Total pages in book: 168
Estimated words: 153571 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 768(@200wpm)___ 614(@250wpm)___ 512(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 153571 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 768(@200wpm)___ 614(@250wpm)___ 512(@300wpm)
"Not for long," Brady growls from beside me, clutching the steering wheel so tight his knuckles are white. That has to hurt like hell because his hand is definitely fucking broken, but he doesn't even flinch. "This shit ends today."
"I'll get Santa Cruz to put a team on your condo," Finn says. "If he takes them there, we'll know about it."
Jesus Christ. How did this shit get so out of control?
When dealing with criminals, things rarely go precisely as planned. Despite our best efforts, our intel isn't always accurate. Cases get fucked up. Shit goes wrong. But in ten years, it's never gone this wrong before. The fact that it has this time is worrisome. Not just because Guerrero has Mila and Tahani, which is reason enough to worry, but because Guerrero isn't known for being a criminal mastermind.
He's smart, but he isn't fucking smart enough to have planned all of this. Pedro Francisco is pulling the strings, exactly like we feared weeks ago. And I'm not so sure Guerrero will hand Mila and Tahani over, not even to save his girl and kid. Not if he's under orders from Francisco.
That thought terrifies me.
"At least we know where the fucking guns are," Finn says. He pauses for a second and then blows out a breath. "We need to know what Ortega knows, Roman."
"I hear you," I tell him, not making any promises. Finn can order me to bring her in all he wants, but he won't because he knows as well as I do that until Mila and Tahani are safe, I'll do whatever I have to do.
My gaze drifts to Selena in the rearview mirror again. She's staring out the window, one hand held protectively over her stomach. Her lips are turned down at the corners, but she looks sad more than anything. Dressed in jeans and a simple t-shirt with her hair tossed up in a ponytail and no makeup on, she looks vulnerable. She's also much younger than I first thought, barely older than Tahani and Mila. I can't help but wonder, yet again, how someone like her ended up with someone like Guerrero.
I'm not sure she'd tell me if I asked. Sometimes, you can't save everyone, no matter how much you might wish you could.
Fifteen minutes outside of Santa Cruz, Selena's phone rings. The sound has me ready to climb out of my skin. My nerves are shot. The team sitting on the condo hasn't seen anyone, and it's been four hours since I last heard from Mila and Tahani. Brady made the drive as quickly as possible, doing well over 100mph, but it still took too fucking long.
"It's him," Selena says, her voice small and quiet. The closer we've gotten, the more distressed she's become. I think she's holding it together by sheer force of will alone, but that vulnerability shines through the cracks in her armor a little more frequently now. She jumps anytime Brady or I speak, and her voice shakes when she replies to any questions.
Whatever Guerrero is to her…it's not by choice. That much is clear. And I have no fucking clue what I'm going to do about that.
"Here." She holds her phone out to me.
I ignore the way her hands shake, instead focusing on Jose Guerrero's name on the display.
"You should be in Santa Cruz soon, no?" he asks as soon as I have the phone to my ear.
"Yes," I snap, gritting my teeth. It pisses me off that he knows we've been tracking him. He sounds amused, as if this entire fucking debacle is entertaining to him. I'm sure it probably is. Guys like Guerrero thrive on chaos and discord. They excel at making life miserable for others and do it because they take pleasure in ruining lives.
If I could reach through the phone here and now and end his life, I would.
"Your girlfriend told me about a lovely little restaurant. We should meet there."
"No."
"No?" He chuckles. "I have your daughter and your girlfriend, Gregory."
"And I have yours," I remind him. He doesn't get to call the shots. He doesn't get to invade any other aspects of my life. Fuck that. If he wants Selena back, I want him out in the open, where I can see him coming.
He's silent for a long moment, and then he sighs. "Very well, Gregory. Where do you want to do this?"
"Cowell Beach," I respond immediately. With rain threatening, the beach will be deserted enough to keep bystanders from being caught in the middle if things go badly but open enough to make sure we aren't ambushed.
"Very well," he says again, his tone resigned. "If the cops show, I will kill your daughter and then your girlfriend."
"They won't," I growl, fighting the urge to tell him to go fuck himself and his threats. Until Mila and Tahani are safe, I need to keep my shit together. But he isn't leaving Cowell Beach alive, not if I can help it. "I want to talk to my girls."