Cabrón Unocomes back and sits on the coffee table in front of me. “We have orders not to manhandle you. Sorry about that. But just because we’re not allowed to touch you now that you’re here doesn’t mean the silent treatment will keep you out of trouble. We have other ways of making this miserable for you. So, you decide. If you want anything to drink, then you’re going to have to earn it. A sip for every ingredient.”
I thin my lips when I press them together, jutting out my chin. Pablo claimed I was stubborn when we met. He doesn’t know the half of it. These men are about to discover just how obstinate an only child can be when she doesn’t get her way.
What I want is to leave. I’ve been with these men for more than an hour now, and I can’t help but wonder when Pablo will get here. I don’t know where he was today since he left before I was awake. There were fresh pastries in the kitchen with a sweet love note doodled next to it saying he hoped I enjoyed my day with histías. It also said he can’t wait to have me on his lap while I tell him how it went.
When I think back about that note, it makes me wonder if histíasgot away safely. I believe they did, but I can’t be sure. I’m alone here with these men, but perhaps there were others who took Catalina and Luciana to a different location.
Perhaps they saw what happened and contacted Pablo or even Enrique. But if that were the case, then they’d know to check for my tracker. Perhaps there’s some kind of signal jammer here at this house, and my tracker isn’t pinging for them.
I don’t want to believe Pablo’s family could be involved in this, but the part of me that’s battling my fear wants to plant thatseed in my mind. It also wants to plant the seed that perhaps this was my family who did this.
Could it be my abuelo?
“SeñoritaAguilar, you don’t have that many choices. If you want to keep the people you love alive, you’ll cooperate. If we tell our boss you’re being a pain in the ass, then he’ll go after Pablo. Do you want to know you caused his death? My boss isn’t a forgiving man. He’ll drag out Pablo’s death to punish you. Every minute you make us wait for the information we want is a minute he’ll spend torturing Pablo. If you refuse to tell us what we want to know, then my boss will just move on to your mother. We have contacts in Colombia. It won’t be hard to snatch Magdalena. I hear she’s a beautiful woman who loves to host parties. I wonder how she’ll entertain the men who visit her.”
I grit my teeth. I don’t underestimate the men in front of me or whoever they work for. I believe they could try to kidnap Pablo and try to torture him. But he has the skills and wherewithal to avoid capture or to survive whatever they might do to him until his family can rescue him.
My mother’s an entirely different story. She’s not equipped to handle the things Pablo can. I’m not equipped for it, and my mother’s not as physically or mentally sturdy as I am.
“Oh, you don’t like the idea of us going after yourmamacita. Maybe we’ll string yourabueloup right next to her.”
I grin at that. I finally decide to speak.
“You can do whatever the hell you want to thatviejo pendajo. Hell, I’ll even watch.” Old idiot.
“Oh, what do you know? You even speak some real Spanish.”
“That’s what you call Mexican Spanish? Real Spanish? I didn’t expect you to string three words together when I saw you approaching me.”
I practically bite my tongue to keep from saying more.Cabrón Uno’sthe only one on my side right now. I don’t need to antagonize him.
“You really have a death wish, don’t you,señorita? I could easily turn you over to somebody who won’t have the restraint I do. I could walk out of this room and let these men do whatever the fuck they want with you.”
I don’t shift my gaze from him, but I’ve already been observing all the men in here. I’ve done my best to memorize their tattoos and scars. I’ve looked at their faces to memorize their eye color and any distinguishable features. These are men who aren’t new to cartel life.
I don’t know which ones may have grown up in the U.S. and which might have grown up in Mexico, but none of these men are that young. I put them all in their early thirties to early forties. They’re seasoned veterans in this world.
I’m hoping against hope I’m wrong, and they are holding me for ransom. Nobody’s said anything to me about what will happen after this. They aren’t trying hard to get information out of me. Even though they’re rude, they’re still asking rather than torturing me. Since I don’t want to answer any of their questions, I’ll ask some of my own.
“How much am I worth? The last hit on me cost a quarter million. I’ll be insulted if it isn’t at least that much.”
“This isn’t a hit.”
Good to know I might live.
“All right, then what’s your boss asking for in ransom?”
“It’s not a ransom either. We want information only you have.”
“We know that already, but how much is your boss paying all of you to grab me and hold on to me? Again, if it’s not at least a quarter million, I’ll be insulted.”
“Don’t worry about what we’re getting paid.”
“Ah. That means it’s nowhere near how much the original hit was. Isn’t that rather insulting that one man was supposed to get all that money for killing me and not even that much is being divided among the six of you?” I gesture at each of them as I speak.
“Señorita, you’ve gone from being silent to talking far too much. If you don’t shut the fuck up or give us the information we want, I’ll gag you.”
I open my mouth and say, “Ah,” just like you would at the dentist. The man sitting in front of me lurches to his feet and with his hand open. I think he’s about to break his own rule and wrap it around my throat when I hear his pocket ring. He pulls a phone out and answers it in English. He puts it on speaker so the rest of his men can hear it as well.
