Chapter 9

ELLA

I stepped through the deserted street of the town, kicking up dust from the road as I went.

All the buildings were warehouses or sheds or trailers—nothing like the beautifully decorated old buildings of the last Mexican town I had visited.

It wasn’t particularly big, but I was walking for a good two minutes before I heard any sign of human activity. From one of the warehouses, I heard the faint thud of Hispanic music and the cheers and shouts of men.

I took a deep breath before striding over to the warehouse and took another deep breath before pulling open the door.

The air smelled like sweat, alcohol, and smoke, and as my eyes adjusted from the bright day outside to the low light, I began to see exactly what I had stepped into.

“Jesus Christ,” I muttered under my breath.

Closest to me was a pool table with three men no longer playing pool but intently watching me. Behind that was what appeared to be a boxing ring with two men inside and around it another six or seven men all now watching me.

At the back was a further four men seated around a small table drinking and playing cards. All staring at me.

I stood motionless in the doorway for a few moments not entirely sure what to do. Somebody switched off the music, and an awkward silence swept over the place.

“Did someone call for me? Our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ?” a voice said.

I scanned for where it was coming from before a man stepped out of the shadows.

“I’m flattered, but I prefer José, love,” he said with a wink.

I stared at him with wide eyes. He was tall with dark hair and dark eyes, a lot like many men.

But his face seemed peculiarly familiar, but I couldn’t quite grasp the droplet of memory in the ocean of knowledge that was my brain that could tell me why.

“Y-you’re…,” I stuttered.

“Handsome? Dashing? Gorgeous?” he asked with a shrug. “But you’re not here to meet a man, are you?” he said with a smile.

“I know you,” I said confidently.

“You do?” he asked with a glint in his eye.

“Yes. I don’t know why or when, but I’ve met you before,” I replied, racking my brain.

“Funny, I don’t recall,” he replied with a smile and hint of sarcasm. “Is there any reason you’re here, gringa?” he added, raising his eyebrow after a few more moments.

“Andrea sent me,” I replied, shaking the thoughts out of my head.

“Running errands for the boss, huh?” he replied. “So…that makes you…his little bitch?”

“I’m supposed to collect something,” I said, looking around at all the eyes looking at me.

“Have you got the money?” he asked.

“Money? He didn’t say anything about money,” I replied, my heartbeat rising.

“This ain’t no charity, gringa.” José laughed along with the rest of the room.

“Oh…guess I’ll just go then…,” I said, backing toward the door.

“Ay...ay...ay,” he said. “Not so fast. I guess I could offer you a post-payment, but it will cost you.”

“I told you, I don’t have any money.”

“Not that kinda cost, babe,” he said with a smirk as his comrades jeered around us.

“Forget it,” I snapped.

“Do you really want to go back to your boss empty-handed, gringa?” he taunted. “I don’t like to think what he might do.”

“What do you want?” I asked with a sigh.

He was right. I couldn’t risk failing this test.

“Just stay for a bit,” he said, placing an arm around my shoulder. “Party with us.”

“You want me to party with you?” I asked.

“You got time?” he said as he chucked me a can. “Beer?”

I scowled at him.

“Here’s the deal: entertain us and I give you Andrea’s stuff. Fail and you go to him empty-handed,” he said.

“Everything is a test with you guys,” I said with a sigh, taking a mouthful of the beer.

He smirked and took the can from me.

“Now dance with me, gringa,” he said, gesturing to the man by the speaker. “You know salsa?” he added as the music began to play.

I looked around; everyone was still watching.

“Yeah, no,” I said with a laugh. “I’m not dancing.”

“Come on, beautiful. Don’t mind them,” he said, taking my hand.

He then pulled me into his chest and brought his lips to my ear. “Unless you want me to tell the boss who you really are?” he whispered.

I felt the color leak out of my face. I knew I had recognized him from somewhere, and he had recognized me too.

I looked up at him, and he gave me a cocky smile. He knew he had left me no choice. Andrea could under no circumstances find out who I was.

“Fine,” I said, putting my hand on his waist. “But I warn you, my dancing skills are nothing pretty.”

“I will be the judge of that,” he said.

I then switched off all sense of embarrassment, pride, and self-respect and began to dance.

The music was an easy beat, and José led. He kept getting so uncomfortably close to me that I felt like I was going to throw up.

At long last, the song finally came to an end, and I immediately pushed him away from me and straightened myself up.

“That was a nice dance, gringa,” he said, drawing a stool up behind him and sitting with his legs spread widely, and leaned over staring intently at me. “But I wanted to see a little more skin.”

There was a series of oohs and jeers in the room as José looked up at me with a smirk.

“Take it off and the stuff is yours,” he replied, tugging at my shirt.

I narrowed my eyes before looking around the room.

“We made a deal. I danced with you, now give me it,” I said.

“I said you had to entertain us,” he replied.

“And I have,” I said, looking around at the interested and amused expressions of everyone present.

“Very well. I am a man of my word.” José sighed. “Get her the parcel.”

I was passed a heavy cube wrapped in tape and some kind of packaging.

“Hope to see you again soon, gringa,” he said.

“Do you have any coins?” I asked.

“Coins? You were supposed to pay me,” he replied.

“For the phone booth.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out some loose change. “Maybe next time you’ll do a little more than dance, and I’ll give you a little more.”

I ignored his comment and focused on making sure there wasn’t a next time. “May I speak to you in private?”

“Wow, so soon? I like the sound of this,” he said with a smile.

I rolled my eyes. “I have to ask you something.”

“No,” he said, his face suddenly becoming more serious. “I have nothing to tell you.”

“We both know that is not true,” I hissed.

If he knew who I was, then he knew who my mate was, and if he knew who my mate was, he could (if he wanted to) help me.

“Adiós, gringa,” he said deeply.

But of course, he didn’t want to. Maybe because he had something against me or Leo or the pack or maybe because like everyone else, he didn’t want to get on Andrea’s bad side.

Either way, there was no point trying, so I left with my well-earned parcel while I still could.

Well, that was until I saw the mob of angry men outside marching toward the building with guns in their hands.

I backed straight back in and slammed the door.

“Angry...men with g...guns outside,” I stuttered.

“Get down!” he bellowed to me as everyone in the room withdrew a gun from their belts.

I ducked under the pool table just before the door slammed opened and shots began to be exchanged.

I fumbled for Andrea’s gun and held it close to me. Shots and groans filled the air, and I watched the feet of the men sweeping into the room from underneath the table.

At one point, a man spotted me and began rapidly approaching.

I tried to fire it, but nothing happened. Damn you, Andrea! I knew it wasn’t loaded.

When he got close enough, I swung my arm and thrashed him across the head with the metal object as hard as I could. He fell to the floor bleeding before I made my fast getaway out the door.

The gun didn’t shoot, but it was still a heavy object.

I made my way hastily back toward the phone booth shaking from fear. It was beginning to get dark, but there was still enough light for me to see the keypad and dial the number Andrea had given me.