“Let go of me, you fucking asshole!” Pen is struggling against Ray’s hold but freezes upon seeing me tied up to the bed, her face going pale and her bottom lip quivering.
“I’m so sorry, Pen. Please forgive me!” I’m praying that she doesn’t hate me for this… if we live at all.
“Why?” The one word is whispered, but it’s enough to make me feel the eight-thousand-pound weight of guilt it leaves behind.
“Because she’s smart.” Ray pushes Pen down onto a chair, his hands making quick work of the rope he’s left behind for himself. “And if you’re smart, you’ll also do as I say.”
“Like hell I will!” Pen flails, trying to buck herself from her chair.
Ray grunts but doesn’t stop constraining her hands. “Anaya, be a doll and tell your friend what happens if she doesn’t cooperate.”
“The guys.” My words come out on a choked sob, the weight of my tone making Pen still in her chair.
“Jack?” Her eyes are wide open, her throat bobbing up and down on a swallow.
I nod, the only movement I’m allowed because of these damn ropes. “He has eyes on them in Mexico and has rigged the whole place to blow with them in it if we don’t comply.” My eyes shift to the man behind her, his towering frame now moving to her feet. “What I don’t understand is the why? What are you trying to get from them, Ray? Is it money? You sure seem to have a ton of it if you were flying Blanca to Ibiza.”
Ray’s eyes shoot up to mine, probably surprised that I had that bit of information thanks to Blanca’s journal.
“My mom? You were with my mom?”
Shit! I didn’t even think about Blanca being Pen’s mom. Way to put my foot in my mouth. I’ve caused this girl enough grief without having to drudge up more painful memories for her. “I’m so sorry, Pen.”
I’ve spoken, but it’s as if she didn’t hear me. She just keeps staring at Ray. “You. You’re the one she was cheating on Austin with?”
Ray sneers. “You say that like it’s not an upgrade. I can assure you, little girl, I was more of a man than your stepfather ever was to her.”
I snort at that. “You’ve got to be kidding me, right?”
Pen shoots me a worried glance, shaking her head as if to say, shut the fuck up! I suppose she’s right. I shouldn’t be antagonizing the psychopath, especially in our current predicament—but I couldn’t help it. He’s delusional if he thinks he’s a better lay than Austin.
Thankfully, Penelope has a better head on her shoulders, and she steers the conversation in the right direction. “If it’s not the money you want, then what is it?”
Ray’s narrowed gaze leaves me and focuses back on Pen. “That is none of your business and irrelevant right now. All you need to do is worry about what cover story you’re giving Mary and the other Crown brothers because, come morning, you’re both coming with me.”
My mouth drops open as Ray turns and exits the room, the slamming of the door echoing loudly and signaling our impending doom. We need to find a way out of this fast, or I’m afraid we won’t come out of this alive.
Austin
Present time…
I’m still pacing, reeling from the revelation that Ray is Raul, brother to one of the most notorious cartel leaders in all of Mexico, when the door to Cárdenas’ office flies open.
“Don Cárdenas, we have some urgent information for Mr. Crown.” One of the WRATH team members steps around Daniel’s man, heading straight for Jack.
“It’s Penelope. She’s missing. She’s not at the main house and the man we’d posted inside was found passed out in her bedroom.”
“What?!” Jack roars, getting up with so much force that his chair goes flying back. “Where were my brothers? Where were the other men you left behind?”
“They’d been doing the rounds on the property, sir. And nobody had left except for Anaya and her husband.”
A beastly sound rips from my throat upon hearing this. I knew what Mary had said was true, but at the time, I had no clue Anaya had left with a serial killer in disguise.
Jack is pulling at his hair, his eyes mad. “Did at any point Anaya make it to the main house this morning?”
“Yes. She came to drop a cake off for Penelope, but she was in and out in under ten minutes.” The man answers, shifting on his feet and growing increasingly nervous. I would be too if I were him.
“And where was Ray during this drop-off?”
“In the car, sir. He was the one driving.”
Jack looks like he’s about to rip the guy’s head off, so I step between them. “Bring me all the footage you have. I’m thinking somehow Penelope was smuggled out with Ray.”
“Yes, sir. Of course, sir.” The man turns on his heels, quickly exiting the room.
Turning back toward my brother, I brace my hands on his shoulders and give him a quick shake. “Pull it together, man. This is not the time to fall apart. We need to get our girls back, and we won’t be able to do that if you’re a mess.”
Knowing what I do now, I highly doubt Anaya went with her husband willingly.
Jack nods, his eyes narrowing on something behind me. “I doubt they took her by physical force. My girl would’ve screamed bloody murder, and after her last stint in Mexico, I made sure she had more than enough training in self-defense.”
I blow out a breath, nodding in agreement with his assessment. “It had to be compliance under duress because even though she may want nothing to do with me personally, she would never leave the kids like that.”
Jack’s hand lands on my shoulder and squeezes. “She wouldn’t leave you like that either.”
God, I can only hope that his words ring true. But in all honesty, that’s not what really matters right now. Even if she didn’t want me, I still wouldn’t want her in the arms of that psychopath.
Cárdenas, who’d been on the phone most of this time, clears his throat. “Gentlemen, it appears there are live bombs scattered throughout the perimeter of our home. One went off earlier today, tipping my men off. This means we need to move, and we need to move now.”
My jaw ticks as I curse the day that prick Raul was born. “This doesn’t sound like a fucking coincidence.
Cárdenas nods. “It does not. Fortunately for us, we have a system of underground tunnels and caves that’ll help us get out. And unfortunately for Raul, his brother is coming with us.”
As soon as Daniel reminds us of Raul’s brother, everything clicks into place. “That fucker wants to barter release, doesn’t he?”
“That’s what I would do,” Jack answers.
“He has my daughter, and both of your women. I’d say that’s what he’s going for. But if he hurts so much as a hair on my girl’s head, that pendejo will pay with much more than just his brother’s life.”
“Agreed.” All the ways I can torture this motherfucker start popping up in my head, and the only reason my train of thought stops is because the man from earlier walks in holding a laptop.
“We found the footage, Mr. Crown.” He places the laptop on the large wooden table and hits play.
As soon as he does, I can see Ray getting out of the car to help Anaya with a large piece of luggage, one that presumably holds Penelope.
Jack unleashes a strangled groan. “My babies. The fucker took my babies.”
God, my poor brother. At least I have the benefit of seeing that Anaya is still okay. For all we know, my stepdaughter could be dead inside that luggage.
Cárdenas has been deathly silent, but a quick glance over my shoulder lets me know he’s seen the footage and has come to the same conclusion as us.
“Ese hijo de puta muere hoy!” That son of a bitch dies today. The cartel Don roars, making the windows rattle and his men line up for battle. “Ramon, prepare the vehicles. We’re leaving immediately. Antonio, get us eyes on the prize. We need to cut him off wherever he’s headed. I don’t care who you have to call or work with to make it happen. Just do it.”
A fleeting sense of peace settles over me knowing we have a powerful underlord on our side. But it quickly vanishes, knowing life is fucked up and there are no guarantees. We may have a venerable king calling the shots, but it doesn’t detract that we’re dealing with a cold-hearted killer who’s between a rock and a hard place.
“We need to play our cards right if we want to get our girls back. Raul is unpredictable and there’s no telling what he’ll do once he finds out we’ve moved his brother.”
Daniel nods. “That’s why we need to let him make contact first. He needs to think he’s still in charge of this situation. That his messed up plan is still underway.”
I stare at the laptop screen, my eyes focused on Anaya’s hand. The ring is missing. Fuck. My girl can’t call for help even if she wanted to.
Jack speaks, but it’s muffled by the roaring in my head. “Agreed. Hopefully, that gives us enough time to track them down.”
“Don’t worry. My men will make that happen or it will be their head on a spike right next to Raul’s.” Daniel’s voice is low and menacing, but none of his men flinch, knowing well what they’ve signed up for.
As we’re guided out of his office and down a dark passage, all I can think about is the taste of my girl’s lips and how sweet she falls apart around me, showing me the most vulnerable parts of herself. That beautiful creature is mine, and there’s no way in hell I’m letting any man take her from me.
One way or another, I will find her and bring her home. Damned be anyone who stands in the way.
