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Her arm swung freely at her side, and she brushed her fingers next to her thigh where her weapon was strapped, disguising the move as smoothing a wrinkle from the fabric. Once they were out of the resort, Ramon waved a hand, and a car pulled up. One glance at the driver who got out and sauntered away, and Lena knew she was dealing with some dark people. Hell, they were probably grandsons of infamous cartel leaders and drug lords.
But she had this in the bag. She just needed to keep up the act and convince Ramon that her boss was pushing her to acquire Slade for his own reasons. Ramon held the door for her, and she slid into the passenger seat.
Her stomach was a knot, but nothing she couldn’t handle. She relaxed back against the seat as though she climbed into cars with cartel kingpins every day. In fact, that wasexactlythe impression she was going for.
Ramon set the phone in a holder on the dashboard and swiped to accept an incoming call. The screen only showed a private number and no name, and to her shock, he placed it on speaker.
The car’s Bluetooth projected the call through the speakers, bringing her into their world. Whoever Ramon spoke to had his own code, half of which she would never be able to remember. Luckily, her wires would pick everything up.
“You want me to…?”
“Yeah, I want you to. Call me when it’s done.”
“You got it. I’ll be in touch.”
They could be discussing a hit on someone or ordering takeout. She could only imagine the crimes these people committed.
When the call was finished, she opened her mouth to cut in and ask Ramon about their deal, but another call came in. This time a face popped onto the screen.
Panic swept Lena. Being given trust like this could end her life.
And that was exactly why Ramon was doing it.
“Sorry, I have to take this,” he said.
Heart throbbing in her chest, she stole a peek at the screen without turning her head. A young man was captured against the backdrop of buildings. His black hair ruffled in the breeze.
In the tiny box in the corner of the screen, she saw that most of the car was in clear view, and that included part of her seat. She spotted her arm, her hair sweeping her shoulder and half of her face and leaned closer to the door in hopes of ducking out of sight.
But the speaker’s face was branded on her mind.
Ramon spoke in Spanish to the young man, and after two words she realized what this was—an average phone call between a father and a son.
So Ramon had a weakness too.
She inwardly smiled.
Now Blackout had leverage to get Slade back.
* * * * *
The throbbing in Slade’s head was escalating with every minute that passed, but he was trying not to dwell on it. Taking stock of his physical self wouldn’t help him focus.
Right now, he needed to figure out a way to unchain himself from this goddamn pole.
Actually, he hurt everywhere. When the Black Bloods kicked him, he struck back until someone subdued him by adding more chains. Now it seemed like they’d leave him to die in this hot garage.
But he was too valuable. Roderigo wanted him, and the Black Bloods were more than willing to hand him over. How much longer did he need to wait? If the two groups couldn’t come to some agreement—soon—he’d die from neglect.
The thought was goddamn agony to a man who devoted his life to the good fight. He refused to go down like this.
He drew his knees up and rested his head on them.
Throb, throb, throb.
Pop, pop, pop.
Slade jerked his head up. His ears strained for that sound again.
