He couldn’t be serious. “Noooooo.” Things had gone from bad to worse, now he thought she was a dealer. “Why would you think so?”
“Heather’s been trafficking for months,” he said in a detached tone. “Now she’s looking to buy for someone.”
That’s why she wanted to come along. “You think she’s working for me?” She struggled to wedge her hips loose, but only managed to press his cock against her inner thigh. He pinned her hands to the bed, and suddenly they were back where they started, with her trapped and at his mercy. She bit her lip to keep it from trembling. Had she misjudged him? Was this really what he was after?
His left eye narrowed for a split second before the mask was back in place. “You made a huge withdrawal the day you came here.”
Her eyes went wide as her jaw dropped. The man was dense! Talk about jumping to conclusions. “I bought a house!” She flinched. Now that she’d said it out loud, there was no going back. She had no way of getting the documents on the house from here to save herself. And if she did, every cent she’d scraped together would be gone.
He stared down at her, searching her face. “Damn it, Tessa.” He scowled at her. “Don’t you dare lie to me.”
She frowned, enjoying the scrutiny as much as a bad case of bed bugs. “Get. Off. Me.”
He pushed off his elbows, murder in his eyes. “There’s no house listed under your name.”
She glared at him. “I signed the papers Friday morning before I got on the plane.”
He shook his head, mumbling under his breath. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me?”
“Tell you what? I’m not a drug dealer?” She folded her arms over her chest. “I’m not an axe murderer or a Martian either.”
He got off the bed and yanked on briefs then jeans, muttering about senseless women. “I’m having a hard time believing you, considering the information we have been provided,” he stated as he pulled up his zipper.
“Where did you get such a ridiculous idea?” She pulled the sheet high on her chest, needing a barrier between them. “Do you have me confused with someone else?”
“Why won’t you give me details on your trip?” His body was tense as his hard gaze dug into her. “Are you protecting someone?”
Tessa hesitated. Coming clean was a risk. How trustworthy was a man who included kidnapping in his job description? She bit the inside of her lips, struggling with her decision. Every one of her senses screamed a denial.
“This is just you and me, Tessa.” His tone was softer and his expression sincere. “I’m not asking for names, but I need to know why you’re putting your life on the line.”
She’d never been one to believe in heroes. Nobody would risk life and limb to come to her rescue. She’d always had to do for herself. He saved me from the unthinkable.
“I came to visit my best friend. She lives here with her family. I’m not giving you her name,” she said, shaking her head. “While you have my life in your hands, I won’t put them in danger.” She let him process her statement before she continued. He nodded, losing some of the tension in his shoulders. “This is my first vacation—ever.”
A vein ticked at his temple. “Why?”
What a loaded question. I couldn’t afford one. My three jobs never lined up quite right. I wanted a permanent roof over my head. Stability was more important than fun. I wanted something to call my own. Any way she answered, she’d sound pathetic. “I had personal goals. Until I met those, I wasn’t going to stray from my plan.” She shrugged. “Everything came together at the same time.”
He rolled upright to sit on the edge of the bed, not quite as tense as he’d been. “Where does Heather fit into this?”
“Until recently, we shared an apartment. When she heard me planning the trip, she invited herself along.”
“Heather is in the market for cocaine.” Even though his tone was back to normal, Tessa’s stomach lurched. “She was openly shopping for a connection while you were out clubbing the last couple of nights.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Talking about large sums of money to anyone who’ll listen is reckless. She had no fucking clue what she was doing.”
She closed her eyes, trying to ignore the emptiness in her chest. “I couldn’t figure out why she insisted on coming.” She shook her head. “We’ve been roommates for years, but we’ve never been close. The trip seemed impulsive. But I never would’ve imagined this.” She slammed both fists on her thighs. “Stupid-stupid-stupid!”
“You provided good cover.” He cradled her cold hands, rubbing them between his own. “You knew people in the area and had reason to be here. She had a near perfect setup.”
Tessa sobered. “Heather isn’t tied up in some corner downstairs, is she?
He released her, his jaw hardening. “She’s fine. Don’t worry about her.”
His reaction told her otherwise. “Where’s Heather? Is she okay?” All the worst scenarios had played in her mind over the past few days. “She’s my friend.”
“Tessa, let it go.”
“I caaan’t.” She’d come too far to buckle at this point.
He squared his shoulders and gave her a dead stare.
She remained unfazed, recognizing when he slipped into his ‘Boss’ role.
“You want to know what your friend is capable of. I’ll tell you.” His lips twisted with disgust. “Heather isn’t like you, Tessa. She didn’t put up a fight to save herself or you.” His eyes turned hard. “She hasn’t once asked how you’re doing, even though you’re here because of her. Instead, she tried making quick arrangements for herself.”
Tessa couldn’t say a single thing in protest. Heather was self-centered, irresponsible, and loose. She wouldn’t lose sleep over anyone else—no matter what happened to them.
“She offered to leave you behind to service the crew while she went home.” He let that sink in for a moment before he continued. “Your friend works for one of the regional bosses at the Juarez border. She smeared you into her issue. You’ll both have to answer for some missing freight before anyone goes anywhere.”
Every drop of blood left her head and face. If not for Kris, where would she be right now?
“I went to the club after Heather, but missed her.” He frowned. “I got distracted in the process. When she left, I gave the order to bring her in.”
Oh God, I’m here because of him. “I was never part of the plan,” she whispered.
“No. The reports confirm you weren’t.” Confusion clouded his eyes. “You could’ve bought your way out when Cruz asked if you had anything to bargain with. Why didn’t you?”
She squelched a wave of embarrassment. “I didn’t think I’d make it out of here. I wasn’t giving you a bonus after you…finished with me.”
Kris pulled on his boots, shaking his head. “I couldn’t even begin to explain how complicated this is.”
Fear, anger, and disappointment left her raw.
He ran his hand along the back of his neck. “I need to go deal with this mess.”
His long stride took him to the door without a backward glance in her direction.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“Almost time to go, primo.” Felipe’s nameless companion said in an annoying monotone. They’d established a rule of anonymity so “primo” would have to serve as a catch-all.
Felipe unwrapped a piece of chewing gum and popped it into his mouth while giving his pain-in-the-ass partner a sidelong glance. He’d avoided using his truck for the patrol to keep anyone from messing with his stuff. A mistake he wouldn’t make again.
They had a few minutes before the next shift came in to relieve them. The guys couldn’t arrive fast enough. He’d been drowning in silence all damn night. The guy sitting with him wouldn’t say a freakin’ word, and he’d turned off the radio, saying he couldn’t concentrate with the music on. Concentrate on what? Nothing around them but darkness, shrubs, and more darkness. With the airport closed, the only life out there besides them was crickets and cicad
as.
“Yeah. Kris probably set up security for so many days just to annoy the crap out of me.” One of his many fuckin’ talents.
Primo turned in his seat, a grin tugging at his mouth. “Hey-hey, do you know who this Kris guy is?”
Felipe eyed Primo. The first sign of life came from mentioning Kris. What the hell?
“I was kinda hoping I’d get to see him during one of the patrols.”
“Guess not today,” Felipe sneered. Great. He was stuck in a vehicle with another one of Kris’s freakin’ fans.
The corner of Primo’s lips tightened. “Yeah, guess a guy like him wouldn’t be out here doing grunt work, huh.” He turned to face forward, his shoulders slumping dejectedly.
Pfft. “Yeah, that son of a bitch is no better than anyone else.”
The other man stiffened, giving Felipe a narrow-eyed look. “I don’t think we’re talking about the same guy.” Felipe glared back, but the guy went on unaffected. “The Kris I’m talking about runs this area and everything going through Nuevo Laredo.”
Anger heated the shell of Felipe’s ears. He didn’t like being overlooked. “No. I’m the one that runs this area.” The guy didn’t need to know Kris was second in command of the cartel.
“Oh.” He shrugged. “Well, I musta heard wrong. Guess he must be from another outfit.”
Damn straight. The only guy in charge—
“I heard he’s gonna be running a special division from all the people hooking up this week.” The world came to a dead stop for Felipe. A move like that would put him at the top of a whole new food chain. “I want in. So if you hear anything let me know, okay?” Primo tapped his palms on the steering wheel. “I talked to a couple of the guys on my crew. We were gonna let each other know if we get paired up with him.”
The skin around Felipe’s nose tightened. No wonder a couple of the guys had looked put-out when he reminded them they weren’t sharing personal info. That would also explain why the son of a bitch kept going out to get a friggin’ progress report from everyone in the surrounding towns. He was already pilfering the crews in the area.
Felipe sat back. One idea after another rolling through his head. This isn’t over.
…
Kris’s boot heels slammed each concrete stair. He stomped into the kitchen half-dressed then went down the hall.
Felipe barely spared him a glance as he tossed his keys on the table next to a bag with his breakfast. Cruz looked up from the table where he sat playing a shooter on a handheld. “Morning, Boss.” When he received no response, he went back to stalking his electronic prey.
Kris slowed, then backtracked to the kitchen doorway. “Put a spotter on Blondie’s boyfriend.” The angles of his face were stark, his brow furrowed, one hand hovered over a button he’d been pushing through the eyelet. Yeah, like he needed a reminder that Kris was rolling around with his bitch all night.
Cruz nodded. “Armed?”
Kris shook his head absently. “Just need eyes on him for now,” he said. “I’ll need regular updates on what he’s up to.” He continued through.
“I’ll see if I can scrounge up a honey to keep him warm while…” Kris was long gone. Cruz shrugged. “Hmm, must be trouble in paradise.”
Felipe pointedly ignored the comment, unpacking his breakfast. Fat-ass kept talking while he flipped through the numbers in his phone directory. Within minutes, he’d arranged for around-the-clock surveillance on Heather’s boyfriend.
Damn. Felipe fumed while he chewed on the first taco. He’d gone from sitting with a mute to tolerating annoying chatter.
Cruz pulled a beer from the refrigerator and twisted the cap off. He frowned. “What’s up?”
Felipe shrugged. “Long night.”
Cruz scratched his chest as he took a drink. “That’s it?” He asked with a cynical huff. “Kris comes through acting all distracted. Now you come in acting all weird.”
Felipe froze. He was going to crash at the house for a while so he could plan. But Fat-ass could tell something was up. He’d have to come up with some BS or Cruz would latch on like a pit bull. “Maybe Romeo’s having second thoughts about keeping the girls until after the meeting.”
“Doubt it.”
Felipe picked up the game, ignoring him. He double-tapped a button and grimaced as the machine shook, indicating he’d been hit. “Shit.”
Cruz craned his neck, trying to see the monitor. Unsuccessful, he swigged his beer and belched. “Nah. She ain’t going nowhere. Boss has a major case of the hots for that piece.” He smirked. “Damn. I’m glad Jaime called him down and not me.”
Felipe restarted the game. He didn’t need to hear Cruz talk about them fucking.
“The guy was pulled from the room half-naked and pissed off.” Cruz paused in an obvious attempt to have him take the bait. “You wouldn’t have come down?” Cruz’s voice was laced with amusement.
“No,” he scoffed. “Like you would have?”
“No,” he snorted. “But that’s why he is the boss.”
Felipe glowered at him then went back to the screen. Maybe he should plan on bringing Fat-ass down a notch. The idea died before it came to fruition. He didn’t want to contemplate what Cruz would do if he got wind of his plan.
After a few minutes, Cruz tossed out his empty bottle. “You think he’ll keep her?” He asked with concern.
“Don’t know. Kris doesn’t say shit to anyone.” He’d known there would be trouble when he figured out Kris tricked him into handing her over. That was before he paraded her out wearing a damp shirt. Then Cruz, asshole he was, announced Kris was upstairs fucking her. “If you ask me, he’s gonna end up screwing himself over.”
“Yeah, but you can’t blame the guy.” Cruz grinned. “What a way to go.”
“The son of a bitch needs to lighten the hell up. No piece of ass is sacred in this business.” He went back to his game.
“Bah! She’s too much trouble.” Cruz grunted. “How do you deal with a woman who can take on three men, and not in a good way?”
Felipe’s smile faded. The bruise on his arm still stung where she’d landed a blow the first day. Even Kris came away with a reminder of her aggression. While she was a fine piece, he preferred the willing women surrounding men in his profession.
Kris didn’t have regular ties to anyone, which proved to be smart in their business. Though, he talked to a woman on occasion. Their sexually laced innuendos left him wondering if she was a standby or provided women to meet his needs. What’s better than paying a woman to go away after fucking her? Genius.
“You know, he may get off on the fight.”
Felipe shrugged. “Sounded like he tamed her.” While the guys continued watching their damn game, he’d left. No use in watching if there was no chance of his team catching up. He’d stepped out in time to hear her scream Kris’s name. The thought of him being the one between her thighs made his blood boil. The guy always turned up his damn nose at the women the crew had available. His eyes narrowed. Why this particular girl? What made her so goddamn special?
Cruz cackled. “So we have him coming around for some pussy a while longer.”
Felipe glared at him.
“Come on, like you didn’t get some blondie last night.”
“I still shared.” Not one to pass up an opportunity, he vented his lust in the willing arms of their other guest. She was a poor substitute, but the act helped curb his appetite for the time being.
Cruz scratched his stubbly jaw. “He’s more than due to take a piece. Let him screw her brains out. You gotta admit, she’s even chilled him out.”
“Well, I’m glad we hand over both of them tomorrow.”
“Think we’ll get a ride before he gets rid of the Fox?” Cruz grinned, slapping a meaty hand on Felipe’s shoulder. “Cause I have a feeling someone I know wants to be the first one in line.” His belly bounced as his laughter echoed in the small room.
“Fuck you, asshole.” Felipe swung back, knocking Cruz’s hand
off his shoulder. He stalked out, his jaw clenched. He wasn’t getting in any damn line for a woman Kris was leaving behind.
He got in his SUV, slamming the door harder than he normally would have. Rap music blared when he started the vehicle. Irritated, he jammed his finger against the power button before he pulled out into the street. He needed to think. To plan. To make Kris pay for every humiliation he’d suffered because of him.
Everyone had a weakness. He’d been able to ferret out and use a few to his advantage over the years. His predecessor had been a control freak. All he had to do was call in a tip when he went to pick up the payment for a big load. He’d been busted with the boss’s cash. Even if he’d managed to buy off the cops, he’d be hard-pressed to explain the missing payment to the boss. Good thing the guys he contacted were a better shot.
His maneuvering had still taken a toll. The boss knew someone in the group was providing information on their dealing, but he hadn’t figured out who. Cruz’s search had turned bloody, until Kris came in.
While he’d eluded the interrogations and taken over operations, he’d had to share control of his area with Kris and, to some extent, with Cruz.
The job, with its limited power, had become the biggest pain in his ass. Kris was always there, looking over his shoulder, questioning his decisions, making him look like a fool. It was time for him to go. But how? So far, he hadn’t been able to trap Kris or find his Achilles heel. He didn’t drink, didn’t party, didn’t have a steady squeeze, and had no family to speak of.
The key was the girl. She was special to him. Maybe he could talk to the Juarez boss. It wouldn’t take much to convince him she wasn’t part of the double-cross. Heather was talking so much shit she couldn’t keep it all straight.
If he got his hands on her, he could sell her off to a whorehouse. A smile split his face. Eventually, he’d even tell the guys where he’d “found” her.
He could wait a few more hours.
…
Tessa was leaning against the pillow, staring at the book in her lap without seeing the words, when Kris walked in carrying a couple of bags. He looked devastating in a charcoal gray shirt that made his eyes stand out.
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