Chapter Nineteen
Valencia, Venezuela
Mendoza Estate
“We lost them again. They entered a populated area and we had to back off. We lost visual.”
“But you’re still tracking her, right? You’ll be able to pick up—”
“No. The GPS tracker stopped working.”
Luis hit the speaker button on the cellphone and laid it on the desk in front of him. If he didn’t, he knew without a doubt he’d be throwing the damned thing across the room again. How could one small woman cause such aggravation? She was just a girl, and not a very bright one at that.
“How is that possible? The tracking device inside her is of the highest technology. The best money could buy.”
“Unless it’s damaged.”
“You think something happened to Gabriella?” His mouth went dry with fear. Nothing could happen to his granddaughter. Not until he got what he needed.
“No. I think the person who took her discovered the tracker, removed and destroyed it.”
Insult replaced the fear. “Someone dared touch her? Dared to cut Gabriella open?”
The fact that he had approved several invasive procedures himself was of no matter. Gabriella was his granddaughter—a Mendoza. She was his to do with as he pleased. Anyone else who had the audacity to touch her without his permission would deal with his wrath.
“That is our assumption, yes.”
“So you’ve lost them completely?”
“We know the general area and the description of the vehicle. It’ll take more time, but we will find them.”
“Keep me updated on any new developments.”
“Of course, sir.”
Luis took deep breaths. Getting more upset would get him nowhere. Gabriella had been gone two weeks, and as much as it pained him that she had not been recovered yet, at least they had more information than before. Setbacks were bound to happen. They knew her location. She couldn’t go far before his people spotted her again.
Luis eyed the man sitting on the sofa so quietly. Stephan was such a hulk that even in silence he made his presence known. His expression was both contemplative and sad.
“What is it?”
“The men said that Gabriella ran alongside her captor. She didn’t resist?”
“No, but that’s no surprise. Gabriella hasn’t an ounce of gumption or guile. She hasn’t had any since she was fifteen. I’m sure the man holding her has completely intimidated her. She’s living in terror, waiting for rescue. She wouldn’t know how to fight.”
The lack of response from Stephan was irritating.
“You don’t agree?”
“What if Gabriella instigated this entire event to escape?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. The girl is a simpleton.”
“I know you like to think of her that way, Luis, but you’re wrong. Gabriella has a master’s degree in art history. She speaks four languages fluently and is a gifted artist. She’s much more intelligent than you’ve ever given her credit for.”
“All right, perhaps she’s not simpleminded, but even if she’s not, how could she instigate such a thing? She had no contacts with the outside world. Even when she travels, she’s watched twenty-four/seven. Besides, why would she want to escape? She lives in a mansion. Has the best of everything.”
“And her life is organized and controlled by you.”
“And your point is what? That she’s unhappy? Her happiness is not a concern. She is a Mendoza. I make the choices that are best for her.”
“What if she wants to make her own choices?”
“That’s not for her to say.” Luis surged to his feet. This kind of nonsense would get them nowhere. “She was taken against her will, and she’s waiting for her grandpapa to save her. That’s the end of this discussion.”
Stephan saw no reason to continue an argument that he wouldn’t win. When it came to his family, Luis was blinded by his pride and his own opinion of how things should be. He had lost his son because he refused to see the truth. His grandson had chosen a different path, but still just as destructive. And then there was Gabriella. Luis had smothered the girl, kept her under his rule and control since she was a child.
No, Gabriella wasn’t known for her rebellion, but she had a brain, and Stephan assumed she had hopes and desires of her own. Luis had never taken the time to find out what those were. Nor did he believe that she should have them. If they didn’t mesh with his plans for her, they weren’t pertinent.
With no ransom demand and none of their enemies taking credit for the deed, Gabriella’s disappearance was worrisome. Why would anyone take her without the possibility for either financial gain or leverage for power?
Luis Mendoza was brilliant in many ways, but in the way of his family, he was as clueless as a baby duck. There was more to this situation than met the eye, and it was Stephan’s job to uncover the truth.
He had watched over the Mendozas from an early age. He didn’t always agree with his friend, but Luis was the head of the family, and his decisions were final. But just because he felt that way didn’t mean others did. And that included Gabriella.
As Luis continued on, talking about business as well as the upcoming visit from the man they both despised, Stephan made plans of his own. He had protected the Mendozas from every threat that had come their way. He would do so again. If Gabriella had anything to do with her disappearance, she would be returned home and duly punished. Luis could be quite creative in disciplining his family members. They almost never misbehaved again.
At fifteen, Gabriella had survived a punishment so severe she had almost died. Since then, she had caused almost no worries, which was the exact reason Luis discounted Gabriella’s involvement in her own disappearance. But had that changed? Had Gabriella developed some backbone? Or had it never disappeared and perhaps had been lying dormant, waiting for the right time to exert itself again?
***
Colorado
Eight stitches. She had needed eight stitches. Even hours later, Jonah had a hard time wrapping his mind around that. In prison, he’d dealt with some of the toughest and meanest bastards imaginable, and he doubted even one of them would have been able to cut into their own flesh as she had. Not only that, she had done it with no fuss, no complaint. Hell, he hadn’t even been aware of what she had done until it was over. Gabriella Mendoza had courage and then some.
The little out-of-the-way clinic had been expecting them. The influence of the Grey Justice Group reached far and wide, even into the remotest areas, such as Curtis, Colorado, population 292. He and Gabriella had walked into the tiny clinic and were immediately taken back to an exam room. Within ten minutes of arrival, a grizzled-faced but efficient doctor had sewed Gabby’s wound and administered a tetanus shot. A pain shot had been offered, but Gabby had declined, saying the numbing salve the doctor applied would be enough.
Jonah hadn’t been surprised at the refusal. Not only was she strong, she wanted to be fully aware of her surroundings and circumstances.
“How much farther?”
“Couple of hours.”
He glanced over at his passenger and hid a smile. The expression on her face reminded him of his nieces, Sophia and Violet, when they were exhausted. She looked both grumpy and adorable. The remnants of the milk shake she’d consumed with her burger and fries had left the shadow of chocolate at the corners of her mouth
Number seventeen on the list he’d read last night had been eating a cheeseburger, fries, and a large chocolate milk shake. Not the healthiest meal in the world, but he imagined her strict lifestyle hadn’t included anything remotely close to junk food.
When he’d driven up to the fast-food drive-through window, he’d placed the order and waited, anticipating her excitement. She hadn’t disappointed. The instant he’d ordered, she’d laughed softly and said, “Something else I can check off my list.”
She’d eaten only half her burger and fries but had lingered over her milk shake, drawing noisily on the straw until the cup was completely empty. He hadn’t needed to ask if she had enjoyed it.
“Why don’t you get some shut-eye?”
“I’m okay.” The words had barely left her mouth when he saw her burrow deeper into her seat and she was gone. Just like his nieces when they dropped off to sleep. Only, she wasn’t a child. She was a beautiful, vulnerable young woman. And he had no right to have the thoughts he’d been having about her. She was his to protect. Nothing more.
Teri’s face appeared in his mind. She was his purpose. She had been his life and had died because of him. How damn selfish was he to forget that for even one moment?
Gabriella Mendoza was a job. Just like many others he’d had. Once this job was done, he’d go on to another one.
He glanced over at her again. She’d had a rough day. He wished he could say her bad days were over. She had more to come, possibly the most difficult she’d ever faced. He had seen her courage firsthand. She was going to need every bit of it to deal with what came next.