“You have any electronics?” The second man who had been outside finally arrived into the cave, pushing a metal box on wheels ahead of him.
“My laptop.” Rio pointed to the trunk. He didn’t see any point in arguing just yet, there wasn’t much he could do right here. Although they hadn’t frisked him for weapons yet. If they had, they would have seen the handgun he had holstered at his back. “I’ll get it back?”
“I guess, as long as the boss says it’s okay.” Angelo shrugged, “Phone?”
“I left it in the truck we crashed in Guadalajara.”Yeah, not totally stupid here, thank you, “If anyone is looking for me, they will find my damaged truck and phone. Hopefully they will assume one of the cartels decided I was worth the wrath of El’ Mencho.”
“You crashed?” Angelo pulled the walkie talkie off its place on his belt, “Did Cade hit his head?”
Rio snorted out a laugh, “It was a fender bender, the airbags went off, so that hard head of his didn’t hit hard enough to do any damage.” He paused a beat before adding on, “I think.”
“Fuck, I was hoping that was why he’s acting like this,” Angelo nodded to the second man, whom Rio had yet to be introduced to, when he held up the laptop.
“Careful with it,” Rio winced when the lid corner of his computer banged off the bottom of the metal box. “It’s got some important information on it that I am going to need.”
“Anything else you need?”
“No,” Rio eyed the door through which Cade had been taken. He wanted to follow him, to be there and make sure that Cade was okay. He just knew that wasn’t going to be possible, so he bit his tongue, and forced himself to hold back the words. While he was not a favored son by any stretch of the imagination, he was still his father’s son and as such, a level of deference he hadn’t realized he’d had was usually afforded to him. Crap, maybe he was fucking spoiled. Merde, the last people he wanted to be like was his father and brothers.
“This way,” Angelo pointed him toward the door, but Rio’s relief at going the same direction as Cade was short lived when he was led into a room full of cages, similar to what the movies showed the military having for a team’s weapons and personal gear when on a base. Just like in the movies, these were filled with an assortment of rifles, knives, and other weapons. A couple of chairs, a desk, and a snack dispenser sat in the only bare wall space between two doors. Angelo directed him across the room to a door next to the one in the left corner.
“You’re in here.” Opening the door, Cade’s teammate revealed a compact, open plan mini apartment. “Fridge is stocked. Shower is through there.” He pointed to a door on the opposite side of the room. “Danny is outside if you need anything else.”
“Thanks.” Through the open doorway, Rio saw the second man bring his hand up in acknowledgement and he nodded in return. Rio tugged his fingers through his hair. In those few words, Angelo not only gave him the name of the second man but also told him he was effectively a prisoner. He got it, they didn’t know him. Well, not enough to give him free rein of what was obviously a well-hidden base here in this part of Mexico. He’d never even heard a rumor that this place existed. Either Cade’s bosses paid off the locals well enough that no whispers of the bat cave’s existence had reached the ear of El’ Mencho, or nobody knew they were here. “Cade?”
“As soon as he is done, either he will come for you or someone else will.” Angelo called over his shoulder.
All Rio could do was watch as he closed the door behind him. That click… it sounded loud, echoing in the small space, which was unusual. But considering how the events of today were going, anything was possible.
“Food.” Rio went to the door and twisted the handle, he frowned when the door did not open. Prisoner it was then. “Hey, Danny?” he shouted through the door.
“You need something, Felipe?”
“It’s Rio.” he answered. There was no way he was answering to Felipe. He didn’t feel like Felipe anymore. That weekend in Brazil had changed him. Changed how he had looked at things. No, he was no longer Felipe, the boy who had been taken from his grandparents’ pastures. No, now he was Rio, the man who survived the hotel massacre and had found who he wanted to be. Rio, that’s who he was now. “No, just wanted to know if you want coffee?”
“Nope,” Danny answered, “Got my own pot right here. Thanks, though.”
“You’re welcome.” Okay then, Danny didn’t want to make nice. Rio went looking for the coffee beans, he would make coffee, and drink it himself.
* * *
Fuckers trying to keep him in the mash, nuh-uh, not freaking happening. Cade moved through the corridors, he knew every nook and cranny in Dreamland. Knew how to avoid all the security cameras on his way from their medical quarters to the cage room and the ‘guest’ quarters, which had only been used by Castello Moran and his guys a few weeks ago. Cade couldn’t remember any other ‘guests’ who had been invited to their off grid safe house, built into the inside of a dormant volcano. So, he totally got why his bosses were pissed with him, and no doubt there would be a come to Jesus meeting with either Rock or Grif… probably both, in his near future. But for now, he had one goal in mind. Getting to Rio and making sure he was okay. The irrational thought, or maybe it was hope that the other man would want him around, had driven him to pull out the drip. To substitute the open-back gown for a pair of sweats he’d found in the bathroom and make his way here.
He’d been poked and prodded quite enough for one day, thank you very much. Now if only his head would stop thumping, he might be able to concentrate, which would be helpful in getting his fingers to do what they were told.
Typing in the code to unlock the door took longer than it should have, but he managed it without inputting an incorrect digit that would have set off the alarms… always a fun experience… not.
Checking carefully to make sure nobody was in the parking area, he entered and quickly moved to the other door. Damn it, how the hell was he still feeling the effects of the drug? It had to have been more than twelve hours since he took the hit, probably closer to twenty-four. And fuck, why did this shit make him feel like he wanted to sit down and bawl his eyes out?
He punched in the code to the next door. This one could be a problem, depending on who Rock had left on guard duty. Didn’t matter, they could go fuck. He was checking on Rio, period. The fuckers he loved like family could just wrap their heads around it, stat. Life would be so much easier once they did.
Peeking in the door, he blew out a breath of relief when he spotted Angelo’s boots on the desk. His Italian friend had his feet crossed at the ankles. He leaned his shoulders against the wall, preventing the chair from falling out from under him.
“Grif’s gonna kick your ass, my friend.”
“Only if you tell him,” Cade entered the room and closed the door, “Are you going to tell him?”
“Your code will tell him.” Angelo avoided the question, “Maybe I like my balls attached, and will give him a heads up.”
