with a hard stare. “I. Asked. You.”
The other males cringed at the menace in his voice.
Color leeched from Luis’s face, but he bared his teeth in false bravado. “Fine.” He pushed out of the booth.
I expected a couple of the enforcers to accompany Luis but none did.
Javier watched his brother stalk across the club with narrowed eyes. Their dynamic was as old as time. Weaker younger brother coveted what powerful older brother had, and older brother had to continually put him in his place. It would end in blood as it always did. Until then, Luis would be his liability.
A liability I can exploit… A plan came together as I watched Luis angrily shove open the door and step outside.
I was bound by my orders so I couldn’t approach Javier or his enforcers. But Luis technically wasn’t one of the enforcers.
He’s fair game.
Thrilled to have found a move in what felt like an impossible chess game, I reached into my pocket, retrieved a wad of crumpled bills, and tossed them down on the table. I stood and gave Donna a jerky wave.
She didn’t look up from her conversation with the dominatrix.
Hoping I never had to see her or her watered-down drinks again, I stumbled through the club doors after my prey.
The icy wind felt amazing after the stuffiness of the club. Out of reflex, I opened my mouth and tasted the fresh air. It carried the unmistakable odor of blood and death. Several humans had died recently. I sniffed, wondering if they were casualties of the Z-virus or of Javier’s gang. I couldn’t tell and honestly didn’t give a fuck. The only thing that mattered was my dancer wasn’t among them.
I carefully scanned the parking lot. It was empty except for the driver of an SUV idling near the street and Luis.
The urge to shift and attack Javier’s brother gripped me, but it was overridden by my programming. My handler had ordered me not to blow my cover, so letting my beast take over wasn’t an option.
Luis was just opening the door to one of the black Mercedes parked near the front of the lot when I shambled up next to him.
“Can I get a ride?” I asked in a slurred voice.
The long-haired male spun around, his face wrinkling in disgust. “Chinga tu madre.” When I didn’t move, he raised his fist as if to hit me.
“Put your hand down,” I ordered, infusing my voice with power. Using compulsion was a gamble, but I’d sensed the latent was nowhere as strong as his brother.
Luis’s arm dropped.
Relieved as fuck that my power play had paid off, I said, “You’re under my control.”
“I’m under your control,” he echoed, his eyes going blank.
“Where is Dr. Hurran?”
“At one of the university labs.”
“Which one?”
“No sé.”
There had to be dozens of labs on campus. “What else do you know about her location?”
“She’s being moved to the Hacienda tomorrow.”
I cursed, once the scientist was inside Javier’s heavily fortified compound, she’d be much harder to get to. “What time is she being moved?”
“No sé.”
“How many will be in her escort?”
“No sé.”
I gritted my teeth in frustration. “Guess.”
“Four or five.”
I could tear through that in a hot minute. The tension I’d been carrying evaporated. I had the intel. I’d completed the mission. Now I needed to get my ass back to base and relay it to Jen, but first…
I stepped closer to Luis and yanked off my sunglasses. “Make sure your brother leaves Lee alone.”
“Who’s Lee?”
“The dancer he’s putting the moves on.” I motioned back at the club.
“Imposible. He wants her in his bed.”
My vision darkened with rage. “That will never happen.” She’s mine. “Tell him to forget her.”
Luis blinked at me. “He’s already sent Miguel to pick her up.”
The fuck? The enforcer had left the club just a few minutes earlier. Shit. “Call Miguel and tell him there’s been a change in plan. Tell him to go back to the Hacienda without the dancer.”
“Miguel and the other sicarios only follow my brother’s orders,” Luis said in an emotionless voice.
Cursing, I grabbed Luis’s arm and stared down at the expensive watch on his wrist. There’s plenty of time to take care of Miguel and still make Jen's deadline.
The sound of the SUV’s engine shutting off rushed my decision. I turned back to Luis. “Forget about us having this conversation.”
“Si,” he said, blinking.
I shuffled away from Luis as a massive Lykos stepped out of the SUV. The motherfucker was huge—nearly as large as I was in my natural form. Although