“I wouldn’t test him,” Nomar said with a shrug. “That one definitely has bullets in it.”
Jemma forced her body to relax. She was outnumbered by Nomar and his thugs. Hasty actions without a clear plan could be her downfall. She had to regroup and assess her situation. Determining her location and identifying options were critical to deciding her next plan of action.
But before she could do that, she had to find out what happened to Rocco. Knowing if he was alive or if Nomar had killed him, would dictate what she did next.
“Call off your goons,” Jemma said, glancing at the hard, rugged faces of the two men holding her. She lifted her arms in surrender. “I recognize when I’m outnumbered.”
Nomar looked pleased. “Release her and leave us.”
“Are you sure boss?” One of the thugs dared to ask.
The look from Nomar was enough to send the two men scurrying out of the door.
Jemma jumped as it slammed shut behind her. She was alone with Nomar … again.
He smiled at her as if they were old friends reuniting after a long absence. “It’s good to see you, preciosa. Welcome to my home on the seas.”
“We’re on a boat?” Jemma said, although that point was obvious. She had to find out more about the type and location in case she got the opportunity to make contact with Rocco and the Proteus team.
Nomar scoffed. “Boat? Are you trying to insult this nautical marvel? This is a luxury super yacht, one hundred ten meters with eleven cabins, a staff of five to cater to my every need and an army of fifteen to keep me safe.”
The super yacht she’d surveilled Eddie Baez partying on with a dozen half-naked models floated to her memory. Could this be the same boat? Was Eddie on board? If he was, he could be her way to make contact with Rocco.
“You must be incredibly uncomfortable in those grimy clothes after two days?—”
“Two days?” Jemma balked. “I was out for two whole days?”
“My men were overzealous sedating you once we got to theyacht,” Nomar admitted, a frown creasing his forehead. “They didn’t live long enough to regret that mistake.”
Jemma felt sick at how eagerly Nomar ended human lives. She’d witnessed it many times while undercover with the Ortiz Cartel. He hadn’t changed in all that time. A killer to his core.
“How many men are you going to kill because of me?” Jemma said, seeing an opportunity to fish for information. “First, Rocco and now these men?—”
“Rocco?” Nomar shook his head. “You mean that lovesick fool who didn’t know you were using him to gather intel against El Sombro.” A sinister laugh escaped Nomar. “He’s not dead.”
“He was trapped underneath the cargo door. You expect me to believe you took me and left him behind to tell the story to the cops? Come on, Nomar. I know you better than that.”
“I felt sorry for the guy. I was him once upon a time.”
“Your mistake could work in my favor.”
Nomar tsked. “I don’t make mistakes. The good doctor isn’t dead, he’s rotting in a prison cell as we speak. Going to get thirty years for trafficking drugs through his clinic.”
“What are you talking about?” Jemma said, unease snaking through her. Her mind swirled with confusion. Since Nomar hadn’t killed Rocco, he should’ve been rescued by the Proteus Team when she didn’t contact them after six hours. So, how did he end up being arrested? What had gone wrong?
“It was a setup to make El Sombro’s actions appear to have been coordinated by your lover,” Nomar explained.
“You made it look like Rocco was trafficking drugs. Why?” Jemma demanded.
“The reasons aren’t important,” Nomar said with a finality that let Jemma know she would get nothing more out of him on the subject. Pressing for more could put a target on Rocco’s back. She couldn’t let on to Nomar how much Rocco meant to her or he couldbe found dead in his jail cell within the next twenty-four hours. It was enough to know that Rocco had been found. Although Proteus hadn’t followed normal protocols to alert the local agencies of the undercover operation, she knew it would only be a matter of days before they were able to explain the situation and get Rocco free.
And if Rocco was in contact with Proteus, they had to know by now that she’d been abducted by Nomar. Rocco had a photo of her and Nomar on his phone. A photo of the same man Rocco watched kidnap her at the construction site. Lenny would quickly realize who the man was and enact a strategy to find her.
Jemma felt renewed knowing that help was on the way.
But it wasn’t in her nature to wait for a rescue. She had to do something more to help them find her.
“Even though my men overdid it with the drugs, you were never in any danger,” Nomar said. “I had my medical team check your vitals multiple times per day. Based on the dosage, they were able to accurately predict when the drugs would wear off.”
