Page 24 of Lethal Vengeance

With a dip of his chin, he strides inside the cantina.

11

ZANE

Before I walk out of Cantina Iguana, I take a deep breath and school my features into something neutral. Her condition for dinner… information on Lupe and her father. She mumbled something about my size and fluency in Spanish, but honestly, she couldn’t face going back in there. Although she would never admit it.

Quinn’s hunch was right. It was Rodrigo. A cook taking out the trash saw him grab Lupe when she left work. The same cook found her the next day in the alley dumpster, barely recognizable except for the sun tattoo on her wrist. Words of hate and death had been carved into her face and body until you could barely see the girl underneath.

Is the fucker just a psycho who does this to every woman he meets? Or did he do this to get to Quinn? Cruz said he washuntingher, and he would know. Is this part of the hunt—to terrify his future victims until he catches them? He had to know she would find out about Lupe.

This is why she was worried he’d seen me. A dry laugh escapes. My fist clenches. If only he would come after me, or any of us. He would learn how sheltered he’s been in his little kingdom of power. The real world is a lot tougher.

Quinn’s pacing the sidewalk when I reach her side. She takes one look at my face and immediately blanches. “Fuck.”

Surprised, I stare back at her. I know my poker face is good.

“The lack of expression gave it away, and the anger in your eyes confirmed it,” she says dully. “Tell me.”

I assure myself she can handle it. After all, she’s been working for a ruthless man and his psycho lackey for over a year, but it’s like beating a stray dog with a stick. I can’t do it.

“It was Rodrigo.”

“Details, Zane,” she orders, her eyes narrowed in anger.

An idea springs to mind. “Do you want the information on Lupe’s death or her father? You pick, but you can’t have both,” I offer, gambling she’ll make the right choice.

Indecision wars on her face for several minutes, making me question myself, but she finally concedes.

“The father,” she spits out, anger coloring her voice. But her eyes are filled with relief, too.

Relieved myself, I yank her into my side and start moving away from the cantina and the sad, faded iguana on the door. The details of Lupe’s death would only haunt her.

“Lupe’s brother, Bruno, lives in Saltillo. If the father’s willing to go, we can move him to his son’s house,” I tell her. “I’ll even drive him over myself.”

Her shoulders soften, and she leans into me. “Armando promised to keep Rodrigo busy for a couple of days, which gives me a small window. I’ll visit him tomorrow.”

She’s tough, but today was a punch in the gut. I rub my hand up and down her arm, trying to soothe the sting.

I’m glad she made me go in and get the information. Knowing she’d designated the cantina her “haven” gave me a glimpse into the despair and darkness she’s been living in since she arrived, and what she’ll likely return to when we leave. It hits a chord in me I hadn’t expected.

“I used to frequent dives like the cantina.” The words pop out of my mouth like a jack-in-the-box.

She looks up, her green eyes urging me to continue.

Shit.

“My team and I were part of a multi-country, multi-unit task force under orders to hunt down an international terrorist. It took two years, but we finally located the bastard in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique. Our intel and the surveillance were solid, but we didn’t want to rush into it and potentially tip him off. We did our due diligence. A week after we arrived, we moved in to capture him,” I tell her, my voice gruff with memories. I draw her in closer.

She wraps her free arm around my waist.

“They were waiting for us. When we realized it was an ambush, we tried to retreat, but we were miles from safety. It was a bloodbath. Twelve of us made it out. Out of fifty-seven men.” I pause to get my anger under control. Even after all these years, the rage is like acid in my veins.

I heave a sigh. “When we returned, they disbanded the force and sent us home. I tried to resign from the Army, but my CO refused to accept it. He sent me on extended leave.”

She looks up at me hesitantly. “Is that because of your father?”

Someone did their research. “So, you know about him?”