Unfortunately, there was another drug dealer from California present at the meeting—a real one. We’ve crossed paths back home. While I don’t think he recognised me, the possibility exists. Which means you have got to get out of here. Now.”
“Okay.” Normally I’d have argued that he needed me here for back-up, but determined as I’ve always been to pull my weight with the company, even I wasn’t crazy enough to risk the life of my child by getting mixed up with a drug cartel. “Call in your friend from the agency that has no name, and let’s get the hell out of Dodge.”
He twisted his lips into a half-smile and shook his head. “You know I can’t do that. I have one more meeting with them tomorrow. If I can get that GPS tracker and the listening devices planted, Charlie will have all he needs to bring his team in on an official basis.”
Charlie was actually Carlos Rivera, who had been on the same special ops team as Will and my cousin Vaughn in the Marines. I’d only met him once, but he’d seemed pretty competent.
“Are they even here?” I nibbled on my lower lip, far more worried about him than I wanted him to know. “Do you have any back-up at all?”
“He’s here. He and a handful of his men are supposedly on vacation. They rented a beach cottage just a mile or two up the coast.”
“And he knows about this meeting tomorrow, and is going to make sure you survive it?”
“He does.” Will kissed me then, distracting me from my worrying. Long moments later, he pulled away with a sigh. “Now, let’s see about getting you out of this hell hole.”
* * * *
Will refused to let me out of his sight, so after I showered and packed my single suitcase, I walked back to his room with him, so he could shower and change. Then, he was determined to personally put me in a limo to the airport. He’d even called while I was showering, and gotten my flight changed to noon today.
“Charlie is sending one of his guys over to escort you to the airport,” Will said. “He’ll pick you up at my room in half an hour.”
“Fine.” I wanted to argue, but there was no point when Will was in this mood. The man had stubborn down to an art form. Besides, disagreeing with someone who had visions of the future was pretty impossible even on a good day. I just wished Will was coming home with me.
When we reached his door, Will leaned my suitcase up against the wall while he pulled his key card out of his back pocket. I stood a few feet behind him, content just to watch him move. Now that he knew about the baby, even seemed happy about the idea, my whole outlook was lighter, more optimistic. He hadn’t yet said he loved me, but I was sure he did. And he had said we were getting married. I hadn’t realised just how badly I wanted that commitment until he’d offered it.
I didn’t hear or feel anyone behind me until the moment the needle punctured my arm and someone grabbed my hands, holding them behind my back. The world swam in front of my eyes, but as I fell, I saw a man move from another doorway to hold a gun on Will, while another stabbed a syringe into his shoulder. And then there was nothing but darkness.
* * * *
The next thing I remember was waking up in a moving vehicle. There was a lot of engine noise as we bumped along very rough roads—or even tracks. We could be in the middle of the rainforest for all I knew. I couldn’t see anything, which caused a moment of panic until I felt the band of cloth tied around my forehead. My wrists hurt where my hands were tied or cuffed behind my back. My feet were asleep, but I soon realised they were bound as well.
Next question. Was Will here too? I focused on blanking out my fear and utilising my senses other than sight. The road noise made it impossible to hear breathing, but I did pick up a few phrases in Spanish from some distance away. That let me know which direction was the front. Good. A small bit of information, but anything could be