Rami

Chapter 19

The sound of rushing water penetrated the fog surrounding Ivy’s brain. Pain pulsed against her skull. She’d do anything for an ibuprofen right now. Something hard and sharp dug into the back of her head, and the stiffness at her lower back told her she wasn’t lying down.

What the hell happened to me?

She swallowed, but the action only assaulted her dry, battered throat.

Memories crashed together in her mind. Running. Screaming. Abusive hands on her skin and body—

No.

This wasn’t the usual barrage of nightmares that taunted her between dreaming and waking. These were new.

Voices carried to her ears and a breeze touched her cheek. She shivered and peeked open her eyes. She sat in the forest, her back against a tree and a rope wrapped around her chest, tethering her in place. Dampness from the ground soaked through her pants, and she fought a shiver.

Her teeth threatened to chatter, either from the cold or stark terror. She scanned her surroundings, and her gaze locked on a clearing. The van that had taken her was parked near a campfire. The driver was talking on the phone and the other man, Gabriel, sat on a fallen tree, his head in his hands as if he had the world’s worst migraine.

A tremor wobbled her lips. She hadn’t killed him. Instead, she’d thrown a rock at a huffing grizzly.

He’d retaliate. Images of all the ways they could torture her flashed through her mind, and a little moan escaped her lips. She clamped her teeth down on the sensitive flesh, punishing herself for being careless.

Rami.

She craved his comfort. Would do anything just to see his face. His clear, earnest eyes were beacons in a sea of turmoil.

A clip moved through her mind as though she were watching an action scene from a movie: Rami running across the parking lot and an SUV barreling after him.

It’d all happened so fast. She’d heard a crash but hadn’t seen what’d happened. But even before that, he’d been injured.

He’d been shot in the store. More than once. And because she’d been dragged by her hair and hung upside down over Gabriel’s back, she hadn’t been able to visually assess Rami’s wounds. Had any bullets missed the vest?

Tears clogged her throat. If he was dead, she’d never forgive herself. But there was no way of knowing if he’d survived. The cartel would kill her, but not before making her suffer. Or hell, maybe they’d decide to go back to their original plan and sell her. In either case, she’d never see Rami again.

Would never be held in his grounding embrace. Never feel his heart thumping in sync with hers or feel his warm, compassionate lips on her mouth. She’d never bathe in his goodness.

Instead, she’d be damned to a living hell.

A little ball of fire spun inside her. She hadn’t escaped that suffocating camper for nothing. Rami hadn’t risked his life to save her just for her to get pulled right back.

For him and everything he’d done for her, she had to fight. One thing was for sure—he would.

Hope flared in her chest.

Nothing short of a bullet to the head would take out Rami. He’d find her or die trying, and she had to hang on to that notion before she got sucked into the bleak despair that had consumed her between those four disgusting, rusted-out walls in the Mexican desert.

The needle marks burned on her arm. A fiery reminder of what waited for her if she didn’t escape.

Never again.

If she wanted to live, she had to keep it together. Had to outsmart these men and not break down—definitely not let them see her resolve falter.

Sixteen days with Marty and Wayne had shown her that sick people got off on hearing their victims cry and beg. That’s what they wanted. And she’d die silently before she gave it to them.

The men sat fifty or so feet away. If she could get her hands free, she might be able to run. She brought her attention to the ropes binding her. They were tight but not to the point of cutting off circulation. She could still wiggle, and because the ropes circled her biceps, her elbows and forearms had a bit of movement.

She glanced down at the yellow twine strapped over her chest. She needed something sharp. Placing her palms on the ground, she patted the earth around the base of the tree. Roots, bark, and dirt met her roaming fingers—nothing of use.

She mumbled a curse then glanced toward the van and campfire to make sure her captors weren’t aware that she was awake. The driver paced near the van, his phone to his ear, and Gabriel still sat in front of the fire.

Thank god.

Hopefully Gabriel was suffering from a severe concussion. Summoning a breath, Ivy chanced wiggling her butt as close to the tree as she could. She then leaned forward, bearing down on the ropes with all her weight. Moving her torso side to side, she stretched and scraped the rope against the tree trunk.

After less than a minute, sweat coated her brow and her breathing was labored. She was still exhausted from running, and her head beat like a conga drum.

She relaxed against the tree and took several breaths through her nose. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but the rope didn’t seem quite as snug.

The men started talking and Ivy caught a glimpse of the driver pocketing his phone. He stood next to Gabriel. Though they both seemed to speak fluent English, the driver spoke with a thick accent, and the only sentence Ivy could make out was “He’ll be here in twenty.”

Who’s “he”?

Her heart palpitated. She forced her body to go limp and closed her eyes before they caught her watching.

Was it possible Rami had gotten ahold of them? Maybe he was making a trade?

She wanted—no, needed—that to be true with her entire being.

“He’s going to enjoy her,” the driver said, leering again.

All the blood drained from her face. Rami wasn’t coming. It was someone else.

***

Driving the thirtyminutes back to the rest stop felt like a setback. But the equipment that lay in the back of Taschen’s SUV would make it worth it. The drone would help immensely. They’d be at an advantage having eyes on the men—they’d know what they were up against. Not to mention they’d be able to see Ivy.

The gas station came into view along with the blue and red flashing lights of various emergency vehicles.

Jesus Christ.

“Whoa, stay back,” Taschen said, echoing Rami’s thoughts.

“Shit,” Rami said, driving past the scene. “How are we gonna get the drone without getting stuck with police?” He turned onto a dirt road and parked behind a stand of trees that’d hide them from the cops.

Security footage would show they’d acted in self-defense, and they were licensed to carry and operate as a bodyguard service. Legally, they were fine. But that didn’t mean they wouldn’t have to explain themselves and be tied up with questions for who knew how long.

Taschen rubbed his knuckles over his jaw. The guy almost always had something to say, whether it was useful or a pile of shit. This time he was silent.

“There’s no way to get to the truck unseen,” Rami spat. “It’s right in the middle of the chaos.” Annoyance pulsed through him, and he slammed the heel of his palm against the dash. “Sonofabitch!”

He’d driven further away from Ivy. By now she could be dead or the cartel could be... hell, he couldn’t go there. The image of those fuckers touching her, hurting her, made his head damn near explode.

His vision wavered and he pinched his temples between his thumb and middle finger. If he didn’t lower his blood pressure, he’d have a heart attack. Bringing in one deep breath after another, he forced a plan into place.

“All right.” He lowered his hand and exhaled through his nose. “We both go in and explain the situation. You stay for questions and I’ll take the drone.”

Taschen’s top lip curled at the edge. “You think that’s gonna work?”

“We’ll make it work.”

Taschen sighed. “We can’t get into a shoot-out with a bunch of cops.”

Rami slid him an Are you kidding me expression. “No shit, dummy.” He worked his jaw. They needed the drone. He pulled out his phone and texted Toth.

Where are you?

He drummed his fingers, but the reply came quickly.

Few minutes away from the rest stop. August is with me.

Perfect. They wouldn’t need to wait for August to show up. That’d save precious minutes. Rami sent Toth a pin of their location and then relayed the information to Taschen.

His friend lifted a shoulder. “As long as you’ve got backup, I’m happy to take the heat with the police. They can’t hold us all here. Only the two of us were involved. You stay here in your truck with August. While I’m talking to the cops, Toth can retrieve the drone. That way no matter what, you’ve got someone to move with.”

Rami nodded. He wanted the four of them to retrieve Ivy—the more manpower, the greater the odds of getting her out safely. But they’d done bigger missions overseas with fewer men and even more dire circumstances.

A few minutes later headlights approached. The vehicle slowed and pulled a U-turn to park directly behind Rami’s truck at the side of the dirt road.

Rami got out and Taschen followed just as Toth and August emerged from their vehicle.

“Hey man.” August’s face was a storm of emotions. One being pity. He clapped Rami on the shoulder. “We’ll find her.”

Toth dragged his fingertips through his beard. Worry filled his gaze, but there was something else there. Briefly Rami remembered Savannah’s pregnancy. He hadn’t gotten to talk to Toth about how Savannah was doing, but now wasn’t the time. Nor did he have the capacity to worry about anyone besides Ivy.

“Tell me you’ve got a lead.” Toth’s voice was as grave as his expression.

“I was gonna say the same thing.” Rami massaged his temple but the action did nothing to soothe the fierce thumping. “No word on where the van went?”

“Not yet. I asked my brothers to help. If anyone can locate the van, it’s Dare.”

Rami sighed. That didn’t help them right now. “All right,” he breathed. “We need the drone from the back of Taschen’s vehicle. Only problem is it’s in the middle of a police investigation.”

Toth’s expression turned fierce and August groaned.

“We’ll be tied up for hours,” Toth said.

“Taschen’s going to answer their questions while you take the drone from the back of the truck.”

“Me?” Toth jabbed his thumb toward his own chest.

“Yeah, well. Can’t be me. And since August is the medic, I need him.”

Toth’s glare sizzled. “Goddammit.” He pulled his phone from his pocket and slapped it in Rami’s palm.

“What’s this for?”

“If I get caught up, you’ll need to wait for my brother’s call. It’ll be Nash or Dare.”

Rami let out a tense breath. “Thanks, man.”

Toth glowered at him then jerked his head toward Taschen. “Let’s go.”

Taschen joined Toth in his truck. Rami and August watched them head toward the rest stop.

“How you holdin’ up?” August asked.

Rami snorted. “Like shit.”

August grunted. He looked down and dragged his hand through his dirty-blond hair. He didn’t bother telling Rami that what had happened wasn’t his fault, and Rami appreciated that.

“Gigi’s a mess.”

August’s comment hit Rami like a hundred sharp nails. He brought his fingers to the collar of his shirt and tugged. The Kevlar strapped to his upper body made him feel confined and tense. In fact, everything, including the air he breathed, irritated his nervous system right now.

Nothing would be okay until he had Ivy safe and the cocksuckers who’d touched her were sporting bullets in their heads.

“Yeah, I know,” he ground out. Ivy’s sister was also someone he couldn’t worry about at the moment. In truth, if he thought about the bond Ivy shared with her sister, and how much it’d hurt her to know that Gigi was in turmoil, he’d probably be even more bothered. But he had to focus on the right sister.

Something hung in August’s voice, though. A pain that made his words heavy. “I take it you’re worried about her?” Rami asked. “Gigi, that is.”

Several years in the Marines and six years in black ops together had made them more tight-knit than Rami cared to admit. He tended to pick up on August’s moods and thoughts on an instinctual level—not that he’d ever tell him that.

A muscle in August’s jaw popped, and he swept his lips to the side. “Gigi was a fling. Couple weeks of fun ’n that was it.” He seemed about to say more but stopped.

“Seems like she got her teeth in ya in a short time.”

August pushed Rami’s shoulder. “You’re one to talk.”

Pain radiated through his chest. He hissed.

“You hit?” Concern brought August’s brows together.

“Nah. Just shot in the Kevlar. Hurts like a bitch, though.” Bringing his attention to his wounds only made his head pound. He brought his fingers to the spot where one of the men had struck him with their gun and felt the tender goose egg. He wiped away the trickle of blood still leaking from the cut.

Ring, ring

Toth’s phone lit up in Rami’s hand. His stomach clenched as he read the name on the screen: Dare. Finally. They’d better have something.

Rami swiped the screen and brought the device to his ear. “Hello?”

Silence met him.

“Dare?” he pressed.

“Yeah, who’s this?” Dare barked.

“It’s Rami. Toth had to step aside for a few minutes and he gave me his phone in case you called. Do you have any information for us? A location on the vehicle that took Ivy?” Goddammit, if Dare had information and he was holding it back for Toth, he’d—

“Last location I got for the van that took her was the rest stop you guys were at. Actually saw the whole thing go down. It’s crazy you’re alive.”

“Well, I am. Ivy might not be though, if you don’t have a lead,” Rami growled.

August’s eyebrows crept up his face, but Rami didn’t give a fuck how rude he sounded. They were wasting valuable time. Toth had sworn these guys were good—they had to have more intel.

“I might have something more worthwhile. We tracked down Juan Fernando’s phone number. He’s the leader of the trafficking operation. If anyone knows where Ivy is, it’s him.”

Satisfaction tightened Rami’s muscles. “That’ll do.”

“’Kay, I texted it to Toth’s phone. Just be careful, they might try to trap you or some shit. You guys are a little short on manpower to be taking on a Mexican cartel.”

“Don’t have much choice.”

“Still. Watch yourself.”

“Noted.” A beat passed. “And Dare? Thanks for this.”

“I wish I could do more,” Dare said, his voice grave, as if he suspected the outcome wasn’t going to be good.

Rami hung up and stared at the Mexican number Dare had sent. “You got the money?” Rami asked August.

August gave one sharp nod. “Yup. The full hundred Gigi brought in.”

“Good. We’re gonna need it.” He tapped the numbers into the keypad on his phone and the line rang in his ear.

Please don’t let me be too late.