Chapter 9
ALICIA
I woke up to find myself in a warm, oversized bed. Too comfortable to open my eyes, I snuggled into the blankets, adjusting my head on the pillow. I floated in that liminal space between sleep and consciousness, trying to restart the dream I couldn’t quite remember.
Suddenly, however, I felt someone standing right in front of me. Then, something cold and round pressed between my brows. My eyes shot open to find myself staring down the barrel of a gun. My instincts kicked in and in a flash, I grabbed the gun, jerking it away from the attacker’s hand, pulling him down into the bed.
We tussled for a moment until he overpowered me and pinned me down, his muscular body dominating my own.
To my surprise, Hector stared at me like a bull ready to charge. His nostrils flared and his fingers gripped my wrists so hard, I was sure they would bruise.
We were silent for a moment like neither one of us knew quite what to make of this situation.
And then, Hector seemed to break down. His shoulders sagged and his grip eased. The second he let his guard down, I took my chance, flipping us over. With my knee pressed into the small of his back, I pinned him down, painfully twisting his arm. “Do you want to tell me why you just tried to kill me?” I hissed, my anger coming to the forefront.
I should have known that this man was trouble. If I had any common sense at all, I would have trusted my gut and arrested him the moment I knew he was H.P. Emulsion, instead of falling into bed with him. How could I have been so stupid?
“Answer me!” I shouted.
“Either kill me or let me go,” he answered. “I don’t have time to explain to you what’s going on and frankly, you probably won’t believe me.”
“Well, you’re going to have to make the time because I’m not going to let you go until I get answers. Do you hear me?” At this point, I was treating him as a criminal. “Because, if I run that gun and find that it’s a match for all the H.P. Emulsion cases, I’ll make sure you rot in prison for a long, long time.”
“You already know I’m Emulsion, so why not just arrest me?” There was a wild look in his eye that reminded me of a caged animal. “Or are you hesitant because you’re completely naked and vulnerable right now?”
“The last thing I am is vulnerable,” I answered quickly, even though my cheeks turned red with the realization. “Now, tell me or you’re going to regret it.”
“What’s the point?” he groaned, tears forming in the corner of his eyes.
“Maybe I can help you.”
“Help me? Why the hell would you help me after I just tried to kill you?”
“I don’t think you’re killing people of your own volition. Someone is forcing you. If I had to guess, you’re working as a hitman for someone that is paying you big bucks. Probably enough money to keep your sister under constant medical care. I talked to the doctors. From what I understand, you spend a small fortune making sure her state doesn’t deteriorate.”
He was silent for a good minute before he let out a loud sigh. “It’s true. I work for Raul Johnston.”
“You mean the Raul Johnston?” I asked, a little shocked. “I thought he ran away to Florida. The FBI has been looking for him for months. Are you telling me he’s back?”
“Oh, he never left.”
I felt so betrayed by his response. All this time, we thought that the mob boss was gone for good, but he had been right under our noses the whole time.
“So, he’s the one that hired you to kill all those people?”
“Yes. My father used to work for him until things got… ugly. Needing a replacement, he came to me.”
I shook my head and let him go. I was probably going to regret that decision, but I just couldn’t bring myself to arrest this guy – especially not when I was stark naked.
“You’re letting me go?” he asked, a confused look on his face.
“Not exactly. You’re going to help me find Raul.”
“I don’t know where he is.”
“Don’t lie to me. It’ll only make things worse for you. With so many people dead, I don’t even know if I can spare you the jail time. But if you help me find Raul and take him down, then I might be able to pull some strings and get you a good deal.”
“And, what if I grab the gun that’s by my feet and just kill you?”
“You wouldn’t dare.” I once again chastised myself for being so careless. When had I gotten so sloppy with my work?
“You’re right. I’ve grown too attached to you. Pretty girls were always my kryptonite.”
I rolled my eyes. “Making jokes even at a time like this.”
“It’s the only way I know how to survive,” he shrugged.
I quickly put on my clothes and snatched the gun, just in case he got any bright ideas.
“Look, I’m going to need that back.”
“Why?” I asked him with suspicion.
“Raul has my sister and I’ll be damned if I let him live for taking her.”
“He took Caroline?” My eyes widened with concern for the innocent little girl. There was no telling what could happen to her in the hands of someone like Raul. “How?”
“I’m sure he has his methods,” Hector snarled. “Either way, I’m getting her back, whatever it takes.”
I looked at him, trying to figure out whether all of this was just some kind of a trick. It seemed awfully convenient that Raul would have his sister. It would definitely be one way to play the pity card against me, to lure me into a trap.
“How do I know you aren’t lying to me?” I asked. “You were trying to kill me a few minutes ago. You could just be trying to lure me to Raul.”
“Isn’t that what you want?” He got up and ran his fingers through his hair before he grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me close. “Look into my eyes and tell me I’m lying. Tell me why I would be lying when my sister’s life is on the line. That girl means everything to me and I would do anything to make sure she’s safe, even if it means going through you.” His voice shook with emotion.
I could tell, in that moment, that he was telling the truth.
“Okay,” I nodded. “We go after him, but we do things my way.”
“Your way?” he scoffed. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be rude, but the police department didn’t even know that Raul was still in their backyard and you expect me to do things your way? No, we do things my way.”
“And what does that entail?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“For starters, I’m going to need my gun back.”
Hesitantly, I handed it over. He then picked out a small, silver key from his key ring and approached the far wall. He took down a brightly-colored piece of artwork and tossed it on the bed.
I noticed he used the key, but there was no visible hole or outline of any sorts. However, a secret door swung open and he stepped inside. “You should probably come in here too. You aren’t going to accomplish anything in a bralette or with that tiny Smith and Wesson.”
“What are you planning to do? Blow him up?”
“If that’s what it takes to get my sister back.”
“You know I can’t let you do that.”
“And you should know that Raul isn’t going to just hand her over without a fight.” He turned and faced me, suddenly cupping my cheeks in his hands. “There’s a good possibility that both of us will die.” He looked into my eyes for a moment. “And I don’t know if I can put you in that sort of danger.”
“Don’t turn into a pansy on me now!” I slapped his hand away. “We aren’t going to die.” I stepped past him into the secret room. He had a rather heavy-duty arsenal of weapons and ammo stockpiled.
I grabbed a bulletproof vest and put it on, strapping it tight. I then grabbed a few side arms, clipping them to my belt.
Hector looked at me with a hard frown.
“What?”
“At least put silencers on those. Raul is constantly guarded by at least half a dozen goons. Our only chance is to get them one by one until we can get to him. Otherwise, we’ll just get ambushed on the way and I don’t even want to know what they’ll do to a pretty girl like you…” As he said these words, his eyes softened slightly, almost as if he cared about me and didn’t want me to get hurt.
“I can handle myself,” I said, tying up my wild hair into a bun. “Don’t worry about me. If it comes down to it, I want you to save your sister and I’ll go after Raul.”
“Do you have a death wish or something?”
“I don’t, just an unsatisfied need for justice. Do you know what this scumbag did?”
“Where do you want me to start?”
“Exactly. He has destroyed too many lives… too many families… It’s time I put an end to him.”
“Well, then cut the speech. You’ve already convinced me.” He grabbed me by the hand and pulled me out of the room, grabbing his car keys. “On second thought, maybe we should take your car. His henchmen would recognize mine a mile away.”
“That’s fine, but where are my keys?” I searched my pockets, but they were empty.
“Good question…” He looked around the room. “Probably around here somewhere… Fuck it. Let’s just take my car. Raul probably has this place bugged anyway. There’ll be no way to sneak up on him.”
I narrowed my eyes. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, he keeps a constant eye on me. I have yet to find a camera, but somehow, he knows my every move. Like, he knows we slept together. That’s why he kidnapped my sister… he thinks I betrayed him.”
Suddenly, I got an idea. It was crazy, but maybe it was crazy enough to work.
I leaned forward, close enough so I would be able to whisper in his ear without any microphone being able to pick up on my words. “If that’s the case… then you need to prove how loyal you really are. He wants me dead, doesn’t he?”
Hector seemed to understand where I was going with my little plan because he suddenly punched me in the stomach. I gasped, doubling over with pain.
Damn, I didn’t think he would actually hit me, but I guess that made it all the more convincing.
I just hoped it was enough to fool Raul and that I wasn’t making the biggest mistake of my career – a mistake that would bring me to an early grave.