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“What? How?”
“Because you found out about the trafficking and the FBI took the bait.” He grunted. “I’d planned another five years before that cash flow fell through. You sped up my timeline.”
“Good, I’m glad.”
Zane’s left cheek twitched. “You’re a pain in the ass, Nikita.” His eyes lowered to her chest. “A pretty one, but a pain nonetheless.”
“Why? Because I did my job?” If she could keep Zane talking long enough, it’d give her time to hatch a plan.
“Partly, yes. Muerte wanted you to take over Diablos, but I knew you wouldn’t. Too goody-good for that.” He looked down his nose at her. “Since I’m his sergeant, I went along with his plan and left breadcrumbs for you to take down rival MCs, all the while working my own end game with the trafficking ring. Muerte found out and, instead of killing me, decided to take over. Luckily, it all worked out.” He frowned. “Until you dug too deep and that whore, Juliet, opened her big mouth. Can’t trust junkies.”
Zane glanced at his FBI jacket. “That’s when we partnered with the Cutthroats. It was the one trafficking avenue Muerte didn’t control and wanted to. Evidently, Muerte was greedy, and that didn’t sit well.” He glanced to Pillar. “I honestly don’t care.”
Rubbing her lips together, Nikita soaked in the information. They were backstabbing assholes only looking out for themselves.Macha wouldn’t do this.At least she hoped they wouldn’t.
“And the farce with the route?”
“We had to get you alone. With that Macha biker hanging around you all the time, I couldn’t risk the exposure.” He cracked his neck from side to side. “Plus, the Cutthroats needed to let off a little steam. Evidently, they blame you for losing their best whore.”
Nikita’s pulse thrummed in her skull. “Diablos killed her, not me.”
He shrugged indifference. “Juliet was a loose end, and we did what was necessary.”
“What about the women?” They were the reason she came to Colorado in the first place. “Where are they?”
Zane and Pillar exchanged a glance. “Herded them on the truck this morning. Our driver leaves in two hours. If Muerte doesn’t uphold his end of my retirement pension, you join them.”
The thought sickened her more than the blood money they were trying to get out of her father. “How much am I worth to you?”
“Five hundred thousand.” Zane smirked at her reaction. “Seven hundred-and-fifty thousand big ones if he wants you untouched.”
Her stomach dropped at his insinuation. Everything boiled down to money for these men. It sickened her to her very core.
“I’ll pay it, but you have to let the other women go too.”
Zane’s brows lifted, and Pillar choked on the soda he was drinking. “What?”
“Seven hundred-and-fifty thousand dollars. I’ll make a couple calls and wire it to you.”
“You’re a government employee. There’s no way you have that kind—”
“My mother left me a trust,” she hurried to say. “Let me go and I’ll send the money within the hour.”
The two men exchanged glances. For one hot minute, Nikita thought they’d take her up on the offer.
Finally, Pillar spoke. “And risk you alerting the Feds? No deal. Our shipment is worth ten times that at auction.”
Nikita’s hands curled to fists. She didn’t have that much. Even if she did, she doubted they’d make a deal. The odds were stacked against her, but she had to do something. Sitting complacently wasn’t who she was.
In a desperate move, Nikita reached across the table and punched Zane in the face, blood instantly gushing. He reeled back and fell out of his chair. Pillar swung and missed, and she quickly kicked his ankle, bowing his stance, and punched his nose before sprinting to the door. The familiar click of a gun met her ears just as she turned the doorknob.
“God damn, Muerte was right to brag about you,” Zane said, walking over to her and opening the door. “But I’m sick of playing. Let’s go.” He grabbed a handful of her hair and wrenched her head back. “Don’t tempt me to fuck you like your Macha man did last night.”
“How did you—”
His sinister laugh sent chills down her spine. “You ought to be more mindful, Agent. Bugs are everywhere. Even on your precious FBI jacket.” He reached down and grabbed the small electronic device and showed it to her before crushing it with his boot.
Zane led her away by her hair, and she swallowed a pained cry. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. They didn’t bother to camouflage their hideout, simply led her toward a large semi on the road.
