Page 61 of Resurgent
Chapter Seventeen
Charlotte
I’m grateful for the fear that’s coursing through me; at least it takes my mind off the fact that my heart is breaking all over again for Liam. I can’t bear the thought of him and Walker and Noah dying in that warehouse because of me. I wonder how long they have before the drone that’s programmed to detonate hits. Gray said thirty minutes. It’s been at least twenty.
I’m the kind of girl you want to have in a crisis. When bad things happen, I’m the one who stays calm and takes charge. Of course, I’ll fall apart later, but now I’m grateful for that calm detachment, and focus on coming up with a plan, finding some way to get away from the asshole who’s been digging his fingers so hard into my bicep, I’m going to bruise. I have to figure out how to get back to the warehouse and unlock it, or somehow find and deprogram the drone…
The sound of footsteps and then gunfire startles me. Several men are headed toward the warehouse. I recognize one of them is Manny, the guy Liam and I had drinks with at the resort what seems like ages ago. It takes me a minute to realize the drug cartel lieutenant who’s had a death grip on me since we left the warehouse has let go in order to point his gun at the only person who might be able to help me and Liam.
“Manny!” I call out, trying to warn him.
He looks up, but it’s too late. The bullet hits him, and he crumples to the ground. Shit! There’s an explosion of gunfire, and I take off running toward the warehouse. I see Martin Gray scurry off into the woods. Coward! So much for making sure I stay safe. The small, squatty-looking man known as El Gato catches up with me, along with two other men whom I assume are underlings in his cartel.
“Manny says you are Liam’s wife. Did they kidnap you for the guns?”
Thinking fast, I say, “Yes! We were waiting for you to do the exchange, and they showed up, grabbed me, and threatened to kill me if Liam didn’t give them the guns.”
His already beady eyes narrow into slits. “Where are the guns now?”
Crap! Too late, I realize I’ve played my hand wrong. El Gato doesn’t care about me or Liam. If he knows the Nuevo Leon cartel took the guns, I’m not sure what he’ll do. He might go after them, leaving me to go back and free the guys. Or he might decide it’s a good idea to hang on to me for leverage until he gets the guns back, in which case I’ll be unable to get back to the warehouse before it explodes. Even if he lets me go and I get to Liam in time, El Gato’s going to want the money he paid Liam back if he doesn’t get the guns—and it’s already spent.
Suddenly, I remember Dominguez’s men leaving one of the crates of guns behind the building and I know what to do.
“They locked the guns in the warehouse with Liam and Noah while they go get something to transport them.” I’ll leave it to Liam to explain who Walker is, and when, or if, to reveal the location of the guns.
El Gato curses in Spanish, then turns to me. “Do you know the combination?”
I nod.
“Let’s go.”
I run as fast as I can back to the warehouse, El Gato and his men right behind me, and with shaking fingers, I put in the combination. The padlock opens with aclick, and El Gato holds me in front of him as he nudges me through the opened door.
Liam, Walker, and Noah—whom I recognize from Vegas—all stare as we walk through, their eyes wide.
“Mr…um…Gato and uh…Manny”—I stumble over his name, thinking of him dead—”saw me as they were coming to get the guns and saved me from the other guys. I told them how they locked you guys in here with the guns while they went to get help to carry them out.”
“Where’s Dominguez?” Noah asks the drug lord.
El Gato smiles. “It looks like your day has finally come. Go after him.”
“They took my gun.”
“Juan.” One of the men immediately hands over a machine gun, and after a quick questioning look at Walker, who nods almost imperceptively, Noah’s gone, leaving Liam and Walker to face down the cartel alone.
“Who’s this?” El Gato nods at Walker.
“A friend of mine. He helped me smuggle out the guns.”
El Gato nods, seemingly satisfied. “Where are they?”
“Some are in that crate over there.” Liam gestures at the crates of soybeans several feet away. “The bigger shipment is just outside the warehouse, in the back. They managed to drag it out before they realized they needed help, so they left it. Your guys can check out this one. I’ll show you the bigger one myself.”
El Gato nods. “The girl comes with us. Your friend stays in here.”
No! Walker! I sneak a glance at him, but he doesn’t look worried. He’s standing with his feet apart, arms crossed, looking like a total badass, and I can see why Gemma’s attracted to him. Liam grabs my hand and drags me out the door, El Gato right behind us.
I’m about to jump out of my skin, knowing the drone could crash into the warehouse at any minute now, killing us all, but Liam is…well…Liam. Calm and easygoing, he acts like he has all day. As if reading my mind, he turns to me, gives me that sexy, slow grin of his and says, “You know my motto sweetheart. It comes in handy at times like this.”
