raul, one he rarely acknowledged. He’d overheard some of Raul’s men in Mexico talk about her abilities with numbers and what she did for her father. Like everything Raul possessed, he used her. At one point, they’d heard speculations Raul was going to bring her to Mexico and sell her off like all the others. Their boss, who’d so adamantly demanded their allegiance, didn’t even show honor toward his own blood. He’d have to tread carefully with her. For all, he knew she was a plant, a way to glean information from Enzo about Bella.

  “B-B-Bexley,” she said, her stutter thick, confirming her identity.

  Raul despised weakness. Her stutter must have annoyed the piss out of her father. Knowing Raul, he most likely took his displeasure out on the girl.

  “Enzo.” Shit. He felt sorry for her. For the life he imagined she lived. He jerked his arms, testing the ties at his wrists. They were tight. Had he been out long? He glanced down and noticed another startling fact. She was missing her leg. Fuck. “Do you know what time it is?”

  “D-D-Don’t k-know.”

  “You’re like the others,” he said. “He did this on purpose though, huh?”

  She whimpered.

  How scared of a girl did someone have to be to amputate a limb? Even more so, he took off her prosthetic before tying her down. Except Enzo knew it had nothing to do with fear and everything to do with intimidation and breaking her spirit. Raul wanted to humiliate his daughter. Worse, Enzo got the feeling she suffered every day because of her father’s twisted needs.

  “N-No.” Bexley’s body jerked. She shimmied her arms back and forth, drawing his attention to the cast on her arm.

  What the fuck happened to this girl?

  She shouldn’t struggle. It was wasted energy. Energy they might need later to survive. If a chance came. He should tell her to stop. He didn’t though. Sometimes fighting was all a body could do when forced into these conditions. Their chances of getting free and then escaping were slim to none. Raul wasn’t stupid and would’ve made sure they weren’t able to break free.

  Enzo sighed. When had he changed his mind from not trusting her to planning their escape? Raul must’ve hit him harder than he thought, or she reminded him of Bella. It had to be a mix of his protective instincts kicking in and knowing the girl sitting with him was the key to everything.

  With the correct nudging, Bexley had the potential to topple her father’s empire. Add in the fact he’d have a hand in the karma bus rolling over Raul, he was simply overfuckingjoyed at the prospect.

  Not wanting to freak her out any more than she already was, Enzo shushed her. “Easy, girl. I’m not going to hurt you. I worked for your father.”

  Bexley whimpered, trying to curl her body away from him. Her fear made his stomach twist in disgust. “I don’t anymore.” Enzo sighed, wanting to reassure her. “One of us needs to get out of here if we’re going to live through this.”

  “C-Can’t. M-My leg.” She looked over where her prosthetic sat, taunting both of them.

  If he’d been alone, he would’ve met his maker without fear. This girl, who already had enough trouble placed at her feet, didn’t deserve to die. At least not on his watch. He was going to make sure if a chance came to escape, one of them—Bexley—would get out of this shitshow.

  “Do you have something to cut these ties?” Enzo inquired, knowing the odds were slim. She didn’t look like the carrying type of girl.

  Bexley surprised him when she replied. “K-Knife. C-Cast.”

  “Good girl,” he whispered, not wanting to draw anyone’s attention to the room they were being held in or the fact they were both were awake and having a conversation.

  Too late.

  The doorknob jiggled. Someone had either caught them or was coming to do a check on them. He hoped to hell it wasn’t Raul. “Shh... Don’t move. Close your eyes.” Enzo prayed the girl was smart and did as he asked. It might just save her life. His goal had been to keep the goon squad’s attention on him so they’d leave Bexley alone.

  The door opened, and two men who appeared vaguely familiar stepped into the room. By the looks on their faces, they were there for information. He’d seen it before. Stone faced guys using their brute strength for intimidation while beating the shit out of people. Raul couldn’t even do this job on his own. Chickenshit.

  They walked right toward him, ignoring Bexley. Enzo glared, daring them to do their worst. He didn’t have long to wait. The skinny guy spit on him like a little bitch. The big burly dude started hitting him, using Enzo’s face like a punching bag. The constant blows weren’t helping his head. The metallic taste of his blood ran down his throat, causing his stomach to turn. Enzo wanted to puke his guts out, but he refused to give the guys the satisfaction of seeing him weak.

  “Where is she, puto?” One of the men hit Enzo again, harder this time, and he saw stars. If these assholes kept it up, his brain was going to explode inside his skull.

  Enzo stayed silent. He wasn’t telling them Bella’s location. He’d protect her with his last breath.

  “¿No me entiendes?” the same man asked.

  Enzo ignored them and prepared himself what was coming next…an epic fucking beat down. It wouldn’t be the first time it had happened. He’d been jumped into his gang. They’d fucked his ass up. Multiple broken ribs and a broken nose. On top of that, he’d been black and blue for weeks after. He could handle whatever these assholes were going to dish out.

  All was good until Bexley murmured. “I-I-I c-c-can h-help.”

  Damn it, she should’ve kept her big mouth shut. Now they were going to turn their attention toward her. The man who’d been asking the questions laughed and teased Bexley. “S-S-S-Stutter is awake.”

  Enzo’s eye swelled shut while blood poured from the cuts on his face, turning the vision in his good eye red. He couldn’t let them harm her. She was a little girl. A child. She needed to get free and get out of there.

  “You’re for our pleasure later.”

 
He didn’t doubt for a second they were telling the truth, Raul’s kid or not. Those motherfuckers would savagely rape Bexley until she was dead. Enzo was already responsible for one woman dying that way, and he wouldn’t allow it to happen to another. Not while he was still breathing.

  “F-Fuck y-you.” Bexley had cojones.

  Enzo heard the sound of flesh hitting flesh and winced. “Bitch.”

  “T-That d-didn’t h-hurt, maricón.”

  Jesus. This chick. Why didn’t she just shut the fuck up? Egging them on wasn’t going to make them go easier on her.

  “What did you call me?” The man smacked her again.

  “M-My f-f-father h-hits h-h-harder.”

  His head cleared enough to remember the knife in her cast and realized what Bexley was doing, distracting them so he could get it and use it. She was smarter than he gave her credit for. Using the distraction to his advantage, Enzo found the knife in her cast with his fingertips. Gently, he pulled it from its hiding spot and started cutting the ties around her wrist. He picked the one with the cast first, knowing if the knife happened to slip, she was protected from the weapon.

  Once he felt the tie give, he dropped the blade into her hand. She didn’t hesitate or waste a moment. Bexley swung her arm forward in an awkward arc, burying the knife low in the goon’s groin. Then she pulled it back so she could undo the restraint on her other arm. Damn. He’d been wrong, Bexley was one tough bitch and reminded him more and more of Bella.

  The sounds of pain from the enforcer when he went down made Enzo smile. The other guy snapped out of his shock and went after Bexley. Enzo pulled at the ties holding his wrists. The bands cut into his skin, burning the flesh. In those few seconds, he couldn’t help her. He was incapacitated. Stuck. It went against everything in him to let this small slip of a girl take on two guys.

  Enzo heard the sound of bone crunching then a gurgle, blood splattering against the floor. The man choked and spit. The gruesome sound made Enzo gag. Whatever Bexley had done left the smaller of the two writhing on the floor while grabbing at his chest. The last band snapped, and she was tumbling to the ground, scurrying toward him. She was covered from chest to toe in blood. Her hands shook, and the knife was nowhere to be found. Had she killed both men?