“But you’re a Hangman now, right?” Zane asked. I smirked, seeing a mini AK staring back at me.
“I am.” I let my eyes drift to the door of the back room again.
“She’s fucking loud,” Slash said, running his hands through his hair. “Bitch hasn’t stopped shouting in hours. I got a fucking headache.”
“She’s quiet now,” I said.
“Beauty probably muzzled her.” Ash stood off the door, smirking as he finished his smoke and tossed it to the floor. “My fucking ears hurt from all the noise. I need a fucking drink.”
Turning to Zane and Slash, I said, “You saw how I installed that last camera?” They nodded. “Go do the same in the other rooms.” I turned to Ash. “You go too. I gotta get these cameras up fast. They’ll show you how.”
“Good luck.” Ash followed his brothers to the far-off room. Taking hold of a camera, I knocked on the door.
Beauty answered. She looked flustered, but when she saw me she painted on her smile. “Hey, darlin’,” she said, holding the door ajar. “You here to set the camera up?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. Then I’m taking a break. I need a fucking drink. Watch her while you work—she’s one feisty bitch. I usually respect that in a woman, but right now I wanna punch my fist into her teeth just so her mouth’s too full to keep screaming. She’s working my last nerve.” She smiled wider. “I won’t be long!” Beauty walked out of the warehouse.
The door was open, but the room inside was dark. Taking a long breath, I pushed through the door. The back room was small, with only a dim lamp as the light. But I saw the cousin in the corner, covered in shadows. Her head was down, and her dark hair was blanketing her face. Her hands were tied with rope, as were her feet. The wedding dress she wore covered most of her body. I squinted, trying to make her out, but in this dim light, it was impossible.
Checking no one was in the main body of the warehouse, I shut the door and bolted it. My hand tightened on the knob, but then I manned the fuck up and turned. I walked straight to the bitch in the chair, and she must have sensed me, because she lashed out with her bound legs and spat, “Cabrones! Los odio!”
Her head snapped back as she thrashed to get near me. I stood my ground, waiting for her to calm the fuck down and stop. Her long dark hair flew back off her face, her mouth opened to spew more shit my way, then her eyes locked on mine and . . .
I froze.
Couldn’t fucking move.
Every cell in my body went rigid. I wasn’t even fucking breathing.
My heart started smashing against my ribs, and my muscles tensed until I thought they might snap. And I never moved my attention from those eyes. Dark brown eyes, long-as-fuck lashes, and those lips . . . those fucking full, perfect lips.
My chest squeezed my lungs like an iron fist, and my damn hands started to shake . . . because I didn’t trust my eyes. Didn’t fucking trust myself to believe who sat before me.
Her eyes widened, and I watched as her face drained of blood. She blinked like she couldn’t believe it either, then her eyes filled with tears . . .
“Tanner?” she whispered in disbelief. I had to shut my eyes as the sound of her voice hit my ears. “No . . . it can’t be . . .” she cried. My breathing and heart synced to one beat, both of them drumming in my ears. Opening my eyes, I shook my head. It couldn’t be. It couldn’t be her . . .
“Ad . . . Adelita?”
The rasp of her name off my lips filled up every inch of the silent room like a thick smoke. Her eyes closed, and a tear fell down her cheek.
Then I looked at her . . . really fucking looked at her, and shit filtered through.
She was in a wedding dress. The shock that had kept me in its chokehold started to fade. And like hot blood off a sharpened knife, the shock, the fucking relief that it was Adelita sitting before me, melted away . . . and in its place came confusion, disbelief . . . then anger. Red-hot fucking anger. Because it hadn’t been Adelita’s cousin who was getting married . . . it had