Page 44 of The Riders’ Reign

The man’s lips pinch and he looks away. Yeah, my guess is that he’d untied her so he could rape her and he hadn’t wanted the hassle of having her legs tied together.

“You’re a fucking idiot, Romero,” the other man says. “Hector is going to have your scalp for this.”

“Hector is going to have your scalp for what?” a voice booms from the other side of the hangar.

Now the boss has gotten involved. I’ve already watched this man shoot one of his men for screwing up and shooting Jack, so what’s he going to do to the one who’s let the girl go—whoever she might be? Is she connected to Ledger in some way? I can’t imagine they would snatch some random young woman just for the men to have fun with, but perhaps they did. After all, I don’t know these people or how they operate.

“The woman got away,” the bleeding man says.

“What? When?”

“Just now.”

“Well, what the fuck are you waiting for? Go after her!”

The one who’s bleeding, plus the other two, glance at each other then take off in the direction the woman has gone. I hope she’s had time to put a decent amount of distance between us and herself. I wish I had a better idea of what was around here. Will there be a road nearby that she can run to, and perhaps flag down a passing vehicle to ask for help? Or we might be in the middle of nowhere, in which case it’ll be easy for her to lose them, but she might also risk getting lost herself. It might be better for her to be lost in the mountains than at the hands of these assholes.

I don’t know why I care so much about what happens to a random woman when I’m not exactly in a great place myself, but I do.

Another couple of men follow in from behind Hector. They seem worried, too. How important is this girl?

“Jefe,” one of them says, “we have a problem.”

Hector spins to face them. “I know, the girl has got away.”

But he shakes his head. “No, it’s something else. Inspectors have arrived. They want to look at the hangar.”

Hector looks like he’s about to blow. “The owner told me no one was due to arrive today.”

“I don’t know what to tell you, but they’re here, and they want to speak to whoever is in charge, which is you.”

“¡Mierda!” Hector curses. “You, come with me. The rest of you, make sure the woman doesn’t cause us any trouble and bring her back to me.”

They separate and head in two directions to deal with their two problems.

I can barely believe my luck. Distracted by these new dramas, it would seem they’ve forgotten about my presence, and they’ve left me alone.

Foregoing any attempt to look like I’m not doing anything, I sit up straight and put all my effort into getting the rope cut. I’ve got a window of time, but I’m not stupid enough to think it’s going to last. They’ve forgotten about me, but the moment they’ve dealt with those other issues, they’ll be back.

I could try to run, and perhaps that would be the most sensible plan, but I’m outnumbered, and right now, all of Hector’s men are outside of the hangar. Someone is bound to see me, and then I’ll be smack back in the position I was in before, without having achieved anything.

My line of sight goes back to the plane. Is there any chance someone would have left the key? It might not even use a key—some larger or more modern planes use a series of switches and buttons to start the engine. I have visions of me driving this thing through the wall of the hangar like something out of an action movie, busting down the wall and plowing through Hector and all his men. They’d probably shoot at me, though, and since I don’t know how to fly, I don’t think I’d get very far. Plus, running doesn’t deal with Hector. He’ll still be alive to cause Camile and her family problems. Men like him don’t just slink quietly away.

But maybe there’s something else I can do to make sure Hector leaves Camile the fuck alone, and for good this time.

The rope between my wrists finally snaps, freeing my hands. I shove the rope into my pocket, not wanting them to see it, but needing to keep it for later.

Keeping the blade in my grip, I push to my feet and run to the plane, staying low in the hope nobody will return and spot me. The door is still standing open after the woman and man ran from it, so it only takes me a few strides before I’m in the cockpit.

I don’t have long. I’m listening for shouts of alarm if Hector’s men return, but none come. Thank God.

There’s a panel in the cockpit, with screws holding it shut. I might not know how to fly one of these things, but I know other things. With sweat dampening my face, I use the blunt side of the blade to open the screws, the blade slipping in my hands a little as I do so, and carefully remove the panel to reveal wires. I see what I’m after and bite back a smile.

I can’t take too long because I need to get back into position before any of the men return. I don’t want them to know I’m loose, or that I’ve been anywhere other than in the exact same spot they left me.

Thankful for my training, which gives me the ability to work under such extreme pressure, I focus on the task at hand.

I work fast.