The Vargas Cartel Trilogy (Vargas Cartel #1-3)(80)

I rolled back, lifting my hands into the air. “What do you want?”

The second man ignored me. “John, get the f*ck up,” he spat at the man moaning on the ground where I left him.

“We’re here to deliver a message,” the man with the gun said through clenched teeth, his body half turned away from me.

I glanced over my shoulder, searching for Hattie. She was crouched into a ball near the dumpster, tears streaming down her face.

I shot to my feet, angling my body to protect Hattie. I kicked the gun I wrestled from the first attacker behind me, but within my reach. “Then, deliver your f*cking message and leave.”

“Senator Deveron said the game is up. He knows who you are. You have twenty-four hours to do as he requested, or he’ll expose you.”

I glanced back at Hattie. Her mouth was parted as she stared wide-eyed at me, her entire body trembling. My chest heaving with exertion, I rolled my shoulders back. “Great. I have a message for him too.”

The man with the gun shrugged, trying to look casual even as his eyes flickered between Hattie and me.

I scooped up the discarded gun and aimed. “Tell Senator Deveron to go to hell. Now get the f*ck out of here before I kill you both.”

I watched them get in the car and drive away. I wiped the blood from my mouth with the back of my hand and turned to face Hattie.

“Hattie,” I said, kneeling in front of her. “Are you okay?”

“Ryker.” She grabbed my hand, squeezing it, her eyes filling with fresh tears. “Please tell me what’s going on. Why would Senator Deveron come after you? What does he want?”

My stomached clenched as I cradled her hand between both of mine. “I don’t know.”

She yanked her hand from mine. “Dammit, Ryker. I need to know. I’m running blind. How can I protect myself when I don’t know what’s going on?”

She was right. “You don’t have to. That’s my job.”

“You can’t shadow me for the rest of my life. Tell me the truth.”

“No,” I snapped.

She stood, brushing invisible debris from her sunflower-colored dress with one hand and clutching her purse with the other. “Then, I’m done.”

“What do you mean?”

She scraped her hair away from her face, her fingers noticeably shaking. “Our relationship has run its course. We can’t be together in public. You can’t or won’t tell me the truth. People are waving guns at me, trying to physically assault us. It’s over.” She started walking down the alley, her heels clicking like a time bomb with every step.

My chest caved. Everything in me screamed to let her go. That this wouldn’t work. That we could never be anything. Rever was right. My relationship with Hattie would blow up in my face.

“Wait,” I yelled when she reached the mouth of the alley. She glanced over her shoulder, her amber eyes glowing with hope. “Okay,” I conceded.

“Okay, what?”

“I’ll tell you the truth.”

“Everything?”

I scrubbed my hands over my face. This was f*cking nuts. Something was wrong with me, but knowing it didn’t stop me. “Yes, everything I know.”





Chapter Twelve




Hattie



Ryker opened the door to his apartment. I paused at the threshold. Once I knew the truth, my whole life would change. As much as I wanted to unravel all the lies, I was afraid.

His eyebrows lifted slightly…expectantly. “Are you coming in?”

I took a tentative step back. What was I doing? Did I really want to know the truth? Did I really want to alienate my friends and family for a man I didn’t know? Could I trust him? My gaze darted down the hall in the direction of the elevator, and for a brief second, I considered running away from him. From everything. From everyone. I could move across the country and start over, become somebody different. Somebody better. Stronger.

“Hattie. What are you doing?”

An involuntary whimper escaped my mouth. I could’ve been killed tonight. Even though I’d left Mexico, nothing had changed. “I’m scared.”

“I’m not going to let anyone hurt you,” he said, his voice soft, almost gentle.

His words should’ve reassured me, but they didn’t. Instead, they made me realize I was in danger. He believed I was in danger.

I closed my eyes and shook my head. “You can’t control everything.”

The roughened pads of his fingers skated down my face, caressing my cheek. A tremor of desire and fear raced down my spine.

“You’re right, but are you willing to give up so easily?”

I opened my eyes and lifted my chin. I wasn’t a quitter. “No.”

One side of his mouth curled up into a lopsided grin. “I didn’t think so.”

He threaded his fingers through mine, pulling me through his nearly empty apartment. I scanned the empty walls, the bare floors, and the smattering of furniture. “This is—”

He shrugged. “Not much of a home. I’ve never gotten around to doing anything.”

I trailed my finger through the veil of dust on a small rectangular table, leaving a clean line on the espresso-colored wood. “How long have you lived here?”