The Vargas Cartel Trilogy (Vargas Cartel #1-3)(121)

Ignacio raised one eyebrow. “I don’t believe that for one second. Anyone with the last name of Alvarez cannot be trusted. If you had consulted me, I would’ve told you to let her rot in hell. I don’t know for sure, but I’d bet my half of my fortune that Anna’s jerking Rever around. She won’t marry him. Hell, I bet she can barely tolerate him.”

My brows flattened. “How can you talk about her like that? She’s carrying your grandchild.” His words didn’t jive with the father I knew. Family meant everything to Ignacio, and Anna would be part of his family any day now. Rever planned to marry her as soon as possible.

He snorted. “I’ll believe it when I have the paternity test in my hands. From the little I know about Anna Alvarez, that kid she’s carrying could belong to a half dozen men.”

I shifted on my feet. “Rever was pretty confident it was his.”

“Because Rever is a dumbass. He spent the majority of the last three or four months in prison or with you. The timing doesn’t add up.”

“He came back to Mexico for a while,” I argued, even though I was starting to believe Ignacio had a point. This whole thing could’ve been a set-up and the Alvarez Cartel played Rever or Rever played me. The thought caused my stomach to knot with anger.

“It’s possible. I know,” Ignacio agreed, nodding his head. “Rever could be the father if she’s pregnant, but like I said, Anna Alvarez isn’t a blushing virgin by anyone’s account and she’s not above lying either. This could be one more game in the war between our cartels.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “So what do you think I should do?”

“Don’t involve Rever in any of your plans. He can’t be trusted right now. His relationship with Anna is clouding his judgment.”

“I need his help. He owes me, and he has Anna.”

“You’ll have to collect on that favor later. Right now, you have to assume anything you tell Rever will be fed to Juan Alvarez.”

“You think so?”

“I know so,” he countered.

Pacing the length of the hospital room, I weighed my dwindling options. Nothing was foolproof. Nothing would unwind the damage. Nothing would make Hattie whole.

I paused, sucking in a deep breath. “In that case, I think I’ll call Rever and tell him I’m not going after Hattie. I’ll tell him I’m going to report her disappearance to her family and the U.S. Embassy, and let them deal directly with Juan Alvarez.”

Ignacio rubbed his hand along his jaw line, his dark eyes narrowed. “That’s risky. They might decide she’s not worth the hassle and kill her.”

“I know, but they’re probably expecting me to launch an attack any day. If they think I’ve changed my mind, they might lower their defenses, and I could catch them off guard.”

“You might be right.” Ignacio squinted his eyes as he stared over my head. “You need to get going. Emanuel is waiting for you at the compound. He wants to discuss a few things with you. Before you call Rever, ask him what he thinks.”

I rubbed my hands along my thighs. “Do you think I can trust Emanuel?”

“Yes,” he answered without hesitating. “He’s the best man I have.”

“Okay,” I said as I walked to the door without a backward glance. Ignacio had told me to trust Emanuel more times than I could count, but something about him got under my skin.

“Call me tonight.”

“I will.”





Chapter Three




Hattie



“Are you hungry?”

I didn’t move. I didn’t open my eyes. My bones ached. My head hurt. I wanted to die.

“Hello?” Cold fingertips trailed across my forehead, and I flinched, anticipating more pain or torture. “Are you awake?”

“Leave me alone,” I mumbled, but the words bled together. They sounded like a stream of incoherent grunts and moans.

“Sorry, I can’t do that.”

Lukewarm liquid dribbled across my lips, and I cracked my painfully dry eyes open. For a frozen second, I couldn’t see anything. Black spots dotted my vision. I licked my lips, trying to draw every molecule of the unknown liquid into my parched mouth. My throat burned when I tried to swallow. I blinked my eyes, struggling to bring the person in front of me into focus.

“Who are you?” I croaked, staring at the gray-haired man hovering over me. Hard lines bracketed his eyes and mouth. His skin resembled a worn leather jacket. A sheen of sweat beaded at his hairline.

“The closest thing you’re going to get to an ally while you’re here,” he whispered, his dark eyes unreadable.

Focusing on the cement block wall, I rolled to my side and pain ricocheted up my arm. Crap. I had forgotten about the cigar burns. Straining to move, I flattened my palms on the cold concrete floor and pushed my body upright, folding my legs to the side. Chains scraped against the concrete and the metal shackles bit into my wrists. “I don’t have any allies here. Don’t pretend otherwise.”

He frowned. “You have a couple, but we can talk about that later. Right now you need to eat and drink.”

My stomach rumbled as he placed a paper plate with some cut up fruit and rice on the floor next to me.