The Bargain (14 page)

This was my new reality. For better or worse, my fate was intertwined with Rever’s, a man I didn’t know—a man who had lost his battle with the Vargas Cartel too.

Sunlight streamed into the car through the open door, replacing the cool air with the sticky humidity I’d become accustom to over the past two weeks. Conversations in Spanish hummed outside my door, but I didn’t care what was being said. For the first time since Ryker had taken me, I didn’t even try to pick out words I recognized.

Was I really supposed to receive my graduate degree in two months? Did I really secure that internship at the International Foreign Policy Council? Did I really think I could slip back into my old relationship with Evan like nothing had happened?

In one impulsive second, I tossed it all away. And for what? A flash in time with Ryker—a man who offered nothing. Promised nothing. A million explanations filtered through my mind that I could offer the authorities to justify the images on the screen.

That I suffered from Stockholm syndrome.

That someone held a gun to my head.

That I had been drugged.

But I’d know the truth. It haunted me. It tortured me. I was addicted to Ryker. I would never say no to him. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not three years from now. I wanted him, even though I knew wanting him was wrong.

I couldn’t help it.

I couldn’t stop it.

I didn’t want to.

Yes, Ryker knew about the cameras. Yes, I’m sure he realized we were being recorded. Yes, that was probably part of his plan. And yes, the video threatened my ability to recapture my future…a future I didn’t even know if I wanted anymore. None of it seemed as real as what I felt for a man I loved to hate and hated that I loved. It was a demoralizing, gut-churning conclusion that had me curling into my seat of the car.

No, not my seat.

Ignacio’s seat.

Ignacio’s car.

Ignacio’s driveway.

Ignacio’s house.

Ignacio’s video.

I was surviving on the charity of a man known for his cruelty, a man who had just threatened to destroy me.

I had officially hit the bottom. My life was broken. I was broken. Every fucking thing was broken. Shattered. Destroyed. I couldn’t even pretend otherwise.

Chapter Twenty-Two

“Do you want to go inside or do you plan to sleep in the car?” Ryker asked leaning inside the backseat of the car, his hands braced against the doorjamb.

“Did you know?” I asked, my mind still reeling with the implications of the conversation with Ignacio. I didn’t know how long I’d sat, unmoving in the backseat of the car with the door still open. When I scanned the exterior of the villa, I noticed that everyone had long since gone inside.

He cocked his head to the side, and his eyes drifted over me. Undoubtedly, I looked like a wreck. I felt like one, both mentally and physically.

“About what?” he asked.

My eyes fell to my lap, and I ran my finger along the frayed hem of my too long t-shirt. “About the video?”

“The video conference with your father scheduled for tomorrow morning? Is that what you’re talking about?”

My eyes flickered to his as I chewed on my lower lip, rolling it between my teeth. “No.” I cleared my throat, piecing together the courage to ask the next question. “The one of us together in your bathroom.” Waiting in frozen silence, I momentarily stopped breathing.

His eyes widened. “Fuck.” He slammed his hand against the outside of the car. The hollow metal sound echoed through my ears. “Fuck,” he said again, as he pushed away from the door and took a few steps back, his body rigid, his nose flared. “I knew there was a camera in the bathroom. There are cameras everywhere. Ignacio records everything…everyone.”

“Is that why you…you…” I scrubbed my hands over my face. “It that why you were with me? So you could blackmail me later?”

Ryker shook his head. “No.”

I scooted toward the opening, dangling my legs out the side of the car. “Then why?”

He stalked toward me and dropped his hands on my thighs. A spark of anger mixed with arousal ignited under his hands and I shivered one long, traitorous shiver that traveled the length of my spine.

“Tell me,” I whispered, swallowing over the growing lump in my throat. “I need to know, because Ignacio said—”

Shadows flashed through his silvery gray eyes. He covered his hand over my mouth, interrupting me. “I did it because I wanted you, but we can’t go there anymore, Hattie. I already told you it was over. We made a mistake. I planned to erase the video the night you left. I was waiting for Ignacio to go to sleep, but I didn’t do it because you ran before I had the opportunity.”

My breath whooshed out of my chest and I swayed toward him, bringing my lips only inches from his. I knew I couldn’t kiss him or touch him ever again, so I closed my eyes for a split second as I shook my head. “Ignacio plans to use the video against me. He’s going to ruin me, my life…everything.”

“No, he won’t.” His fingers dug into my thighs.

“How do you know?”

“Because I won’t let him.” He withdrew one of his hands from my legs and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Can you control him?” Stupid question—I know. Of course he didn’t have any leverage to control Ignacio. Ignacio was his boss of sorts. His fucking father. Still, my eyes searched his, silently begging him to contradict me.

“He’ll do what I tell him to do.” His tone was solid, definite, and full of confidence. Was it misplaced? I didn’t know.

“How can you say that?”

“I don’t work for him.”

“But…” I ran my hands through my hair, tearing my fingers through the tangled strands.

“Look, Hattie, I can’t tell you everything, but I promised you could go home and you’d get your life back, and that includes walking away without a video or any other incriminating evidence hanging over your head.”

I sat unmoving for a second, waiting for him to add to his explanation. He didn’t. He wouldn’t, but he’d given me all the reassurance I needed. “Okay,” I said feeling relieved, but also feeling like an idiot for believing in him.

“Come on. Let’s check out your new room.” He held out his hand. I slid my hand into his and hopped out of the car. I didn’t want to let go of him. He was the only solid thing in my life, but he didn’t give me the choice. He dropped my hand the minute my feet hit the pavement—one more symbolic gesture pointing to his imminent departure from my life.

“New room?” I questioned, following him toward the villa instead of the shack-like structure he put me in when I arrived the first time.

“Yes. I arranged for you to have a room in the villa.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Next to mine so I can check on you from time to time, but for the most part, you’ll be free to roam the villa and its grounds.”

Surprised, I stopped walking. “I can go wherever I want. No one will stop me?”

Ryker turned to face me. “As long as you don’t do anything stupid, you’re free to stay in your room, go to the pool, and watch television.” He shrugged. “Whatever you want, except use the computer or the phone.”

“Alone?”

“No.”

“Are you going watch me?” I chuckled, but it came from nerves rather than humor. I didn’t need to feed my growing attachment to Ryker. My situation reminded me of one of those ‘don’t feed the animals’ signs. It only encouraged the animals to rely on humans for food. In my case, spending more time with Ryker would encourage my mushrooming addiction to him.

“No. We can’t spend any more time together.” Ryker opened the villa door, and I followed him inside. A twinge of disappointment twisted my gut, and my pathetic reaction only confirmed he was right. Spending more time together wasn’t a good idea. Actually, it was a terrible idea.

The villa was just as I remembered it—a collage of warm jewel tones and creamy whites. An oversized, oil-rubbed bronze chandelier, dripping with hundreds of tiny diamond-shaped crystals, hung from the center of the vaulted ceiling. Light from the wall of windows reflected off the crystals, creating hundreds of miniature rainbows on the tile floor, walls, and furniture. I’d seen many impressive homes in my life, and this villa rivaled any of them.

Ryker turned right down the hallway and I followed him, treading four or five steps behind. “Where’s the pool?” I asked. Logically, it should have been right out the living room doors, but I didn’t see it when I escaped a couple days ago.

“On the side of the house.” Ryker nudged the door open to a bedroom.

It resembled a smaller version of the one where Ryker left me a couple days ago. Same creamy bedding. Same honeyed wood. The throw blanket at the bottom of the bed was orange, cranberry, and dark chocolate instead of red and black. The ceilings weren’t vaulted, but it looked nearly identical.

“Maybe you could bring me there next.” I wanted to swim some laps. Even though I had run through the jungle when I tried to escape, it didn’t offer the same fix as structured exercise in a controlled environment. I ran and swam religiously at home. It kept me focused. It kept me in control.

“Javier will show you.”

“Okay.” I nodded. “That will work.”

He stuffed his hands into his pockets and rocked back onto his heels. “Your clothes should be in the closet. Your toiletries should be in the bathroom. Your suitcase is under the bed. I had them put everything in here.”

“What about my phone?”

“Except for your phone.”

My shoulders slumped even as I knotted my hands into fists. I didn’t expect a different answer. He may have granted me limited freedom, but it would be dumb to give me my phone, and Ryker wasn’t dumb. Far from it. I squared my shoulders and cocked my chin to the side. “I wanted to call Vera.”

“Your red-headed friend from the bar?” He rubbed the dark stubble on his chin with the top of his knuckles.

“Yes, that’s Vera. I don’t think my family will keep her in the loop, and I know she’ll be worried about me.” I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. “I know Vera, and she’s blaming herself for what happened to me.”

He sighed. “I’ll think about it, but don’t get your hopes up. It probably won’t happen, and if it does, it won’t be until a few hours before you’re released.”

“Am I going to be released soon?” I knew I shouldn’t prod him for answers. He had given me enough for one day, but I wanted to know.

“Everything hinges on the video conference tomorrow, but that’s the plan.”

“Will I see you later today?”

“No.”

With that one word, he walked out of the room and my heart stumbled. I didn’t know if I’d ever see him again, and I wasn’t ready to say goodbye forever.

Chapter Twenty-Three

The next morning, I had showered and put on my swimming suit and a sundress by the time someone knocked on my door.

I slept better last night than I had in a week. Total exhaustion—both mental and physical—probably had something to do with it, but I also attributed it to the comfort of the bed.

“Come in,” I said as I slid my feet into my camel colored ballet flats. My feet hurt too much to wear any of my sandals.

Javier stood in my doorway with a food tray in his hand. He dressed in a version of the same outfit he always wore. White shirt. Khaki pants. Brown loafers. “
¿Desayuno?
” he asked. Then, he shook his head. “I’m sorry. Breakfast?”

“Thank you.” I took the tray from him.

Yogurt, fresh fruit, and chia seeds. “How did you know?” I asked, my eyes searching his.

“Ryker requested it.”

I nodded, my heart squeezing and my mind reeling. Ryker remembered my flippant comment about what I liked to eat in the morning. I didn’t need any reminders of him. I needed to erase him from my system before he released me for good. “Of course.”

“Ryker wants you to be ready for a video conference at ten in the morning,” Javier said, backtracking a few steps.

“Wait,” I said, putting the tray of food on my nightstand. My eyes flickered to the alarm clock. It was only eight-thirty. “Can you show me where the pool is? I want to swim this morning.”

Javier rubbed his hands together. “Now?”

“Sure, or after breakfast. Either is fine.”

Javier walked through the bedroom, stopping at the curtained window. He glanced over his shoulder. “Do you mind?”

“No,” I answered, confused by his actions.

In one swift motion, he pulled back the floor to ceiling silk curtains. “The pool is right here.” He swung the door open.

“Ryker said you liked to swim, so he selected this room for you.”

“Oh.” I didn’t know what to say. Ryker knew I liked to swim. I guess he wasn’t bluffing about keeping tabs on me before he abducted me. Conflicting emotions flashed through me, but I buried them for later introspection.

“You can use the pool anytime.” He shifted on his feet. “Except at night.”

“Why not at night?”

“Ryker swims at night,” he answered simply, as though that’s all he needed to say, and maybe it was.

“Okay. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Anything else?” Javier asked, smile on his face.

“Why did you join the Vargas Cartel?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking the question. Unlike Caesar who tried to kill me, Javier didn’t belong here, or at least from what I’d seen of him.

He tipped up his chin and puffed out his chest as though he was offended by the suggestion. “I’m not part of the Vargas Cartel. I work for Ryker.”

My mind stumbled. “Ryker? I thought he was part of the cartel.”

“No. He’s not.” Javier answered without explanation.

“Does helping the cartel hide me and keep me captive bother you?”

“I’m helping Ryker. He saved my life. I’d do anything for him.”

“How did he save your life?”

“Ten years ago, the Vargas Cartel broke into my home as a kid. Ryker was with them. I hid under the bed, but they found me. Ryker stepped between the gun and me and refused to let them kill my brother and me.”

“Why did Ryker do it?”

“I don’t know, but I’m grateful. He gave me a job and he has kept my family safe for ten years now. Anything else?”

“No.”

“Okay, then be in the study by ten this morning for the video conference.”

***

Ten o’clock arrived faster than I had anticipated, and I ran through the house, my bare feet slapping against the tile floors, and my wet hair dripping onto the sleeves of my gray t-shirt.

“Hattie,” Ignacio said, inclining his head the minute I breached the study door threshold.

“Yes?”

Ignacio pointed toward the chair behind the desk. “Please sit.”

Hesitating, my foot froze mid-stride. Images of the first time I entered this room flashed through my mind, but I tamped down my fears and settled into the brown leather chair. I hoped this time ended better than the last time.

My eyes surveyed the room, taking note of every person. Javier. Caesar. The security guards with guns. No Ryker. “Where’s Ryker?” I asked.

Ignacio tapped his fingers on the desk for a few excruciating ticks of the second hand. “Ryker is no longer involved in this mission on a daily basis.”

Without any further explanation, he leaned toward the computer monitor and turned it on. After a few strokes of his fingers, I heard a ringing noise. Instead of hovering over the back of my chair like last time, Ignacio shifted to the side.

Two rings later, Evan, Senator Deveron, and my dad appeared on the screen. Tangible relief warmed my body, starting with my heart and spreading outward in the form of a warm, fuzzy glow. I missed my dad. I missed his dark hair, his even darker eyes, and the strong, firm set of his mouth.

“Dad,” I said, my voice barely a whisper.

“Hattie,” he said, drifting forward. “Are you okay?

“I am now,” I answered, not realizing how much I missed him and even my mom until right then.

“Are you hurt?” my dad pressed.

“Not really.”

His eyes surveyed my face and my chest, clearly cataloging the scratches and bruises marring my skin from my failed attempts to escape. “What. Happened. Hattie?” Rage laced every word.

“Oh,” I said, the pads of my fingers coasting down the side of my face. “It’s my fault. I ran and—”

“Are they responsible for those marks?” my dad asked, interrupting my explanation.

“No,” I said a little too animatedly. For some reason, I wanted to protect Ryker. Ryker did a lot of things to me, but he didn’t hurt me physically. “It’s from the trees, and I tripped a few times.”

He nodded, but he looked unconvinced. “You’ll be home soon, Hattie. Just hold on and be strong, okay?”

“I will.” My voice quivered. “I love you, Daddy.”

“We love you, too, Hattie,” my dad answered.

Ignacio dropped his hand on my shoulder, and I flinched, despising the contact with him. “You can leave now.”

I braced my hand on the armrests of the desk chair for a moment, not wanting to sever contact with my dad.

“Go ahead, Hattie,” Senator Deveron interjected. “We have a few details to discuss in private, but Evan will meet you in Mexico when this is over.”

“Okay,” I answered, even though I didn’t want Evan to meet me here. In an ideal world, I’d have a few days to unwind and deconstruct my thoughts before I faced him, but fate hadn’t been kind lately. I didn’t expect it to change course now.