Up until now, she’d kept her cool. The entire time she’d been here, Olivia had stayed as calm as possible, doing nothing to draw any unwanted attention. However, her band of patience had already worn dangerously thin. Seeing these guys trying to play innocent, after everything they’d already put her through? That thin band finally snapped.
Lifting her chin, she narrowed her eyes. “This boy is dying. There’s nothing I can do for him, other than to make him as comfortable as possible while that happens.”
When they all just stood there, staring at her with total indifference, she addressed Scarface directly. Praying he had a tiny shred of decency buried somewhere deep down, she very bluntly gave him the truth.
“Damn it, he’s just a kid! Unless you want him to lie in unthinkable agony every second he has left on this earth, you’ll bring me something to take away his pain. Now!”
Scarface approached her. To say he was livid would be a major understatement. Her heart felt as though it was trying to claw its way out of her chest as she tried to remain in control.
Okay, so maybe the bossy nurse routine hadn’t been the best choice after all.
Through clenched teeth he said, “He is my brother. You will save him.”
Olivia forced herself to keep eye contact. She knew this probably wouldn’t end well for her, but she refused to lie to him.
“I can’t.” She swallowed. “I’m sorry. The wound is fatal. All we can do now is—”
She didn’t have the chance to move before Scarface’s large hands wrapped around the tops of her arms. His grip was bruising as he shook her.
“You. Will. Save. Him!”
Olivia held back a cry of pain. The boy’s death was inevitable, but she knew she had to at least make it look as though she were attempting to save his life. If for no other reason, than to buy her some time.
“I-I’ll try.” Even to her, the words sounded unconvincing.
He glared his black eyes down at hers. “You will.”
Chapter 4
A couple hours later, Olivia found herself back in her own tent, sitting on her cot. The once-white dress was now covered in dark, drying blood.
As predicted, the boy died. Even though he was part of the evil group that killed her friends and took her, she couldn’t help but feel sad for him. He’d been so young, a casualty of his environment. She wondered if he was ever even given a choice but to stand alongside his brother.
The atmosphere of the camp had changed almost immediately. Olivia could feel it, and knew her time had run out. She needed to escape. Now.
For a moment, she briefly considered taking the bloody dress off, but didn’t want to waste time putting the damn thing back on. Walking toward her tent’s opening, Olivia said a quick prayer and raised her hand to move the thick material aside. She gasped when she saw Scarface standing there, glaring down at her.
She peered over his shoulder, praying someone else was near, but after a quick scan of the area, her heart sank. There wasn’t another soul in sight.
Before she could process that bit of information, Scarface moved toward her, forcing her to walk backward. Olivia’s mind raced to think of a way to make it out of this alive. Seducing him was most definitely out of the question, which meant she was in serious trouble.
“My brother is dead,” he snarled. “You did not save him.”
Though she was terrified, a part of her actually understood how the man felt. Olivia knew the pain of losing a brother. She understood the powerful urge to find those responsible and bring them to justice. Even though she wasn’t the one who’d pulled the trigger, she was certain she was about to pay penance for the boy’s death, regardless.
Trying not to show her fear, Olivia looked him square in the eyes. With as steady a voice as she could muster, she tried to explain.
“I-I'm sorry for your loss, but there was nothing that could have been done. Even if he’d been in a hospital with the best doctors and equipment available, he still wouldn’t have been able to survive that type of—”
The blow came from nowhere, snapping Olivia’s head forcefully to the side. Pain erupted across the left side of her face as her body flew to the ground. Tiny, white stars flashed before her watering eyes, and she struggled to remain conscious, unwilling to give in to the darkness trying to pull her under.
Fighting against the dizziness and sudden urge to vomit, Olivia had only just managed to crawl to her knees when the steel toe of Scarface's boot made contact with her left side. The move knocked her onto her back, and she couldn’t keep from crying out as fire radiated throughout her rib cage.
She lay on the ground, gasping for air, the pain making it nearly impossible to breathe. When Olivia’s eyes opened, she found Scarface looming over her, the look in his eyes telling. This man had come to her tent with only one objective—to kill her.
****
They were surrounded by thick, green trees and full, luscious plants. Breathtaking waterfalls were scattered throughout the country, and countless forms of exotic wildlife called the bountiful land home. To anyone else, the place would probably seem majestic. Jake hated every square, fucking inch of it.
For the past week and a half, the team had spent every waking hour gathering as much intel as they could. Phone calls had been made. Meetings were held. Derek pulled multiple all-nighters, working his tech magic.
Jake and the others had cashed in damn near every favor owed to them, and it all led them here...to one of the Cetro Cartel’s many hidden camps. In fucking Venezuela.
Thanks to a well-connected client who owed the team more than he could ever repay, they’d acquired a private jet to fly them into the country without suspicion.
