Don’t fuck with me on this, Diego. All the pieces aren’t fitting together. I want to know who we’re dealing with.” I had to find a way to push her out of my mind. She was a job and nothing more. When the assignment was over, I’d never see her again. That would be fine by me.
He lost his wry smile. “Fine, Jack. Let’s push aside what the Serpent would do to him if he knew that my buddy was helping us. Felipe is a man who still has a contract on his head from years before. He’s also a man who would give his life for mine because I allowed him to return to his family.”
Now I understood the ramifications of his relationship and just how important Felipe was to him. “Luis?”
He nodded. “Felipe came to America looking for a better way of life for his family. He made a few mistakes, got mixed up with the wrong people.”
“Sounds familiar,” I commented in passing.
“Not all of us had an illustrious career with the military with full honors.”
Bristling, I narrowed my eyes. He could never understand what I’d gone through. “As you said, we all have a past to deal with. Felipe stole from the Cartel. Correct?”
Diego sighed and lay back on the bed. “He took his fair share after Luis refused to pay him for a job. For that, he was beaten to within an inch of his life then set free. What he didn’t know was it was just part of a game. You see, Luis enjoys big game hunting, or so he calls it. He and a group of buddies determine who the contestant is for the week then the first one to find the helpless asshole wins. I won’t bother telling you what happens when they’re caught. Trust me. They’re always caught. Not this time. I helped Felipe to escape, found him a way to get out of town after securing a ride on a cargo ship.”
“No wonder Luis would appreciate having your head on a silver platter. Was this payback for the time you spent in prison protecting him?”
He closed his eyes. “Think what you want, Jack. I did what I had to in order to protect a man who didn’t deserve Luis’ wrath. The nightmares are a damn good reminder of the choices I made but they were mine alone. No one to blame but myself. Turn off the light, will ya? I’ll spot you in a couple hours.”
I shook my head as I walked toward the door, flipping off the light. Choices. How many times had I been told my choices were piss poor? I almost laughed as I walked out the door, instantly detecting her presence in the small hallway.
She sucked in her breath and stopped short. In her arms were some of the clothes Diego had purchased and as she crushed them against her chest, her entire body quivered.
“Are you afraid of me, Doctor?”
Her laugh was nervous, yet she managed to have a defiant tone. “Should I be, Jack? Should I be terrified to be alone with you?”
I inched closer, once again intoxicated by her scent that even the dirt and dust from the road wasn’t able to cover. After carefully placing my hands on the wall beside her head, I lowered mine. “I already told you that I’m a very bad man. Maybe you should be.”
Lindsey tilted her head until our lips were almost touching. “Does that mean you’re going to hurt me, cause me pain? Or do you want me to beg you to punish me?”
Her words were evocative, tempting. She knew exactly what she was doing to me. I also could tell how aroused she’d become.
I made certain she could feel my hot breath before brushing my lips lightly across hers, creeping ever so slowly to her cheek then to her ear. “There are several kinds of pain, sweet Lindsey, including those that can bring you to raw ecstasy. There is also the kind that leaves you aching for days, a reminder of a horrific deed. Then there is the type that will strip you of your very soul. I’d be careful what you ask for because there will be no turning back once you’ve tasted the utter bliss.”
I kissed her on the cheek then walked away, refusing to give in to the temptation like I had before, yet I wanted her. I wanted to strip her of her clothes and display her beautiful body for the world