After running his finger over his tequila glass, Hector narrowed his eyes.“Your generosity comes in the form of the elimination of one man. Manuel Mendoza.”
“Yes. That is true.”
“He is your fiancée’s rapist, true?”
Sucking in a harsh breath, I tried to still my emotions. Hector had hit a raw nerve by mentioning Annabel. “He is,” I spat out through gritted teeth.
“So this deal comes down to pussy?”
With a growl, I shot out of my seat. Before I could lunge across the table, Deacon threw his hand out to stop me. “We came to make a deal, not to be fucked with!” I snarled.
Hector’s lips quirked up in a twisted smile. “My apologies.”
After sucking in a few harsh breaths, I collapsed back into my seat. While I regulated my breathing, Deacon leaned forward in his chair. “One might question your allegiance considering your willingness to offer up one of your loyal men.”
“Members of our organization are expendable. They know that when they join.” With a sneer, he added, “To say that Mendoza is loyal would be far too complimentary. He’s always had his own agenda. But that stays within these walls.”
“I understand,” I replied.
Hector extended his hand. “So do we have a deal?”
For a moment, I eyed his hand. The last thing I’d ever wanted was to get in bed with the cartel. But Annabel’s safety was worth it.
I reached for his hand.“It’s a deal.”
He smiled. “I’m very glad to hear that. I will phone Juan and let him know everything is taken care of.”
“Including Mendoza?” Bishop asked.
Hector nodded. “He is no longer a threat to you.”
“My club, as well as my El Paso brothers, appreciate that.”
After Hector had shaken hands with the others, we headed out of the back room. When we got outside the restaurant, I exhaled the breath that I felt I had been holding since Mendoza had reared his head again.
“How does it feel to be the cartel’s bitch?” Bishop teased.
I snorted. “Fuck you.”
Throwing his arm around Bishop’s shoulder, Deacon wagged his brows. “You’re lucky Hector took the bait so easily. You were on the block next to suck cock to seal the deal.”
“Har, fucking, har,” he muttered, as he slid across the seat of his bike.
After putting on my helmet, I gunned my bike’s engine. We then rode out of the parking lot. Speeding up ahead of my brothers, I couldn’t wait to get back to Annabel.
Just as we rounded the curve about a mile from home, the unmistakable sound of gunfire rang out. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Deacon and Bishop spin out, their bikes crashing onto the pavement. When Mac tried to miss their combined heap of metal, he overcorrected, sending him careening into the ditch.
When they didn’t move, I didn’t know if it was from the bike wreck injuries or if they had been shot. I started to turn my bike around when a bullet hit my back tire, and it was my turn to slide along the asphalt.
After struggling until my bike came to a stop, I lay on my back trying to catch my breath and heard squealing tires. Turning my head, I watched as a car came speeding toward us. Furiously I started trying to pull myself out from under my bike.
The car’s tires screeched to a stop, and a man jumped out just as I wiggled out from under my bike. I had no time to reach around my back for my own gun when the muzzle of a pistol was pointed at my head.
Although I had never laid eyes on him, I knew who it was. Mendoza stared down at me with lifeless black eyes. Then with one kick of his steel-toed boot, the world around me went dark.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: ANNABEL
Pacing around Deacon and Alexandra’s bedroom, I kept an eye on the nightstand clock as well as the light blue bassinet in the corner. Rev had left two hours ago for his meeting with the Rodriguez cartel, and by now I was beginning to get antsy. As a novice in the MC world, I had no idea how long such meetings should take.
