Page 23 of Lethal Vengeance

She props one hand on her hip and waves the other in the air. “Apúrate!”

I take a deep breath to order, but the thick smell of stale cigarettes clings to the back of my throat, choking the words before they can form. Stumbling off the stool, I ignore the muttering coming from the woman in front of me and head toward the door. Once outside, I lean against the rough brick, breathing in and out.

Sadness, rage, grief… it’s all piling up inside me. Every time I think I’ve got nothing left to lose, the world shows me differently.

Was I close to Lupe? No. Will I take her death as a debt? Yes. Intentionally or not, I brought that animal here.

The only reason Lupe took this job was to be near her father who had lost his sight and lived nearby. From here, she could easily check on him throughout the day. I wonder who’s taking care of him now. I’ll call back later and try to get some information. It’s the least I can do since it’s my fault his daughter is dead.

Nausea rises, and I stumble to the corner of the building to throw up. It’s not much. Once breakfast is gone, there’s nothing left except dry heaves. Bent over, with my hands on my knees, I wait for them to pass.

“Quinn,” a deep, familiar voice calls my name.

I turn my head toward Zane, needing to share my questions with someone who can help. “Lupe is dead. Who’s going to take care of her father?”

When he frowns in confusion, I shake my head and wave him away. He can’t help me. Nobody can. Nobody helped Lupe, either.

God, I pray he didn’t torture her.

“Torture who? Lupe? Who’s Lupe?”

Oops, guess I said it out loud.

Zane moves closer and holds out a bottle of water.

I grab the bottle and jerk my thumb over my shoulder toward the cantina. “Bartender.” Opening the bottle, I take a mouthful of water, swish it around, then spit it out. “She waited on me for a year. Her life was good. Until I led Rodrigo here.” My voice cracks under the pressure of that statement.

A large, muscular arm pulls me into his side. “Let’s go. This isn’t the best of neighborhoods.”

My head bobs back and forth like it’s barely attached. “It’s perfect.” I cringe. “It was perfect.” A disturbing thought occurs to me, and I shift to the right to get a good look at Zane’s face. “Did Rodrigo see you today?”

He snorts. “It might surprise you, but I can be stealthy. He didn’t see me.”

My eyes skim over his tall, muscular body in disbelief. Unlike the other three, Zane is big. His size kind of reminds me of The Rock. Well, that and the shaved head. Add in the scar on his face, and the hardness in his grey eyes, and I can’t imagine someone not noticing him.

“You’re not inconspicuous,” I state dryly. “Are you sure?”

The corners of his mouth twitch. “He didn’t see me. I didn’t have to track him because I knew where you were going. I passed him in a crowd crossing the street.”

My brow furrows. “How did you put him asleep?”

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small silver box. He opens it with a flick of his thumb and shows me a tiny scrap of fabric inside. “A friend of mine at the CIA asked me to test it for him. It’s doused with a sleep-inducing chemical. You swipe it on someone’s skin, and within five to seven minutes, they’re asleep. It’s not as efficient as a chokehold, but it works when you don’t want to get too close.” He snaps the box shut. A look of disappointment flashes across his face. “It doesn’t work long, though. Rodrigo woke up right after you left the park.”

Nervously, I turn my head to scan the street around us.

“Cruz said he went to meet Armando,” Zane reassures me.

“I thought Cruz was completing surveillance at the facility today,” I interject, unsettled by the thought of the two of them following me. Technically, Cruz has had me under surveillance for a couple of weeks, but I thought he’d stopped. Maybe they wanted to be sure I didn’t give Armando too much info, or they wanted to hear the conversation for themselves.

Zane scrutinizes my face. “You would have done the same.”

His confidence irks me, but he’s right. Unwilling to concede his point, I announce my intention to leave. “I’m going to get food. And a drink.” Maybe sit under a dark cloud and let it rain on my head until it washes away my sins.

The arm around my shoulders tightens. “A friend recommended a place near the apartment. He said they have the best burgers in town. Mind some company?”

He’s not going to go away. With a huff, I give in, but secretly, I’m relieved to share this burden today.

“You’re obviously determined to spend time with me.” My eyes meet his grey ones. “On one condition. Find out what happened to Lupe for me.”