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I grabbed her arm and pulled her against my body. “If we don’t, we’ll be killed before we reach the border. There’s only one way out of this, Honey. We have to risk it. To not do so would be foolhardy.”
Tears swam in her eyes as she stared up at me. Her ruby red lips pressed together in a firm line as she stared into my eyes. She jerked out of my grasp and spun around, burying her face in her hands. “I cannot do this. He will kill me!”
“Who, doll?” I gently placed my hand on her shoulder, hoping to comfort her. The dame was falling apart right in front of my eyes. There was nothing worse than seeing a woman cry, other than a woman crying when we were in a desperate situation. We needed to move if we had any hope of staying alive.
I spun her back around, holding her upper arms as I shook her gently. Her head flopped back as she cried. “Pull it together! Now, tell me. Who’s going to kill you?”
“My…my father,” she whispered, then tossed herself in my arms, burying her face against my chest. I could feel her tears soaking through my shirt. She needed someone to save her, someone to protect her. And I could be that man, but not like this.
“Honey,” I said, lifting her chin to look at me. “I will keep you safe, but you have to help me. Who’s your father?”
She sniffled, barely able to look at me. “Manuel Ruiz.”
The name sounded familiar, but I didn’t piece it together until I saw his name on the side of a building in the distance. He was a businessman in the car industry. But that wasn’t what he was known for. Smuggling was his trade of choice, and he would do anything to protect his operations. He ran one of the biggest cartels in Mexico, and she was his daughter.
“Are you sure he will kill you?”
She sniffled again, looking up at me as she shook her head. “I don’t know. I’ve been gone for so long. He’s never found me before. But I came here looking for my mother.”
I cursed under my breath. This was worse than I thought. He wasn’t just protective of her. He was looking for his long lost child, and I was now the one keeping her safe. I would never let him get his hands on her, but there was no way I could go up against an army like his.
“Please,” she pleaded. “You have to help me. I have to get back to my grandmother before he kills us both!”
I pulled her head against my chest, rubbing her back as I shushed her. “There, there. Have a good cry. I’ll make sure no one can ever hurt you.” I pulled a handkerchief from my pocket and dabbed at her eyes. “There…all better?”
She sniffled and nodded at me.
“We need to get back to your apartment and grab everything that can identify you. Then we’ll head for the border. It’s our only chance of escape.”
“But what if he’s already found me? Those men in the bar were not regulars.”
“I’ll do whatever I can to protect you. I swear on my life.”
I grabbed her by the arms and pulled her in for a scorching kiss. Her tears mingled with my lips for just a second before I pulled away. I took her hand in mine and raced to my car. Within seconds, we were headed down the road to a small two story shack on the outskirts of town. I killed the lights just as we approached the parking lot.
Everything was quiet. A little too quiet. I had a feeling we were walking into a trap, but it was too late to turn back now. Our only hope of getting out of this alive was to grab her passport and get the hell out of here. I walked around the car and opened her door, keeping her behind me the whole time as we made our way toward the building.
I pressed her to the wall, holding my finger to my lips. “Don’t say a word.” I removed my gun from my holster and took my position at the door, scanning the inside before slowly opening the door. I cleared the lobby before motioning for her to enter. I pressed her to the wall and shielded her with my body as we moved soundlessly up the stairs.
“Keys,” I said as we reached her apartment. She pulled them out and placed them in my hand.
As quietly as possible, I slid the key in the lock and turned it. The harsh snick had me flinching as it echoed down the empty hall. As I turned the knob, every decision I ever made flashed through my mind. If this was it, at least I was going for a good cause. I flung open the door and stepped inside, my trusty gun my sole source of protection.
I scanned the room. There wasn’t a soul in sight. Not that I could actually see very much. Her curtains were drawn, blocking out all light from the room. I moved through the kitchen, clearing every nook and cranny before moving on to the bedroom. I pushed open the door and spun as something brushed across my back. Honey squeaked when the gun came within inches of her face.
After motioning for her to stay back, she nodded and did as I said. My heart was racing a million miles a minute. Something about this just wasn’t right. And I found out why when I stepped into her room just a few seconds later. Tall, even sitting in the small chair in the corner, he reminded me of a man I once knew while serving in the military. The light from his cigarette was the only thing that gave away his position, but it was enough to see the menacing look on his face. At once, I knew who I was dealing with.
“So, my daughter has returned,” Manuel Ruiz said, his voice more gravelly than commanding.
“Papa,” Honey said as she stepped into the room.
“I’ve spent years looking for you, and after all this time, I find you working at a bar. Who is this gringo?”
Honey pressed her lips together, unsure of what to say. Hell, at this point, I didn’t know what to say.
“We want no trouble,” I went with, hoping that would diffuse the situation.
“No trouble,” the man said, pushing out of the chair. As he rose, he buttoned the front of his suit jacket, brushing off something from his sleeve. “It’s disrespectful to come into my territory without paying me a visit. You are with my daughter, yet you have not come to see me. I know nothing about you. I have not given my permission for you to be near her.”
