41. Elias
41
Elias
J avier loomed over my desk, his phone pressed to his ear, fingers raking through his hair. He exhaled, cheeks puffing out in frustration, his gaze fixated on the glowing computer screen.
"That's all I've got." He shrugged, failure evident in his tone. "We've turned every stone, knocked on every door. Some knew of him, but nothing substantial. No breadcrumbs leading us to him." His hand fell to his side, ending his unanswered phone call. "I've leaned on our government contacts, but they're dealing with the fallout from the murders of their top Generals."
I sloped forward, resting my elbows on the desk, fingers steepled at my chin, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.
There has to be something.
A heavy, sinking weight settled in my gut.
"Have you questioned the staff?"
He nodded. "Thoroughly. They deny ever having spoken to Andrés or his people."
I huffed. "Maybe they didn't know it was his contacts? Maybe they vented to the wrong person?"
Javier's head swayed in a slow, disheartened shake. "I asked if anyone had crossed their paths lately, anyone new. Each one, without fail, denied it, except for their interaction with Grace."
"It's been seven days." I shot up from my seat, my hand slamming against the desk. "How can one man slip through the cracks so effortlessly in my country, in my city ?"
Javier's phone emitted a sharp ping. He glanced down at the screen and tipped his head back, groaning. "It's Nadia." He snarled, turning the screen with the guard's message towards me. "She's here."
"No." I shook my head. "I don't have time for her."
He tapped on his phone.
"The dead men in my house…did you identify them?"
"Yes." He dropped his phone on the desk and tapped on his computer. "Victor Guzman, Pedro Vasquez, and six others."
"And you've questioned their families?"
He nodded. "Two weeks ago, they were laid off from their construction jobs." He shrugged. "Next thing the families knew, they were buying clothes and food for their families."
"So he paid ghosts?"
"It would appear so—"
The door swung open, and Nadia stepped in with Mamá. "Elias, I heard what happened. Are you okay?"
"Who let her in?" I glared at Javier, and he shrugged.
"I told them to turn her away—"
Mamá looped her arm around Nadia's. "I let her in."
I closed my eyes and inhaled a deep breath through my nose. My hands balled into fists against the polished wooden desk.
"She was concerned, Elias. You can't just ignore her forever."
The bullet wound on my leg tingled. "Not right now, Mamá."
" Ack ." She tossed her hands in the air. "Where's Grace? We're so close to finishing our puzzle."
My stomach churned as I met her pleading gaze, my jaw clenched tight. "She's not here at the moment."
"Well, tell her I'll wait for her at the table."
Mamá turned and walked away.
"You should be resting." My voice chased her out into the hallway.
Nadia stood in the doorway, a vision of allure with her black, silky hair cascading down her back, her long, toned legs bare and commanding attention.
I squared my shoulders, meeting her gaze. "What do you want, Nadia?"
She clutched her purse against her front, her fingers picking at her cuticles. "I heard about what happened." She raised her chin.
"And what is that exactly?"
Her eyes darted around the room. "People are saying there was a break-in, an attempt on your life." She moved further into the room, and Javier backed away.
I leaned on my desk for support, taking pressure off my leg. "Well, as you can see, I'm still breathing." I motioned for her to exit.
" Dammit , Elias." She stomped her foot, her hand skimming a chair's back. "I was worried sick."
I straightened my spine. "Worried, or just eager to worm your way back in?"
"What are you talking about?" Her brows knitted together, her mouth drawn taut. "I thought you might be hurt. I came to check on you."
I rounded the desk, closing the distance between us. "And what business is it of yours? You forfeited any right to be here when you insulted my family."
"I'm sorry." Her chin quivered, a nervous tick twitching the corner of her eye. "For what I said."
"And there it is."
Javier slipped out of the office, clicking the door shut behind him, leaving us with thick tension in the air.
"You make things so damn difficult sometimes." She sighed. "We've been together for three years. Why can't I just check on you?"
"Because there’s always another motive with you." I glared, stepping towards her. "It's always about you and what you want."
She shook her head and cocked her hip. "All I've ever done is love you, Elias. And yet, one careless comment about your mother, and you kick me out of your life."
"You made me realize how much I didn't need you in it."
"That hurts." Her chin trembled, and her eyes glistened.
"It was meant to." I gestured towards the door. "Now leave. I don't have time for post-breakup pity parties."
She set her jaw and turned towards the door but stopped before exiting, my fist clenched hard at my side. "What makes you think you'll find her?"
I reared back and shook my head, my lips firm. "What makes you think I can't?"
Her hand rested on the knob as she leaned into the door. "I didn't say you couldn't."
"But you implied it."
"Believe what you want." She opened the office doors and walked into the hall. "I hope he gives her everything she deserves…" she muttered.
What?
Did I hear that…
I launched into the hall, my leg limping as I spun her around by the upper arm. "Say that again?"
"Say what?"
"What you just said." Red fed through my vision, darkness settling in my mind as I squeezed her arm, causing her to wince. "Say it again."
Her eyes widened as she jerked her arm, but I only held tighter. "I didn't say anything."
I wrapped my other hand around her throat and pressed her into the wall, her voice squealing beneath my palm.
"Elias stop. You're scaring me."
Javier breached the corner. " Jefe , what's going on?" He placed his arm between us. "What are you doing?"
I set my jaw tight, my molars grinding into one another. "Ask her what she said."
"Nadia?" He turned to her, confusion written on his tattooed face. "What's he talking about?"
Her hands wrapped around my wrist, a subtle shake to her head. "I don't know."
A deep rumble emanated from my chest. "Lie to either one of us again, and I'll cut out your tongue."
Her gaze bounced between us as Javier stepped away.
"How did you know Grace was taken?" I bared my teeth.
"She's not here." Her garbled words tumbled out of her compressed throat.
I loosened my hold. "She could be in her room."
"I assumed you would have told tu mamá that."
"Bullshit." I pulled her closer, our faces a breath away. "You said she deserves what he gives her. Who is he, Nadia?" She shook her head, and I gripped her tighter. "Remember that precious tongue of yours…"
"I don't—"
Her.
I pulled away from her, her pulse hammering against my palm. "It was you?"
Javier stepped in. "What do you mean it was her?"
"She's the one who's been feeding information to Andrés."
Nadia shook her head. "No…" I squeezed harder, allowing the thoughts to form in my mind.
"That's a stretch, Elias. Come on, let her go."
She saw the General's pictures. She walked in while Grace and I were going through it. She must have seen the shipping records on the table—always asking me what I was working on…
How did I not see it sooner?
"Sofia Torres…" My voice turned rough around the edges. "The dead whore…"
Who is Sofia to her?
Tears formed in her eyes as she grappled with my wrist. I knocked her purse from her hands, tossing it to Javier, who opened it and rummaged through it.
"Who?"
"Give me your knife, Javier." I bounced her head against the wall, enough to jar her. "Tell me about Sofia Torres."
"I don't know a—"
Javier placed the handle in my open palm, her eyes widening like saucers as I pressed the tip to her plump lips, her body shaking against me.
"One thing I admire about Grace is her honesty despite the consequences." I pushed the knife into her mouth, the tip scraping against her front teeth. "Maybe you could stand to learn a thing or two about that."
"Elias." Javier flooded my periphery. "Not out here." I glanced around us. The staff gawked at the end of the hall.
I snarled and pulled the knife from her mouth.
She gasped, a bead of crimson forming on her lip.
Tears shimmered on her cheeks as I steered her back into the office, my grip firm against the nape of her neck, her fingers smearing at the blood staining her skin.
I propelled her into the nearest chair with a brutal shove, and she slumped into it like a broken doll.
Javier slammed the door behind us, the sound booming through the room like prison gates.
"How do you fit into all of this?" I put the knife on the desk and leaned against the wooden edge, my arms crossed over my chest.
"Elias, please." Her hand moved to her throat, rubbing the reddened skin.
"This is your last warning." I pulled my pistol from my holster and cradled it in front of me.
Her shaking hands lifted in front of her face as she looked at Javier. "Are you going to let him do this? "
"I don't let him do anything." Javier grinned. "The sooner you talk, the better things will be for you."
Nadia swallowed hard, her throat bobbing as a thin sheen of sweat formed on her hairline.
"You have to understand. I didn't have a choice." She pressed her manicured nails to her bleeding lip, my pulse building pressure in my head. "When I was sixteen, my mamá sold me to Andrés. He taught me to be his good little soldier, to do whatever he wanted, and if I didn't…" She squeezed her eyes closed.
The dots clicked together.
"Jesus Christ," Javier murmured.
"So he asked you to weasel your way in and report back to him?" I set my jaw, my gut twisting with molten rage.
"Yes."
"And Grace got in your way?"
She shook her head, lifting her gaze to mine. "No. Miguel told him she'd drowned in the river." Her eyes flicked to Javier. "Then I saw her tattoo, and I knew..."
"Why don't you have one?" Javier said, leaning forward and bracing his elbows on his knees.
"He didn't use me like that. I was an asset." She rubbed her hands together, tucking them between her knees.
I snarled. "His spy…"
"Yes." She lowered her chin as she nodded.
"So he knew we had her before I took her into the city?"
She nodded. "Since she came down for breakfast the first time. I noticed it then."
I gave a slow nod. "So why didn't he ask for her before now?"
"He... um ..." Her shoulders tensed. "He wanted to...take her back, you know? To make a joke out of you."
My hand formed a fist at my chest. "Well, he succeeded…with your help."
"I'm sorry." She gave a rueful shake of her head. "I didn't have a choice."
"There's always a choice, Nadia." Just like Grace… "Now, where did he take her?"
My knuckles cracked, and a darkness leached out into my muscles.
"Please, Elias." Her knees bobbed up and down, her hands clasped between her thighs. The metal bracelets on her wrists jingled. "I love you. I didn't want to keep reporting to him, but he got upset when I fed him false information. I had to give him something."
"His location, Nadia."
"He'll kill me."
My lips curved into a sly grin. "Do you really think you're leaving here alive?"
Tears dribbled down her flawless skin, her hair sticking to the remnants. She sniffled as she hunched over, her shoulders shaking.
"Let's play his game then, shall we?" I raised my pistol and placed it on her knee.
Her hands shook as though she were up against a gyrating machine as she swiped her hair. "Elias…" Her broken words landed on a numbness that branched out like an infection. "Please…"
My finger curled around the thin metal trigger.
Bang .
Her screams ricocheted through my office.
Blood pooled beneath her high heels as my men burst into the office, guns drawn. The air filled with the erratic chaos of heavy breathing and the metallic scent of blood.
Her anguished cries had me stepping back and exhaling. "We're fine. Be ready to leave at a moment's notice."
The men nodded, and I turned my attention back to Nadia.
Her hand wrapped around her knee, her fingers tainted crimson, viscous liquid poured from her nose, and tears stained her cheeks.
I pressed my pistol to her other leg. "His location, please."
"He's in El Vergel. "
"The address?"
I grabbed a pen and a pad of paper from my desk and wrote it down as she stuttered.
"I'm sorry it had to end this way, Nadia."
Javier stood, took the paper from my outstretched hand, and then disappeared through the office doors.
He'd moved her six hours away.
"Please understand, Elias."
"I understand." I sighed and sat back against the desk. "I understand you made the wrong choice, and there's no honor in feeding him an innocent girl to save your own skin."
"Innocent?" A contemptuous chuckle rang out between her chattering teeth. "She got eight people killed with her ridiculous escape plan. She's not innocent."
"That's where you're wrong. She didn't have the means to protect them, but at least she tried. Which is more than I can say for you."
She winced, her breaths heavy as she grunted. "He'll never let her go."
"He won't have a choice."
"She's his favorite, you know." She clenched her teeth, her voice strained. "But she betrayed him by sleeping with you. You'll be lucky if she's still breathing by the time you get there."
My stomach lurched. "Then he'll pay for that too."
"Killing him won't make your pa come back."
"No, but it will make me feel better."
Javier dipped his head into the office, his phone to his ear, and gave me a slight nod.
Raising my pistol, I pressed it to her forehead. "For what it's worth, a small piece of me felt for you."
"No. No. No. Wai—"
Bang .