“What do you want?” Cora demanded, trying to sound braver than she felt.
“Your friends steal from me. Make me look incompetent to my buyers. Then I hire you. And you invite my enemies to steal from me. Your men beat my men. Kill them like animals. This I can’t allow to go unpunished. We had a business arrangement, Cora. I warned you what would happen if you disappointed me. You pay the price first. Your men come, then I finish them. I kill them like animals.”
“What did they steal?” Cora assumed it was Hannah, but she wanted to keep him talking while she formulated a plan to escape. Her back was to the exit. She might be able to stand up and escape before they could react. She had always been a fast runner growing up. She didn’t see any guns on them, but they could be concealing them.
Alejandro squatted down, so they were almost face to face. He stared at her a moment before his hand reached out lightning quick and slapped her across the face. “It is not your place to ask questions. Women are too dumb to understand a man’s world. You are only meant for fucking and nothing more. I thought you could be good for protecting my money, but I see I was wrong.”
“Or a mula de la droga.” A drug mule. Came a snide remark from one of the goons. The other two laughed, but Alejandro’s face remained passive.
“Is that the only way you can get laid anymore? Force yourself on women?” Cora could slap herself for egging this man on. He would kill her without blinking. So why was she antagonizing him? Because she was scared. When she was scared, she let her mouth run away with her.
“Are you jealous of these other women, mi querido?” Alejandro asked while stroking Cora’s cheek. She tried moving her head away from him, but his other hand reached out and gripped her hair. Cora bit her lip to keep back her cry of pain. She wouldn’t give this asshole what he wanted. “Don’t be. You serve a different purpose. You will send a message to all those that think they can steal from Alejandro Ferrera. If you are good, I will reward you. I put a smile on your face before you die.” He smiled broadly showing off a row of perfect white teeth as his gaze roamed over her body, giving little doubt to his meaning.
Ice filled Cora’s veins at hearing what this sicko had planned for her. She would die before she let him touch her. She was the daughter of two Marines. She would not just stand here and wait for whatever they had planned for her. Cora punched Alejandro in the side of the mouth and whipped around, pushing herself off the ground and headed for the tunnel. No one sent up a cry or went after her. It was too easy. Cora made it ten feet before something pulled tight at her ankle and held it back. She lost her momentum and fell on the ground cracking her chin on the rock floor. Her chin throbbed and stars winked in and out of her vision. Someone pushed her onto her back, and she saw two of Alejandro’s men leaning over her. Blood was dripping from the side of his mouth, but he had a white handkerchief to clean it up.
“I have been in this game too long, mi querido. You think you are the first to try and escape me? I was going to go light on you when I made my message, but now you piss me off. I’m going to make you scream and beg for death.” Alejandro stood back as his men seized her and stripped her of her top and pants leaving her in only her bra and underwear. They even took her shoes. A goon held onto her, on each side of her arms, while the third shackled her hands and clipped them to a chain dangling from the ceiling and pulled, pulling her arms above her head.
The only thought going through Cora’s mind at that moment was Liam and that she prayed he would come for her.
Chapter Twenty
Liam was escorted to the computer room and sat down in one of the chairs. He was going to ask what he was supposed to be looking at, but Hound pulled up a video and hit play. Liam felt his stomach drop at seeing Alejandro in front of the camera and Cora half naked, with her hands lifted above her head. His fists clenched in rage at what had been done to his woman. He could see bruises on her torso and blood on the corner of her lip. His teammates stood on either side of him as the video played.
“Hello, American soldiers. You know who I am. And I know you know who this lovely delicate flower is.” Alejandro indicated Cora with a wave of his hand. “You stole from me a few weeks ago. My women and drugs. You even kept my favorite. Hannah.” He purred her name. “You think you big powerful men because your soldiers, and have fancy weapons.” Alejandro got close to the camera. “What good are your weapons now huh?” Alejandro laughed. “Just know what is about to happen to your woman is because of you.” Alejandro stood away from the camera, so there was a clear shot of Cora and two men standing on either side of her. “For stealing from me,” Alejandro said, and one of his goons punched Cora in the ribs. “For killing my men.” Another hit to the opposite rib. “Ruining my business.” Two quick punches. Cora could barely stand, and she bit her lip to keep from crying out. The chains
