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“No,” I say.
“Good.” Either the man has an impenetrable poker face, or there was no overarching test. By the time I make it back to my borrowed apartment, I’m not sure what to think.
In any case, it’s a rookie mistake to not expect the unexpected.
When I enter the living room and find Jaguar seated on the couch, wine glass in hand, I know I shouldn’t be surprised. He seems rather at home, with one foot propped on the coffee table. He’s swapped his black shirt for a leather jacket worn with nothing else beneath.
“Salud, Lupe,” he grates as I approach. “I trust you had an easy time.”
“Yes, thank you,” I reply, sitting on the loveseat across from him. “I will admit that was far tamer than what I had in mind.”
“Was it?” His laugh upends my heart rate. That time, I clearly noted the danger openly lurking in it. “That remains to be seen. Have a drink.” He offers me an already-full glass, and that uneasy feeling grows.
“Drink,” he prompts.
I take a sip, impressed by the taste. It’s a beautiful vintage with nothing odd in the flavor that I can discern. Yet, his eyes have that gleam again. The cat-got-the-mouse one he wore while watching the cage fight. In response to it, a little voice in my head whispers,You’re in danger, Lupe.
Suddenly, I want to dump the entire contents of this glass down the drain. Instead, I force myself to take another sip.
“You met my accountant, Ronaldo?” Jaguar asks without drinking from his own glass. “Nice man. For five years, he’s worked for me with no incident. I take it he was good to you?”
I nod. “Yes. He showed me some documents.”
I can’t resist running a finger along the strap of my purse. It’s dangerous to withhold information from him—but taunting him with vague suspicions seems to be a far more perilous alternative.
“And did you notice anything out of the ordinary?” he asks.
My heart skips a beat. “S-Should I have?”
He laughs without answering. “I didn’t ask you that.Didyou?”
“I wouldn’t burden you with suspicion or gossip,” I say smoothly.
And I won’t make a fool of myself by condemning a man to death without hard figures. Diego operated on impulse and suspicion. I won’t do the same.
Once I get the proof from Pedro, I’ll share what I know.
“Ah, that’s what I like about you, Lupe,” he says. “Always one with the pretty words but prone to dancing around the heart of the issue. Drink up.”
I obey, only now I note that something is definitely off. My limbs feel heavier. My breath tastes sweeter. Almost as if…
“I’ll give you one last piece of advice, Lupe, for what it’s worth,” Jaguar murmurs as my eyelids grow heavy and begin to dip. “When I warn you not to bullshit me, you take that into consideration as though your life depends on it. Chances are… It does.”
CHAPTERNINE
My head is splitting. It hurts so badly that I dread having to open my eyes at all—but the smell makes me.
A gag rips from my throat, and I’m thankful my stomach is empty. God, this stench. It’s rancid and sour, well beyond any stink a human could make. To compare it, I can only use the farm near where I grew up as a frame of reference. It’s an odor reminiscent of dog or cow shit, but ten times worse.
Am I in a sewer?
No. The air is too cool. Air-conditioned. Then, I hear it. A low, unsettling rumble resonates through my very bones, a bit like thunder, only way more substantive. Laughter echoes above it, followed by a voice I instantly recognize.
“Wake up, Tiena,” Jaguar calls. “Rise and shine.”
His voice alone compels me to ignore the pain and obey his command.Rise. Groaning, I peel my eyes open. It’s bright wherever I am, and it’s dark. I’m in a puddle of illumination, but a wall of shadows obscures anything beyond it—such as the man coaching me from sight unseen.
“Wake up,” he commands. “Good. Get to know your new roommates for a short while.”
