He was about to close the door, but then looked back at Anna, who stood in the middle of the room, swaying with exhaustion. “Keep the door locked. Don’t open it to anyone but me or Carrie. And keep your gun with you at all times.”
She nodded, and he closed the door. The instant he heard the lock engage, Aidan walked away. He had wanted to stay. Wanted to hold her and reassure both of them that everything would be fine. Since he had long ago stopped making promises he couldn’t keep, Aidan told himself to concentrate on what he could do. Finding out who was poisoning these people and then getting Anna and Carrie the hell out of here.
Chapter Seventeen
Anna stood in the middle of the large bathroom. Every part of her body either ached, stung, or throbbed with pain. Even as much as she wanted to help Aidan and Carrie, she knew she’d be collapsing soon if she didn’t rest a little. The last thing she wanted was to be a liability to either of them.
She eased her backpack from her shoulders and set it on the counter. Sitting on the chair at the vanity, she untied her boots and slid them off her feet, along with her socks. The cold tile against her hot, tired feet felt heavenly. That small amount of relief gave her enough energy to stand and start pulling her stiff, filthy clothes from her body. Removing the gun from her bra holster, she set it on the sink. Turning, she grimaced at the filthy pile of clothes on the floor. She was glad she’d brought a change of clothing, because there was no way those were going back on her body.
Grabbing a hand towel from a stack on the shelf, she wetted it and started cleaning. With each swipe, she discovered a new bruise or cut. Even though her injuries were uncomfortable, she was grateful they were superficial and she had no broken bones.
She used up one bottle of water. The stark-white hand towels she’d started with were now so muddy a bottle of bleach wouldn’t save them. She, however, felt refreshed and almost clean. She chanced a glance in the mirror and made a face at the pale, exhausted woman staring back at her. She could do nothing about that, but she could at least put her hair back to rights. Untangling the messy braid, she combed her hair and then rebraided it. She pulled fresh khaki pants, a black tank top, and socks from her backpack and put them on. She put her boots back on, took the gun, and left the bathroom, feeling like a new person.
Even though she felt guilty for doing so, Anna made herself lie down on the bed. Collapsing from exhaustion would do nothing but cause problems. She inhaled and exhaled through a series of deep breaths, hoping a few minutes of meditation and rest would help. Ten minutes later, she sat up. This was doing no good. She couldn’t stop thinking about what was going on outside those doors. While she was lying in bed like a ninny, any number of things might be happening to her friends. She couldn’t just lie here. What if they needed her?
Grabbing the gun beside her, she went to the door and put her ear to it. Hearing nothing, she unlocked it and peered out. Still no sounds. Closing the door, she quickly returned the gun to her bra holster, opened the door again and headed back to the infirmary. She might have no medical training, but she could soothe brows and hold hands with the best of them.
She walked into the large room. Evelyn was there, mopping the face of one of the men.
“Hola, Evelyn. How can I help?”
Her smile tired, Evelyn said, “The two men over there could use some water.”
Hurrying over to a large fridge, she took two bottles, turned around, and came to an abrupt stop. A beautiful young woman stood before her. Maybe a little taller than Anna, she had long, lustrous black hair, dark brown eyes, and dark golden skin. Wearing a scarlet halter top, skinny jeans, and bright red high-heeled sandals, she looked like she was ready for a night of clubbing. Finding her standing in the middle of an infirmary filled with sick and dying men was more than surprising. The dichotomy of the two was almost painful. This must be Elena Garcia, Julio’s new bride.
Since Elena just stood there, staring, Anna gave her a pleasant smile and said, “Can I help you?”
“Who are you?”
“I’m Anna Bradford. I’m here to help these—”
“Where are Diego and Salvador?”
Aidan hadn’t told her what he’d done with the men, but Anna knew he had most likely tied them up somewhere to reduce the threat. Telling that to this woman was probably not in Anna’s best interest.
“I’m not sure. Is there something you need?” It occurred to her then that she might have come to ask for help for her husband. “Is it your husband? Is he worse?”
Confusion flickered across her face. “My husband? No. No.” Then as if she’d just comprehended what Anna was asking, she said, “I just checked on him. He’s sleeping, poor baby.”
“And you?” Anna asked. “Are you feeling all right?”
“Of course.” A slender, perfectly manicured hand waved away the question. “I never get sick.”
“Then how can I help you?”
She held up a long black device that looked like a television remote control. “I need new batteries.”
Before she could explain that finding batteries for the woman wasn’t something she could help with, a gagging sound behind her caught Anna’s attention. She hurried to a man a few feet away struggling to reach the bucket beside him. Holding it for him, she smoothed back his hair and spoke softly to him as he vomited into the bucket. When at last he finished, his head plopped back onto his pillow. Anna pushed the foul-smelling bucket away. Taking a cloth hanging from the railing of the headboard, she dampened it with water from a bottle and wiped his face and neck. The man closed his eyes and whispered, “Gracias.”
Wishing she could do something other than wipe faces and hold buckets, Anna stood. She turned and was surprised to find Elena Garcia still in the room. She had assumed the girl would be disgusted by the stench or the gagging and leave.
The expression on Elena’s face revealed no disgust. Anna tilted her head in wonder. If anything, there was a glint of something like satisfaction or glee in the beautiful woman’s eyes.
Comprehension flashed like a beacon and before she could stop herself, she blurted, “It’s you. You’re responsible for the poisoning.”
“What? How dare you accuse me of such a thing?”
Anna looked at the woman with a face of an angel. Years ago, she had trusted a young girl because she’d looked so beautiful, so innocent. That misplaced trust had resulted in Anna’s abduction and torture. She had learned a hard lesson that day, one she would never forget. The most beautiful of faces could hide the evilest of hearts.
Elena must have realized her lies weren’t being believed. A glimmer of what looked like amusement appeared in her eyes and she lifted a slender shoulder in an arrogant shrug. “So? What does it matter to you?”
“Why would you do something so callous? You poisoned not only your husband, but these men, too. Two of them have already died.”
“You think I care about these men? These people?” Elena made a dramatic spitting sound. “They are filth beneath my feet. Not worthy to be in my presence.”
“Then why did you marry Julio?”
“Our fathers arranged it.”
In other countries, other cultures, arranged marriages happened all the time, often without the couple wanting to be married. However, few of those marriages ended in mass murder. “How did you think you could get away with it?”
Her chin tilted upward in a proud slant. “This was my father’s revenge on the Garcia family.”
“Your father is in on this? But why?”
“The Ruizes have been the most powerful family in this country for years. Juan Garcia thought he could take away our business. We do not mind competitors, but when they steal our business, we retaliate.”
“This was over business issues?” Amazed and appalled, Anna’s eyes swept over the ill and dying men in the room. Heaven only knew how many more there would be. “Why kill innocent men? Why would murder be the only answer?”
“You stupid puta,” Elena spat, “w
ith your holier-than-thou morality. Destroying the seed is the only way to kill the crop.” She gave an arrogant jerk of her head. “It was my idea to marry the youngest son and destroy him. I made this sacrifice for my father, my family. It is an important warning to all. He who betrays a Ruiz will live to regret it.”
Belatedly realizing that she was standing only a few feet from a murderer, Anna slowly began to back away. Hoping to distract Elena from noticing her retreat, she said, “You have to know that Juan Garcia will want revenge for the death of his son.”
“You think we do not have a plan? We are prepared for war. Prepared to eradicate the entire Garcia family and all who get in our way. Once we are finished, the world will know our power.”
“You don’t care who gets hurt, do you?”
“You think I care about any of them? Putas. Whores. Sons and daughters of whores. They all deserve to die.”
“And what about your child? You want him or her to grow up with this kind of life?”
She gave a trill of laughter, and Anna couldn’t help but notice it sounded just as lovely as the woman herself looked. “I am not pregnant. I just told Julio that so he wouldn’t touch me. Threatening to vomit on him every time he came near me was an excellent way to keep him away from me.”
“You’ll never get away with it.”
“Oh, but I will.” With admirable speed, Elena pulled a gun from a holster hung over a bed rail. Carrie had described the difficulty she’d had in getting the men to take off their gun belts to lie in bed. She had compromised by telling them their weapons would be right beside them if they were needed.
Elena held the gun with a chilling competence. She pointed it directly at Anna’s head, her smile that of a cold-blooded killer. “Get on your knees, bitch.”
Chapter Eighteen
Aidan was heading back to the infirmary with Carrie. Though Julio had given them permission to examine Elena Garcia, she hadn’t been in her room when they arrived.
According to Carrie, the young woman hadn’t been in to see her husband. Aidan wondered about their marriage. He didn’t figure this had been a love match, but even so, wouldn’t she have at least wanted to talk to Carrie about her husband’s health and possible recovery?
He had hoped to learn more about her, but the only person they’d found in her suite was an older woman sitting in a rocker. Her name was Linda, and she’d been Elena Garcia’s companion since Elena was a child. She said she was looking out for her charge and reassured them that Elena was showing no symptoms of an illness. She said Elena was in the shower, but she would relay the doctor’s concerns. Aidan and Carrie could do nothing more than thank her and leave. This whole thing seemed messed up.
“Why don’t you go get cleaned up? Maybe lie down for a while,” Carrie said. “I’ll head back to the infirmary and relieve Evelyn.”
Aidan was about to agree to her suggestion when his cellphone buzzed. Grabbing it, he was relieved to see McCall’s name on the screen. “McCall?”
“The helicopter with two doctors and various medical supplies will arrive there in about half an hour.”
Relief swept through Aidan. At last some good news.
“Excellent.”
“How’s everyone doing?”
“About as well as expected. No new deaths but still a lot of sick men. Garcia might not make it.”
“The helicopter will take Anna and Carrie back. I’d like you to stay and keep an eye on the doctors.”
Aidan refused to acknowledge the disappointment that he wouldn’t be accompanying Anna. This thing with her needed to end before it could become a problem. Having the temptation removed was the best thing for both of them.
“Will do.”
“Kelly and the rest of the team hitched a ride on the helicopter.”
He had a feeling Diego and Salvador were going to be problems. Having backup from his team members would be welcome.
“Sounds good. I’ll let you know as soon as things settle down.” Pocketing his cell, he smiled at Carrie. “Help will be here soon. You and Anna can leave.”
Carrie shook her head. “I’ll stay until this is over. I think it would be good for Anna to leave, though.”
He agreed with that but wondered what Anna might say. They’d face that when the time came. The urge to get Anna away from this place and to safety was becoming a strong need inside him.
Feeling a renewed energy, he said, “I’ll go with you to the infirmary, see if there’s anything I can do to help, and then head up to the bedroom to check on Anna.”
Carrie’s mysterious little smile made Aidan wonder what Anna might have told her about him. It was obvious she had recognized his name when they first spoke on the phone. Had Anna told her friend that he’d been part of her rescue years ago? Or did Carrie know more about their recent relationship, which consisted of him being a jerk to Anna every time she was around? He hoped it was the first one.
They were almost to the infirmary, and Aidan was about to ask that question when he heard the chilling words: “Get on your knees, bitch.”
What the hell?
“Elena.” Anna tried to keep the nervousness out of her voice. Using a no-nonsense tone she often used with recalcitrant parents, she continued, “Shooting me will not solve your problems. There are men here who are loyal to your husband. They won’t let you get away with this.”
“You think you’re so smart. Don’t you think we planned this carefully?”
“How do you think you’ll escape from here? Do you fly helicopters?”
“I don’t need to know how to fly. When the time comes to leave, I’ll have all the help I’ll need.”
So she had men here who were loyal to her family. Anna thought she might know their names.
“Are you counting on Diego and Salvador? If so, they’re locked up and can’t help you.”
“What do you mean they’re locked up? Who would do such a thing?”
A harsh voice answered, “I did such a thing.”
Keeping the gun pointed at Anna, Elena turned toward the door. Aidan stood there, his own gun pointing at Elena.
“Who are you?”
“That’s not important. What is important is that you need to put that gun down and get away from Anna.”
For the first time, Anna saw a flicker of doubt in Elena’s eyes. Shooting one unarmed woman had probably seemed easy enough. But now she had two other people to consider, one of whom had a gun. The look in Aidan’s eyes left no doubt that he would use his weapon in a heartbeat.
“We mean you no harm,” Anna assured her. “You poisoned only the people who threatened your family. Correct?”
“Si. That was the plan.”
“What items did you poison?”
“The cerveza and tequila in the cantina. And the coffee that’s only for Julio’s use.”
If that was the truth, as long as everyone stayed away from the cantina and Julio’s coffee, everyone else should be safe.
“What’s in the poison?” Aidan asked.
Her brow furrowed in what look like real confusion. “I do not know. Why would I? It was doing its job.”
Hoping to diffuse the situation, Anna said, “We came to rescue my friend, the doctor that Julio kidnapped. We have no wish to be involved in your family’s feud with the Garcias. That’s our only purpose here. Put the gun down and no one will be harmed. I promise.”
“I promised my papa I would not fail,” she whispered softly.
She saw then that Elena, while beautiful and vain, was just a young girl who wanted to please her father. She was a pawn in Pablo Ruiz’s evil plan.
“Your papa wouldn’t want you to be hurt, Elena.”
“He will be disappointed in me if I don’t finish this. He sent me here to destroy the Garcia family. I cannot fail.”
What might’ve happened next if Anna had been able to continue to encourage Elena to give up, they would never know. A man screamed, “You whore!”
All eyes went to the door o
n the other side of the room. Julio Garcia leaned against the doorjamb. No one saw the gun until the shot blasted through the air. Anna thought she heard Aidan shout, “Anna, get down!”
Something wet splashed onto Anna’s face and arms. She looked down to see Elena lying only a foot away, half of her face gone. Blood and brain matter was everywhere. In her numbed mind, Anna knew she was covered with Elena Garcia’s remains.
Hard hands grabbed her, shook her. “Anna, look at me. Are you okay?”
In a daze, she looked up at Aidan and tried to speak. Nothing came out.
“Answer me. Are you hurt?” Even as Aidan asked, his hands were running up and down her body, looking for an injury. No wounds, thank God. He stood and, noting her eyes were glazed with shock, he cupped her face in his hands. “Focus on me, baby. You’re fine. Everything is fine.”
She shook her head and said in a thin voice, “Aidan? She’s dead?”
He had to get her out of here. He glanced over at Julio, who had collapsed on the floor seconds after killing his wife. Carrie was tending to him.
He scooped Anna into his arms. On the way out of the room, he snagged three large water bottles from the stash on the table. Carrie and Evelyn could see to Julio. Anna was his priority right now.
She was still and stiff in his arms. Not caring that they were both now a bloody mess, Aidan shifted her closer to his chest and whispered a litany of comforting words as a whirlwind of emotions zoomed through him.
At Carrie’s room, Aidan pushed the door open. Striding to the bathroom, he placed Anna on the closed toilet seat. He opened one of the waters, took a towel from the shelf, and dampened it. Kneeling in front of her, he said, “Close your eyes, baby.”
Those eyes, deep pools of pain, looked at him so damn trustingly. He had promised to take care of her, and he’d damn well almost lost her. “Come on, sweetheart. Close your eyes for me.”
Her lids closed, and Aidan began to clean her face. She was a mess. There was no way he could get all of the blood off without putting her in the shower. He wouldn’t do that until they were off this mountain. It didn’t matter that Elena Garcia said she’d poisoned only the alcohol and her husband’s coffee grounds. Aidan was taking no chances. The woman had been bent on destroying the Garcias. Believing anything she said would be a mistake.
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