Beyond the Breaking Point - Lori Sjoberg Page 0,100

gut.

“For the last four years, I’ve been stuck in a pit of rage, and grief, and guilt. After a while, it became a part of me, like a second skin, and I completely forgot what it was like to feel any different. But last night, with you…” He pushed out a heavy breath as he dragged a hand through his thick black hair. “That was the first time I’ve felt alive since Carmen died. That’s what you do to me. You woke things inside me, made me feel. If something were to happen to you…” He shook his head. “I can’t handle that kind of pain again. It would kill me.”

She understood why he wanted her to leave, and was touched by his admission of what she meant to him. And yes, a part of her wanted to abide by his wishes. But she was way too emotionally invested to leave, especially when faced with the cold reality of the situation. Aranza was a dangerous man, and he wouldn’t go down without a fight. When the bullets started flying, her medical expertise could mean the difference between life and death for one of the guys.

Stepping closer, she gripped his hand, and the warm strength of his grip solidified her decision. “It goes both ways, you know. Do you honestly think I can just walk away? If I did and something happened to you…” Just thinking about it made her stomach lurch. “I can’t go. I won’t. Besides, even if I left, it wouldn’t make a damn bit of difference. It’s only a matter of time before Aranza comes for me, or strikes at me through my family. As long as he’s a free man, I’ll never be safe. I need to see this through to the very end.”

He stared down at her, his features hard, emotions battling in his eyes. She could feel the tension rolling off him. Then, without warning, he pulled her close and crushed her against him, his strong arms wrapping around her and his cheek resting on top of her head.

For the longest time they simply stood there, locked together in a tight embrace. Hope’s muscles loosened as she breathed in his scent, and she prayed to God that they lived long enough to explore this thing between them.

The Escalade that Austin rented was a marked improvement over the Jeep. A smoother ride, it had a spacious interior with leather seats, ice-cold air, and a kickass sound system. The creature comforts made getting stuck in a Mexico City traffic jam a little less rage-inducing.

Hope had fallen asleep beside Wade on the rear bench seat. He curled one arm around her, gathering her close, and the feel of her nestled against him took the edge off his nerves. He still wasn’t happy with her decision to remain in Mexico. He understood her rationale, and on some level he agreed with it.

And yes, a selfish part of him wanted her to stay. She’d awakened something inside him, a part of Wade that had been lost or forgotten for so damn long he almost hadn’t recognized it. For the first time in what felt like forever, he actually felt as though he were living instead of merely existing.

When he stroked her hair, she smiled in her sleep, and a wave of warmth rolled through him. Having something worth losing was a wonderful thing, but it also terrified him. Operations like this were prone to going sideways in the blink of an eye, and the thought of Hope getting caught in the crossfire churned in his gut like a ball of barbed wire.

The sun was beginning to set when they reached Dos Cruces, a small town on the outskirts of Guadalajara. At one point in time, the town might have been prosperous, but now most of the homes were in some state of disrepair. The single-story buildings were mostly cinder block or brick, with bars on the windows and walls adorned with bright splashes of color and graffiti. There was little in the way of sanitation, and trash littered the sidewalks and streets. The acrid smell of smoke tinged the air, most likely from a garbage fire. In towns like this, there was always something burning.

As Salazar had claimed, Aranza’s house was easy to find. It was the largest house in town, and the only one not marked with graffiti. A six-foot wrought-iron fence lined the perimeter, and two heavily armed thugs stood guard at the gate, probably hoping for