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“Fuck!” Luke shoved the phone into his pocket. “Drive faster!”
* * *
All but a single streetlight was glowing in the warehouse parking lot. Two parked cars and a SUV sat several yards away from the building,suspiciouslyfar enough away that it would be difficult to make a quick getaway. They weren’t planning on having to hurry, which meant one thing.
Nico’s Jeep slowed to a stop, pointed toward an exit in case we needed to escape. Creeping out, we surveyed the area. I wasn’t sure why we bothered to be silent since they were expecting us, probably watching us, and our vehicles were visible in the open.
“Getting to the door will be the easy part,” Luke whispered.
“Yeah, it’s what happens when we open it that I’m worried about,” Nico added.
“Keep your guns out of sight,” Luke said, “but your hands on them.” He turned to the security. “You have to spread out. Keep your eyes peeled for anything suspicious out here.”
“Wait!” My mouth fell agape. “The three of us are going in without them?”
As Luke crept toward the building, he called back over his shoulder, quietly, “You have a better idea?”
Nico and I plodded behind him. Luke placed his ear to the metal door, listening for any sign of life before he inched it open. The old, rusty hinges creaked, and the door opened slowly. The sound undeniably alerted anyone we’d arrived. He yanked the door open, hoping to mask the rest of the ear-piercing screech.
A low chuckle echoed through the building, and we stopped to identify the direction of the sound. Luke lifted his chin to the main room on the other side of the arch. We took several cautious steps toward the opening.
When we entered, we stopped, seeing the open space in the center had been cleared of debris. Moonlight glittered through the enormous, cracked windows near the ceiling, while one old, rusty barrel in the center of the room burned what smelled like a mixture of paper and wood. Smoke lingered in the air, but it wasn’t unbearable just yet. The grey cloud slowly drifted out of the building through a broken window.
“Don’t be shy,” the familiar, Spanish accent echoed through the open space. “Join us.”
We inched closer, watching our backs from all directions as we neared Alejandro.
“My men won’t harm you unless I give a signal. Please, come, come.” He took a deep puff from a stubby cigar pinned between his fingers. “Are you surprised to see me?” He held his hands out to the side with a menacing grin I wanted to carve off his fucking face.
Glancing at the two metal folding chairs, I muttered, “Shit.” The scene was all too familiar, set up exactly like the set was. Fists clenched by my side, I gnawed the inside of my cheek.
Alejandro let out a loud cackle, shaking his cigar at me. “Oh, he knows what’s coming.”
Luke and Nico glanced at me. Just as I opened my mouth to respond, two tall, muscular men carried someone into the room. It was Tyler, bound by ropes on his ankles, a zip tie around his wrists, and a black bag of some sort over his head. He was covered in scrapes and small, bleeding wounds. I only recognized him by the sizable chest and left sleeve tattoos.
“Tyler!” My voice echoed throughout the warehouse.
The men shoved him down on one of the chairs. Using another zip tie, they fastened his already bound limbs to the joints of the seat. Tyler thrashed, mumbling incoherently.
“Stay back,” Luke mumbled. “It might be—”
“What?!” Alejandro chuckled, cupping his palm to his ear. “I can’t hear you, Luke!” Taking several steps in our direction, he threw his arms to the side again. “Do you think I don’t know you’re talking? Mr. California!” He slapped his forehead. “I’m sorry, I forgot. Mr.Hollywood, could you please come here?” He made a grand gesture to the empty seat, an ominous sneer on his face.
Luke grabbed my arm, holding me back. Moving in front of me, he raised a hand. “Leave him alone! He’s not like us.”
Shaking his head once again, Alejandro puffed his cigar. “I can’t do that and I don’t give a shit.”
I stepped around Luke, turning to him, mouthing,I got this. Holding my hands out, I showed him I was poised. Internally, I was about to have a heart attack. On the outside, I was channeling my acting skills. It was going to be crucial if we were going to make it out of this place alive.
As I neared Alejandro, the same two men who escorted Tyler, stopped in front of me. I held my arms up as they patted me down, removing the pistol from the back of my waistband. One of them reached forward, shoving me toward the vacant chair. Closing my eyes, I took a deep, calming breath as they pressed my broad shoulders, forcing me to sit.
Glancing at Luke and Nico, I noticed both were on guard and ready. They were used to being in control. Right now, they were powerless. We all were.
Alejandro paced back and forth behind Tyler, whose head was now hanging, his chin resting on his chest, blood running down his bare skin. Seeing he was still breathing, I exhaled in relief. Alejandro looked toward the back of the warehouse, snapping his finger twice. One of his other men brought out another chair, unfolded it and set it between ours.
Staring at the floor, I remained silent and poised, waiting.
“You have a big mouth, so believe me when I say, I’m so disappointed to hear nothing coming out of it.” Alejandro came to a stop in front of me and I lifted my gaze to his. “I thought for sure you would put up a bit more of a fight, blondie. But that’s good. Save your energy. You’re going to need it for this next surprise.” He winked, puckering his lips. “You might even decide to use your voice.”
