The Vargas Cartel Trilogy (Vargas Cartel #1-3)(131)

Chapter Seven




Hattie



“Wake up.”

A boot rammed into my lower back, not hard enough to injure me, but with enough force to get my attention. I scrambled to my knees and pushed my greasy, matted hair from my face. My stare collided with Enrique’s, and I quickly lowered my gaze.

“Okay. Okay. I’m up,” I mumbled.

“We’re moving you to a new location today.”

I chewed on my lower lip, stifling the questions stampeding like a herd of cattle through my mind. Instead, I nodded with half-lowered eyelids. Ryker promised he’d come for me tonight. Hopefully, Enrique intended to move me into another room inside this house rather than to a new location. Even if he moved me across the country, I wouldn’t object too much. Twenty-four hours in a damp room with a decaying corpse was enough.

The toe of his black boot moved up and down as he glared at me.

Tap, tap, pause.

Tap, tap, pause, and repeat.

“Get up. I have to remove your shackles.”

As I stood up, I peeked at him from beneath the shield of my lashes. Looking at Enrique reminded me of staring at the devil. His teeth winked in the dim light, and an aura of menacing evil emanated from him. His dark eyes gleamed with an unholy light as he rubbed his palms together in anticipation of inflicting pain. Icy terror shot down my spine, and the air felt heavy against my chest.

“The new room doesn’t have any restraints, but if you’re a good girl, I won’t handcuff you.” He sucked his lips into his mouth. “If not, I’ll have to improvise.”

He started with the thick bands of metal around my wrists. He unlocked one and then the other. I closed my eyes, shivering in frozen silence as his sweaty hands coasted along my skin. Seconds later, he crouched at my feet, freeing both my ankles, and a heavy gasp fell from my lips.

I stepped to the side, but his hand closed around my ankle. I glanced at him as his fingers ghosted up the inside of my calf. The glide of his course fingertips branded my skin. Bile clawed up my throat. My muscles stiffened, and I coiled my hands into tight balls of fury. I couldn’t breathe. When he reached the inside of my knee, I bit the inside of my cheek until the metallic taste of blood swirled around my mouth.

Oh my God. Oh my God. Please don’t do this. Please don’t let this happen. Please don’t let him find the phone.

I should’ve fought.

I should’ve kicked.

I should’ve bolted for the door.

I should’ve screamed, but I didn’t want to die.

A gun glinted from the waistband of his pants, turning every cell in my body to ice. I clamped my eyes shut as my mind whirled, searching for a happy memory, something to anchor me to my life away from this moment. Away from this evil.

Tremors hijacked my legs, slowly slithering up my body until my muscles rippled in nonstop waves of violence and disgust. My feet were rooted to the floor.

When his fingers reached the bottom of my running shorts, I couldn’t take it any longer. Rage tore through me like a bolt of lightning, and I jerked my leg to the side. “Don’t touch me,” I spat through my teeth.

He cocked an eyebrow. “I thought we could have a little fun.”

“Fuck you,” I snarled.

A sinister smile slid across his too smug face. “That’s exactly what I had in mind.”

My gaze zipped around the room. Adrenaline pumped through my veins. My heart thundered erratically as if someone had pressed a defibrillator to my chest. Then, everything clicked into place, and I lunged for the door. I didn’t know where it’d lead me. I didn’t even know if I’d get more than ten steps before Enrique put a bullet through my back, but common sense fled in favor of dignity and self-respect.

When I reached the threshold, he fisted his hand in the tangled strands of my hair and wrenched me backward. Pins and needles exploded in my scalp.

“Where do you think you’re going?” He punctuated each word with a tug of my hair, inexorably dragging me backward.

Hot tears prickled the corners of my eyes. My chest heaved like I couldn’t catch my breath. Disjointed pants puffed from my mouth, bouncing off the concrete walls. Thousands of curses tumbled through my brain, but I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. I felt like I was drowning. What I wanted to do wasn’t relevant.

“Get on your knees, puta.” He slammed his hand between my shoulder blades and I tumbled face first onto all fours. Fire zigzagged up my limbs. My hair shrouded the sides of my face. Whimpers and incoherent pleas vomited from my mouth.

He whipped the gun out of his waistband. It dangled restlessly from his fingertips. His obsidian eyes seared my skin as he unbuckled his belt with one hand. The metal of the buckle rattled unnaturally through my ears. Next came the slide of leather that resembled the hiss of a snake. With a flick of his wrist, he opened his fly, and he shoved his pants down to his mid-thigh, exposing his red boxers.

“No. No. No,” I murmured between broken sobs and trembling lips.

“Crawl over here. You need to earn your keep.”

I shook my head violently from side to side. “No.”

He lifted the gun and pointed it at my face. “Do it or I’ll pull the f*cking trigger.”

I glanced over my shoulder toward the open door. Then, my gaze slid down his body, my face carefully blank. “Go ahead. Kill me,” I taunted as I came to my knees. I refused to do what he wanted. I wouldn’t beg for mercy.