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Yet, there was no way he was backing down. He’d made a promise, and he was sticking to it.
He was nearly finished with his glass of wine when a large man in a dark suit appeared at his elbow. The stern figure was clearly one of Benicio’s bodyguards. He’d spotted them when he’d first started following Perez. He’d taken to tracking him for a few days, trying to figure out the best time and place in which to corner him. Striking in the late evening when he was home or at the parrilla appeared to be the best bet, a moment when Benicio’s guard was probably relaxed and he might be more willing to talk.
“Dr. Monroe?” the man said in a voice that was more like a growl.
“Yes, I’m him,” Will replied quickly, hoping he sounded confident rather than nervous.
“Señor Perez will see you now,” the bodyguard announced. He turned and led the way through the restaurant, leaving Will to scurry after him, dodging servers and customers along the way.
They moved down a short hall off the main dining room, and his heart gave an awkward lurch when they entered the chaotic kitchen filled with steam, open flames, and shouting cooks. Was the office really through the kitchen? That seemed strange but not completely impossible. It was just that Perez looked the type to have a fancy office somewhere in the building, away from the noise and rush of people.
At the far end of the kitchen, the large man shoved a door that opened to the dark night pierced only by a harsh streetlight. The second he stopped walking to argue that he was not going to be brushed off by Perez yet again, a strong hand wrapped his right biceps from behind and shoved him forward.
Will gasped and tried to dig his heels in, but the smooth linoleum gave him nothing to work with. He twisted to find yet another beefy bodyguard had come up from behind him without drawing his attention. While Will would admit that he was not a small man, his five-ten stature and lean build were no match for these two as they almost too easily jerked him outside.
His cheeks burned with embarrassment as he was tossed out of the restaurant and into the filthy alley at the rear of the building. Never in his life had he been ejected from a place. He stumbled a few steps to keep from falling on his face. With his balance restored, he whipped around to shout at the bastards before they slammed the door shut, only to find they weren’t just tossing him out. No, they had joined him out there.
Fuck.
Will held up his open hands in front of him to ward off the two men. “Look. I’m not trying to start any trouble. I wanted a five-minute conversation with Señor Perez. There is no reason to resort to violence.”
“Señor Perez has made it abundantly clear that he has no interest in talking to you now or ever,” the first bodyguard grumbled. “You have ignored polite refusals. He doesn’t see any reason to continue being polite with you.”
Will’s heart sped up, and his eyes frantically searched for a means of escape. The far end was blocked by a high chain link fence that he wasn’t so sure he could scale prior to being caught. The second bodyguard blocked his escape in the other direction, standing between him and the sidewalk.
He backpedaled, trying to get past the bodyguard and closer to the street. If he was lucky, he might be able to sneak by the other behemoth. His brain was still stuck in a state of denial, believing he could talk his way out of this, when the first punch sailed through the air. Ducking to his left, he evaded the fist that was aimed at his jaw. He didn’t move fast enough to escape the punch to his gut.
All the air rushed out of his body as pain exploded throughout his abdomen. He bent over, trying to shield that part from further injury while desperately sucking more air into his lungs. He was utterly unprepared for the next hit whipping his head about and slamming him into the nearby brick wall.
Time slowed as several more hits rained down on his face and body until everything became a blur of pain. In a final act of desperation that he wasn’t overly proud of, Will kicked out with his right foot, nailing his attacker in the balls. The man went to his knees instantly with a long, low groan.
The other bodyguard who’d been content to watch the beating barked out an angry noise and lunged for Will. Gritting his teeth against the agony pouring through his body, Will shoved away from the wall and ducked under the other attacker’s arm. He stumbled and ran through the alley to the street.
