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“Good. Then you understand what we’re dealing with. I wish I could get you some help on this one. One of our associates was able to ascertain a blueprint of the compound we think she’s being kept in. However, our sources could be wrong. One thing is certain. The man is notorious for the traps he uses, his methods of torture beginning with watching a subject suffer above ground. I don’t need to tell you that if you get yourself in that position, it’s likely we won’t be able to get you out.”
“Understood.”
“You’ll have a handler and several communications devices at your disposal, but whatever you do, do not break your cover under any circumstances.”
I half laughed. “Yes, total anonymity.”
He nodded. “You’re going to need to take a few days for surveillance. Inside your folder you’ll find what you need, including keys to an apartment in Venezuela for your use. Everything else is up to you.”
“Why the mark? Money?”
He scratched his head, taking a few seconds before holding out the second file. “We don’t think so. However, why she was chosen, that is what’s so difficult and troubling. The man is known to be heavily involved in human trafficking, but no one has been able to infiltrate his operation or catch him in any wrongdoings. He’s clever and dangerous.”
There was nothing worse in my mind than a disgusting piece of scum selling off people to the highest bidder.
“I assume you want him erased.” I grabbed the file, immediately flipping it open. Goddamn motherfucker. He was selling women and girls underage for use as sex slaves. I would enjoy carving my initials in every inch of his body before digging the tip of my blade into every muscle. Then the bloodletting would really begin.
“Unfortunately,” he started, his voice strained, “that’s not a part of this operation.”
“Not a part or not allowed?”
His laugh brought my anger to a heightened level. “Your orders are to rescue and protect for an undetermined amount of time. You are not to exterminate Deangelo Castillo.”
A smile slowly crossed my face. This shit was still as political as every goddamn mission I’d been on before. “What if shit happens?”
To the man’s credit, he lifted a single eyebrow before walking past me. “Then shit happens.”
As he reached into his pocket, I noticed him hesitating before he rolled the plastic case between his fingers.
“A tracking device?” I asked.
“A very sophisticated state of the art design. Once swallowed, no one will know of its existence. A person can be tracked anywhere in the world, no matter the circumstances.”
“Even underground?”
“It’s been thoroughly tested. Use this if you are captured. Hopefully, I can send in a team for extraction.”
“But only if it’s feasible. Right?”
“Exactly. You do understand.” As he handed it to me, I noticed a slight twitch in the corner of his mouth. The director wasn’t certain it would work.
As I snagged it from his hand, fisting it for a few seconds before pocketing the sleeve, my gut told me that getting involved wasn’t the best thing for me to do. However, no risk, no reward, something I’d reminded myself of dozens of times.
I chuckled under my breath. What the fuck? I’d grown bored living in a rustic paradise. Maybe some action was exactly what my body required.
* * *
Present day
Willow
“Don’t make yourself too comfortable, sweetheart. We’re leaving in the morning,” Viper said under his breath as he pushed me inside the door.
I folded my arms, shivering even though the air inside the building could barely be considered cool. My heart continued to pound but every bit of adrenaline had vanished, leaving me exhausted and in pain. I peered down at my feet, biting my lower lip. They were red, swollen, and scratched to hell.
“What is this place?” I managed.
“As I said before, a temporary safety zone. There’s a bathroom down the hall. Some food and drink.”
