Absolution (Honor Guard 1)

He clenched his fists, pivoting to face her. His face darkened even more than before, the muscle in his jaw ticked in warning. “First of all, you have to care about someone to have a fight. You already decided we weren’t supposed to have those feelings for each other. Second, the only coward in this room is you. You’re too scared to love me and too scared to let me go.

“Well, pumpkin, you can’t have both. You might be happy in limbo, but I’m done with this shit. I’m moving on with my life. Until then, I’m stuck with you and your drama. So, I’m going to go get us some breakfast. In case you hadn’t noticed, we have no food. I’ll be back in five minutes.”

The door slammed behind him.

God, when had she become such a bitch? She burst into tears. Why did she continue to yell at him, blame him for everything? He was right—she’d done nothing except tell him everything he’d done wrong. She’s driven him further away with each jab she took. Maybe this time she’d struck too hard. She’d called him a coward. He, who served in the war in the Marines, worked for the ATF. She’d never felt so ashamed in her life. She couldn’t even find the courage to apologize. She should run after him, stop him.

She dashed to the door, heedless of her pajamas and bare feet, and jerked the door open only to skid to a halt in the hallway. Joseph was gone. A man stood right next to her door, dressed in black.

“Antonio? What are you doing here?” she asked. “How did you find me?” Why would he be in the same hotel? He couldn’t have tracked her down. Unless…

He’s Cartel.

She spun and ran for the room, but he’d latched onto her hair and stopped her short. Antonio dragged her to him until her back crashed against his chest and his hand slapped over her mouth. The tip of a knife pressed on the side her throat.

“Hello, darling. You’re going to come with me, or your precious agent will be dead before he knows what hit him. Even as we speak, I have a man following him, simply waiting for my cue. Come with me like a good girl, or he dies.”

Foul breath dusted her ear, and disgust rolled down her spine to make her shiver. She bit down on his hand until he yelped and released her mouth. “You son of a bitch, you’ll never outsmart him. He’s probably already shot your man and is heading here as we speak. You’ll be nothing but a bloody carcass once he’s done with you.”

She tried to hide the tremor of fear at his words. Could Joseph be caught off-guard, distracted by their fight? Maybe he wouldn’t see the attack in time to stop it. When she pictured him lying dead in an alley somewhere, her heart skipped a beat. How could she go on with her life knowing she’d been the reason he died? Knowing her stupid temper had shoved him away, making him forget to watch his back. Even now, he could be dead. Because of her.

But he’d never be so careless, no matter what she said, would he? He was a professional. He wouldn’t leave himself open to attack.

Antonio grabbed her hair and jerked until her neck arched backward and she was forced to look in his eyes. “I wouldn’t be so sure. He looked awfully handsome in his green T-shirt…and missing gun. He had quite the scowl on his face, as well. Did you fight, perhaps? Make him angry enough so he forgot his protection? Such a shame for him to go out unarmed in this town.”

He twisted the hair in his fist, pressing the knife deeper. Blood trickled down her neck, and she moaned. A bluff? Or had Joseph left without his gun? She’d never seen him be so careless. Of course, she’d never seen him so upset before, either. She had to save him, or she’d never forgive herself.

“Why don’t you just kill me and be done with it? You’ve tried twice already.”

“The game plan has changed. Your father is getting too cocky. You’re our leverage. If he fails to do as I demand, then you’ll be dead soon enough. But, I might need to have a little fun first.” He used the knife to trace a path down to her breast, and he groped the globe, squeezing hard. The handle dug into her skin almost as much as his fingers. Eva squirmed.

“Weakling. Is this the only way you can get a woman? With a knife and threats?”

“Oh, don’t worry. You’ll see exactly how I treat women.”

He slammed her face into the stucco and groped her ass from behind. He bit down on her neck, and she flinched at the pain. The wall scraped her cheek raw, but she refused to whimper.

“Now, here’s how it’s gonna work, sweet cheeks. You follow me without a fight and look happy to be doing so. Any word out of you, and he’s dead. Got it?”

She nodded and mumbled a question into the wall. He spun her by her hair until she faced him, and her back rested against the rough stucco.

“What did you say?” he rumbled.

“I said, won’t it look odd for me to be walking around in my pajamas in broad daylight?”

He laughed. “Not my problem. They’ll just think you’re a slob.”

She spit in his face, smiling when he growled and wiped his cheek clean using his free hand. He slapped her hard, making the room tilt at an odd angle before her eyes. She flinched, fighting the pain. The hell if she’d show him any weakness. The bastard might kill her, but he wouldn’t break her.

He released her hair but kept the knife at her throat and brought the phone to his ear. “Pedro? Are you still on his tail? Good. I’ll let you know when I secure her in the car.” He turned to Eva and gave her a mockery of a grin. “Okay, your man is still alive…for now. Come with me, and he’ll stay that way.”

She hesitated. “How do I know you won’t kill him?” She knew she would leave with him no matter what if it kept Joseph safe, but she also needed to stall. The longer it took her to get in his car, the less time she would be in his possession. And the less time he would have to rape and mutilate her. “Why should I trust you?”

He laughed in her face and shoved her toward the elevator. He jammed the down button with his free hand, yanking on her hair in the process. She bit back a cry.

“You don’t. And you can’t. But it’s the only choice you have.”

She tried not to think of Joseph being attacked without his weapon as Antonio shoved her inside. She tried not to picture him shot in the head like the men in her building had been. All brains and blood—sightless eyes. She hit the button for the bottom level with a shaky finger. Eva slipped her hands behind her back in an attempt to hide her weakness from her captor. Joseph would be all right. He’d survived war and countless missions. He knew how to stay alive.