Chapter 13
CHAPTER 13
AMALIA (PRESENT)
A pounding headache loomed at the back of my skull and all I wanted was to hit the person responsible for it. I had everything perfectly planned and Noah had single-handedly ruined it in one impulsive—and stupid—fell swoop.
As entertaining as it was to watch Barrera struggle so pathetically, a scenario I’d often envisioned exacting upon him on many occasions, Noah still managed to fuck up my plans from the confines of a barricaded cell.
Once I’d landed in Bab Al Mansour last night, I’d called Hamza and ordered him to send one of his lackeys to collect Gabriel. Meanwhile, I took my car that I’d left parked in the hangar before my flight and made my way back to the Barrera mansion, using the time to work out my next steps.
I certainly couldn’t call the Bureau since I’d gone rogue. The goal of my assignment hadn’t changed, but how I got there most definitely went against anything I’d learned in training at the Academy.
So I spent the thirty-minute drive making all the necessary arrangements to have everything fall into place and prevent myself from getting killed in the process of my own extraction.
After I’d managed to get a trusted contact of mine at the Royal Palace to convince the Crown Prince to visit The Oasis, one of the most coveted nightclubs in town, for an early birthday celebration, I’d then spent the early hours of this morning carefully planting conversations that Barrera would overhear about the event that would be held in honor of Moulay Ahmad.
The prince was turning twenty, which meant one important thing to Barrera. He was young and malleable, unlike his father, his Royal Highness.
Earlier this afternoon, Barrera had finally taken the bait after hearing Sabiri mention the Crown Prince. He’d immediately found me and asked I accompany him to pick an outfit at the marketplace in the old city.
I didn’t want to raise suspicions, so I’d agreed, putting a delay in my plans to get Gabriel out of the cell next to Noah’s.
I should have known better than letting one of Hamza’s subordinates take care of him. Because instead of putting Gabriel in a cell with all the other prisoners on the other side of the property like I’d asked, he’d taken him to the old cell that was adjacent to the one Noah was currently staying in.
I’d rarely used his cell before since it was on the opposite side of where my room was on the property, except when I required additional space for my interrogations, especially when I could leverage the hook on its ceiling.
Besides, I preferred using the building where all the other prisoners were so that they could all hear every torturous scream when I had a discussion with one of them. It helped make them more talkative when their turns came.
Hamza and his crew had apprehended Noah while I’d been away and Barrera had insisted we confine the new hostage there although it was actually my decision.
I’d asked Hamza’s soldiers because I didn’t want an agent mingling with our prisoners and the place was secluded from the rest of the property, so only authorized people could go in there.
I’d only ever kept one prisoner at a time there, so it made no sense to me as to why they’d taken someone else there, making my job so much more difficult.
Since I couldn’t risk Gabriel overhearing, knowing that sound carried easily between the cells despite their distance, I’d eventually found a way to get Gabriel out of there without raising suspicion.
But of course another hurdle appeared in my way in the form of a painstakingly frustrating handsome man who decided to strangle Barrera when we were almost out the door.
I reined in my frustration as I led the way to Doc’s office. I’d briefed Barrera earlier about Gabriel potentially having information on Alaoui that might be useful to us and that he might also still be concealing contraband.
I’d been under the assumption that I’d be taking care of it on my own when Barrera had simply nodded after I’d delivered the information, but when I’d made my way to Gabriel’s cell, he’d appeared with Sabiri and two other teenagers I knew he’d most likely took off the streets to work for him.
When I’d asked what he was doing, he’d told me to stop asking questions and lead the way. Instead of challenging his authority, something I had no issue doing, I’d opted to do as asked.
I’d been tempted to stand my ground but knew that might lead to questions I just didn’t have time to answer. The hours until I had to leave all of this behind ticked by and wasting any resourceful time wouldn’t help me come out of this alive.
I didn’t particularly want Gabriel to be put in the direct line of vision of Barrera and suffer in the process, but if it was the temporary price to pay until I got him out, I was prepared to do so.
I didn’t feel remorse very often anymore, but as I watched Sabiri and the other boy whom I’d never seen before today drop Gabriel’s unconscious body on the examination table, the emotion whirled inside my ribcage.
I shook myself out of it and dismissed the boys, Barrera having already retreated to his room to get checked by his personal physician. Then I turned my attention to Doc and said, “I need you to check him for swallowed packages of cocaine. He most likely overdosed last night and seemed fine after I gave him a dose of Narcan, but we need him alive.”
He looked at me impassively the entire time I relayed all the information I knew he’d need.
No one really knew much about the older man since he rarely spoke unless for one-worded responses or if he needed a clinical confirmation. He’d already been the cartel’s physician on call a few years before I joined the ranks and I always felt like something about him was off.
It might have been his bushy mustache that covered most of his upper lip or his disturbingly pale green eyes or maybe even the greasy gray hair he always had pulled into a low ponytail.
I still couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was about him, so I simply limited my interactions to a bare minimum.
He gave a curt nod and immediately got to work, reaching for scissors and cutting through Gabriel’s torn-up top. With his scissors still in hand, he glanced up at us with a look of indifference.
“Right,” I said, taking it as my cue to leave. I walked out of his office and headed for my quarters to prepare the last step of my plan.
Barrera had left for The Oasis about an hour ago.
He hadn’t made a grand public appearance since his son died a few weeks ago, so he’d taken Hamza and a lot of his men with him, only leaving a few guards behind since I was here to watch over everything.
This was exactly what I needed and why I’d opted to bring the prince in town. I’d known Barrera wouldn’t have attended Moulay Ahmad’s birthday celebration no matter how beneficial his endorsement would be if he’d had to travel to another region for it.
I’d meticulously timed the extraction when I knew all the remaining guards who had stayed behind would gather in the living room to watch the football game. The country’s national men’s team was playing for some sort of qualifying round and there were only a few minutes left to determine if they’d make it through.
Which meant that all the men were now rooted to their seats, giving me a short window of time to leave.
I grabbed my guns from the small table I was sitting in front of and slid them into my shoulder holster. Standing, I grabbed my leather jacket from the back of the wooden chair and pulled it on, zipping it up.
Then I swiftly walked out of the room, listening for any sounds. The property had gone quieter, the faraway sounds of the boys in the living room drifting my way.
Hurry up , my brain urged me and I tamped it down with a vexed, I know.
With the keys of the cell in hand, I made my way down the stairs and crossed the courtyard, passing the large fountain in the middle. I quickly glanced through the ajar back doors to see if all the guards were still accounted for in the living room.
After I confirmed all seven men were there, I hurried the remaining steps toward the building where Noah was held. I unlocked the front door and walked down the dimly lit hallways until I reached the narrow concrete staircase that led to the basement.
Once I made it down the steps, I looked at my watch and noticed I had four more minutes before the game ended. I quickly unlatched the three locks on the basement door and carefully cracked it open to minimize the screeching noise it made.
When I stepped into the hallway that led to his cell, Noah stood and watched me warily as I approached. He looked over my shoulder, most likely to see if we had company. When he realized I was alone, his gaze traveled back to mine.
“Came to pay me a visit?” he asked teasingly, the corner of his lips tugging up in a smirk.
“Sarcasm isn’t your style,” I deadpanned.
“And being held captive is?”
With no time to waste, I paused in front of his cell, unlocked the bolt attached to it, and dragged the bars wide open. “We’re leaving,” I ordered, ignoring his quip.
His brow shot up. “What are you talking about?”
I bit down on my molars and reached for his wrist, ignoring the jolting shock when our skin made contact. “ Noah , we have to go. We don’t have time,” I said urgently, tugging him forward.
Thankfully, he didn’t resist.
I dropped his arm and shook my hand out before turning around to make our way out, Noah right on my heels.
“Where are we going?” he asked just as we reached the exit.
I halted abruptly and spun around, catching him off guard as my front collided with his. He grabbed my upper arms to steady me and despite the fabric separating his touch from my skin, the same irritating zap of electricity rang through my body.
Ugh, stop it.
“Let’s go,” I gritted out, yanking myself out of his grip and turning around to leave.
“Not until you tell me what the hell is going on?” he insisted, not moving.
I closed my eyes in frustration. I was already regretting my decision to bring him with me and we hadn’t even made it out yet. I faced him again, locking my gaze with his.
“I don’t know if you remember, but I did say we didn’t have much time. Which includes time for questions. You can either come with me or die here. I couldn’t fucking care less, but you better decide fast before we both end up dead,” I said, turning away from him.
I’d barely reached for the door handle when he stopped me again. “Amalia,” he whispered.
I swear to God I’m about to put a bullet in his head.
I opened my mouth, but before I could tear him a new one, he seized my arms and yanked me back with urgency. With a swift motion, he pressed his other hand firmly over my mouth and pulled my body flush against his, pressing our bodies tightly against the cold stone wall.
Furious, I moved to push him off, but he held me firmly against him, his eyes hard on mine. He leaned his head down until his breath fanned over my ear. “You can thank me later,” he said as I heard the faint shuffle of footsteps outside.
He pulled back, his lips brushing against my skin in the process, and I had to suppress the shiver the contact initiated.
Something must definitely be wrong with my system because what the hell were all these reactions my body was having to Noah? Not only had I not seen this man in ten years, I wasn’t particularly fond of him, so why was I fucking reacting to anything in regards to him?
Pull it together, Amalia.
In the tense stillness of the moment, we both held our breaths, our eyes locked on one another, waiting for whoever was outside to pass us by unnoticed. After what felt like an eternity, Noah hovered over me and cautiously glanced through the small window of the door.
“He’s gone,” he said, letting go of me.
“I figured.”
“A thank you wouldn’t hurt.”
I ignored him and looked at my watch, realizing the game was over and we’d lost our safe window to leave the premises without a hitch. I reached for my boot and pulled out a spare pistol.
I was good but not stupid. There was no way we would get out of here with me being the only armed. And I hated to admit it, but he was a pretty good shot, and we’d need it.
“There are seven guards on the property tonight, and one more guarding the large entry gate. My car’s in the garage, so keep low and avoid being seen.” I placed the gun in his palm and added, “And for the love of God, don’t do anything stupid.”
“Why are there only seven guards? That’s not normal.”
Since we were already running out of time, I didn’t spare a thought to how he knew that and answered him, “Barrera’s out tonight. He went to the Crown Prince’s twentieth birthday bash with Hamza and most of the crew.” What I didn’t reveal was that I was the one behind it. He didn’t need to know that.
“Any more questions?”
“Later, but for now, lead the way, pretty girl.”
Ignoring the nickname, I looked out the window and when I confirmed that no one was outside, I opened the door and kept close to the wall, navigating us toward the garage. Once inside the brightly lit multi-car garage, I beelined for my vehicle and popped the back open.
“Get in,” I commanded, pointing at the trunk.
“No, I’ll drive,” he said, already making his way to the driver’s side of my compact SUV.
I wiped a frustrated hand over my face and glared at him. “Noah, I swear I’ll leave you behind to fend for yourself if you keep pushing against everything I ask of you.”
He opened the car’s door. “Amalia, whether we like it or not, they’ll know we’re gone within the next few minutes. You’re a better shot and I’m a better driver, so get in the car. Now you’re the one wasting time.”
The fucking audacity of this man. My patience was running thin, but he had a point. It was just a question of minutes before they realized that Noah was gone and I was too.
I slammed the trunk closed and hurried to jump into the passenger’s seat. Noah got into the driver’s seat and turned the engine on. The garage door slid open as he approached it and he merged into the gravel road that led down to the iron gates at the front.
I knew the doors would open automatically after scanning my license plate at the front, but it didn’t stop my heart from wanting to leap out of my chest as we drove toward the front gate.
I hadn’t felt this way in a long time and I couldn’t say I’d missed it.
I started thinking we were in the clear, but just as we reached the exit, the car barely passing the iron gates, the sound of a gunshot erupted behind us.
“Stop the car,” someone yelled.
I glanced over my shoulder to find one of the guards standing in the middle of the gravel driveway with his weapon drawn up.
Noah yanked on the stick shift and stomped down on the pedals, tearing off into the night just as the guard who sat in a chair outside to the side jerked awake. The older man fumbled for his old rifle, but it was too late because he was already far in our rearview mirror.
Noah raced down the long, deserted street that connected the rest of the world to Barrera’s property, but a few moments later, headlights cut the darkness around us.
I threw a glance behind us and said, “We have company.”
“I hadn’t noticed,” he deadpanned as two more cars emerged, joining the party. Their headlights loomed close with each passing second and then bullets started flying.
Before I could instruct Noah where to turn, he slammed on the brakes and sharply veered the car into a dirt path off the road, the car skidding around the corner with a deafening screech that drowned the sound of gunfire.
I held back a shriek, almost flying off my seat. I tightly gripped the handle above the window as he sped down the dirt path.
How the fuck does he know where to go?
We always masked prisoners coming in so they wouldn’t know how to get out and there were no blueprints out there of Barrera’s property since he’d bribed the city’s officials to keep everything off record.
“Where are you going?” I asked, holding on tightly. The car bounced and jolted over the uneven terrain, the three cars joining the road behind us one by one.
“Hang on,” he warned a moment before he merged onto the main thoroughfare, the city’s neon lights flickering in the distance. He hurtled down the boulevard, weaving between cars that were most likely heading for a night out, but the three black SUVs were still trailing us.
With every passing moment, tension mounted and Barrera’s men were closing in on us, their bullets unrelenting.
Noah clutched the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the car ahead. One moment, we were behind it and in the next breath, he swerved hard to the left, his foot pressing down the accelerator as he shot past the vehicle that was in front of us.
The nearest SUV on our tail mimicked the movement, following us on the opposite side of the road.
What the hell is he doing?
My eyes narrowed on the road in front of us. “Noah, watch out,” I screamed as I spotted a construction site ahead, a barricade of orange cones and flashing lights.
“I know,” was his only answer as we closed down on the site in our path.
“ Noah , what are you doing?” I yelled as we were about to enter in a head-on collision with the site.
He ignored me and kept his focus ahead.
At the last possible moment, Noah swerved back to the right side of the road, almost hitting the car now behind us. The sound of tires screeched as they skidded across the pavement and honking resounded in the night air.
Oh, he’s fucking crazy.
I glanced behind to find the SUV that was trailing us had slammed its brakes a moment too late, colliding straight into a parked excavator.
One car down. Two more to go.
“You’re fucking crazy, you know that?” I said, turning my attention to him.
“Better crazy than dead.” He briefly looked over at me with a satisfied smile, but it was short-lived. His eyes widened, an alarmed look painting his features.
Everything that came next happened in a blur. Noah yelled, “Watch out,” and reached over for me with one hand to pull me down in the same breath, trying his best to cover me from his side.
The car skidded off its lane as the passenger window next to me exploded, shattered glass raining down on us. Noah quickly righted the car, but the SUV veered in our direction, metal scraping against metal.
“Barrera, pull the fuck over,” the driver shouted in Arabic, but Noah floored the gas pedal even more, the speedometer almost reading the hundred miles mark.
Barrera? What is this guy on?
I would have blamed my misunderstanding on the fact that darija wasn’t my native language, but I’d mastered it before coming to work for the cartel, so there was no way it was that.
I must have just misheard with all the adrenaline coursing through my body.
I glanced over at Noah, but he didn’t look at me. Instead, he had a grim expression on his face, his jaw clenched, but I didn’t have time to dwell on this any longer or we’d end up dead.
I peered into the side-view mirror, noticing there were only two men in the car that just shot at me. “When I tell you to, slam on the brakes and slightly weave into their lane,” I instructed Noah as I grabbed my gun and checked the chamber.
He gave me a quick side-glance before looking back at the road. “What?”
“Stop questioning me and just trust me.”
“Fine,” he gritted out.
I focused my sole attention on the wing mirror, waiting for the perfect moment. I waited with bated breath as the second SUV weaved through cars and drew closer until they were far enough for what I’d planned.
“ Now ,” I shouted and Noah did as I’d told him.
The driver hadn’t expected me to be this close range and didn’t pull away fast enough before I raised my weapon and fired two bullets—one for his head and the other for his companion.
The driver slumped forward, his head lolling as it collided with the steering wheel, the sudden impact causing the horn to blare and join the symphony of the chaos already ensuing outside.
Their vehicle veered off across the lanes, cars behind honking and doing their best to avoid it. It kept its course until it collided with a street lamp post, the airbags deploying.
Noah muttered something unintelligible under his breath, pulling my attention back to him. Before I could register anything, the car lurched forward as something rammed into us from behind, almost sending us careening into the truck in front of us.
As Noah regained control, they struck again, the impact sending shockwaves through the vehicle. I peered over my shoulder, noting movement in the front seats, the gleam of a rifle being loaded.
Police and paramedic sirens cut through the air. We were about ten minutes away from the expressway and we had to both get rid of the car before we reached it and evade the authorities’ radar. The last thing either one of us needed was to end up in a prison cell, only to then be sent back to Barrera.
Using the sleeve of my leather jacket, I wiped at the broken glass on the windowsill. Then I unfastened my seat belt, tightly gripped the grab handle, and leaned the upper half of my body out.
I fired once but missed when a hand tugged me back.
“Are you out of your fucking mind?” he shouted, his voice sharp with urgency as he yanked me back to my seat.
I whipped around, my frustration boiling over at the fact that he made me waste a perfectly good shot. I tilted my head. “Would you rather do it?”
His grip on the steering wheel tightened. “As you can see, my hands are a little occupied at the moment,” he gritted out just as a bullet ricocheted against the back bumper.
“Then let me do this,” I said and moved for the window again.
He tugged me back down to my seat, his hand gripping my thigh. “No. I’m not risking you dying because you wanted to play the hero.”
My irritation spilled over, ravaging a path through my veins. “I’m not playing the fucking hero,” I bit out. “I’m trying to make sure we don’t end up fucking dead or worse back at Barrera’s. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather not be held captive as a traitor.”
The truck previously in front of us changed lanes and Noah sped up.
“Come here,” he said.
“What?”
“I said, come. Over. Here,” he repeated, reaching under his seat with one hand and adjusting his seat back.
I finally realized what he meant, my eyes widening in comprehension.
“Absolutely not.”
“ Amalia ,” he said, tugging at my hand.
Letting out a frustrated breath, I climbed onto his lap, making sure I didn’t block his view of the road, and straddled him, holding his shoulder with my free hand to remain steady.
Not wasting time pondering over the fact that I was straddling him and we were this close after years, I leaned out the window and started shooting, one of Noah’s arms holding me steady.
The first bullet only lodged itself into the windshield, but the second shattered it, lodging itself into the shoulder of the passenger with the rifle in its trajectory. I then lowered my gun, aiming my next shots down.
I struck the right front tire, the vehicle screeching from the imbalance, but it didn’t stop them. I shot again but discovered I’d run out of bullets.
“Fuck,” I groaned and immediately reached for the inside pocket of my jacket for a spare magazine. I quickly ejected the spent magazine and replaced it, my fingers moving briskly until it slid into place with a click.
I reemerged and unleashed the next bullets into the left tire until their vehicle abruptly came to a stop. Now both of their front tires were flat, jamming up the cars behind them. A sense of relief washed over me and the driver slammed his hands on the dashboard in frustration.
Our car lurched forward with newfound speed as Noah slammed his foot down the accelerator, then briskly turned a corner toward a quieter and smaller street, away from the main roads.
I finally breathed out, throwing my gun into the passenger seat after turning the safety on and slumping as if every ounce of energy I carried had been depleted, my hand resting against Noah’s chest.
I could feel his heart beating under my touch, matching mine as we both caught our breaths. His hand around my waist squeezed as he leaned into me, his chin resting right above my collarbone that had been exposed earlier when I’d opened my jacket.
“Good girl,” he breathed out against my skin, his exhale hot on my neck.
The praise snapped me out of my momentary lapse and I clambered off his lap, taking my gun and dropping back onto my seat with a heavy thump.
We sat in a heavy silence and I could feel him looking at me, wanting to say something, but I cleaned my gun to distract me and kept my eyes on the road.
After a few changes of streets to make sure no one else was following us, Noah merged into the expressway that separated Bab Al Mansour and Bemes, the city lights slowly fading in the background and cloaking us into darkness.
He didn’t ask where we were going or for directions and I didn’t offer the answers. We drove for a little while in a tense silence and I waited until we were far enough away from the city before I spoke up, “Pull over. I’ll drive.”
Unlike all the other times, he complied without questioning. After pulling over onto the side of the highway, he exited from the driver’s side and I took his seat, moving over the console to do so. I plopped down and adjusted it while he made his way to the passenger’s side.
Once we were both settled, I eased my car back onto the road and headed for the safe house that was a forty-five-minute drive up north of Bab Al Mansour, in a university town that wouldn’t draw too much attention since new students were in the process of coming in to settle in for the new school year.
The highway was mostly deserted except for a few occasional cars passing us, heading for the city behind us.
As I drove down the road, I kept sifting through the information that wasn’t adding up, but one thing in particular kept nagging at me. I’d planned to wait until after we’d met with Nassim and we were almost to the safe house, but I needed to know.
I glanced over at Noah and finally asked, “Why did one of them refer to you as Barrera?”