The Vargas Cartel Trilogy (Vargas Cartel #1-3)(154)

I pulled out one of my ear buds. “What?”

He shook his head. “Nothing.”

My brows slammed together and I shoved him playfully on his shoulder. “No. Tell me. I can practically hear the wheels in your head turning.”

He surveyed me for a few seconds. “I just can’t figure out why a girl like you is mixed up with a drug cartel thug. I understand how you met him, but that doesn’t explain why you stuck around.”

I jabbed a finger in the center of his center. “Ryker’s not a drug cartel thug.”

He chuckled. “Oh, he is. Don’t try to deny it.”

I folded my arms across my chest. “You don’t know anything about Ryker or me.”

“Of course I do. You’re Hattie Covington. Your father is the US Attorney General. Evan Deveron is your ex-fiancé. You are weeks away from getting your master’s degree. You flaked on your internship at the Foreign Policy Council earlier this summer.” He leaned back in the seat and crossed his ankles. “And for some reason, you’re fixated on Ryker Vargas despite everything he and his family did to you.” I held up my hand, but he ignored me. “Yes, I know the Vargas Cartel held you hostage, and I know why. It’s not a secret. At least not with people who have connections.”

Heat rushed to my face and my gut twisted. I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came out of my mouth. Honestly, I didn’t have an explanation for my behavior. I didn’t understand my feelings for Ryker. I knew I loved him. I knew he made my heart beat faster, my life spin a little quicker, but none of that was his business. I didn’t owe him an explanation.

“Have I rendered you speechless?”

I huffed. “Just because you know a couple facts about my life doesn’t mean you know me,” I said, my voice raw and vulnerable. “Facts don’t sum up a person.”

He blinked, his eyes unreadable and then he ran a hand through his hair. “No, they don’t, but you’ve got to admit your relationship with Ryker doesn’t look so good on paper.”

“You do realize if I listed a bunch of random facts about you, you wouldn’t look so good either.” I squared my shoulders and tapped a finger on my lips. “You’re a mercenary for hire. People pay you to do bad things. You’ve killed people. You probably have more than one alias. Your loyalty only runs as deep as the pockets of the person paying you. Does that sound about right? Is that the sum of who you are, Noah? Or is there more to you than that?”

His nose flared, and then he shook his head, a cocky grin sliding across his face. “Touché, but that’s none of your business.”

I turned my head, holding his stare. “Then we agree on something. Don’t judge me and I won’t judge you.”

“Agreed,” he said.

I stuffed the ear bud back into my ear and closed my eyes. I hoped Ryker and I could wrap up this whole mess in less than a month.





Chapter Twenty




Ryker



Five days had passed since Hattie walked out of my life. I hadn’t tried to call her, and she hadn’t made any attempt to reach out to me. It was what we agreed, but it didn’t mean I liked it. In fact, I hated it, but I was determined to protect her.

According to Noah, they hadn’t made any progress in finding someone to feature the story about Senator Deveron’s connection to Mexican drug cartels. Apparently, he managed to buy influence at more than a few new organizations over the last few years. In the end, it wouldn’t matter. Somebody would cover the story and then it’d spread like an infectious disease. I just hoped it happened before Senator Deveron attempted to silence Hattie, but that was why I sent Noah with her.

I wasn’t having any more luck than Noah and Hattie. My instincts told me Emanuel was the key to getting me out from under Ignacio’s thumb. Regrettably, I hadn’t uncovered much of anything about him. Either he had a pristine record of unwavering service to Ignacio and the Vargas Cartel, or he covered his tracks with diabolical precision. I believed it was the latter rather than the former.

My whole life I had pushed harder and harder until I succeeded and got what I wanted. This time wouldn’t be any different. I had to keep my eyes open and have patience. Eventually, Emanuel would f*ck up, and I’d be right there waiting for him.

I increased the incline on the treadmill, pushing myself to the limit, trying to forget everything for a few minutes and clear my mind. My feet pounded against the rubber track. Music blared from my ear buds. Sweat trickled down the side of my face and off my chin. My legs burned like I’d dipped them in fire, but I had no intention of stopping until physical exhaustion claimed my body. Maybe then, I’d have a chance of getting a decent night’s sleep for the first time since Hattie left.

Someone yanked one of my ear buds out of my ear. “What?” I barked, slamming my hand on the stop button. My eyes collided with Rever’s.

He lifted one eyebrow. “You’ve been calling me all week, but you haven’t left a message.”

I bent at the waist, cupping my knees as my chest heaved. “Why haven’t you answered your phone?”

“I’ve been busy trying to start a new life away from this hellhole.”

I pulled the other ear bud out of my ear, letting the cord dangle from the docking station. “Must be nice.”