Chapter 4 #2
“Heinous? Try disgusting. My sister is a sweet girl who’s never hurt anyone in her life.
They tore her life apart, taking her away from the life she loved.
And why? Vengeance for something that occurred…
” She sucked in her breath, immediately looking away.
She’d also let something slip. Vengeance.
I’d say whatever the reason for her sister’s kidnapping was all about the past. My hackles continued to be raised.
“Where did this happen, Fallon?” Another hesitation and I was losing my patience. “You need my help. That’s obvious. Tell me.”
“LA.” Her hiss was fueled with rage.
“Los Angeles.” Another drug-infested city often used by the cartels. “I wasn’t anywhere near LA, and neither were any of my men. I have business in the area. That much I promise you. I can have you speak with my pilot if you’d like.”
“Promise? Your promises mean nothing to me. She’s an elementary school teacher. She loves kids. She’s so beautiful and bright. I know the Mexican police will do nothing. I’ve already tried.”
“You’re certain she was brought here.”
I could tell by her hesitation she wasn’t.
Her sudden emotion was surprising. Fallon was close to being exasperated. If she was doing this entirely on her own, the woman had balls. That alone could get her killed.
“You’re not. You just assumed she was taken from the United States. You’ll need to consider the possibility she remains close to home. So you know, the Mexican police are a highly corrupt organization. You’re right in that you won’t receive any help from them.”
“Or anyone else. But I will find her. And I will kill the people responsible.”
So I wasn’t the only bad guy.
While I felt for her, I had to regain control. Getting involved wasn’t in my best interest, not while being tasked to eliminate Fassi. Yet she was firmly convinced I was responsible and her sister was imprisoned somewhere in the country. I had to admit my curiosity remained high.
“I can’t help you, Fallon. You’ve made that perfectly clear.
While you might not believe me to be a man of honor, I can assure you that I do have integrity.
As such, I’m going to let you go with a warning.
There are dozens of cartels in this country who prey on women.
They feed on the fear, selling their victim’s bodies for profit.
If your sister was taken for any reason and brought to this country, it’s entirely possible she’s already dead or taken to a buyer she’ll never escape from.
Asking questions, especially of the wrong people and attempting to assassinate will only get you killed. ”
“I believe you know what happened to my sister,” she insisted. “I believe you planned the entire… twisted game.”
My gut continued telling me to walk away. That’s what I was going to do. Beautiful or not, I had my hands full already.
“I’m not lying to you. Now, I’ve offered you an opportunity to walk out of here. I suggest you do so. I’m not a man who provides second chances.” Perhaps she’d take my words as a threat, but in truth, I liked the woman well enough I wanted to leave now and never look back.
Getting involved with me would place her life in danger, even if it was only because I agreed to provide assistance.
Or indulge in my dark cravings.
She hesitated, glaring at my men once again.
As soon as I nodded to Lorenzo, he backed away from the stairs, allowing her to leave.
She closed the distance once again. “If you had anything to do with Brooke’s kidnapping, trust me, I will hunt you down again.
I won’t stop until I find out what happened to her. ”
“Be very careful threatening me, halcón seductor . I’m not the kind of man who takes that kindly or in stride.”
“I’m not threatening you, Navarro. I’m promising you. This isn’t over by a long shot.”
“Very well. Noted. Now, one last time. While I realize this will fall on deaf ears, please consider leaving the country before it’s too late.”
Fallon studied me for a full minute before holding out her hand. “Not a chance. Give me my knife, Navarro. It’s my property as provided by the fucker who trashed my home.”
Another clue, only this one she’d purposely allowed to slip. She was hoping I’d falter. I didn’t.
I debated whether it was a good idea to return the blade.
She was a very good actress, but I couldn’t ignore the possibility she was an assassin.
As I crowded her space, I expected her to flinch.
To her credit as with everything else, she didn’t.
She stood defiant and proud, the determination to find her sister very much something I respected about her.
When I was only a few inches away, I drank in her perfume as I’d done before, not only enjoying the breath of fresh air that she was as a woman, but also her stunning beauty.
I slid my hand around the back of her neck, pulling her against me. While she didn’t fight, she pressed her palms to my chest, her expression as rebellious as before.
The moment I captured her mouth, her muscles stiffened, but that didn’t last long. We were both electrified by each other, our desire as surprising as how the night had gone. Since when had I been a man of integrity with a woman?
I swept my tongue inside, enjoying the briny taste of olives with the hint of vodka and her insane sweetness. Every one of my senses was on overdrive.
Fallon pushed away from me, rubbing her arm across her mouth as if my rough actions had been distasteful. When she backed away by a couple of feet, I noticed she had the knife in her hand. Clever girl. She offered a smile as I shook my head, but took me up on my advice and headed down the stairs.
I moved to the landing, peering down at her and watching with continued interest as she disappeared into the crowd.
It struck me almost immediately that my gut ached from letting her go. A laugh formed and I continued to try to follow her as she made her way through the club toward the door.
My cock continued to throb.
I’d tried to be frank with her without sharpening the message too much. Kidnapping was frequent in the country, including of wives and daughters of men considered enemies or traitors. I wasn’t going to share with her the torturous methods used.
“What in the hell was that?” Silvio asked as he flanked my side. “She was like a woman on steroids. Maybe a man dressed up like a woman.”
“Oh, I assure you she was all woman. Every inch of her.” Her scent lingered on my skin, the taste of her filling a void in my mouth. “Have you heard anything about a kidnapping?”
“They happen all the time, boss. You know that.”
“I’m talking about an American woman taken from LA.”
“No, but I wouldn’t put it past Eduardo and the assholes who work for him.”
“No, I wouldn’t either, but I have a feeling this is bigger than some asinine thing he did. Given what we were told by the informant, what have we heard on the street?”
“That the Alcarez Cartel would like nothing more than to claim the Gonzolez territory. They are some violent fucks too.”
Was it possible Fassi’s men were working in conjunction with another cartel? Maybe.
But the idea I was being fucked with because of shipments of nose candy seemed ridiculous. Even with Eduardo involved. Whatever Fallon was going through wasn’t finished. And I’d been dropped smack in the middle of it.
I pulled out my phone, quickly sending a text to Jago. Hopefully, he had a vague idea of what was going on. At least I’d informed him of the sighting of Fassi’s men. Perhaps he’d heard about a vendetta that might explain Fallon’s visit.
Unfortunately, Silvio’s statement didn’t narrow down anything that could prove useful in understanding why I’d been accused of kidnapping.
What bothered me was that Fallon had had my name.
Either she’d overheard it and had assumed I was responsible, or she’d been given bad intel.
Whatever the case, she still believed I’d been responsible for kidnapping her sister.
She’d circumvent my kindness, securing another way of taking me down if possible.
I stood in the same spot, surveying the crowd. When I caught sight of her again, I noticed there were three men who appeared to be following her.
My gut told me they weren’t merely interested in a dance.
“Time to leave, Silvio. I need to check something before we go. However, be prepared with the vehicle and have your weapon ready.”
Silvio nodded, scanning the crowd as well. “Sure, boss. What are you thinking?”
I pressed my hand against my neck, feeling the thin line of coagulated blood. The woman had managed to cut me. That also happened infrequently. The blood dotting my fingers was a reminder women were just as dangerous as men, especially when seeking revenge.
“I’m thinking our lovely visitor has gotten herself into more trouble than she realizes.
” There remained a half dozen good reasons why Fallon’s sister might have been taken, including the obvious that she’d found herself mixed up with the wrong crowd.
However, I had serious doubts it was something that simple.
What had Fallon’s sister gotten herself in the middle of and why did I have a terrible feeling the danger was only beginning? And that I’d been shoved in the middle for a very dark reason?
“I’ll get the SUV and we’ll meet you outside.”
“Pay close attention to your surroundings, Silvio. I have a very bad feeling the night is young.”
He whistled. “That usually means someone is going to die.” He laughed and headed to regroup the others.
Perhaps he was right. I hadn’t killed anyone since landing in Mexico. The thought forced another grin.
Perhaps the lovely Fallon was more trouble than she was worth, but just seeing the men following her brought a need I’d never experienced before in all my forty years of being on this earth: the need to protect someone and not just out of a sense of duty.
But there was more.
I also wanted a shiny new possession.
A six-foot-tall beauty with a killer smile and a dangerous attitude.