him watching over her, but since she truly didn’t mind, she simply nodded.
She followed the employee through the throng of people in the ballroom and out into a hallway. The hotel was older, and the hallways were narrow. Because there were so many people, and it was a Saturday night, it felt as if they had to fight their way to the front desk.
The front desk staff was slammed with all the people checking in and needing this or that, so she handed her card over to the employee and stood off to the side, waiting for her to return. Walker was standing across the room, against the wall. She caught his eye and smiled, loving how his face gentled as he smiled back at her.
A ruckus at the other end of the lobby made him turn his head, and Gillian looked in that direction. A man and a woman were yelling at each other, and the man reached out and shoved the woman’s shoulder. Gillian watched as Walker pushed off the wall and headed for the couple.
Of course he would. There was no way he’d stand by and watch as someone assaulted a woman.
“Gillian!”
Hearing her name, Gillian turned her head—and gaped at who was standing there.
It was Andrea. And she looked absolutely horrible.
She had makeup on, but it couldn’t hide the deep bruises on her face. One arm was in a sling, and she had a huge bandage on that hand as well.
“Holy shit, Andrea, are you all right?” Gillian asked, rushing over to the woman she hadn’t seen since they’d been rescued in Venezuela.
Andrea grimaced and nodded. Then winced at the movement.
“What happened?”
“I had to come warn you. I didn’t know where you lived but remembered you talking about this party when we were texting. The cartel kidnapped me and wanted to know all about the hijacking. They said they were going to come after you too.”
“They already did,” Gillian admitted.
Andrea’s eyes widened. “They did?”
“Yeah.”
Andrea seemed to sway on her feet. “Oh, shit, I don’t feel so good,” she moaned.
“Come on, let’s find you somewhere to sit,” Gillian said, putting her arm around the other woman’s waist.
“I shouldn’t have come. I found a place to park in the first row of the lot. Can you believe that? Just help me out there, and I’ll get out of your hair.”
“Should you be driving?” Gillian asked in concern as Andrea turned them toward one of the many hallways off of the lobby.
“Probably not, but I had to come see you. I didn’t want to say anything over the phone in case they were listening.”
Gillian looked back into the lobby for Walker. She wanted to make sure he saw where she was going, but he was busy trying to control the inebriated man at the other end of the large room. The woman wasn’t helping the situation, as she kept trying to hit her husband or boyfriend or whoever he was.
Thinking she’d just be gone for a minute or two, and Walker wouldn’t even know she was missing, Gillian helped Andrea limp down the hallway toward the exit. They went outside, and Andrea pointed at the far end of a line of cars. “It’s in the first row, down at the end,” she said.
“I’m so sorry this happened to you,” Gillian said.
“Me too,” Andrea agreed.
When they got to her car, Gillian kept her arm around Andrea’s waist as she led them to the door. “Give me your purse, I’ll open the door for you.”
“Thanks.”
Gillian let go and dug into the small purse for the keys.
She’d just clicked the door locks when she felt something push into her side.
“Get in,” Andrea said in a tone Gillian hadn’t ever heard from her before.
She looked down in confusion—and was shocked to see a gun in Andrea’s hand. She’d shoved it against her side and was pressing it into her flesh aggressively.
It took a second for Gillian to comprehend what was happening. “What?” she asked in disbelief.
“Get in the car,” Andrea repeated. “Do it. Or I’ll fucking blow a hole in your side.”
“Why are you doing this? Did they put you up to it?”
“They? The cartel? Fuck them! I did everything they wanted. And for what? Nothing, that’s what! I urged Luis to volunteer for the job in Costa Rica. Salazar told us it would be a piece of cake. Sinaloa supporters would deliver weapons to the plane and it would be easy to take it over. And it was. That asshole Lamas was killed,