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The car slowed, and I released a shuddering sigh as he began to pull over.
Surely, he was coming to his senses. He couldn’t simply abduct an innocent woman. He was a police officer. He would let me go.
When we finally stopped, he got out of the car and opened my door, leaning in to help me stand. I couldn’t maneuver properly with my wrists cuffed at my back.
A lead weight sank in my stomach when his hand went to his gun.
“You promised to give me dirt on the cartel,” he seethed, his eyes glinting with something rabid and desperate. “I was almost fired after that little stunt with Guerrero. You have the intel I need to get promoted. I’ll be the one to take down the cartel. You’re going to tell me everything you know. Until then, shut the fuck up.”
Before I could shake my head in horrified refusal, the butt of his gun flew toward my face, and everything went black.
Something icy slapped my face, and I came to with a gasp. Cold water drenched my hair and dripped down my neck, trailing chills to my chest as it seeped into my blouse. My head throbbed, the pain disorienting me.
Another slap collided with my cheek, warmer this time. I recognized the sting of a man’s hand.
I blinked hard, willing the spinning world to settle around me.
When it did, my stomach lurched. Morales’ pockmarked face filled my vision, his maddened eyes narrowed on mine.
“Time to talk, Isabel. Tell me everything.”
My mind raced, and I glanced around wildly. Concrete surrounded me on all sides, and the scent of damp earth permeated the cramped, dingy space. The only light came from a spare bulb overhead, illuminating the shelves of tools mounted against one wall. I lay on the cool floor, my arms twisted painfully behind me. The handcuffs bit into my wrists where my weight fell on my hands.
Morales hadn’t taken me to the police to make a statement. He’d brought me somewhere awful to question me, just as he’d promised. I didn’t know if this basement was soundproof, but I doubted he would’ve brought me somewhere that people could hear me scream for help.
I tried anyway. I had to try. My shriek was abruptly cut off when he backhanded me, sending a crack of pain through my injured skull. The room flickered around me, and nausea curled in my stomach.
“You’re wasting your breath,” he seethed. “No one will help you. The only way this ends is once you’ve told me everything that you know. I want names and details I can use to follow up on credible leads. You will answer me, Isabel.”
“I w-won’t,” I forced out through chattering teeth. The cold water that pooled around me soaked ice into my bones. Terror clawed at my chest, but I knew deep in my heart that I couldn’t tell him anything. I wouldn’t betray Sebastián ever again.
My insides screamed when his boot slammed into my stomach, but I didn’t have any air left to release an agonized cry. Tears blurred my vision, and I retched at the dizzying pain as my stomach writhed from the blow.
When my vision finally stopped wavering, I met his eyes, taking in the insane glint that lit them from within. The man was ruthlessly ambitious, and in his mind, I was just as guilty as the men in the cartel. I could see it in his stony expression: I was already condemned.
No matter what I said, I wouldn’t leave this basement alive. If he allowed me to survive, I’d report this to his superiors. Regardless of whether or not my family was suspected of cartel ties, I was still an innocent woman, and an influential one. I could crush Morales’ career with a word, and he knew it.
I closed my eyes, as though I could shut out this awful reality. I was going to die, and I’d never told Sebastián how I felt about him. I’d never told my husband that I loved him.
I pictured his ruggedly handsome face, the possessive light in his dark eyes when he’d claimed me yesterday, when we’d sealed our union. Tears streamed down my cheeks, despair rolling over me.
I would never see my husband again, and it was Morales’ fault. I channeled my grief into rage, fortifying myself with hatred. I glared up at him, allowing him to see the resolve in my soul. I would never betray the man I loved. I wouldn’t say a word to this madman, no matter what he did to me.
“Fuck you,” I seethed, spitting in his face.
He flinched and wiped his cheek with a snarl. “Stupid bitch. You will tell me everything.”
I screamed as the pain began.
CHAPTER 27
SEBASTIÁN
I checked my phone for the dozenth time, frowning at the blank screen. I’d been expecting a reply from Isabel. Surely, she couldn’t be angry that I’d texted saying I’d be late for dinner. I’d promised her that she could rely on me, but that meant we had to communicate when plans changed. It wasn’t realistic for either of us to think life would never get in the way of our dinners together.
