Page 15 of Zombie

Anger surged in me. “What did you do to her?” I gritted out. My feelings for Cassie hadn’t changed from platonic, but I certainly didn’t want anything bad to happen to her. Especially not by the hands of these psychopaths. And now there was also a child involved. My child.

The reality sat heavy in my gut. I’d never envisioned myself having children due to the nature of my job and my abandonment issues with my father. But here I was, a father, and just as if she’d been placed in my arms when she was born, I felt responsible. I felt paternal.

Sarah let out another menacing chuckle before reaching into her back pocket and taking out her phone, showing me a picture. I was going to kill this bitch. The photo was of Cassie and our daughter in a cell holding each other tightly. I stayed silent and continued to see red.

“I made sure that you would never tell a soul about the operation. Call it insurance.”

I lunged across the table.

Sarah just laughed and pulled away, clicking her tongue. “Tsk, tsk. Now Dante, keep a level head. If you want to ensure that Cassie and little Ryann are not harmed and placed for sale, you will not tell a soul about this operation. Do you understand the deal?”

I nodded and let her continue while I seethed. “How do I know you will uphold your end of the bargain?”

Sarah gave me another smile while she climbed onto the exam table with a wince. From a medical standpoint, I couldn’t imagine how much pain she must be in, but the darker side of me, and the side of me that wanted to rage out that she had the mother of my child and my child, didn’t feel one scrap of remorse for her.

“You’re going to have to take my word for it. Defy me and find out what happens.”

My jaw clenched, I was so over this conversation and wanted nothing more than to help Cassie and Ryann. But in order to do that, I had to play along with Sarah’s sick games.

When I didn’t respond, Sarah continued. “Well, that’s settled. Now for the operations information and then you are going to prove yourself worthy.”

“And if I don’t prove myself?” I countered.

“Oh, Dante, such stupid questions for such an intelligent man.” She paused, no doubt for emphasis. “Anyways, before Daddy died, he had been working on a deal with the Sinaloa Cartel to help with moving more shipments.”

Of humans, I thought sadly.

“He was supposed to have a huge shipment sent by the end of this month, and that is where I need your help. He wanted you to take over the relationship with the Cartel and then once you proved yourself, move onto being in charge of the entire operation. Now the question is, are you willing to help me or do I need to kill you?” Her cold eyes met mine, and I knew at that moment that she was a monster as well. She was talking about selling humans as if we were shipping Amazon boxes.

I went off of my basic survival instincts and knew in that moment that I needed to play along with this game. Regardless of how deep in the trenches I needed to go. It was the only way to protect my loved ones and ensure the safety of Cassie and Ryann.

“What do you need me to do?” I asked, working hard to keep a steady voice.

NINE

ZOMBIE

Sarah looked at me with a triumphant smirk. She knew she had me. She went off my innate parental instincts to want to save my child. “You will be in charge of helping me facilitate the deal with Jose Garcia, the new head of the Cartel. You will be his main contact.”

Jesus Christ. This was actually happening. What had I just gotten myself into?

“But in order to understand the full extent of this operation, you will need to see some documents. Follow me,” Sarah instructed as she brought the IV pole with her toward a back room attached to the main warehouse.

I followed, taking in my surroundings. The warehouse was certainly worse for the wear, but it served as a perfect disguise for the horrors that it hid. I walked into the back office that was attached to the main warehouse space and noted the paper-covered desk with a dimly lit lamp shining on it. As I got closer, a sense of foreboding washed over me.

Sarah walked behind the desk and picked up a small stack of papers before handing them to me. On the top of the sheet was the word “Deed” and below it showed my name.

Dante Ricci.

I looked at Sarah with confusion. “What is this?”

“You were always meant to take over the family business, Dante. Daddy made sure before his untimely demise that everything in his name would now belong to you.”

I tried to school my expression as I took in what she’d just revealed. If this were the truth and the paperwork sure did seem legit, I would be absolutely screwed if this operation was taken over by law enforcement. If what I was seeing was real, I was the center for all the crimes by owning the buildings associated with the operation.

I started sifting through the paperwork, realizing more and more how deep Ricci’s claim over me really was. I was now the owner of six buildings, and the main stakeholder in Ricci Enterprises. I wanted to throw up. It was then I realized how deeply I was entangled in this web and it was more than I anticipated. The worst part was I couldn’t even tell my team without risking Callie and Ryann’s lives.

I had no idea how I was going to get out of this situation, but in a split-second decision I decided, for the safety of my child, that I would do anything to take down this operation, even if that meant bombing it from the inside. But first I needed to make Sarah believe that I was truly in this, and a willing participant.