“Where’s Cortez?” I grit out.
No one says a word. Fuck this. I grab Rafael by the lapels of his preppy, over-starched jacket. “Where is your goddamn vice president? SomeonetookDomina, and until we find her, I’m holdingyoupersonally responsible, you traitorous piece of shit!”
When he gapes at me, I slam him down onto the table. Delicate china cupscrash to the floor. Coffee seeps into white linen and splatters Rafael’s tie.
“Answer me! Now, asshole!”
Austin’s saying something to Omar and Isobel, but I only care about the man shaking under my grip. Trev jams the pistol against Rafael’s temple. “We know you’re involved. Sending Cortez that doctored video? That was dumb as fuck.”
“I…please! There was somuch noise! And smoke. Manuel’s security detail surrounded him and told the rest of us to hide in here. They took him to a secure location. But we don’t know where and no one came back for us. Why haven’t they come back for us?” He takes a shuddering breath.
Before he can start vomiting even more drivel, I lean close, getting right in his face. “Domina. Is. Gone. Do you understand me?”
His eyes widen. “What? How?”
“If I knew that, do you think I’d be here right now?” I lift him two inches, then slam him back down. “Tell me who you’re working with andmaybeI’ll let you live. Otherwise…”
“Leo. Let me have a go,” Trev says. The lethality in his voice would make the most hardened soldier piss his pants, and I step back. Yep. A dark stain spreads across Rafael’s crotch. “If you think you’re scared now, fuckwit, just wait…”
“I’m not working with anyone!” Rafael slides to the floor. Tears spill from his eyes. He fumbles with his jacket, but Trev slaps his hand away.
“Next time you move, I’m taking out one of your kneecaps. Then the other.”
“M-my phone,” he stammers. “In my pocket. The video from the rally… The National Police sent it to me. I…I did not see Leo with a gun. I didn’t see him at all. I was focused on Manuel. When the agents surrounded him, I hid behind the chairs until they told us to move.”
I haven’t taken my eyes off the asshole since we came into the room, and dammit. He’s panicked as fuck, but I’d know if he were lying. “He’s telling the truth.” Reaching into his pocket, I find his phone. “Unlock code.”
“Eight-seven-three-one-five-two.”
It only takes me a minute to find the email.
“Mr. Perez, this video is from moments before the Vice President was shot. The man waving the gun is Leo Basher. He is an American who used to work for the CIA. The Ministry of Public Service has him in custody. Make sure the Vice President sees this footage, but do not share it with the media. It will hamper the investigation.”
“It’s not signed,” I add. “From some generic ‘investigations’ mailbox.”
“Base can clone the device and work her magic,” Austin says from across the room. The rifle hangs at his side, and the other two staffers hold onto one another next to him.
For a beat, no one says a word. The silence is too much. Domina’s gone. We don’t have a single fucking lead. She could be anywhere by now. Or…nowhere. If they’ve killed her…
No. They took her for a reason. They’ll keep her alive.
The single thought is the only reason I’m still standing. They want her for something. But whatever it is? It can’t be good.
I stagger over to one of the chairs. If I don’t sit down, I’ll fall. Every bruise, scrape, cut, and scar screams at me. It’s all too much. If I never see her again…I’ll never get to tell her I love her. And my life? Without her, it’s not worth a damn thing.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Domina
With nothing todo but squirm under the stares of the two men who stole me away from Leo, I have no idea how long we’ve been in this van. The driver turns every few minutes.
Are we still in the city? Or are they taking me somewhere far away where no one can get to me?
“Leo will never kill Manuel.”
“He will, or he will watch you die.”
Would Leo really kill to save me? Tears burn my eyes. Yes. He would. To save me—or to avenge me.
