Absolution (9 page)

More time. She needed more time. Then he
would come. “I have to go to the bathroom,” she said in a rush.

“Not a chance,” Antonio hissed in her
ear,

“Would you rather I go on your car seat?” she
asked.

“Do so and die. You are coming with me, now.
No breaks, no stalling. Or he’s dead.”

He pushed toward a black car that awaited
them. Antonio grabbed her hair and shoved her face first into the
backseat. She tumbled inside, smacking her head on the seatbelt
clasp. Eva scrambled away from him, scooting until she rammed into
the rear passenger door. He seated himself beside her, his gaze
following all the way up the length of her bare legs. Caressing her
thigh, he pursed his lips.

She flinched and shoved his hand off. “Don’t
touch me. And call off your man. I cooperated as I said I
would.”

Antonio laughed and pounded on the headrest
in front of him to tell his driver to go. Once they pulled onto the
highway and accelerated, he picked up his phone and dialed a
number. “Pedro? We have her in the car.”

Eva breathed a sigh of relief and sagged
against the seat. She’d done it. She’d saved Joseph from an ambush.
Antonio traced an invisible path from the bottom of her leg to the
top and inched her hem up further, peeking underneath. She slapped
his hand away once more and met his gaze.

He smirked at her, digging his fingers into
her thigh until she squirmed. “You can kill him now, if you haven’t
already. We don’t want him coming for her.”

Joseph had a tail. He’d suspected it a block
ago. After a sharp right turn, followed by a left, he knew his
suspicions to be true. It appeared the Cartel had tracked them
down. The question that burned in his mind, however, was whether
they’d found Eva. After he lost the shadow, he would ascertain
whether her whereabouts had been compromised. He dipped into an
alleyway and drew his weapon, not waiting long before the man who’d
followed ducked into the dimness. He pistol whipped the fool on the
back of the head with a quick, decisive swing and stepped over the
unconscious body.

Sprinting back to Eva, heart racing in fear,
he called his superior and informed him to send two uniforms to
pick up the unconscious fucker and hold the man for questioning.
Doubtful the Cartel’s soldier would give them much, but it would be
worth a shot. He holstered the Glock 22 and rushed to the
hotel.

Their room door stood open, and a quick peek
inside showed all of Eva’s belongings still in her bag. If she’d
left out of anger instead of force, she would have grabbed her
purse.

“Fuck!” he bellowed and kicked the door. Damn
it, they had her. If she wasn’t dead already, she would soon wish
she were.

He sprinted out of the hotel and hopped in
his car to speed to Hugo’s house. When he arrived, he marched past
the staff and guards, who all rushed out of his way and shot him
horrified looks as he swept by. If they hadn’t recognized him from
his numerous past visits, he knew they would have taken him to the
ground within seconds of his entry. He stomped into Hugo’s office
without bothering to knock and found him sitting at the conference
table, reading the paper with a mug of coffee at his side. Upon
seeing Joseph, the old man leapt to his feet, peering over Joseph’s
shoulder.

Hugo paled and, grabbing Joseph’s shirt, he
shoved him against the fireplace. “Where is she, you son of a
bitch?”

Gritting his teeth, Joseph didn’t bother to
fight back, even though his head slammed against the brick. He
needed to be reprimanded, to have someone in his face. How could he
have let the Cartel take Eva right out from under his watch? What
the hell had he been thinking, leaving her alone in the hotel? She
was his responsibility, and he’d failed her like a piece of shit
rookie. If Hugo felt the need to try and kick his ass, so be
it.

“They got to her when I went for breakfast.
She’s been gone no more than an hour.”

“You left her
alone
?”

“At the time, it seemed better than bringing
her out in public or ordering delivery. I didn’t want to risk
discovery.” Joseph’s heart pounded, and the roaring in his ears
oddly reminded him of the ocean during a storm. He needed to stop
explaining and find Eva before they ran out of time. He brought his
hands up between Hugo’s forearms and shoved out, breaking the old
man’s grip on his collar. “Tell me everything you know. Now.”

“You’re off the case. I’ll bring in someone
capable of finishing the job. You, obviously, were not the best
option.” With a scowl, Hugo turned to grab the cordless phone on
his desk.

“Son of a bitch!” Joseph grabbed a clock on
the mantle and catapulted it across the room. It shattered into
hundreds of pieces.

“What the hell?” Hugo spun to face him,
astonishment on his features and the phone in his grip, the dial
tone sounding.

Joseph stared at the broken pieces of the
clock in shock. How the hell had he allowed his temper, his agony,
to get the better of him? He needed to focus on saving Eva.
Gritting his teeth, Joseph flexed his fingers and faced Hugo with
renewed determination. He wouldn’t allow his emotions to get the
better of him again. He couldn’t afford any more stupid
mistakes.

“Get a hold of yourself, agent,” Hugo
warned.

Joseph strode over to him, grabbed the phone,
and disconnected the call before tossing the receiver back onto the
table.

“You’re way out of line,” Hugo snapped.

Joseph seized his shoulders and shook him.
“No,
you’re
out of line. I will not sit idly by while the
woman I love is mutilated and murdered. You’re going to tell me
where to go, and now, because I intend to blow their goddamn heads
off, one by one, until I find her. Do you fucking understand?” He
shook Hugo one last time for emphasis and stared him down.

Hugo opened his mouth, closed it, and nodded.
He pushed Joseph off. “Fine. But you better not screw it up this
time.”

Joseph gave a tight nod before pulling his
gun out to count bullets. He had thirteen left, and an extra
magazine on the other side of his belt. He switched out the partial
magazine for the full. Jaw clenched, Joseph replaced his pistol and
turned to Hugo. “I’m ready to kick ass. Where am I going, and who’s
the target?”

Reaching under his fallen paper, Hugo
withdrew a picture and handed it to Joseph. “This intelligence came
in ten minutes ago. We believe he’s the man threatening Eva and me.
The head-honcho. His name is—”

“Antonio Soto.”

“How the hell do you know him?” Hugo’s eyes
lit up at Joseph’s knowledge. “Do you know where to find him?”

He crumpled the paper in his fist, chucking
it at the wall. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on the sick
asshole. And to think he could have had him, could have ended this
before it even began.
God damn it
. “Fucking piece of shit. I
could have
shot
the bastard. He had a date scheduled with
Eva, showed up at her place. Shortly after, we were attacked.”

“He had a date with her? He would’ve
kidnapped her then, to be sure.”

“Probably. Where is he?”

Hugo handed him another sheet of paper and
grabbed an identical one off his desk. He headed to the door,
speaking over his shoulder as they exited. “Here are his last known
properties. You check the first three with a team of men, and I’ll
check the last three. Take no chances, and waste no time. The
longer she’s in his hands, the less her chances of walking
away.”

“Send them after me. I’m leaving now.” Joseph
didn’t wait for Hugo’s response. He strode out the door and got
into his car. If the man wanted him to have backup, then he’d take
care of it. But he would be damned if he’d wait.

***

Eva lay on her belly, face pressed into a
bare mattress, panting while she jerked her arms…a wiggle here, a
twist there. Ugh, she’d almost gotten free that time. They’d
secured her wrists and also her ankles, but the person who’d tied
the knots had no talent with the task, so she’d just about managed
to free her left hand.

Sun shone through a clear spot on the filthy
window overhead, casting a beam down to the ground and illuminating
with disgusting detail just how dirty her prison was. A steel pot
rested in the corner, and she suspected it had nothing to do with
cooking.

Rats scurried in the shadows, looking as if
they’d like nothing more than to dine on her rather than whatever
scraps they fought over. She shuddered and yanked harder, ignoring
the sticky liquid running down her hand. Maybe the blood would
prove a godsend, loosening the knot by lubricating her wrists and
the fabric. She watched one brave rat approach and stared at the
beady-eyed varmint until it backed down.

Her glower had made the creature retreat, but
she didn’t think her intimidation tactics would work much longer.
She fought with renewed fervor, and bit back a triumphant shout
when she slipped her hand loose. When she freed her other hand, Eva
reached down and untied her legs, only to freeze at the door to her
cell opening. Antonio swaggered in, biting an apple.

He shook his head while clucking his tongue.
“You’re going to be more trouble than I’d thought. Who’d have
believed you had so much spunk in you?”

She shrugged, trying to appear casual as she
leaned back on her hands, grabbing the strips of material they’d
bound her with. “I take after my father, one could say.”

He laughed and stepped closer. “You’ll end up
like him…and your little boyfriend. Dead.”

She paled at the reminder of Joseph’s
assassination but lifted her chin and tossed her hair behind her
shoulder. “Have you heard from the man you sent after him? Has he
returned to boast of his skills in bringing down one of the best
agents in Mexico?”

He hissed and stalked toward her. Raising his
hand, he slapped her hard across the face. Pain radiated from her
cheekbone and across her face until the agony seemed to throb
throughout her entire body. The coppery taste of blood met her
tongue, and she rotated her jaw to survey the damage. The bone
didn’t seem broken, thank God.

Her heart sang at his rage because it meant
one thing—Joseph had escaped. He would come for her. She knew it
with every breath she took. Fear made her tremble, but she would be
damned if she let him see it.

Turning to face the bastard again, she
grinned and spat blood at his feet—all over his shiny shoes. “I
take it that’s a no?”

Antonio shoved her shoulders, and she hid the
scrap of bloody linen under her hair. He straddled her and held her
arms over her head with one hand. “Your voice grates on my nerves.
Someone ought to teach you your place in this world, Eva.”

He crammed his lips to hers and shoved his
fingers underneath her nightie, wrenching it up to her neck. Panic
made her moves erratic as she arched her hips, trying to buck him
off. When nothing she did seemed to work, her heart sped up
painfully. Oh, God, this would be how she died. Raped and
bloody.

She squirmed in his hold, trying to free a
limb to do some sort of damage, but he held her too tightly. He
shoved his tongue in her mouth, and gagging, she jerked on her
hands. She bit down, but he seemed to sense it coming, retreating
before she snapped onto meat.

He laughed, pressing his erection hard
against her. “You women. You all think alike.”

“Go to hell,” she snarled, bowing her back
while squirming to get her legs out from under him.

His face loomed over hers, distorted in its
rage and evil state of mind. He released her hands long enough to
rip her gown, leaving her panties as her only clothing. She
screamed and grabbed the cloth she’d been tied up with earlier from
beneath her hair and twisted the fabric taut between her hands.
Looping the bloody material around his neck, she jerked it tight
using all her strength, throwing her body weight into it like
Joseph had taught her.

He tugged at the cloth, slow at first and
then with a twinge of desperation. He grabbed her hair and yanked
an enormous chunk out, but she refused to let go. He punched her on
the side of her head. Stars exploded in her vision, throbbing
through her head until her hands slipped from the fabric. He
slammed an elbow into her ribs, and she crumbled onto the mattress,
gasping for air.

While he bent over, struggling to get some
air into his swollen throat, she attempted to pull herself into a
sitting position, seeking out the fabric. His lungs made a wheezing
sound when he inhaled. He stared at her with murder written in his
eyes, and she laughed. With a growl he leapt on her, pounding her
in the nose.

The pain was the only thing she knew and then
the world faded to black.

***

Joseph approached the entrance to the
abandoned building and motioned for the team following him to fan
out on either side. This place had been the last on his list, and
the frustration and anger consuming him grew with each passing
moment. He cracked the door, peeking inside. Adrenaline pumped
through his veins at the sight of a man standing guard at a closed
entry. If a man stood guard, chances were something of value rested
behind said man.

Something like Eva.

He slipped inside, motioning for his team to
follow, creeping closer to the guard. He head-locked the
unsuspecting man from behind, tightening his grip until the asshole
crumpled to the ground. He caught the man’s AR-15 before it could
crash onto the floor and alert anyone to his presence. He holstered
his own weapon, raised the AR-15 and pointed down at the guy on the
floor to the closest team member. The teammate nodded and grabbed
the guard’s arms, dragging him outside.

He moved to the door and, testing the knob,
found it locked, of course. He pressed his ear to the cool metal
and heard a scuffling sound on the other side, followed by the
unmistakable echo of fist meeting bone. His hand tightened on the
grip of his gun, and he took a deep breath. Time for some
action.