Draw Blood

by Cynthia Rayne

  Mary gave him a watery smile, while Luna looked at him doubtfully. She was wise to be wary.

  “I’m gonna get you both out of here, I promise.”

  Luna nodded. “Okay.”

  Ten picked Luna up and set the girl on his hip, while Jasper took Maria. Coughing and crying, the women and other children followed them outside.

  When they walked out, Jasper and Ten took off their masks. As they rounded a corner, a guard opened fire on them, and Jasper shot him. The women screamed, and Luna clutched him, burying her face in his jacket.

  “It’s okay, the bad man’s gone.” Ten kissed the top of her head. He wondered where the rest of them had gone. Maybe they’d run away along with the customers?

  “Where are you taking us?” Nicole asked.

  “Nowhere, unfortunately.” Ten spotted an old truck in the parking lot. It probably belonged to one of the staff members. “But I can hotwire a car for you. The American embassy is in Mexico City, and it’s about forty-five minutes from here. They’ll help you get back to the United States.”

  Given the circumstances, it was the best he could do.

  “What about the girls?” Her eyes were wide and suspicious, and Ten knew she didn’t trust him, nor should she. After what she’d been through, everyone was suspect.

  “We were sent after the girls by their parents, and I mean them no harm. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure they get back safe.”

  She stared at him a moment, and he met her gaze evenly.

  And then she nodded.

  After he hotwired the truck, two women climbed into the cab, and the rest crowded into the truck bed, and they took off at a breakneck pace.

  Ten turned to Jasper. “Let’s see that wound.”

  That’s when a burst of machine gun fire exploded over their heads.

  “Hold it right there. If you make another move, I’ll blow your head off.”

  ***

  “Who are you?”

  “Who’s asking?”

  Ten sat in the back of a trailer, which had been outfitted with all kinds of surveillance equipment. His wrists had been zip tied to the arms of the chair he sat in.

  “You can call me Walter.” Walter wore a dark blue suit, and he had short-cropped gray hair with a piercing pair of blue eyes.

  “I’m sure you’ve already gone through all our belongings, and you know what’s written on my passport.” He couldn’t recall the name Vick had used. Ten also recognized the subtle play on words. There’s a big difference between “my name is” and “you can call me.”

  While he didn’t know for sure, it was a pretty good bet this old man worked for the CIA. For one thing, he’d snuck up behind Ten, which was quite a feat. And he bet they’d taken care of the rest of the guards, which is why they hadn’t stormed the wine cellar in large numbers. The man who’d been standing beside Walter, the one who’d fired the gun, had been wearing army fatigues.

  Walter was overly calm and looked more like a paper pusher than a stereotypical spook, which was a dead giveaway. Everyone expected CIA agents to be like James Bond, but it couldn’t be further from the truth.

  Walter scratched his chin. “The passports were fake.”

  “You don’t say?” Ten shrugged. “How’s my friend doin’? Has he seen a medic?”

  “He’s been treated for a gunshot wound.”

  “And what about the girls?”

  “We gave them peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and they’re watching cartoons.”

  Ten relaxed a bit.

  Now the only person he had to worry about was Aggie.

  When Walter and his gun-toting friend patted them down, they’d taken his phone with its GPS tracking app, and he was itching to see Aggie’s location, but it would have to wait. They’d also confiscated their ear pieces, but he hadn’t been able to get an answer from her earlier.

  Ten was afraid Santiago had killed her. Or worse.

  “Know what I think?” Walter asked.

  “Why don’t you tell me?”

  “You used to be in the military, and I’m guessing by the little performance we witnessed, you served with an elite force. Maybe the Green Berets? The Navy SEALs?”

  “Could be. And who do you work for?”

  “You don’t need to know.”

  Ten smirked. “You’re with the CIA.”

  Walter chuckled. “So you’ve got it all figured out.”

  “As a matter of fact, I do.” Ten squared his jaw. “You’re gonna let all of us go.”

  “Am I? And why’s that?”

  “Because you’ve got a publicity problem on your hands.”

  His features hardened. “No one knows what went on here today.”

  “I do.”

  Walter smirked. “You aren’t in the position to tell anybody.”

  And then Ten played his card. “As a matter of fact, a colleague of mine has been monitorin’ the situation from a remote location, and she’s ready to go all WikiLeaks on you if you don’t back off.” Ten hadn’t asked Vick to watch them, but since Jasper was in the mix, she’d definitely kept an eye on them.

  “Hmph.” Walter steepled his hands, but his shoulders stiffened. “I could have you charged with murder.”

  “Maybe, but you didn’t stop us. You came here for intelligence, to find out how they do business, so you could track ‘em, wiretap ‘em, and then bring them all in at a later date.”

  “So?”

  “So, you’ve got a decision to make. You wanna take credit for rescuing human traffickin’ victims or do you want the Army or Navy, or whatever branch of the military you’ll say was here, to have a very public black eye when people find out what really went down?” Ten raised a brow. “I’m thinkin’ there’ll be senate hearings and mornin’ talk shows. Not to mention protest marches over this.”

  “Are you tryin’ to threaten me?”

  “Yes.” Ten leaned forward. “Is it workin’?”

  ***

  “I can’t believe they let us go.”

  “Yeah? I can.” If Walter had been serious about detaining them, they’d be at a CIA black site in the middle of nowhere.

  Instead, they were traveling down the same winding road they’d followed into this godforsaken place. Aggie’s GPS tracker was active, but it hadn’t moved since he’d been monitoring it and Ten was starting to panic. And there was still no response on the coms.

  What if they found her body? No, don’t think like that. Take it one second at a time.

  “Are you girls okay?” Ten asked, watching them in the rearview mirror.

  “We’re fine,” Luna said, around a mouthful of Goldfish crackers. While the agents were questioning them, evidently the girls had raided their snack drawers.

  “According to the tracker, she should be here.” Jasper frowned at the screen. “But I don’t see any cars.”

  And then Ten noticed two stripes of torn up grass on the side of the road. It looked as though it had been smashed down, by car wheels moving at a fast pace. With a sense of dread, he peered out the window and saw what looked like the edge of a tire, just above the surface of the water.

  He slammed on the brakes, and they pulled over.

  Ten turned to the children. “I’ll be right back. In the meantime, keep the doors shut and locked and the windows rolled up. All right?”

  “Yup.” Maria had gone wide-eyed. “What happened?”

  “I don’t know. We’ll be right back.”

  Ten bolted out of the door and raced down the embankment to the water. The rest of the car had already sunk to the bottom of the river.

  It was the middle of the night, and the moonlight shone down on the waves. He scanned the area and found Aggie in the shallows, lying on her back.

  Ten sprinted over and pulled her from the river. Blood trickled from her mouth and nose. She had bruises all over her face and arms, and her eyes were closed.

  “Is she okay?” Jasper called.

  “I don’t know! Do you see Santiago?” />
  “No.”

  “Keep looking!” He couldn’t waste any time searching for the bastard. “Please don’t die.” Ten laid her down on the ground.

  She looked even paler, bedraggled. He pushed the damp strands from her forehead and then bent his mouth to hers, pushing air into her lungs.

  Aggie didn’t respond.

  “Breathe goddammit, breathe.” He fit his hands in the right position on her chest and pressed down in fast succession, and then blew into her mouth.

  Nothing.

  “Come on, wake up. You can’t die, not like this.”

  Ten did another round of chest compressions and then gave Aggie more air.

  She was pale and still as the grave.

  “Please come back to me, Aggie, I need you. I love you,” he whispered. He’d never said those words to another living soul, not even Cat.

  And this time, when he breathed life into her, Aggie coughed and hacked up water.

  “Aggie!” He grabbed her, holding on tight. “Are you okay? What happened?”

  “Long story,” she croaked.

  “I’m listenin’.”

  After she gasped for more air, she spoke again. “We had a tussle, and he won. Then he took off with me in a car, but he made me drive.”

  His mouth hung open in shock. “So you drove his ass over a cliff and into a river?”

  “More of an embankment, then a cliff.”

  Ten felt like shaking her. “You could’ve died.”

  “I didn’t want to, but I didn’t have a choice. I had to end this.”

  “I told you to make things harder for the Grim Reaper, Giselle, not help ‘em out.” Ten was furious, but his anger would have to wait. This was hardly the time or place.

  “Sorry.” She peered over his shoulder. “Where is the dickhead? Is he dead?”

  He smiled at the hopeful note in her voice.

  “Let me find out, while you rest up.”

  “Do you see him, Jasper?” Ten called as he picked his way along the shore.

  “Yeah, the prick’s over here,” Jasper called from the far edge of the river. Ten waded across to find Santiago lying on his back gasping for air. Blood dripped down the side of his face from a head wound. And it streamed from his mouth, too. Evidently, he had internal injuries.

  “Can’t move. Leg.” He made a vague gesture. Santiago could barely speak, let alone stand up.

  Ten smiled, taking a savage sort of pleasure in his pain. It wasn’t quite as satisfying as making Paul suffer, but it came damn near close.

  “This should be easy to deal with for a change.” Jasper stood next to him and pulled out his gun. “Want me to take care of it?”

  “No, I’ve got somethin’ else in mind.” A quick bullet between the eyes was too kind a fate for Santiago.

  “I need help,” Santiago muttered. “My leg.”

  “Is it broken?” Ten stepped on it, and Santiago howled in agony.

  Jasper snickered. “That’s a big yes.”

  “No, I…” He grasped at the grass.

  Ten figured he must’ve used the last of his strength to escape the car and haul himself to shore. He wasn’t sure what he was trying to do. Get some leverage to move? Searching for a weapon lost in the weeds?

  Regardless, it wouldn’t help him.

  He knelt beside Santiago and cupped one hand over his mouth and pinched his nostrils shut with the other, cutting off the man’s air supply.

  “How does it feel to be weak? Helpless?” Ten asked.

  His eyes went wide. He gasped and gurgled, wrapping a hand around Ten’s wrist but the asshole wasn’t strong enough to break his hold.

  Watching the life slowly drain away was therapeutic. Ten wished it didn’t give him a charge, but it did.

  After a few moments, Santiago’s body went limp.

  Ten stood, watching him for a moment. Santiago’s death wouldn’t save the people he’d sold into slavery previously, but at least the man wouldn’t enjoy the spoils of his brutality.

  Then he pulled out his camera phone and took a picture, before leaving something important next to the body.

  “That shit was cold.” Jasper patted Ten on the arm. “I loved it.”

  Ten wasn’t certain how it happened, but they’d bonded on this trip. He’d tried to forge a friendship before, but it seems he finally succeeded. It was an odd turn of events, given the circumstances.

  “Thank you. I suppose we should get out of here before the Mexican authorities find us.”

  “I agree. Let’s get our asses back across the border before sunrise. Get your girlfriend and let’s go.” Jasper headed for the car. “I’m drivin’.”

  Ten loved the sound of that—his girlfriend.

  When he reached Aggie, she started to stand, but Ten lifted her and held Aggie against his chest.

  “You can put me down now.”

  Ten sighed. “No, I really can’t.”

  ***

  “Mamá!” Luna and Maria shouted from the backseat of the car.

  Aggie grinned.

  When they pulled into Aggie’s driveway, Sofia and Alejandro were waiting for them. On the drive home, Aggie had called them to share the good news.

  When Ten put the car in park, they sprang out and ran over. Sofia jumped out of her husband’s pick-up truck and held out her arms, and they raced into them.

  “Mijas!” Sofia hugged them both, squeezing them tight. Alejandro soon joined the group, and they held onto each other for a long time.

  The scene warmed her heart.

  For once, she’d made someone happy on the job. Aggie still felt guilty about Polly and Coop, and always would, but she’d made their deaths count—a family had been reunited, slaves had been freed, and a slaver was dead.

  While Ten waited behind the wheel, she headed over to greet them.

  “Thank you so much.” Sofia reached into her purse, but Aggie shook her head.

  “Keep your money, it isn’t necessary. I’m just glad they’re safe.”

  “We can’t thank you enough.” Sofia wrapped her arms around Aggie, while her children clung to the woman’s legs.

  “Seein’ you reunited is all the reward I need.”

  It made her rethink her own choices and how she’d been avoiding living.

  After Aggie finished speaking with them, she returned to the SUV and got in with a sigh. “I’m pretty sure I could sleep for a couple of weeks.”

  “Yeah, we both could use some shut eye and a hot meal, too.” Ten started the car, and they took off down the road. “I’ll whip us up somethin’ at Poison Fruit, and we can eat it in bed.”

  It sounded like heaven to her.

  “By the way, I’ve got a little gift for you.” Ten handed her his cell phone. “I took a picture for proof and I dropped one of our GPS trackers at the scene, so you can give the Feds Santiago’s exact location. Just because he’s dead, don’t mean you shouldn’t get the money.”

  “Thank you.” Aggie leaned over and kissed his cheek, but Ten turned, so her lips settled against his own.

  Aggie threaded her hands through his hair, deepening the kiss, and Ten pulled over to the side of the road.

  “Are you finally ready to have that long overdue talk?” he asked wearily.

  “Yes, but first let me apologize. I’m sorry for worryin’ you and for not valuing what time I have left here.”

  “I thought you were…” There were tears in his eyes and he blinked them away.

  “I know. Polly once told me I was afraid of livin’ and she was right. I’d like to change that.”

  “What are you sayin’ exactly?” His eyes narrowed.

  “I’m sayin’ that I’m in love with you, Ten, and I’d like us to spend the rest of my life together.”

  His breath caught and his voice lowered, “I love you, too.”

  Aggie appreciated how difficult it was for him to say that. “Okay then, I think our relationship talk is done. How do you think it went?”

  “W
ell, I like how it ended.”

  Epilogue

  Six months later…

  “Does she have to mark everythin’?” Aggie asked, frowning at Smokey.

  Aggie was in the process of moving into his cabin. Smokey happily trotted around, rubbing her cheeks on every single box in the bedroom, leaving her scent on the items.

  Ten chuckled. “Clearly, you’ve never had a cat before. I’ll let you in on a secret—everything you own now belongs to her.”

  Once he’d bought a Sherpa blanket for his bed, which she’d proceeded to lay on. When he’d covered up with it, she’d laid on top of him. The blanket was hers, and she was merely allowing him to use it.

  “Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Aggie asked.

  “Yes, absolutely.”

  Ten had zero doubts about this relationship. He was in a much better place than he’d ever been. They’d been dating for the past few months, and he intended to ask her to marry him in the near future, she just didn’t know it yet.

  As a matter of fact, they’d all moved on.

  Dix and Belle had welcomed home a baby girl, Byron and Jane were expecting as well. Jasper and Vick had gotten married, too. Ten didn’t have a clue what Mary was up to, but no doubt she was better off far away from here.

  Aggie bit her lower lip. “I didn’t mean me movin’ in.”

  “Oh.” Ten floundered, unsure of what to say.

  “Things might get ugly.”

  “Ugly, I can handle.”

  “And what if I decide to take an escape hatch one day?” She touched the gun on her hip.

  Ten didn’t even have to ponder the question. “Then I’m goin’ with you. We can be together in the afterlife.”

  “I thought you don’t believe in heaven.”

  “I don’t, but I believe in you, Giselle. Somehow, we’ll always be together.” He knew one thing—Ten couldn’t live without her. And if it meant his number was up sooner than he’d expected, so be it. Aggie was worth the sacrifice.

  “Yeah? I like the sound of that.” Aggie’s lips curved into a smile. “The two of us together forever, I mean.”

  Ten cleared his throat. “But in the meantime, we have years together left, and I say we enjoy them. Besides, a lot can happen in a couple of decades.”