Hidden Prey (Lawmen) (31 page)

The bugs that had been planted in various agents’ offices had worked perfectly. Alejandro had arranged for two members of the federal office’s cleaning staff to be blackmailed. If they didn’t plant the bugs, their families would die.

Diego whistled as he walked through his exquisite home, morning sunshine pouring in through tall arched windows. He paused and looked outside at the preparations.

An event planner and her staff, along with his own employees, were working tirelessly to prepare for his granddaughter’s
Quinceañera
later this evening. It would take place outside where a wide stone staircase swept down to the grounds below.

A stage had been built for a live band, and two enormous tents had been erected on a portion of the expansive lawn. Workers had spread a dance floor beneath one tent. The other tent stretched over table after table with many chairs. White slipcovers with large pink bows decorated the chairs. Each table was covered with fine linen cloths with floral arrangements at the center of each round. The tables were set with lovely cut crystal glasses and china serving pieces, along with flatware of polished silver.

Flowers in pots and vases were arranged in brilliant displays, and balloons in light pink, dark pink, and white, hung from every corner and the center of both tents.

At the top of the stairs was an archway covered with balloons and ribbons. Angelina would walk through the archway and with her court she would be presented to the guests.

The day was splendid as had been expected from weather reports. Yes, everything would be perfect, nothing to mar Angelina’s special day.

As he entered the wing where Angelina’s suite of rooms was located, the now young woman of fifteen ran toward him like an excited child.

“Grandfather!” Her smile was lovely. “Everything is beautiful!”

He took his angel by the shoulders and kissed her forehead before stretching his arms out and looking at her. His throat closed off as pride swelled within him at the rare beauty she was.

“So much like your mother, my angel.” He hugged her as she wrapped her arms around him.

“Thank you, Grandfather.” She drew back and beamed at him. “This will be the best
Quinceañera
that has ever been held in all of Mexico.”

“No one deserves it more than you.” He rested his arm around her shoulders and gave her a loving squeeze. “Only the best for my angel.”

“Maria said I must bathe this afternoon in an herbal bath she is preparing.” Angelina spoke in an excited tone. “Then she will fix my hair and help me dress and she will put makeup on me.”

Diego frowned. “You need nothing to add to your beauty.”

“Grandfather, please.” She placed her hand on his arm. “It is only a little. I am a woman now.”

He studied her. “Only a little or I will make you wash your face of it.”

Angelina’s smile faltered. “I will tell Maria that you will allow the barest amount. Does that please you?”

His frown turned into a smile. My God, but he loved this girl, this young woman. “That pleases me.”

“Thank you.” She gave him a quick kiss before hurrying to her bedroom suite.

Diego watched after her, pride making his chest expand once again.

When he turned to leave the wing, Jaime appeared at the entrance.

“What is it?” Diego held back a scowl. He did not wish for anything to disturb this day in any way.

“Alejandro is here.” Jaime stood with his hands behind his back. “With the girl.”

“Good.” Diego relaxed and gave a single nod, pleased his son had arrived safely. He lowered his voice to ensure no one would overhear. “They are in the rooms below?”

“Sí.” As usual, Jaime’s expression betrayed no emotion. “They brought the girl in through the tunnel.”

“Excellent.” Diego began walking toward the wing reserved for business activities, Jaime at his side.

When they reached what Diego considered to be his “War Room”, he strode toward a map-covered wall as Jaime closed the door behind them. The room was filled with the newest and best high-tech computers and screens money could buy.

Diego pressed what looked like a large map pin, and a hidden door swung open. He looked at Jaime. “I will return shortly for the last of the preparations for Angelina’s
Quinceañera.
”

“Yes, El Demonio.” Jaime gave a slight bow at his shoulders.

Diego walked into a corridor, pressed a red button on the wall, and the hidden door swung shut behind him. He walked down the tunnel, lights automatically coming to life as he walked, illuminating his way.

A door was to his left and he opened it and took the stairs to the cells below. The sound of his shoes against stone echoed against the rough-hewn walls as he walked down. He heard male voices ahead, at the bottom of the stairs. They quieted, no doubt hearing his footsteps.

When he entered the cellblock, he saw Alejandro with two other men, waiting.

A young woman was on her knees, her wrists bound with duct tape behind her back. Her head hung forward, her hair obscuring her face. Her blue shirt was bloodstained and in tatters, and her jeans were filthy. Bruises spotted her arms.

“Hello, Father.” Alejandro gave Diego a deferential nod.

The other two men said nothing but dropped their gazes.

“Let me see her face.” Diego watched as Alejandro grabbed the woman’s hair and jerked her head back.

Duct tape covered her mouth and tear tracks streaked her dirty and bruised face. She met his gaze, but she showed neither fear nor anger, not even resignation. He could read nothing from her eyes, and that concerned him.

He stepped closer and realized when he saw her dilated pupils that she’d been drugged.

“I gave no orders to drug the woman.” Diego narrowed his eyes at his son. “I want her lucid for what I have planned for her.”

Alejandro kept his gaze even with his father’s. “My apologies, Father. She proved to be difficult and I felt she needed to be calmed down considerably.”

Diego looked at the woman again. She had dark hair and fine features. She swayed and looked as if she was about to collapse. Diego motioned to one of the cells. “Remove the tape and lock her up.”

The two men with Alejandro cut the tape from her wrists and pulled off the strip across her mouth. She started to slump to the side, but one of the men caught her. He dragged her into a cell, and he left her on the floor before leaving and slamming the cell door shut with a loud clang. She curled onto her side and closed her eyes, a soft moan of pain escaping her lips.

Diego nodded with approval. “Tomorrow I will deal with the woman. Tonight is for celebrating.” He slapped Alejandro on the upper arm. “Clean up and enjoy breakfast.” They walked side-by side to the stone staircase. “Angelina will be pleased her favorite uncle is here for her
Quinceañera
, her big party tonight.”

“I am her only uncle.” Amusement was in Alejandro’s voice.

“That is why you are her favorite.” Diego chuckled. “It is good you are here. She will only turn fifteen once.”

As he walked away from the cell, the other two men followed.

Diego didn’t look back at the cell. The woman was of no concern to him tonight and he would forget about her until tomorrow, once he’d rested from a night of festivities.

Yes, all was as it should be now and there was no longer anything to be concerned about. Life was good. Very good.

“Fuck.”
Head bent, arms rigid, Landon braced his hands on the desk in his home office. Every muscle in his body tensed and he ground his teeth so hard his head ached. His injured shoulder throbbed and his knuckles were white from clenching his hands into fists. His gut churned. “How the fuck did the bastard get Tori across the border?”

“We’ll get her back.” Dylan’s voice held conviction. “No way in hell is Jimenez going to get away with this.”

“That sonofabitch is going to pay.” Landon raised his head, his gaze meeting Dylan’s. “I’ll make sure of it.”

“When did Jimenez go from wanting Tori dead to kidnapping her?” Dylan frowned as he spoke.

Landon turned Dylan’s question over in his mind. “It’s become personal.”

“I think you’re right.” Dylan nodded. “Maybe her surviving everything he’s thrown at her has gotten under his skin.”

“Something like that.” Landon was pretty sure Diego Jimenez wasn’t used to being thwarted. “We need to get to her before he does anything to hurt her.”
More than he already has
, Landon thought to himself, and his body grew impossibly more tense.

According to Carl, Landon’s most reliable informant, the cartel had bugged the DHS’s ICE office, and the whole attack had been a two-for-one. Kill the two men in the holding cells who had been present when Alejandro Jimenez murdered Miguel, and also grab Tori.

“Shit.” Landon scratched the scruff of a beard on his face. “How the hell did they get those bugs into the office?”

“Could have been the janitorial team that comes in at night.” Dylan frowned. “The cartel could have bought off any one of them. Or the cartel could have blackmailed a member of the administrative staff, threatening his or her family.”

“My thoughts, too.” Landon dragged his hand down his face. “Jesus.”

Dylan pulled his cell phone out of its holster, looked at the display screen, and read a text message. “Joe’s team is making preparations now, and the chopper will be ready to take off around five. It’s two now.”

Joe Black’s spec ops team, Black Sky International, specialized in locating and retrieving missing persons. BSI contracted with the government as well as took on select cases for hire from civilians.

“Good.” Landon tried to relax his body and calm his thoughts, but it wasn’t happening. “The sooner we leave, the better.”

“Joe doesn’t usually let anyone not on his team join the party—” Dylan started to say.

“That’s not happening this time.” Landon’s words sliced the air as he cut in, his expression dark.

Dylan smiled, but it held no humor. “That’s what I told him. He’s agreed to take you. And me.”

“Hell, no.” Landon narrowed his eyes. “You’re not coming.”

“Yeah, I am.” Dylan gave Landon a hard look. “Don’t argue because it’s not going to get you anywhere, friend. Especially injured like you are.”

With a shake of his head, Landon let out his breath. He’d known before he even opened his mouth that he couldn’t change Dylan’s mind, so Landon didn’t know why he even bothered to try. “What’s the plan?”

Dylan folded his arms across his chest. “We’ll cross the border and get to the Jimenez compound just after dark. Apparently Jimenez’s granddaughter’s fifteenth birthday is today.”

Landon’s mind turned over the information. “I take it that the girl’s
Quinceañera
is tonight?”

Dylan nodded. “Yep.”

Landon sat in his desk chair, leaned his head back, and looked at the ceiling. “It’s perfect.”

Tori groaned, her mind spinning with pain and confusion. She felt dizzy and unable to form a coherent thought.

Her whole body ached and stung, and it hurt to breathe. She tried to raise her head but pain lanced her skull and she clasped her head with her hands.

Whatever she was lying on was hard and cold, the chill seeping through her body. She shivered and her eyes watered as yet another stabbing pain went through her chest.

She opened her eyelids and blinked until her eyes adjusted to the dimness. She saw that she was on a concrete floor and bars were directly in front of her. Another shiver went through her as she saw that she was in a cell.

Tears threatened at the backs of her eyes. She wanted to cry from fear, from anger, from pain…and an overwhelming sense of hopelessness. But tears wouldn’t do her any good at this moment. Tears would only make her head hurt more, and cause her eyes to ache and grow puffy.

It surprised her at how rational her thoughts were. Or maybe she was too numb to be emotional.

She tried to think. Where was she? She remembered being taken by gunpoint, thrown into a van, and bound. Once she was secured she’d been hit and kicked by men who spoke in Spanish and talked about transporting her to Mexico.

To Diego Jimenez, the head of the Jimenez Cartel.