Beyond the Breaking Point - Lori Sjoberg Page 0,76
killed in an ambush in a shopping center parking lot, while his nephew, Raul, had been arrested for smuggling and was murdered in prison.
With his mother deceased, Aranza would focus on recovering lost territory—and settling scores. Needless to say, he was the kind of guy who responded to threats of any nature with swift and blinding violence. He’d set about making his rivals pay, and eliminate any perceived threats to what he’d spent a lifetime building.
Those threats included Wade and, by extension, his entire family. Aranza had gone through a lot of trouble to lure him here, which meant he was high on the list of targets the drug lord wanted neutralized. Sooner or later, he’d come after them all—unless Wade got to him first.
The rumble of an engine outside pulled him from his thoughts. Leaning back, Wade peered through the window, spotted the Jeep, and his heart stuttered at the sight of Hope riding shotgun. At first glance she seemed to be fine, but looks could be deceiving, especially from a distance. Needing to touch her, to make sure that she was all right, he set the laptop on the desk and left the room.
As he stepped into the cavernous main living area, the front door opened, and there she was, her shoulders slumped and her hair disheveled, with smudges of dirt on her face. But he didn’t see any cuts, bruises—or worse—and his breath let out in a whoosh.
Jackson stood a few feet behind, a man draped over his right shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He grinned like a Cheshire cat. “Honey, we’re home! And look, we brought company. Hope caught him trying to leave the party early.”
Wade stared at her, aghast. “You caught him? Are you crazy?” Just thinking about how that could have gone wrong had his blood pressure shooting through the ceiling.
Her expression made it clear she didn’t think it was that big of a deal. “Relax, it’s not like I wrestled him down. I shot him in the leg from a distance.”
“And the foot,” Jackson added, as if trying to be helpful, though she didn’t seem appreciative.
“I did that when he tried to get away.”
The guy wasn’t moving, wasn’t making a sound. About average height, he was on the pudgy side, but the stringy black hair obscuring his face made it impossible to determine his age. Dark-red stains marked his pants and shoe where he’d been shot, the drips of blood trailing down from his leg and onto the white marble floor.
Hope adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder. “He needs medical attention. Where can I work on him?”
“Are his wounds life-threatening?” Wade asked.
“No.”
“Then you can treat him once we’re finished talking with him.”
The muscle along her jaw flexed. “You mean interrogating him.”
“To-may-to, to-mah-to.” He jerked his thumb to the right. “Go ahead and set him up in the dining room. I’ll be there in a few.”
“You got it, boss.”
Once Jackson disappeared around the corner, Wade turned his attention back to Hope. Just thinking about what could have happened to her had him straining to hold his temper. “I thought I told you not to engage Aranza’s men unless it was absolutely necessary.”
“Who said it wasn’t necessary?”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Oh, for fuck’s sake.”
“What?” She planted a hand on her hip. “I couldn’t just let him get away. He could have called for reinforcements or something.”
Wade wanted to argue the matter but recognized the futility. Once the woman got an idea inside her head, not even a brick of C-4 could shake it loose. Besides, she was right, though he questioned the man’s ability to contact anyone this far out in the middle of nowhere.
Reaching up, he wiped a smudge of dirt off her cheek, and the simple contact settled his nerves a fraction. “You could have gotten hurt.”
“I didn’t. I’m fine.”
“That’s not the point. Something could have happened.” And he wouldn’t have been able to live with himself, because it would have been his fault for not bringing her to the consulate. With a great deal of effort, he could admit it to himself, but he refused to acknowledge that sort of weakness out loud. Still, the admission festered inside him, sparking inconvenient emotions too strong to ignore.
Giving in to the need, he grabbed her shoulders and crushed her against him, closing his eyes at the feel of her warm, soft body.
“Don’t ever put yourself in danger like that again. You hear me?”