“I’ll admit, killing you is very tempting.” Sanchez holstered the gun he’d used to kill Julian. “But I’ve decided I think it will be more fun to let you live.
Wait… What?
Natalia didn’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth, but she had to ask, “Why?”
“Do not be mistaken, Agent Foster. If I’d been at the port in Chicago that night, I would have killed you and your men on sight. That being said…” He glanced down at Julian’s lifeless body. “The only reason either of us are here, now, is Mr. Miller’s doing. Not yours. He played us, Agent Foster.”
“Like a puppet master,” she mumbled more to herself than to him.
Julian had been pulling all their strings.
“Indeed,” Sanchez agreed with a nod. “And as much as I despise the U.S. government interfering with my business, I believe you’ve already been properly punished.”
That was all well and good except?—
“I n-need a hospital,” Natalia breathed.
She was feeling weaker by the minute, and feared she was running out of time.
The man before her let out a deep chuckle. “I may not want to be the one to take your life, but that doesn’t mean I am willing to save it.”
She sucked in a breath as another rush of panic set in.
“P-please.” She slid her weary gaze back to where Julian lay. “At least…get me…k-keys.”
Natalia leaned her body forward a few inches to reveal the cuffs still binding her hands together. With an almost annoyed sigh, Sanchez went to Julian and began searching his pockets as requested. When he came back toward her, he had a small set of keys in his hand.
Yes!
Natalia rolled her body forward as much as she could, knowing full-well the risks that came with trusting a man like him. Her current situation, however, is what dictated herchoices. And one thing she’d learned throughout the course of her investigation into him and his smuggling operation…
Arlo Sanchez may be lot of things, but he was also a man of his word.
Nearly flat on her belly, she ignored the fire in her shoulder and leg as she waited. Confusion struck a moment later when, instead of unlocking the cuffs as expected, Sanchez placed the keys in the palm of her hand, instead.
On reflex, Natalia’s fingers curled inward, clutching them tightly to keep from dropping. “Wait!” She shouted after him when he started to walk away. “Unlock…them?”
The slow shake of his head made her stomach drop.
“I’ve learned a great deal about you in the last few days, Agent Foster.” Sanchez stood tall from a few feet away. “And the one thing I’m confident of is your ability to free yourself.”
Okay, maybe. But still?—
“Then what?” she demanded. “I have n-no…c-car. N-no…phone…”
I’m going to die out here if he leaves me.
Sanchez eyed her closely. “I may be a sympathetic criminal, but I’m also no fool. You said it yourself you have a sworn duty to protect your country from threats like me. And, despite your injuries, I imagine you’d still find a way to give me hell if I let you go.”
“P-please,” she begged shamelessly again. “I’ll…d-die…”
“Something tells me that’s not true.” He actually sounded genuine in his sentiment. “At least this way, I’m giving you a chance to survive. That’s more than I can say for Mr. Miller.” He motioned to the man he’d cold-bloodedly murdered a few minutes before. “Good luck, Agent Foster.” His gaze returned to hers. “I have a feeling our paths will cross again someday.”
The contradictory man turned and began making his way back through the grass, toward the building. He made it a few feet farther before pausing to slowly face her a final time.
“I should warn you.” His voice was louder to make up for the added distance he’d traveled. “If we do meet again, it will be a much different type of reunion, I can assure you. Until then.” He tipped an imaginary hat and flashed her hint of a smile.
A beat later, Arlo Sanchez was gone, having left Natalia to fend for herself.
