the huge spider crawling across the peeling floral wallpaper above the rust-stained toilet. To her right was a shower stall barely big enough for an average-sized adult. A faded green towel hung over the rack, right above the toilet paper roll holder.
As she closed the door, she wondered whether the walls were flimsy enough for her to eavesdrop on their conversation. She hoped so. Her life depended on Hector going along with Wade’s plan, and she wanted to know as soon as possible if she was about to be thrown to the wolves.
Chapter 3
AS SOON AS the bathroom door clicked shut, Hector rounded on Wade and hissed in a low voice, “Dude, what the hell?”
It was the reaction Wade had expected from his longtime friend and former mentor. He’d known that Hector wouldn’t be thrilled with the prospect of using Hope as a guide. Back in the day, he would have agreed, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
“I met her at the bar while I was waiting for you. Long story short, she claims to be a doctor who was abducted by Aranza and forced to provide medical care for his dying mother. When the mother kicked over, she escaped from the compound and eventually made it to town.”
The lines between Hector’s eyebrows deepened. “You just met her. In a bar. And she happens to know where to find Roberto Aranza. That doesn’t sound the least bit suspicious to you?”
“Sure it does. But I—”
“Do you honestly think you can trust her?”
“Hell no, but she’s the only lead we’ve got.” As a general rule, the only people Wade trusted were his immediate family and Hector. Everybody else, and that definitely included one Dr. Hope Chandler, was in the trust-them-as-far-as-he-could-throw-them category. He’d take what she gave with a grain of salt until she proved herself worthy, or until better intelligence came along. Speaking of which… “Did your guy come through?”
“No, the asshole never showed up and now he’s not answering my calls. Good thing I didn’t pay him in advance or I’d really be pissed.” Hector’s shoulders slumped on a sigh as he cast a backward glance at the closed bathroom door. “I don’t like this, Wade. It’s way too convenient. For all we know, she could be a dangle.”
Wade shook his head, though the possibility of Hope being bait for a trap had entered his mind on more than one occasion. “That’s not Aranza’s style. He doesn’t have the patience to set up something like this. If he knew we were here, he would have come at us by now.”
Whether it was rival cartels, embezzling accountants, or a DEA agent working undercover in conjunction with Mexican law enforcement, Roberto Aranza had never been shy about raining fire on anyone he considered a threat to him or his empire. If he so much as suspected that Wade was on his turf, he’d spare no expense to finish what he’d started in that warehouse in Guadalajara four years ago.
Hector’s lips pressed into a thin, grim line. He reached into his pants pocket for a half-eaten roll of antacids and popped one into his mouth. He’d always been big on following procedure, which meant every single thing about this op was making him twitchy as hell. Not to mention, if the DEA caught wind of their unsanctioned hunt for the Mexican drug lord, he’d be out of a job and possibly up on charges. “I still don’t like it. Even if she’s legit, she’s a civilian—an American civilian. It’s not right to drag her into this.”
“If you’ve got a better idea, I’m open to suggestion.” Truth be told, Wade wasn’t crazy about it either, but they were rapidly running out of options. Hector’s leave of absence was set to end in less than two weeks. If they didn’t locate Aranza soon, they’d have no choice but to abandon their efforts and return to the States until another credible lead surfaced.
Wade didn’t want to wait. He wanted the bastard now. And maybe once Aranza was six feet under, his nightmares would finally relent.
Hector paced the length of the tiny room like a panther trapped in a cage. “Can’t she just draw us a map?”
“Would you trust any map she made?”
Wade knew he was asking a lot from Hector, and part of him felt guilty about putting his friend in this kind of predicament. The breach in protocols was no longer an issue for Wade, but it still mattered to a career-minded agent like Hector