by Julia Sykes
“What are you…?” My tongue grew heavy in my mouth, and lethargy rolled over me as my eyes drooped closed.
“I can’t protect you,” he said, pressing a kiss against my motionless lips. “Goodbye, sirenita. Te amo.”
I knew what it meant. I love you.
Chapter 24
I awoke to the sound of someone’s fist pounding on wood. Forcing open my sandpaper eyelids, I struggled to assess my surroundings. In my gut, I knew something was wrong. The bed beneath me, the too-rough sheets that covered me, the slacks I wore.
Wrong.
I could still smell Andrés’ unique, masculine scent. But that was because I was covered by one of his huge shirts.
The pounding increased in volume, escalating to banging. The sound reverberated in my skull, and I winced, my aching brain working overtime to process everything.
“Sam!” A familiar voice bellowed. I glanced toward the locked hotel room door that separated me from my friend.
“Dex?” I rasped, my throat too dry.
Wood splintered, and the door burst open. My best friend rushed toward me.
“No,” I breathed.
Dex couldn’t be here. That meant…
“No!” Anguish wrapped around my heart.
Andrés had sent me back to my friends, back to safety. And he’d left himself at his brother’s mercy. Cristian would punish him for letting me go.
“It’s okay, Sam. It’s me.” Dex stopped a few feet away from me, keeping the same careful, respectful distance he always did.
“Are you hurt?” Jason asked. He stood even farther away, barely inside the broken doorway. Tension gripped his body, and his dark green eyes studied me intently. His lips twisted in disgust when his gaze fell on Andrés’ shirt covering me. It obviously belonged to a man; it nearly swallowed my much smaller frame. “Who did this to you?” he ground out, clearly putting two and two together. He saw my state of dress and assumed I’d been violated by my captors.
“Where is he?” I asked thickly, struggling to control my tongue. The drugs lingered in my system, sapping my strength and dulling my mind. All I knew was I had to get back to Andrés before Cristian hurt him.
“Who?” Dex asked, kneeling beside the bed so he could study my face. “Who were you with? We got an anonymous call saying you’d be here. Are you…” He eyed Andrés’ shirt, his pale blue gaze igniting with rage. His jaw clenched, and he took a deep breath. “Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine.” I slurred. “I have to go.”
“Go? Sam, you’ve been missing for almost a month. You’re not going anywhere.”
I tried to sit up, but the world wavered around me, and I dropped back onto the pillows.
“I have a bus on the way,” Jason said.
I didn’t want an ambulance. I didn’t want to go to the hospital. I wanted to get back to Andrés before something terrible happened to him.
But I couldn’t seem to move. I could barely think. I heard Dex talking, but I couldn’t quite focus on what he was saying. The room kept sliding into darkness. Every time the world disappeared, I tried to force my eyes back open.
I was fighting a losing battle. Everything dissolved around me, until all I had left was fear for Andrés.
When I finally came back to full awareness, I found myself in a hospital bed. Dex was standing at the threshold to the room, his massive body blocked by a short nurse who was clearly struggling to hold her ground.
I heard her murmur the words rape kit as she tried to shoo Dex away, and my stomach dropped.
I couldn’t let them run a rape kit. I’d had sex with Andrés a few hours ago while under the influence of Bliss, and he’d come inside me. I doubted his DNA was on file anywhere, but I couldn’t allow them to collect that kind of evidence against him.
“I want to talk to Dex,” I said loudly, alerting them both to the fact that I was awake.
His blue eyes blazed when they focused on me, his tanned face oddly pale. He evidently hadn’t liked the words rape kit, either. Although, he was disturbed for entirely different reasons. He thought I’d been used against my will, violated.
“I need to talk to you,” I said, more softly. “Please.”
My mind whirred to life. I had to figure out a way to save Andrés before Cristian realized I was missing. I’d start by questioning Dex. I needed to know what the FBI suspected about my abduction and what was being done to try to find the people who’d taken me.
The nurse finally stepped aside and allowed Dex to enter. He approached me carefully, moving slowly so he wouldn’t spook me. He reached for me, almost touching my shoulder. Then his hand clenched to a fist, and he pulled away. He never had been willing to push past my barriers and touch me. We were buddies, and he respected my personal space issues.
Once, I’d longed for him to look at me with desire, with love. Now, he was watching me with concern.
And all I wanted was for him to get out of my way so I could get back to the man I loved before something terrible happened to him. I knew where Andrés’ building was located. I’d spent enough time staring down at the cross streets below his penthouse windows to know exactly how to find my way back to him.
Andrés obviously thought I’d accept the sanctuary offered by the Bureau. He thought he could send my friends to retrieve me, and I’d quietly go back to my life with the FBI, kept safe by my fellow agents.
He was wrong. I was going straight back to him.
Te amo.
He loved me. He loved me, so he’d let me go. He didn’t believe he was strong enough to fight his brother.
But he hadn’t counted on having me by his side. He’d only seen me in my weak attempts to fight as a field agent. He’d never seen me in hacker-geek-goddess mode. If I could get back to him, I could show him how easy it would be for the two of us to take Cristian down.
I just needed his laptop, and I’d be able to destroy Cristian financially, backing him into a corner before sending the full power of the FBI after him. I’d send all the incriminating evidence straight to Jason and Dex, and they’d handle the arrest.
Especially if they knew Cristian was the one responsible for my abduction.
“It was Cristian Moreno,” I said quietly, looking straight into Dex’s eyes. “He kidnapped me.”
His jaw clenched. He knew about the Bliss and human trafficking. He’d seen me in Andrés’ shirt, and he was clearly coming to some dark conclusions.
“Jason thought Division 9-C had you. We looked into Moreno, but there was no evidence. We didn’t think you were on his radar. We were looking in the wrong place. Fuck, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Sam. Did he… Were you hurt?”
I cut my eyes away from his, even though I didn’t feel any particular compulsion to do so. My nervous tic seemed to have been eradicated, but I didn’t want him to see the truth in my eyes. I hadn’t been hurt. Not really.
But it was to my advantage if Dex thought I had been. I needed him to think I was weak, shaken. Not fully mentally sharp and calculating the best way to get Andrés away from both his brother and the FBI.
“Where’s Jason?” I asked instead of answering him.
“He’s out looking for the people who did this to you. I’ll call him and tell him it was Moreno.”
“What about you?” I pressed quietly. “Will you go after Cristian?”
“No. I’m staying right here with you.”
Crap.
I needed him to leave. I had to get back to Andrés, especially while the FBI was distracted with tracking Cristian. I’d been running through all the potential ways to save Andrés, and one had become clear to me: I had to get him and his laptop from his penthouse and go into hiding.
I didn’t know how to get in touch with Andrés directly. I’d never seen him with a phone, and while I knew he must have one, I didn’t know how often he kept it on him. Certainly not when he was in his penthouse. That was a mostly technology-free zone, except for his laptop. Even if I was able to find his number som
ehow—and I’d need access to a computer for that—it would take too long to track down.
I wasn’t sure how long I’d been out of it, but Cristian could find out I was missing at any time and decide to hurt Andrés for letting me go.
So the time factor ruled out trying to communicate with Andrés remotely. That meant I’d need to go to him in person. Which was an impossibility as long as Dex was hovering over me. He’d follow me. Or worse, prevent me from leaving the hospital.
I couldn’t risk telling him about Andrés, because then the Bureau would know exactly where to find the man who’d been holding me captive. They wouldn’t treat him gently if they knew his role in my abduction, no matter what I said to defend him.
Once I got away from Dex and back to Andrés, we’d leave Chicago. I wasn’t sure what kind of private transportation Andrés had at his disposal, but I was fairly certain he’d have something we could use to leave the city. A car would do. A jet would be awesome.
I’d never cared for his drug money, but in that moment, I hoped to hell Andrés had a private jet. If he didn’t, I’d have to get us fake passports, and that would be a snag I wasn’t quite ready to deal with. Maybe he’d have a connection somewhere that could help. What good was being in love with a master criminal if he didn’t have some useful seedy connections?
Somehow, we’d get out of the country. I’d move all his money to an offshore account—at least, as much as we needed to survive. And then we’d ride off into the sunset together.
Now that I was faced with the prospect of being returned to my old life, I realized I didn’t want it. I’d spent years hiding behind my computer. I was ready to live my life, and I wanted to share it with Andrés. I didn’t care where we went, as long as we were together and he was safe from Cristian.
But I had to get past Dex first. My eyes searched the room. He’d left his keys and phone on the table in the corner, beside a chair where he must have been sitting while I slept.
I needed those keys.
Not the phone, because that could be tracked. I didn’t know how to call Andrés, anyway. Access to the internet from the smart phone would have been nice, but I didn’t have time to do any hacking, especially not from a phone. I could do much more significant damage to Cristian once I had access to the raw data on Andrés’ laptop.
“Um, can you do something for me?” I asked, still not meeting Dex’s eye. He wouldn’t think anything of it; I rarely looked directly at him.
“Anything,” he said hoarsely.
“Can you get me some real clothes?” I wore a hospital gown, which wasn’t ideal for escape.
“I got Chloe to bring you some,” he said, gesturing at a pile of neatly-folded clothes on the table beside my hospital bed.
“Oh. Thanks. Could you, um, get me something else?”
My mind raced, trying to think of some errand I could send him on to make him leave me alone for a few minutes.
“Coffee,” I said quickly. “I haven’t had coffee in weeks.”
It was true, but I hadn’t needed it, so I hadn’t really missed it. I’d slept so soundly with Andrés that I hadn’t required my usual two cups a day.
“I don’t want to leave you,” Dex said. “I can wait until another agent comes to relieve me, and then I’ll get you anything you want.”
“Please,” I begged, letting my real desperation shine in my eyes as I finally looked up at him. “I miss it. Coffee is normal. And I haven’t… I couldn’t…” I trailed off, letting Dex read whatever dark things he wanted into my unfinished sentences.
His jaw worked as he ground his teeth together, and he nodded tightly. “Okay, Sam. I’ll get you coffee.”
“Is there a Starbucks here? You know what I like. Quad venti iced Americano with two pumps of mocha syrup. Please,” I added again when he looked hesitant.
“That’s all the way downstairs,” he said gently. “It will take a few minutes. I don’t want to leave you here by yourself.”
“I’ll be fine,” I said, feigning a yawn. “I’m still so tired. I’ll nap while you’re gone.”
“Okay,” he said reluctantly. “There’s a CPD officer just outside the door. She’ll keep you safe while I’m gone. You don’t have anything to worry about.”
“Thank you,” I forced myself to say.
Shit. Now, I had to talk my way past a police officer, too.
I set about formulating another plan as I watched Dex leave my hospital room. A small pang speared my heart as he walked away. This would be the last time I saw him. In person, anyway. I fully intended to keep in touch online, if he was willing.
As soon as the door closed behind Dex, I got out of bed and quickly pulled on the clothes Chloe had brought for me: a pair of yoga pants made for a woman with a much more toned butt than me, and a soft black t-shirt. It felt weird wearing clothes after spending so much time naked in Andrés’ bed, but they were comfortable enough.
I picked up Dex’s car keys and made my way to the door, opening it with purpose.
“Excuse me,” the officer said as soon as I stepped into the hall. “Where are you going?”
“I need to find a nurse,” I said. “My call button isn’t working, and I need some painkillers.”
The woman eyed me, assessing. “You don’t look injured to me.”
I dropped my eyes again to hide my lie, hoping it made me appear frail and damaged. “Um, you can’t really see where I’m hurting.”
“Oh. I’m… I’m sorry. I’ll go find someone for you.”
“Thank you,” I murmured. I watched her walk down the hall through lowered lashes. As soon as she rounded a corner, I took off in the opposite direction. I wasn’t familiar with the hospital’s layout, but it wasn’t difficult to find my way to the elevators and ride down to the parking garage. Once I was there, I hit the panic button on Dex’s keys so I could locate his car.
I raced across the garage, sprinting toward the sound of shrill beeping. As soon as I got to his black sedan, I turned off the panic signal and got into the driver’s seat. I was careful to leave the garage at a normal speed, even though I wanted to tear across town to get to Andrés. I couldn’t get a cop tailing me for speeding right now.
I was only a few blocks away from the hospital when a phone started ringing in the glove compartment. Sighing, I retrieved Dex’s personal phone and noted his work phone number on the caller ID. I also noted that he had a spare SIG stashed in there.
Good. I could use a weapon, just in case.
“Don’t be mad,” I requested as I answered the call.
“Where are you?” he growled. “You took my keys. The officer said you were wearing Chloe’s clothes. Do you know what I thought when I came back and you were gone? I thought he’d come back for you. I thought—”
“I’m fine,” I promised, cutting off his tirade.
“Why?” he demanded. “Why would you leave? And where the hell are you going?”
“Back to him,” I said truthfully. “I have to save him, Dex.”
“You’re going back to Moreno? Are you crazy?”
Dex probably thought I was unhinged, warped by my time in captivity.
I hadn’t been warped, but I had been changed. Maybe I was a little darker than I had been, a little less pure. Maybe some of my light had spilled into Andrés, just as some of his darkness had seeped into me.
I had to get back to him, to grab him and his laptop and get the hell out of Chicago before Cristian realized I’d been freed. Once we were off the map, we could take Cristian down. I wasn’t exactly sure where we’d go, but I’d make sure to set enough of Andrés’ money aside in an offshore account to establish a safety net for the two of us. The rest could be donated to various charities, to start to set right some of the evil Cristian had brought into the world. Evil that Andrés had facilitated, even if he hadn’t wanted to do it.
I’d help him atone.
I’d have some atoning of my own to do. After all, I was stealing Dex’s car and going on t
he run with a notorious criminal.
I grinned to myself. Maybe I was a bit of an anti-hero.
Cool.
“Sam, come back to the hospital. Please.”
“I can’t. Sorry, Dex.”
“Do you know what it did to me when you went missing? I can’t lose you again. Come back to me.”
I didn’t like the anguish in his voice. I didn’t want to hurt my best friend. I owed him an explanation.
“I’m going back to Andrés,” I told Dex. “I love him.”
“Andrés Moreno? No, you don’t. You’re confused.”
“I’m not confused,” I said calmly. “Not anymore. I used to think I was in love with you. Did you know that?”
“What?” His breathless tone let me know he’d had no idea.
“It’s okay. I’m supposed to be with Andrés. Just like you’re supposed to be with Chloe. If she were in danger, you’d do anything to save her, wouldn’t you?”
“Of course, but—”
“That’s what I’m doing right now. I’m saving the man I love. I’ll send you all the dirt you’ll need to arrest Cristian in a few hours. Call Jason and tell him to start getting ready to move in on Cristian. I need you to find him fast, Dex. I’ll do what I can to drive him out into the open.”
“Don’t do this, Sam,” Dex pleaded. “Let me help you. I know I failed you, but let me help. I can’t make it right, but—”
“I made my own choices,” I said firmly. “And I’m making my own choices right now. You didn’t do anything wrong, Dex. I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my life. Well, I will be,” I amended.
I just had to go save my man.
“Don’t try to look for me,” I warned. “I’ll see you online, if you’re ever up for a game.”
“I’m going to find you, Sam,” he promised. “Whatever’s happened to you, I’m going to help you.”
“I don’t need your help. You need mine. I’m going to keep tracking Division 9-C for Jason. I’m going to make sure Natalie is safe for good. I’ll email him. But don’t bother trying to trace it, because you’ll just be wasting the tech analysists’ time. I mean, I know you’ll make them try, but don’t be too mean to them when they fail.”