Chapter 19
“Have I ever told you two how much I love salsa?” Allison asked as she dipped a tortilla chip in the bowl of salsa sitting in the middle of the table.
Uneasiness pitched back and forth in Mickey’s stomach like a sailboat in a storm.
She glanced around her as her friends enjoyed their dinners.
People of every age, color, and gender walked by their table.
Mickey searched all of their faces, silently willing Pete to walk by.
She hadn’t heard anything from Graham since he’d left the hotel. She assumed Pete hadn’t been found.
“Are you going to eat?” Vanessa asked. Her gentle tone matched a mother speaking to a child.
Mickey forced a smile and shrugged. “I’m not hungry.”
“You’ve had a hell of a week, but you really should eat,” Allison said.
Mickey picked up a taco, took one bite, and set it back down.
Allison chuckled and poured herself another margarita from the pitcher that sat on their table. She took a sip and set her glass down, her features turning serious. “Have you talked to Suzi?”
Mickey shook her head. She’d been too nervous to reach back out to her, fearing the rejection.
Maybe she could have Graham call and tell Suzi he believed she wasn’t involved.
But would it even matter? She was still the one who had brought Pete into their lives.
Tears sprang to her eyes and she dabbed them away with her cheap cloth napkin.
Vanessa reached out and grabbed her hand. “Are you okay?”
She drew in a shuddering breath and sniffed back a sob. Falling apart in the middle of Fifth Avenue wasn’t an option. “I’m fine, just tired. I’m going to head back to the hotel.”
Allison and Vanessa wore matching expressions of concern. Mouths drawn down at the corners, eyebrows dipped together in the center. “We’ll go with you. Let me get the check,” Allison said.
“No, don’t do that. You two stay out and have fun. We’re only here for two nights.” Pushing her chair back from the table, she stood and put some money down. “I’ll get a good night’s sleep and be well rested in the morning.”
“Are you sure? Do you want us to at least walk you back to the hotel?” Vanessa asked.
“I can see the top of our hotel from here. I think I’ll be fine.” Leaning down, she pressed a quick kiss to Allison and then Vanessa’s cheeks. “I’ll see you both poolside in the morning.”
Neither Allison nor Vanessa looked convinced, but she pushed their worried expressions from her mind as she walked toward the hotel.
She hated to admit it, but she needed to get away from them.
She hadn’t told them the full story about Pete, or Suzi’s reaction to her when she’d tried to explain.
Hell, she hadn’t even told them about Graham.
Everything had happened so fast, and retelling the whole story to more people made her feel worse, not better.
But Lydia knew. She’d head back to the hotel, put on her pajamas, and call Lydia. She needed to fill her in on what had happened with Graham the last couple of nights anyway. At least she had one bright spot in her life right now.
Trumpets and guitars mixed together, blasting mariachi music from restaurants and bars as she walked past. Streams of people passed by, and Mickey caught herself staring into face after face, searching for the hazel eyes and light brown hair that had become so familiar to her over the past few months.
A flash of blue streaked by her peripheral vision at the same moment the scent of a familiar cologne and sweat seeped into her senses.
She spun to the side, her eyes searching the blue hat that had caught her attention.
Standing on her tiptoes, she craned her neck and peered over the crowd.
A man with a Chicago Cubs baseball hat lurked down the alley veering away from the main street.
Pete!
Every instinct in her body screamed at her to run. To go back to the hotel, call Graham, and stay far away from whatever trouble Pete was looking for. But what if he’d lead her to Becca? She couldn’t risk waiting for Graham and then losing him.
Turning in the direction Pete had gone, she grabbed her phone out of her purse and dialed Graham. She picked up her pace, struggling to weave through the throng of people.
“Hey, Mickey. What’s up?” Graham asked when he answered the phone.
“I think I see Pete. I was heading back to the hotel when I noticed a man with his build wearing a Cubs hat. He’s heading down a side street, traveling away from the ocean.” Her breathing picked up the faster she moved and her heart pounded in her chest.
“Where are you?” Graham’s voice was gruff, his words coming out fast.
She glanced around. The music and laughter of Fifth Avenue faded behind her, replaced by rapidly spoken Spanish inside tiny houses and crickets singing into the warm night air. “I don’t know. I turned down some street a block or two away from my hotel. East of my hotel.”
“Turn back around and get the hell out of there.” His words were tight, as if he spoke with his teeth clenched.
“I can’t. I already lost him. He’ll get away if leave now. He can’t be far.” She spun in a small circle, cringing at the ramshackle houses and run-down businesses located so close to the glitz and excitement of the busy tourist attractions.
Moist, hot breath hit the back of her neck and a shiver ran down her spine. “Put the phone away, Mickey.”
She lowered her phone to her side and slowly turned around.
She swallowed hard and concentrated on keeping her breath even.
Every muscle in her body tightened and she came face to face with Pete.
She couldn’t show fear. She glanced around and her stomach dropped.
Not a single person loitered on the sidewalk around them.
Her gaze landed back on Pete. His hat was pulled low over his face, but even in the shadow his eyes were hard, his cheeks hollow. “Where is she? Where’s Becca?” Her voice shook and she tightened her jaw to keep her chin from quivering.
A brittle laugh came out of his mouth and rage built inside of her. “Do you think I’d bring her here? No way. Becca’s special.”
Disgust turned to bile in her gut. Her fingers itched to smack his smug face, but she needed to keep him talking.
Graham was still on the other line and she needed him to get to her fast. “If you don’t have her with you, then why are you here?
I know you’re moving a human trafficking ring to Chicago.
Why come back to Mexico if you already have things set up? ”
His eyes widened for a brief second. No doubt he didn’t expect her to know so much about his operation, but all traces of surprise left his face, and his features contorted into a nasty sneer.
“I have some unfinished business to take care of before I leave Mexico for good. No reason to expose Becca to this world. She’s safer in Chicago. ”
Alarm bells rang in her head. “Are you here for Paula?”
Pete took a step toward her. “What do you know about Paula?”
“I know she looks like Becca, and you’ve made her life a living hell since she was nine years old. Is that what you want to do to Becca, too? Take away everything she loves and ruin her life? She’ll hate you. Just like Paula does.”
Pete’s hand drew back and slashed across her cheek so fast she didn’t have time to react.
Her head snapped back and pain sliced across her face.
“You don’t know a damn thing. Paula loves me.
She always has, but everyone tried to keep us apart.
But not anymore. We can be together, and we can keep Becca with us.
It will be so much better than it ever was before. ”
Mickey rubbed the soreness from her face. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth and she spit it at his feet. “You’re a monster. I’ll find Becca, and warn Paula, too. I’ve already talked to her. She wants nothing to do with you. She hates you just as much as I do.”
Pete grabbed her phone from her hand and threw it on the ground.
Shit. She needed to have a way to reach Graham.
Lurching forward, she reached for the phone, but Pete’s foot swung forward and connected with the soft flesh of her stomach.
Pain shot through her. She fell to the ground and curled onto her side.
Pete grabbed a fistful of hair and pulled her to her feet.
She yelped as her scalp screamed in agony.
He pushed her backward and forced her into a deserted alley.
Her legs backpedaled as quickly as they could, but her ankle twisted in her damn heels and she fell to the ground.
Pete pulled her upright and then slammed her into the side of the building.
The force of it stole her breath from her lungs.
Her mind raced and her heart hammered so hard against her chest she was convinced it would break through the skin.
Keep him talking.
“You’ll never get away with this. The FBI is searching for you right now. They’ll be here any minute. You’re wasting time on me, time where you could be getting away.”
He pressed his face into her personal space. His sweat mixed with the stale smell of beer and she fought hard not to gag. “I’ve been getting away with it for years. No one’s ever been able to stop me.”
A slow smile curved on his lips. “I have missed you, Mickey. I didn’t think I’d get anything out of the time we spent together, but you were so eager to please in the sack. Maybe one little taste of you before I kill you can hold me over before I get back to Becca.”
His beady eyes traveled up and down her body like a dying man eyeing his last meal.
Panic rang in her head and she fought to stay calm.
His free hand grabbed her chin and lifted her face to the tiny sliver of light that poured out from an upstairs window.
She wouldn’t let this piece of shit touch her.
She had to wait until the time was right to make her move.
He pressed his body against her and her back pressed against the hard brick of the building behind her.
His mouth came down on hers and his tongue pierced through her closed lips.
She bit down as hard as she could and her teeth sunk into his tongue.
He pulled away, but she refused to let up.
His closed fist came up and connected to her temple.
Stars burst in her vision and she staggered to the side, releasing his tongue.
“What the fuck?” he screamed. Spit and blood flew from his mouth and splattered on her face. “I should kill you now.”
Pressure built in her chest, making it hard to breathe. Fear heightened her senses and adrenaline coursed through her veins. Darkness misted her vision and she forced herself to focus on the fury etched on the planes of his face. Acting on instinct, her knee shot up and connected to his groin.
“Bitch!” he yelled and stumbled backward.
She swung her leg forward and connected the pointy toe of her shoe to his balls.
His shrill scream bounced around the alley and he fell to the ground.
His hands covered his injured area and he rolled to his side in front of her.
Now was her chance, she had to get out of here.
She jumped over him and ran toward the opening of the alley.
Her lungs burned as she struggled to take in air, but she was almost there.
A tight grip circled around her ankle and she crashed to the ground.
Her head smacked off the concrete and pain seared through every inch of her body.
Her fingertips dug into stone and broken glass and she tried to crawl toward the light at the end of the alley.
“Help me!” Her voice shook and her eyes searched the mouth of the alley for someone to help her, but no one passed by.
Strong hands pulled her body backward and concrete and God knew whatever else scraped against her body.
Once he pulled her away from the opening, from freedom, he flipped her over on her back.
He stood over her, one leg on either side of her stomach, and hurled a wad of spit on the side of her head. “You’re going to pay for that.”
He lowered himself to the ground, trapping her hands with his own. She thrashed around, kicking her legs and bucking her hips, but he only tightened his hold. “Get off me. Stop. Help! Somebody help me!”
“Nobody’s coming, sweetheart. No one can save you now.” He lowered his mouth so it was an inch above hers. “I want one little taste before I teach you not to fuck with me again.”
Mickey lifted her mouth and bared her teeth.
She bit into his bottom lip as hard as she could.
He pulled away and grabbed his lip. “Sonofabitch.” Blood coated his hand.
He reared back and slapped her across the face.
The sharp sting bit into her cheek and she clenched her jaw to keep from screaming. “Big mistake, bitch.”
His hand dropped to his side and he pulled a small knife from his pocket. Her eyes widened in fear. He traced the side of the blade along her jawline and down her neck. “Keep your mouth shut and stay still and I might not use this. At least not yet.”
Her body went lax. She wasn’t strong enough to fight him, but she was smart enough. There had to be a way to get out of this. She laid her head back and stared numbly toward the opening of the alley as her mind raced.
A shadow appeared at the front of the alley.
She blinked and focused on the upside-down outline of a man as it moved toward them.
Her body went numb and her brain shut down.
Now there were two of them. Luck obviously wasn’t on her side.
She closed her eyes and accepted her fate as the blade sliced through her tank top and the cold kiss of metal pressed against her skin.