walk out that door, you better do exactly what I say, when I say it, or I swear I’ll dump you on the side of the road without a second thought. We clear?”
“Absolutely.” She tipped her chin up and met his steely gaze. For Wade, she’d crawl through broken glass. Following orders was a piece of cake. “Just let me grab my medical bag, and I’ll be ready to go.”
Chapter 27
History MAY NOT repeat itself, but it had a tendency to rhyme.
The warehouse hadn’t changed one bit since the last time Wade was held captive there. Same fluorescent lights and dank, funky smell, and aisle upon aisle of pallets stacked on top of metal storage racks. His hands were cuffed above his head and fastened to a chain suspended from the ceiling. Luckily, the balls of his feet touched the concrete floor and could support some, though not all, of his weight.
Eyes half-closed, he kept his head hung forward, his chin resting on his chest. His head ached like a son of a bitch, the bullet wound to his leg throbbed, and he still wasn’t sure whether his left arm was broken or badly sprained. Those would be the least of his problems once Aranza arrived, which should be any minute now, judging by the way his goons kept checking the time like a couple of stoners waiting on a pizza delivery.
Wade prayed the GPS tracker inside his watch was still operational. If not, he was in for a shitty afternoon. With luck, the cavalry would ride to the rescue before he lost any appendages that couldn’t be reattached.
He wasn’t ashamed to admit that he was scared out of his mind. Only a fool wouldn’t be afraid of a man who made a hobby out of murdering people in cruel and creative ways. But despite his dire straits, he took comfort in the knowledge that this time the woman he loved was far from danger. Regardless of what happened to him, his brothers would move heaven and earth to keep Hope safe.
Outside, the storm had finally cut loose, the steady patter of rain drumming against the metal roof of the warehouse. One of the big bay doors rolled open, flooding the room with natural light, and in walked Roberto Aranza with a dozen or so of his bodyguards. One of the guards held an umbrella over Aranza’s head, while another carried a huge, black bag, which he set on the floor by the drug lord’s feet.
Wade had to look twice to confirm his identity. Through the wonders of cosmetic surgery, Aranza had altered his appearance to the point of being almost unrecognizable, which was probably the intent. His chin was larger, his nose smaller and straighter, while his male-pattern baldness had miraculously reversed itself. He’d also done something weird with his cheekbones. Implants? Who the fuck knew.
His eyes were the same though, cold and dead, the windows of a man with no soul. On the outside, he may be a whole different person, but that didn’t make him any less of a homicidal prick.
Dressed in all black, Aranza fixed his gaze on the goons. A flicker of surprise crossed his face. Clearly, he expected to see something different. Speaking in Spanish, he asked, “Where are the others?”
“They’re dead, El Señor,” the taller of the two goons replied.
“All of them?” Aranza made a low sound, as if impressed by the body count. “And where is the doctor?”
The taller goon’s face went a few shades paler than it was a few seconds ago. He tipped his head toward Wade. “It wasn’t our fault. This one put up more of a fight than we expect—”
The rest of the sentence was drowned out by the thundering blast of a bullet to the chest. When the guy hit the ground, Aranza stepped closer and put a round into his forehead.
“I didn’t ask for excuses.” He eyed the second man. “Where is the doctor?”
The shorter guy looked as though he wished the floor would open up and swallow him whole. “I—I’m sorry, El Señor. She got away.”
“A simple answer, though it’s not what I wanted. Congratulations, you get to live.” Aranza shot the man in the foot. “But failure comes at a price.”
Screaming like a banshee, the man dropped to the floor, curling into a fetal position as he cradled his wounded foot.
Apparently satisfied with his pound of flesh, Aranza turned his attention to Wade and flashed a smug smile.
Add veneers to the list of enhancements.
Switching