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He shook his head and drained the rest of his glass. When he lifted an eyebrow at me in question, I nodded, and he made a grabby gesture toward a passing waiter to ask for another.
“Beats me,” he said as I passed a couple of bills over to the waiter when he brought the drink. “She hasn’t beenthatopen about it. But I’ve got to say, there’s something I don’t like about the… the vibe in the city right now. It’s got a feeling like there is something big on the horizon, and maybe not anything good.”
An uneasy prickle ran down my back. I thought of the phone call I’d gotten from one of my former colleagues under the Deadly Rose not that long ago, warning me that Mireya wanted Lou back for some major plan. “You figure it’s something the Cordovas are going to push forward?”
Albert sighed. “I don’t know. It’s just a feeling. But my hunches are usually pretty good.” He pulled his drink closer and took on a tone that told me he was done with the conversation. “Thanks for your generosity, Rafael. Stop by for a chat anytime.”
I stood up and made my way toward the door. I doubted anyone else I’d want to reveal myself to could tell me more, so there was nothing left for me here. At least I knew Louwasin town, and that her mother hadn’t been so angry with her that she’d hurt her in any way that prevented public appearances.
I’d mostly been worrying about the slim chance of running into any of the Deadly Rose’s goons. A moment later, I realized that could be the least of my problems.
I was five feet from the door when a burly man with distinctive patterns shaved in his close-cropped coils pushed through the doorway. My pulse stuttered. I would have turned and made for the back entrance if the guy’s gaze hadn’t already fixed on me.
He strode forward and clapped me on the shoulder. “Torres! Never thought I’d run into you around here. Seemed like you have better things to do now that you’ve moved on and up, huh?”
“I don’t forget where I came from, Salvador,” I said in a voice I forced to stay even. “I guess our paths just haven’t crossed before.” Too bad I hadn’t kept up that streak.
Salvador looked me over with the air he always had as if he were an uncle sizing up his least favorite nephew. The asshole only had about five years on me, but he’d always enjoyed talking down to me as if he held so much more seniority.
He crossed his arms over his broad chest. “Oh, yeah? So you haven’t forgotten Edmundo then, cabrón?”
My teeth set on edge. This was the last thing I needed while I was trying to run a stealthy rescue mission. “Never have, never will.”
But getting into a fight in the middle of this bar wasn’t going to help me or Lou.
Salvador shook his head chidingly. “That’s funny, because I could have sworn we were supposed to hear about some big explosion, but it never came…”
A deeper chill rippled through me. I forced a mild smile onto my face. “Some things take time. Speaking of which, I’ve got a job to take care of.”
“Oh, do you?” Salvador’s voice carried after me as I sidestepped him on my way to the door. “Jumping to that rich bitch’s tune now. Fucking sad.”
I didn’t bother responding, just pushed out into the evening hoping he wasn’t invested enough to follow me.
I hurried down the street, wanting to get some distance from him before I hailed an Uber. My lungs were burning, and I realized I’d been holding my breath.
Fuck Salvador and whoever still stood with him. They had no fucking idea…
It’d been so much better when I’d been able to leave Austin behind. But I couldn’t stay gone while Lou was trapped here.
I shoved my anger aside. When I’d left the bar well behind, I stopped by a dingy brick office building and pulled out my phone.
In the back of my mind, images were forming of Lou stuck in her old bedroom in the Cordova mansion, as trapped and alone as if her mom had shoved her into a prison cell. Without me, she’d have no one to count on there.
I had to get to her—soon. She needed to know she could turn to me. She’d have no idea I’d even tracked her this far.
Ineededher. To see her sly smile, to hear her vibrant laugh, to wrap my arms around her. To know that I was protecting her every way I could, like that precious woman deserved.
I hadn’t realized my heart could feel this empty until now.
As I ducked into the Uber, I kept my phone in my hand. We knew Mireya had gotten control over Lou’s phone. But she and I had planned alternate means of communication back when I was still acting like a proper bodyguard, when she’d faced much more immediate dangers on a daily basis as her mother’s heir.
Like she would be again now.
From what I’d seen and heard, those avenues were likely to be my best options of reaching out to her. I couldn’t count on catching her at any of these meetings Mireya was setting up.
Lou had better have remembered those old schemes. Better be checking up on things just in case.
Que Dios me ayude if she’d given up because I hadn’t gotten here faster.
