Hunt Them Down(78)

“Copy that,” Carter replied.

Hunt continued with a bunch of instructions. “The moment they’re off-site, we’re moving in. Cole and Carter, you’re on me. We’ll move together.”

“Copy,” said Carter.

“I got it,” Egan said.

“Dante will stay in or around the Land Cruiser. You’ll have our six.”

“Understood.”

“And let Abigail know I want her to keep an eye on the end of the driveway. I want to know if someone’s coming.”

“Will do,” Dante said as he turned into the driveway.

For a second, Hunt closed his eyes. He had worked with Egan in the past and with Carter more recently. They were both extremely capable operators, but the three of them weren’t a team. They would have to be careful. Rushing around like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off was a sure way to end up the same way. It would be his job to take the lead and to make sure they stayed focused on the objective. Get Leila back.





CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Hector couldn’t wait to get out of there. óliver Sáez’s house creeped him out, and he was furious at Valentina for ordering him to sell the teenager to this monster. Before the week was over, Leila would be abused, beaten, and most probably savagely raped.

But she would live, he reminded himself. She. Would. Live. But what kind of life would it be? Fuck!

He slammed his hand against the dashboard so hard that the glove compartment popped open.

“Everything okay, boss?” his driver asked him.

Hector flashed him a murderous look. The man’s eyes returned to the road ahead, and he didn’t speak another word.

Hector glanced at his watch and shivered. Sophia’s execution was in two hours. He was glad Valentina hadn’t asked him to partake in that foolishness. Nicolás, her beau, had volunteered. Hector didn’t like Nicolás. He never had. Nicolás was a heartless son of a bitch. You couldn’t have a heart if you were willing to set a fifteen-year-old on fire. Nobody deserved to die that way. It hurt him to see how his beloved cousin had turned into someone willing to inflict such pain on a child. But these thoughts were dangerous.

You’re getting weak. Get a grip. Or she’ll crush you.

But the facts didn’t change. Valentina was slowly but surely turning into a real-life monster. It was true that as a child she had suffered a great deal, but, in Hector’s mind, that was no reason to start killing children.

With a shock, Hector realized he had failed her. It was he who had promised to keep her safe—saving her sometimes from herself—and to keep her away from her self-destructive course.

He would try to reason with her one more time. He couldn’t let her kill Sophia, because if he did, he’d be just as guilty.

And what about Leila? You’re gonna leave her with Sáez?

His gut told him to ask his driver to turn the Range Rover around and to get rid of Sáez and the other pigs in his house. In the Black Tosca’s book, though, that would be considered treason. Even for Hector Mieles. Was he actually considering going rogue? Hector, a man who had never hesitated to make a decision in the heat of battle, couldn’t think straight. His mind was being pulled in two diametrically opposite directions. He was confused.

Hector looked outside the Range Rover window and saw a bunch of kids—some of them about the same age as Leila and Sophia—playing soccer on a makeshift field. He shook his head. Confused? Hector chewed on the word for a moment. He was a lot of things, but confused wasn’t one of them. He knew what he had to do.

He ordered his driver to turn around.





CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico Leila’s heart sank as she nervously looked around her. The house was stunning, but its occupants weren’t. Behind Sáez stood three men in dark suits. They were looking her over as if she were a fresh piece of meat. They made her skin crawl.

Sáez said, “Don’t be afraid of these fine gentlemen, my dear Leila. They represent foreign buyers who are looking for someone like you to add to their collection.”

Their collection?

“But let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Sáez continued. “Let’s get you ready for the auction, shall we?”

Sáez clicked his fingers, and two men she hadn’t realized were there grabbed her from behind. She kicked the man to her left on the shin with her heel, and he let out a low groan of pain. She screamed at the top of her lungs, a loud, piercing sound that reverberated throughout the first floor of the house. The man to her right clamped his hand over her mouth.

Mistake. He should have asked Hector what she did to people who pissed her off.

She bit down hard. She sank her teeth into the fleshy part of his hand, between the thumb and forefinger, with the clear objective of biting right through it. But before she could draw blood, Sáez punched her in the ribs, the blow sending her against the wall. Sáez wrapped his hands around her throat, choking her until she gagged. He pressed his body against hers and began to grind his midsection against her back. She felt his arousal. She wanted to vomit, but there was too much pressure on her throat. No air was coming through. She tried to fight back with every ounce of energy she had left, but he had her completely. She was at his mercy. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t scream, and couldn’t escape.