Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 96206 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96206 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
He stopped coming at her. “I’m beginning to wonder.”
“What would you do if I have?”
“I would hunt down your sister, and I would show her no mercy.”
“Precisely.” So she would have to kill him if he stopped believing her. “You know I would never want that. So I am positive my plan will put you on Montilla’s throne.”
Victor grumbled. “You promised me information.”
“And you will get it as soon as you learn where Montilla is. In the meantime, I will walk to the village, blend in, and see if any of his men have come looking for you.”
Victor tried to dissect her intentions with his stare. “And what then?”
“If it is not safe here, we leave and take the car with us. But I do not think it wise to keep it in the truck, sitting in plain sight. It looks out of place among vacationers and attracts attention you do not need.”
A grudging grunt told her that he hadn’t thought of that, but he didn’t disagree. “When you reach town, go see Gustavo Pastrana. He is a mechanic. Tell him I need a favor and to make me space in his warehouse.”
As much as Laila didn’t want to associate with others on Victor’s behalf, she had to appear like his ally, and it gave her an excuse to put miles between her and Victor. “All right.”
“While you are in town, pick up food from the market. I am starving.”
Laila wanted to remind him that she was his partner, not his slave. But that argument would be lost on him. Instead, she lowered her guns and chose a tactic he would understand. “I cannot be your eyes and ears in town if I return here.”
He mulled that over, then pulled out some bills from his pocket. “True. Besides, others who were once loyal to Emilo will be arriving soon. You go buy some clothes. A hat, too. Disguise yourself. Find a place to stay. Blend with the locals and listen in on them. No one will see you as a threat.”
As long as Montilla’s hitmen couldn’t tell at a glance that she was the woman who had distracted the security guards so Victor could steal the car, she should be safe. Not only would the sicarios never see her as a threat, they wouldn’t even look at her twice if she seemed like just one of the townsfolk. “That will be best. With this money, I will also buy a phone so I can call you if I hear anything important.”
Victor glared at her in warning. “Remember… If you betray me, your sister will pay dearly. You know I am well versed in causing pain.”
He was, along with degradation, humiliation, and terror. “I will do anything to spare Valeria.”
The smile that stretched across Victor’s face was nothing short of superior. “Go.”
Laila didn’t give him time to change his mind. Despite the fact the sun would set in less than two hours, she went in search of her clothes and the flip-flops she’d found abandoned at a park on their way to Orlando, then hustled out the door.
The February afternoon was temperate, much warmer than Louisiana. She’d missed Mexico’s warmth and the tropical vegetation where Trees lived.
But if you had a choice between the sun and the man, which would you choose?
Trees, always.
The sun sank lower as she reached the sleepy little village. Laila found a woman selling clothes from a table leaning against the side of a run-down building. She negotiated the purchase of a flowing, lace-trimmed skirt and a matching blouse, both in white. On the next street over, she picked up more underwear, some toiletries, a floppy hat, sunglasses, and a burner phone. After she donned her new things in the store’s restroom, she spent a little more money on a street taco that tasted like heaven and pocketed the rest of the cash. It bothered her to take anything from Victor, but she was doing a job for him—watching his ass. That should pay well. As far as she was concerned, they were even.
As she ate, Laila set up the phone, then stared at the plastic device longingly, but she didn’t dare reach out to her sister until she secured a location for the stolen car and found a place to lay her head for the night. And she couldn’t tell Valeria where she’d gone. The less her sister knew, the less danger she would be in.
What about Trees? Will you call him later, too?
As much as she ached to, no. What would she say? How could she possibly apologize? Or atone?
With the final rays of sunlight, she finished eating and sauntered up one of the town’s narrow streets, looking for both Gustavo Pastrana and a place to stay. The mechanic was easy to find. He looked close to her age with tattoos that covered him from his neck to his fingertips. He eyed her with blatant appreciation that made her uncomfortable—until she dropped Victor’s name. Then he was suddenly all business.