When Lies Unfold

Chapter 66

“Abso-fuckin’lutely not.” Santy grinds out the words from between clenched teeth.

“It’s the only way.”

Bristling with tension, Santy paces back and forth along the conference room floor. “You’re plannin’ to walk into the fucker’s house who carved your goddamn body! Don’t tell me it’s the only way!”

Juarez grinds his palms against his eyes and mutters, “You two aren’t even married, and you’re fighting like cats and dogs.”

We ignore him, and I expel a loud breath before pressing on. “Look, I know that place like the back of my hand. Plus, by you saying you’ll be returning his book, he won’t expect me to show up. I’ll catch him off guard.

“He assumed I was dead, but me coming back to him will make him look like a fool.” I raise my brows pointedly. “And that’s something he positively hates.”

Santy gives his hair tie a rough tug for the third time since we’ve moved our discussion here. He runs an agitated hand through his hair as he continues pacing. “I don’t see why we can’t just kill this motherfucker the instant he steps out of his compound.”

Juarez scowls at Santy. “I’d advise you not to say shit like that when I’m in the damn room.”

“You can’t do that.” My tone is pleading. “You know as well as I do that would start a free-for-all kind of war.” My voice turns muted. “You can’t put Alma at risk for more retaliation.”

The muscle in his cheek flickers like crazy, but he doesn’t respond. He knows I have a valid point.

Gordo, who’s been unusually quiet, chimes in now. “I’m a little behind on shit here, so I gotta ask.” He leans forward, forearms resting on the conference room table. “How the hell did you pull it all off? ’Cause it sure seems like if you hadn’t been at that house the night Andro shot Rafa, you woulda still been under the radar.”

I ignore Juarez’s probing stare. I have no love for the CIA. Not after the way I was treated. Not after what I had to do to secure my escape.

Steepling my fingers, I peer down at them, avoiding Santy’s gaze. It’s gutless, but after everything I’ve done, I’m certain this will be the dealbreaker for us.

“The agent inside Hidalgo’s home was willing to help me…for a price.”

Silence greets my words before Juarez probes. “I’m going to need you to explain that.”

I wet my suddenly dry lips before continuing. “Agent Molino found a way to get to me without Hidalgo or Adolfo knowing. He let me know who he was, and when I begged him to help me escape, he told me that I’d have to do something for him.”

Flattening my palms against the table, I confess, “He said if I couldn’t get him the book, I’d have to offer something else. Something more…personal.”

I dart a glance at Juarez, who appears on the border of apoplectic. “Don’t tell me he demanded you fuck him.” At my silence, his eyes bulge, and he darts a glance at Santy before refocusing on me. “I’d beat the shit out of that asshole if he were still alive.”

Santy’s voice is deceptively quiet. “You’re tellin’ me that an agent extorted you?! That you had to fuck him to get away from Hidalgo?” When I brave a look his way, his jaw works, that vein in his temple pulsing violently. “To get away from the fuckin’ man who beat you and carved into you?!”

Doing my best to stay on track, I force my words to emerge calmly. “I did what I had to do so Agent Molino would help me. He knew about Hidalgo’s trafficking, so after somehow getting his hands on explosives, he got a woman’s body that was around my age and height. She’d most likely overdosed on the synthetic drug Hidalgo’s so proud of.”

I trace a random pattern along the table’s surface. “Anyway, Agent Molino made sure her teeth were removed to eliminate a way to confirm my identity.

“Then, when I was permitted to go to a small preservation ceremony of the rainforest they were dedicating to my abuelita, he staged the accident to happen afterward.”

Juarez shakes his head slowly, as if trying to process everything. “Molino was your driver that day and ended up dying from asphyxiation…” His eyes flash with dawning realization, his features turning to granite. “You strangled Molino after shooting Adolfo and staged the whole thing.”

I enunciate each word with a caustic bite. “I had no choice.”

Juarez’s mouth tightens. “You do realize you murdered a government agent, Mrs. Carrera?”

“My name is Lola Arias,” I fire back, my tone possessing just as much of an arctic air as his. “And did you somehow miss the part about him extorting sex from me in exchange for his help?”

“Hold up.” Gordo waves his hands. “We’re gettin’ off base here. The number one priority is gettin’ Alma outta there, and Lola has a way to do that.”

Juarez glares at me like he’d like nothing more than to arrest me here and now. A tense beat of silence later, his tone is reluctant when he says, “I agree to put the arrest on hold until after Alma’s return.”

I offer a curt nod. “I understand.” Leaning forward, I glance at Santy and Gordo before centering on Juarez. “I have a plan, but I’ll need help from whoever you have on the inside.”

His eyes narrow a fraction, but before he can feed me a line of bullshit, I wave him off. “I know you do, because how else are you getting intel to Santy?”

Gaze arctic, his voice holds a serrated edge. “I need to bring my team up to speed on this.”

“No.” Santy’s tone brooks no argument. “I’m not takin’ a risk that they’ll fuck shit up for us gettin’ Alma back.”

His lips flatten, clearly not appreciating Santy’s response, but he remains quiet, allowing me to continue. “I need your agent to know that I’ll be showing up to surprise Hidalgo. I’ll have the book with me?—”

“That book belongs to us,” Juarez interjects.

“You better watch yourself, Juarez.” Santy’s tone is dark and ripe with warning. His brows rise a fraction. “Need I remind you, you came to me years ago.”

Santy stabs an index finger at the table, emphasizing each word. “I put you where you are right now ’cause we got ourselves a partnership.” With an ominous pause, he lowers his voice. “But if you fuck with Alma’s rescue or with Lola, don’t think for a minute I won’t empty every goddamn bullet I have into your skull.”

Juarez pales but says nothing, so I finish with, “I’ll make sure you get the book’s contents, Juarez. But it won’t be but a minute before I’m due to step foot back on Hidalgo’s property.”

Tense lines bracket Santy’s mouth. “We’ll get it coordinated. I’ll notify my pilot.” Pulling his phone from his pocket, he expels a heavy breath. “Gonna call motherfuckin’ Hidalgo now and tell him to expect us.”