Chapter 11
11
HOPE
V aughn wasn’t the grim reaper. He was the goddamn harbinger of doom.
And that strange somersaulting feeling in my stomach whenever he was around? Maybe it wasn’t attraction after all. Maybe it was my body’s way of telling me that this man was going to ruin me and throw my world into chaos.
My life had been just fine until he’d appeared. I wished he’d never shown up at the restaurant at all.
But then the wannabes would’ve been yours to deal with, and how would that have ended?
The unfortunate truth? None of this was Vaughn’s fault. He just happened to be the manifestation of every problem I’d been avoiding since regaining consciousness in Playa de la Palmera. Deep down, I’d known the day would come when someone found me. I should be glad it was Grim and not one of my father’s men. The enemy of my enemy was my friend, right?
But Vaughn wasn’t my friend. Now that he knew who I really was, he saw me as any sane person would. With distrust, revulsion, and loathing. And it hurt. It really fucking hurt, although I couldn’t blame him for feeling that way after the hideous crimes my father and his organization had committed. It would take time for him to realize I was nothing like Carlos Espinoza.
Except in some ways, I was my father’s daughter. I had a short temper and didn’t take kindly to disrespect. And when push came to shove, I’d do whatever it took to defend myself and those I cared about.
I looked into Titan’s warm brown eyes. “I might need your help to get through this. FYI, you have my permission to bite his balls if he gets mean, all right?” Why was I so nervous about going inside? I wasn’t a coward. I was ready to face Grim and whatever questions he had. “He’s not even that good-looking. Is he?” When Titan only stared at me with his tongue lolling from the side of his mouth, I scratched behind his ear. “Fine. Maybe he is. But he’s also bossy, rude, and arrogant as hell. A handsome face, big muscles, and sexy tattoos don’t excuse that.” I gave my dog a stern look. “And I noticed how friendly you were when he turned up. Can you at least pretend you don’t like him until we’re sure his intentions are good?”
With no reassurance from Titan that he’d agreed to my plan, we headed inside.
The sight of Vaughn sitting at the breakfast bar made my heart beat faster, and not only because of the impending interrogation. He watched me approach, looking wickedly sinful, like a dark fallen angel. One who’d been kicked out of heaven for seducing the she-angels and getting into fights with his brothers and had then been sent to Earth to torment me.
Why? Why of all the men I’d encountered since arriving in Playa de la Palmera did he have to be the one to make me feel something? He had so many red flags you could turn them into a banner that stretched from here to the moon.
The truth was hard to ignore. Even though I’d turned my back on my roots, something inside me craved the thrill of danger. And Vaughn offered that in spades.
Even Titan couldn’t resist him. He’d ignored my instructions, going straight to Grim as though they were already old pals.
I folded my arms. “You like dogs?”
Vaughn massaged Titan’s neck. “I like animals more than people.”
An opinion Daphne shared. What had those two talked about while I’d been outside? There’d been no yelling or shots fired, and given Daphne’s relaxed manner, I assumed the pair had spoken civilly.
I struggled to hold in my grin when I recalled Vaughn’s embarrassment during the phone call with Sage. “You mean your chicken? What was her name again?”
“Esmeralda.” He ran a hand through his inky locks. “She was Sage’s funny idea of a housewarming gift that I didn’t have the heart to return. Or eat.”
My brows lifted. “This is a day of revelations.”
“That I have a chicken?”
“That you have a heart.”
He grunted. “I wouldn’t go that far.”
Dee picked up Rusty, the almost-blind chihuahua, and tucked him under one arm. The snappy teacup pup watched Vaughn suspiciously as though ready to go toe-to-toe with our visitor if he so much as sneezed.
I sat on the floor with my back against a kitchen cabinet. Titan remembered where his allegiances lay and spread out beside me with his body resting against my outstretched legs. Daphne handed me a steaming mug of joe. I didn’t drink it right away in case I threw it back up. My nerves hadn’t settled since hearing my birth name spill from Grim’s lips.
Vaughn’s explanation for being here and Sage’s endorsement were promising, but I didn’t know either of them. They could be lying through their teeth to get information out of me. I had questions of my own.
“How’d you find me?” I asked.
“Part sheer luck and part research.” Vaughn tugged down the sleeves of his Henley. The action struck me as strange because he must be hot in jeans and a long shirt. Most people would’ve bunched the sleeves to their elbows. Was he hiding some kind of offensive ink under there?
“I glanced at your file when we first started looking into the PCC. It wasn’t until late last night that I had a brain wave and realized why you looked familiar. Brandon did some digging and gave me everything else I needed to know.”
“And does Brandon think I’m a narco sympathizer?”
“His opinion is irrelevant. It’s me you’re answering to.”
The nerve of this guy.
“Just so we’re clear, I don’t have to tell you shit. I’m only talking right now because I choose to. Before I say anything more, I need to speak with Daphne in private.”
He folded his brawny arms across his chest. “Not gonna happen.”
“Excuse me?” I recoiled and directed a filthy look at him. “What the hell makes you think you can?—”
Dee slammed her empty mug onto the counter. “I’ve seen divorcing couples communicate better than you two.” She exhaled loudly as her hard stare volleyed between Vaughn and me. “If the pair of you could act like mature adults for a minute, maybe you’d realize you’re on the same side.”
Fine. If he wouldn’t do the courteous thing and give us privacy, I wasn’t about to censor this conversation to avoid hurting his precious feelings.
I stabbed my finger toward Vaughn while holding Daphne’s unimpressed gaze. “You decided we should trust him already? What if Carlos sent him to test my loyalty?”
Vaughn’s shoulders shook as he laughed. “Please.”
I ignored him. “What if he’s going to find out everything I know, then murder me so I don’t spill his plans? I mean, look at him. He could be the poster boy for the supermax prison.”
Daphne took a damp cloth and wiped a coffee ring from the counter. How was she so calm about all of this? Ten minutes ago, she’d been about to blow Vaughn’s head off.
She tossed the cloth into the sink. “I spent twenty-five years reading patients and learned how to pick a liar. I grilled him while you were floundering outside. He’s telling the truth.”
I gave Dee wide eyes. “You could’ve mentioned that earlier.”
She was as shrewd as they came, and I trusted her judgment. And truthfully, I knew Vaughn wouldn’t hurt me. Despite his domineering attitude and sinister tattoos, he wasn’t an evil man. I’d known enough of them to tell.
Daphne rinsed her cup in the sink. “I figured you’d come to the same conclusion as me eventually. Don’t let your stubbornness get in the way of the facts. And you”—she nodded toward Vaughn—“stop being antagonistic. Hope’s been through hell, and I won’t have you upsetting her for your amusement. Got it?”
“Fine.” Vaughn gave me an insincere smile. “I’ll try.”
“Just”—I waved a hand toward him—“tell me everything about this team of yours. I want to know exactly who I’m dealing with before I agree to anything.”
So he did. From his friend, Brandon, who was some hacker genius on a mission to eliminate human-trafficking rings after his sister had been tragically kidnapped and murdered, to the cartels and other organized-crime syndicates he and his crew of supersoldiers had eliminated one by one.
The things he told me were both courageous and heartbreaking. So many women’s lives had been saved, but not all of them. I supposed every story of triumph over evil included innocent casualties. How many people would die to remove my father from his throne?
“Your turn to share,” Vaughn said, snapping me from my thoughts. “Where can we find Carlos Espinoza?”
“I already told you. I don’t know where the compound is. Before I handed myself over to Alvarez in Guadalajara, I hadn’t visited Mexico since I was a child.”
“And you have no idea where he lives?”
I shrugged. “I mean, I know he owns homes all around the country, but the only one he ever called me from was in Acapulco.”
Vaughn’s brows shot up like this news surprised him. “Not the mountains?”
“No. I suppose being one man in a busy city makes him hard to find. Plenty of snake holes to slither into.”
“Your phone calls. Were they audio or video?”
“Both.” I took a tentative sip of coffee and was pleased when my stomach tolerated it. “And before you ask if I have his number, I don’t think he ever called me from the same phone twice.”
Vaughn shifted in his seat. “What can you tell me about the video calls?”
“There were no street signs in the background or addressed envelopes in plain sight if that’s what you’re wondering.”
“Maybe not, but I’m betting there are details you don’t even realize you know. You’d be surprised what we can decipher from the smallest of clues. I need you to talk with Brandon and Sage. They’ll have a bunch of questions that might help narrow down our search field.”
“And what happens if you find Carlos?” I asked.
“The team goes in and exterminates the rat’s nest.”
Dread overcame me. If I helped Vaughn find my father, I could be sending him and his teammates to their deaths. They’d better be prepared for what would meet them.
“Just so we’re clear, how many mercenaries are on your payroll? One hundred? Two?”
Vaughn chuckled. “No, Gatita. A dozen operators are all we need. Our guys are highly trained.”
Twelve men against the forces my father commanded? Vaughn’s team would be slaughtered.
“What you’re proposing is suicide. Carlos has no shortage of weapons and the support of la Mano Roja. They’ve been preparing for this day and will have traps. You’ll need an army to face off against them.”
“Careful.” He raised a brow. “It almost sounds like you’re worried about me.”
He didn’t seem remotely concerned about the strength of the enemy. Clearly, his guys weren’t amateurs since they’d eliminated other cartels leading up to this. But the PCC wasn’t in the same league. They were more powerful, cunning, and ruthless than any cartel this country had ever known.
“This might surprise you, but I’m not okay with sending a dozen men to become cannon fodder for my father. If I help you find his compound, I’m complicit in those deaths. I don’t want that on my conscience.”
Enough people had already lost their lives because of me. I hadn’t killed them, but they’d still be alive if we’d never crossed paths. As far as I was concerned, their blood was on my hands.
Vaughn leaned forward with a look of distaste. “So you’d rather we back down and let the cartel carry on trafficking, terrorizing, and murdering?”
“Of course not.” I scoffed.
“Then get on board and help us find your father, because there’s no chance in hell we’re not going after that son of a bitch. I’ve taken point on plenty of our missions, which means I’ve been first on the scene when we’ve found trafficked women. If you’d seen the things I’ve seen…” His eyes darkened as though those disturbing thoughts replayed in his mind. “We need to stop this shit fast so those women don’t have to spend a minute longer in captivity. And if Carlos Espinoza has a hundred men waiting for us, that just means our team gets a little target practice before we put him down.”
I didn’t like this. Not one bit. My only hope was that if we found the compound, Vaughn would realize they were outclassed and rethink his plans.
All the same, his dedication caused a strange feeling to unfurl inside me. He might be a jerk, but he risked his life to help those who couldn’t help themselves.
And what had I done to stop my father? Played dead. Pathetic. In my heart, I knew hiding here doing nothing was spineless.
If I’d returned to Carlos after Alvarez’s failed murder attempt, maybe I could’ve manipulated how he ran his business. I’d almost finished my degree. Perhaps if I’d shown my father I had the capability to expand the family’s wealth without ruining lives, I could’ve convinced him to go legit with his fortune.
But what if Carlos wouldn’t listen to reason? What if my pleas to end the violence only angered him? Most terrifying of all was the unbreakable agreement to marry Jorge. A lifetime with that monster was a fate worse than death.
But I’d never know if I could’ve made a difference, because I’d been too scared to find out.
I was a goddamn coward.
No more. I’d had enough. It was time to do everything in my power to stop my father.
“Okay,” I said to Vaughn. “Set up a phone call with Brandon and Sage.”
“No. You’re going to talk to them face-to-face.” He stood and returned the barstool to its place beneath the breakfast bar. “I’m taking you to Montana.”