Chapter Five
Colorado Mountains
Jonah stuck his head inside the bedroom. This wasn’t normal. She was still out. When she collapsed in his arms, he had assumed she’d fainted and would wake soon. During a ten-hour flight, plus an hour of traveling to get to the safe house, she hadn’t made one single indication of consciousness. Something wasn’t right.
Closing the door, he punched speed-dial on his phone. The instant it was answered, he said, “What the hell did Kingston give her?”
“A mild knockout drug. Nothing dangerous. Why?”
“She’s still out of it.”
“Kingston said she looked a little glassy-eyed when she came out of the building. If she had something already in her system, that might account for it.”
“She have a drug problem?”
“My intel says no. Maybe whatever she had done at the doctor’s office required a sedative.”
“Could be. Her breathing’s okay, as is her pulse.”
“A double dose of sedative, plus the anxiety of the abduction, might’ve put her system in a tailspin.”
“Yeah.” He glanced at the closed door. He hoped that’s all it was. Babysitting the granddaughter of a notorious crime boss was bad enough. Having her die in his charge would be a damn sight worse.
“You haven’t seen anyone suspicious?”
Striding to one of the small windows on the second floor, Jonah looked out at the stark-white landscape.
“No. We got handed a full-on blizzard a little after midnight. Even if they knew where she’s stashed, anyone looking for her would have a helluva time getting here.”
“Yeah. I heard the area was hit hard. It’ll be a few days before I can pay her a visit.”
There were worse things than staying holed up in a luxury mansion in the middle of a large forest while winter raged around them, but Jonah felt the restrictions like a tight chain around his neck. The noise he made was meant to sound like a nonverbal affirmation. It came out more like the growl of a rabid wolf.
As if he hadn’t heard the frustration in Jonah’s response, Justice went on. “That’ll give you time to ease into the questions. If she knows something about her grandfather’s activities, it’s best we find out before the feds find her.”
The minute Jonah had boarded Justice’s private jet, he’d been handed a thick file filled with facts, suppositions, and suspicions of what the Mendoza family had been involved with over the last thirty or so years. Murder, drug trafficking, and arms dealing were just a few of the suspected activities.
Having had a father and brother mired in a multitude of illegal and sickening crimes, Jonah was way past being shocked by another man’s evil ambition. He was, however, more intrigued than he’d planned to be.
Unable to stop himself, he went back to the bedroom and opened the door. Even though he’d gotten only a brief glimpse of her before she’d lost consciousness, her eyes had gleamed with both determination and vulnerability.
She was beautiful, too. The file had been filled with multiple photographs taken over the years at the events the woman had attended. She reminded him of a young Catherine Zeta-Jones. It was her eyes that struck him the most. Even when she was at her most glamorous and smiling, the sadness in them told a different story.
If he was going to do the job he’d been tasked to do, he was going to have to ignore that vulnerability. When word spread that the granddaughter of the notorious Luis Mendoza had been taken, every alphabet law enforcement agency in the US, along with agencies from numerous other countries, would be working to find her. They’d want to know what she knew. Jonah intended to find out first.
“How long do we have before the feds come calling?”
“Luis Mendoza will try to keep the abduction a secret as long as possible while he searches for her. Unfortunately, the event was somewhat public, so it won’t be a secret for long. Good thing is, only three people know your location. You should be safe, but best not to take anything for granted.”
Jonah grunted again. He’d learned the hard way to never take anything for granted. If shit was going to find you, it’d seep into any crack or cranny it could find.
With the promise to notify Justice when he learned anything of value, Jonah ended the call. He turned away from the sleeping beauty on the bed and went to the window facing the back of the house. The pristine purity of the snow was in direct contrast to the darkness of his thoughts. While he was locked up in this wood and rock mansion, watching over a crime princess, Teri’s killer roamed free. The bastard was out there somewhere, breathing, eating, and sleeping. Every day he was allowed to draw breath was a day he never should have had.
Her killer hadn’t known her. Teri had been nothing more than a job to him, a contract to fulfill. To Jonah, she’d been everything good and fine. If not for her, he would have been alone, looking for a way to bring his father and Adam, his oldest brother, to justice. In the end, their plan had destroyed them both. Jonah had been framed and imprisoned. Teri had been murdered. A hit, ordered by his own father, Mathias Slater.
The instant he was released from prison, Jonah had been on a quest to bring her killer to justice. So far, all he had were odd, vague leads that had led him nowhere. A man named Peter who resided up north was not much to go on. And if not for Grey Justice, he might not even have had that. He had known going in that getting justice for Teri would be slow going. While he waited for a lead to pan out, he worked his ass off conducting various missions for the Grey Justice Group. But in the downtime, when all he had were his thoughts and his demons, guilt sliced through him like a fiery knife. Teri had died because of him.
So yes, there were worse things than being holed up in a fortress protecting a beautiful woman.
The sooner he got the info they needed and Gabriella Mendoza went on to start her new life, the sooner he could get back to gaining justice for Teri.
***
Gabby frowned at the unpleasant sensation. She’d been existing in soft, dark oblivion, surrounded by brilliant emerald stars. But now an irritant, like a buzzing gnat, threatened her peace. She batted her hand to shoo the thing away and made contact with something much bigger than a gnat. Something that growled a curse.
Her eyes, still heavy, blinked and tried to open. When that proved too much trouble, she stopped trying and searched for beautiful oblivion once more.
“Oh no you don’t. You’ve been out of it way too long. Wake up, princess. It’s time to face reality.”
Gabby frowned at the brusque voice. She didn’t recognize it, but she had a vague recollection of someone calling her princess. Squinting, she peeked through her lashes and caught her breath on a gasp. The man’s eyes were the same color as the stars in her dreams. Only they didn’t look nearly as friendly as her stars.
“Who are you?”
“Your babysitter for the foreseeable future. Think you can sit up?”
Confused, she glanced around the room. She was in a large, lovely bedroom with walls the color of a peaceful ocean. It wasn’t her bedroom. Gabby scrambled to remember what happened.
“Whatever the hell drugs you were on did a number on you, didn’t they?”
Insulted, she snapped, “I do not take drugs.”
Though he didn’t smile, something gleamed in his brilliant eyes, making her think she had amused him. “Then why don’t you remember what happened?”
“How do you know I don’t remember?”
“Because you look confused.”
Refusing to stay in a supine position in the presence of the unfriendly stranger, Gabby moved to sit up. Thinking the man would back away, she sat up quickly, and her head connected with his chin.
“Dammit. First a slug and now a head-butt. No one told me you were so violent.”
“I’m not violent. You just happened to be in the way. Now who are you and where am I?”
“You’re in the US. Colorado, to be exact. I believe you requested this, shall we say abduction, in exchange for your brother. Do you remember that?”
Breath gushed from Gabby as memories returned in a flood of images. Masked men. Guns. A car chase. And then this man had been there. She could piece together most of it, but there was one thing she didn’t know.
“My brother…Carlos. Where is he?”
“Your concern would be touching if not for the fact that you set him up. Having second thoughts?”
She didn’t bother to explain to this unfriendly stranger that concern for her brother’s welfare was not the reason for her question. If Carlos were anywhere nearby, he would do his best to take her back to her grandfather. She had to know so she could be prepared.
She asked again, “Where is he?”
“He’s in police custody in Dallas, Texas.”
Massive relief rushed through her. At last Carlos would receive the punishment he deserved. He was far away and locked up. He would never hurt any innocent woman again. And she had escaped her grandfather. Her plan had actually worked!
“Are you going to pass out again? If so, warn me so I can get out of your way.”
“Are you an ass by nature, or is this special treatment just for me?”
His stern mouth twitched this time, giving her the idea he had almost smiled. He didn’t look like the type who smiled much. That was fine with her. Having been surrounded by smiling people most of her life, she knew a fake smile could hide a multitude of sins. This man’s surly attitude was actually quite refreshing.
“You’ve been out a long time. Over twelve hours. I would imagine you’re hungry.”
The grogginess was rapidly wearing off, telling her she was both hungry and in desperate need of the bathroom.
As if reading her thoughts, he stepped away from the bed. “The bathroom’s through that door over there. You should have everything you need. If you don’t find it, let me know. I’ll go round us up some grub, then we can talk.”
She swung her feet to the floor and stood up slowly. Thankful the room was no longer swirling around her, she went toward the door he’d indicated. The man stayed close for a few seconds, and though he wasn’t within touching range, she got the impression that if she stumbled, he could grab her in a second. She wasn’t sure why that image both terrified and excited her.
Apparently satisfied she wasn’t going to pass out again, the man headed out of the bedroom.
She stopped at the bathroom door. “Wait. You haven’t told me your name.”
“The name’s Slater. Jonah Slater.”
He threw the answer over his shoulder, so he didn’t see the shock or hear her small gasp. Jonah Slater? Really? After all these years? How had she not recognized him?
Had she escaped her grandfather only to end up in the hands of a man who had every reason to hate her?