Chapter 70 Cartel
Chapter 70 Cartel
Liam
The bumps were not good for the intense headache I was feeling. Considering it felt like there was an army inside my head trying to pull out my skull, bumps were definitely not the best idea.
I peeled my eyelids open, dark dots swimming in front of my eyes. It was safe to say I was blind…momentarily.
I reached out to touch my hair but paused. I couldn't move my hands. I knew they were still attached to my body because I could feel them, but I couldn't move them because—
They were tied behind my back.
I groaned, forcing my eyes to open wider, and that did help clear my vision a little. At least I could make out some things now, including a roof. Of a car.
Unless we were moving.
A groan escaped me as I tried recalling why I was tied and in the back of—I glanced around—a van. Like I was some sort of criminal.
Murderer, even.
For the first time in my life, my brain worked overtime, details flashing through in less than ten minutes. The pounding of my heart slowed, but not the one in my head, and I just blinked.
Maya.
Fuck. Maya.
"Let me out!" I yelled, trying to get myself up. Dumping me on my back with my hands tied behind me was a cruel move.
I managed to sit up after several failed attempts.
"Hey!" I yelled. I knew they could hear me. "Let me out!"
I waited a beat for a response—anything—but got nothing. Just the sound of tires on the road, and bumps.
What happened to Maya? Was she okay? Did she stay hidden like I'd asked?
A thrill of fear consumed me. Not for myself.
I didn't care what they did to me. I was scared for Maya. For our child.
It was driving me crazy that I hadn't kept my promise to protect her. That I was a weak-ass man who couldn't even take a blow to the head without going down. That I had no idea what the fuck was going on.
I tried to untie myself, but after several attempts I realized it was futile. Whatever they'd used was strong, and wiggling against it would only tear up my wrists.
I was going to need them in good shape to swing a punch.
I had no idea how long the drive took before I felt the van slow to a stop. I braced myself for whatever waited behind those doors.
They opened, and I held my breath, listening for anything that might tell me where Maya was, or what had happened to her. Instead, footsteps approached the back of the van.
I sat still, waiting, trying to ignore the ache building behind my eyelids.
The doors pulled open and a woman stood in front of me. Black outfit, masked from the nose down. I could see her eyes.
She cocked her head to the side, eyes washing over me for a second. I gritted my teeth.
"Where's my girlfriend?" I asked.
She huffed, grabbed me by the collar, and hauled me out of the van. I hit the ground face-first.
Pain spread fast from my nose toward my skull. My nose was broken. I knew it before I even rolled over.
I stared up at her, jaw tight. Jesus. She was strong.
Without another word, she grabbed my shirt and hauled me up. "Move."
My nose scrunched. That voice sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it—not with my head throbbing like this.
I put one foot in front of the other and got moving, forcing my eyes to focus past the pain, taking in what I could.
An empty stretch of land, a mile wide at least, void of cars, buildings, people. Masked men in black stood in front of a small building. Farther off sat a much larger one—dark paint, floor-to-ceiling windows. Off to the side, a garage held a row of black cars, different sizes and models.
Including the van.
It didn't take long to place what I was looking at. This was the cartel.
The agency run by Maya's supposed mother. The one who'd been trying to get her for a while now.
I was here. Which meant Maya had to be here too.
There was no way they hadn't found her.
The woman pushed me forward. I glanced back at her over my shoulder. She met my eyes for a second, then looked away.
The longer I looked at her, the more familiar she seemed. And I hated that.
It meant she was probably someone I knew.
And if I found out who—the betrayal was definitely going to hurt.