I wait anxiously at the front hallway while they go to get Marney and Tor. One of the officers keeps staring at me and it’s making me want to throat punch him. Marney comes out first, shaking his head. "She held a fucking gun to my head," he mumbles as he passes me. "She's crazy."

Moments later, Tor comes storming out of the holding cell. I grab her by the arm as I go to walk down the hall. She pulls against me, but I keep dragging her. "Let go of me," she says, clawing at my hand. All I do is tighten my hold.

"Keep it down until we get outside, for fuck's sake."

Marney's pushes open the door and steps out into the late afternoon sun. I catch the door just before it closes and we step out, the humidity clinging to me like a damp cloth. “Marney.” I point toward the Hummer and click the lock, the alarm chirping. "That one."

Marney mumbles as he climbs into the back. I drag Tor to the passenger side. She snatches out of my grip with that look on her face like she's got a fucking hair up her ass. I step closer to her, dropping my face to her neck. "Don't even think about it," I say as I open the door, shove her inside, and close the door. She goes to open it again and I slam it right back, pointing my finger at her. "Don't fucking do it!" I glare at her as I round the front of the car and climb in, cranking the engine.

"Aw, hell," Marney grumbles. I glance in the rearview mirror and see him holding up a blood-soaked palm. "Welcome to Mexico..."

"Yeah, we had a bit of a problem."

"Oh, fucking brilliant. More murder, Jude?"

Gritting my teeth, I shove my finger in her face. "Don't, fucking say another word to me, Tor." I glare at her. "I fucking mean it. Just sit there and be quiet before I lose my shit on you."

My pulse bangs in my temples as I put the car in reverse and pull toward the gates. An officer waves me straight through. Tor stares out the window, her knee jerking anxiously.

"Where are we going?" she asks, annoyance lacing her voice as she glares at me.

I hold up a finger. "I told you not to say a word, didn't I?" I shake my head. "Goddamn women..."

"He's on edge, darlin'," Marney claps a hand over my shoulder and I knock it off.

"You fucking shut up, too, Marney."

"This isn't on Marney,” Tor shouts, “this is on you!"

"No," I tighten my hold on the steering wheel, "this is on you, Tor. You're the one who held a gun to Marney's head and left when I told you to just fucking stay put!" She punches me in the chest and I press my foot over the brake, the car fishtailing across the shitty desert road.

"Is all that violence necessary?" Marney asks from the backseat. Tor and I both turn around and yell at him to shut up.

I redirect my attention to Tor. "Hit me again and I—" A hard slap across the face stops me mid-sentence. "That's it!" I shout, ramming the gear into park. I sling the door open, my cheek stinging as I march through the sand and around the side of the SUV, open the door, and grab her arm, yanking her out. "How many fucking times do I have to tell you not to slap me, woman?" I slam the door closed and shove her back a few feet. "What the fuck is your problem here? I mean, what the hell were you going to do? At least tell me you had a motherfucking plan." I pace. "Fuck!"

"I can't just sit and do nothing. She's alone. She's probably scared." Her voice catches.

"Tor," I drag my hands over my face as the sun beats down on my back, sweat soaking through my shirt, "you can't just walk up to the fucking cartel and ask to be with your daughter they've taken as a captive. Shit, that's not how this works." She should know this; she was a fucking captive once.

"Why not? It's only more collateral to nail you with, isn't it?" She glares, but there's desperation behind her eyes.

"You are impossible." I start toward the SUV. "Get back in the car."

"She wouldn't be with the cartel if you weren't up to your fucking neck in this bullshit! What the hell did you do, Jude? Why do the cartel have a hard on for you?" She jabs my chest. "You can't tell me just working with Gabriel caused this shit."

My blood pressure skyrockets. "What the fuck did I do?" I laugh as I clench my fists. I take a threatening step toward her. "Blame the big bad bookie for everything, right?"

She steps toward me, pressing her chest against my stomach. "It's not what you do, it's what you are, Jude! You have a child—a family and you're still involved in this shit."

I bury my face in my hands because I can't with this fucking woman. I look up at her. "You have no idea what the hell you are talking about, so why don't you," I jab a finger in the middle of her chest, "just shut the fuck up!"

She shoves my hand away from her and goes to fucking slap me…again. I catch her wrist and ram her against the car. My cock involuntarily swells and I roll my eyes. This is inappropriate on every level, but when she’s like this…I can’t control that urge to own her.

"I am her mother, Jude! Do not tell me to shut up. Do not tell me I don't know what I'm talking about!" She's pushing against me, snarling in my face.

"You don't, Tor. How the hell do you think I managed to get out of fucking prison, huh?" I groan. "Do you think the FBI just let me waltz out of there because they had a conscience or some shit? I was a goddamn murderer..." I toss my hands in the air. "This is out of my control and I'm doing the best I can." My chest goes tight at the thought of Cayla, the thought of what I—what we—stand to lose.

Her eyes lock with mine, searching, probing. "What did you do?" she asks quietly.

Shaking my head, I pull a cigarette from my pocket. I light it and take a deep drag before blowing out the smoke. "They wanted three names. Three men that I had dealt with, laundered money for. Extortion. I helped them get enough shit to arrest them. Domingo Garcia was one of them...and he was the boss of the Sinaloa cartel."

"Oh my god." She drops her head, sweeping her hands through her hair before she slides down the side of the car to a crouch. "Oh my god, they're going to kill her," she whispers, wrapping her arms around her shoulders. "They're going to kill her." Her voice breaks and her shoulders shake as she cries.

My blood runs cold, all the anger sweeps from my body and is replaced with a sense of panic and helplessness. Sighing, I walk over to Tor and kneel beside her, sweeping her blonde hair from in front of her face. Two hours ago, I would have assured her they wouldn't because we had Andrea, but now...I don't know what we're going to do, but I have to reassure her.

"They won't. They want me not her." My stomach knots. "I'm working on it. I swear to god I am." I stare at her. I know she must see it, she must see the fucking worry and fear, the absolute sense of helplessness I'm drowning in at this moment.

She covers her mouth with her hand and slowly nods.

"Trust me," I say. I take her hand and pull her to her feet, tugging her close to me. I stare into her eyes as I tuck a piece of hair behind her ear and stroke over her cheek. "Get in the car, Tor. Please." I open the door and help her into the car.

Marney has a deep frown set on his face. "You okay, darlin'?" he asks Tor. She doesn't answer him, just sits in the seat, staring out the window.

I put the car in drive and pull off, following the uneven road down into the rundown city of Juárez.