Page 11

SIX

NICOLE

I closed the folder and felt sick. These men were the definition of a monster. Bruno made Martin Castillo look like a damn saint, and that man was no angel from above. He was where he deserved to be—in the dirt.

“Now, you know the plan, you know what to do, so there should be no problem, yeah? I can trust you?”

“No one said anything about trust, Bruno.” I used his first name, as I knew how much he’d hate me being so informal. His eyes narrowed on me, but I kept my expression neutral. “I’ll do what you ask, but on one condition. You guarantee you’ll let my cameraman go.”

“You think you can negotiate?” He laughed.

“You obviously need me, or I wouldn't be here right now.” I raised my chin at the men around me. “Clearly, they're not up for the job.” I smiled when they looked pissed. “If I do this, I want assurance that you’ll leave me alone and let him go.”

Bruno walked up to me and rubbed the side of his nose as he leaned in. It was clear he was embarrassed that I spoke to him that way in front of his men. Why I insisted on poking the beast, I’d never know. You’d think I’d have learned something from last time, but apparently, I hadn’t.

“Here is what is going to happen. First…” I didn’t see it coming but sure felt it when he backhanded me across the face.

The air shot from my lungs and a bright light flashed before my eyes.

“Second.” He did it again but harder. The pain increased by ten.

“Third, no one negotiates with me. I say when you leave, when you come, and what will happen. Do you understand?”

I barely heard him as my ears rang from the impact. I tried hard not to show how much it hurt, but it was hard given that Bruno had a mean hit.

“Go.” He waved at the men, and once again a bag was shoved over my head, and I was yanked outside and into the front seat of a truck. “Don't come back unless you have the kid.”

We took off down the road, and I was left to stew over his words.

Hours later, my face still burned, but not as much as my insides. My anger grew with every mile.

“We’re almost there, senorita .” The driver hit my thigh to get my attention, and I jumped at his touch. “You know what to do?”

“Am I to do it blind?” I snapped, then the bag was ripped from my head. It caught my chin on the way off, and I yelped.

I felt a hand slide over my stomach, and I froze as my temper flashed through me.

“You touch me again, and I’ll twist your balls so hard your great grandfather will feel the pressure,” I barked at the guy behind me.

I didn’t give a damn if he understood what I said; he’d get my drift.

I drilled my elbow into his wrist. Bruno apparently didn’t trust me as much as Sully because he put these two men with me.

They had zero boundaries when it came to their hands.

How in the hell did I get in this situation? Why did he want that child so badly?

“A chica with fire,” the man purred to his friend behind the wheel. “That only makes me harder.”

“Says a man with a lifetime of plaque on his teeth.” I scrunched my nose. “How lucky am I?” So, they understood English. I’d keep that in mind.

“Want a taste?” He ran his tongue along his teeth, and my stomach heaved.

“I would rather pour acid in my mouth.” I leaned my elbow on the windowsill and took a frustrated breath. I wasn’t sure what was worse, Bruno or these two dipshits. I touched my tender cheek and knew Bruno was worse.

Around two in the morning, we finally stopped driving and pulled into a small truck stop.

“Sleep.” The driver ordered, and I curled into a ball and fell into a light sleep without much effort.

I was exhausted and knew if I didn’t sleep when I had the chance, I’d be a mess and not on my A-game later.

So, I took the risk and let my guard down.

Later, I woke to the sun, and we were in a different place with nothing but desert road ahead of us. I glanced at the clock and saw it was well into the early afternoon.

“Concussion make you sleep.” The driver pointed to his head, and I tried not to stare at his blackened and broken teeth. I rolled my neck and stretched out my sore muscles.

“How much farther?”

“A while.”

I opened the window to get some fresh air and wondered how I was going to get away from these men without pissing off Bruno too much.

I let my mind wander. When he finally pulled over into an empty parking lot, I quickly engaged my brain and looked around.

A motel sign blinked that it had rooms available. Something told me it was a permanent fixture. No one in their right mind would stay at this replica of the Bates Hotel from Psycho . The driver put the truck in park then flicked his wrist at me.

“I’m not staying here.” I shook my head. “I’d rather sleep in the sewer than risk getting whatever the hell your mother gave you when you slipped out of the gaping hole she calls a man trap.”

The driver rubbed his mouth and muttered, “I could do so many creative things to you.”

“But you won’t.” I looked over my shoulder at the man behind me.

He looked to be passed out, his stupor probably brought on by the tequila bottle still clutched in his hand.

I weighed my options with the driver. “Because your boss Bruno needs me to find that child. Thanks to my connections, I can, but if you so much as lay a hand on me, you can kiss your job goodbye.”

“You think you have Bruno all figured out, don’t you?”

“I don’t give a flying fuck about Bruno.” I looked away. “I just want to get my cameraman back so I can get back to my own job.”

“Do you really think he’ll let you leave after?

” He laughed darkly. “None of us get to leave.” That was an interesting comment.

He seemed to catch what he just said and tossed his cigarette butt out the window.

“Go in first, ask about the girl. La madre was seen here after she left Mexico City. It is possible they know something. Once you get the details, book us two rooms. I’ll be watching, so don’t try anything. ”

I bit my lip and wondered why the child’s mother would stay at such an awful place. I figured it was a waste of time, but at least they had power here, and power meant a phone. I needed to play this correctly.

“You think some loser who spends most of his day looking through a peephole in the rooms he rents is going to remember some woman and her baby from, what, a year ago?”

“It’s a lead.”

“It’s a stupid lead. Bruno wants me to use my resources to find the kid. This,” I pointed to the motel, “is a waste of our time.”

“Maybe so,” he leaned over me and opened the door, “but we start here, and we stay here.”

“Whatever.” I grabbed my bag, but he reached for it and pulled it back.

“You try anything, and I kill you.”

I yanked my bag free and stepped out of the truck.

The smell of rotten food and cigarettes hit as I opened the door, which made my eyes water.

The yellow-brown stains on the curtains confirmed the tobacco use, and the wood paneled walls were peeling at the top and bottom.

I hit the bell on the desk and cringed as the soles of my boots stuck to the fibers of the rug.

“You’re an American?” a man’s voice barked. I looked up at the camera and nodded.

“We rent by the hour, senorita. Condoms are in the vending machine out back. Do you want the honeymoon package or the birthday package?”

“Do you have a burn this place down to the ground package?” My voice dripped with sarcasm, but I reined it in fast as a massive man stepped out of the office. His stomach peeked out of his t-shirt, and his belt held on for dear life.

“She might not be much, but it’s all I got.” He dropped a logbook on the counter.

“You speak very good English.”

“My mother was an American. What can I say?” He shrugged. “Your pimp give you that?”

“No, the dipshits in the truck did.” I touched my face then pulled out a twenty-dollar bill.

“I’m looking for any information on her.

” I put the picture on the counter and felt a shred of sadness, knowing the baby’s mother was dead.

Not that I was about to share that. “She’s a friend of mine, and I think she might be in trouble.

” I got good at lying over the years. It was part of the job and one of the things that helped keep me alive.

“I get a lot of women coming and going from this place.” At my surprised expression, he shrugged again. “I don’t ask questions as long as they pay and don’t destroy the rooms.”

“I can’t imagine many would come to this place with a baby. No offense.”

He picked the photo up and held it close to his face. “Yeah, sure, I remember her.” He slid the twenty off the counter, and I knew he was lying. “She said something about heading to El Salvadore.”

I leaned forward and dropped my head into my hands with a long sigh. “Look, man, I’ve been through the wringer with those two morons outside. Things went from good to absolute shit once I hooked up with them. You want to know why I’m in this country?”

He shrugged but then curiosity got the best of him. “Why?”

I pulled out my press badge and handed it to him.

“Finding her isn’t for my job. She’s my friend, and I need to know they are both all right.

They,” I pointed over my shoulder at the truck, “have their own reasons for finding her. That’s a problem I haven’t figured out yet, but they have my cameraman hostage, and I’ve become a pawn in this entire shit storm.

” I gulped in a breath. “Right now, I just want to know my friend isn’t dead with an infant in her arms. I also need a hot shower and a bed, so I beg you, please help me out. ”