Sweet Collateral

I wake to the tingling sensation of Rafael’s lips brushing over the back of my neck. Rolling over, I blink my eyes open. He’s already showered and dressed.

“I have to go handle some stuff, avecita.”

“Okay.”

“Stay here. You look tired.” His thumb swipes beneath my eye before he kisses my forehead.

The bed shifts and I hear the door close before I fall back into unconsciousness.

I jerk awake at the sound of the bedroom door slamming open. Sitting upright, I clutch the blanket to my chest and glare at my sister who is now standing in the open doorway.

“Get dressed,” she says, picking my shirt up off the floor and tossing it at me.

I get out of bed. “Why? What’s happening?” I turn my back to her, tugging Rafe’s shirt off and replacing it with my own.

“It’s nearly noon, Anna.”

“Shit, sorry.”

“One of my contacts finally came through. I have a location on Dominges.”

My pulse instantly ticks up in anticipation. “Where is he?”

“An hour outside of Juarez.”

“Have you told Rafael?”

She frowns. “The less people who know the better. Dominges could have people in here.”

“You can’t not tell Rafe, Una.”

She places her hands on her hips. “Your cartel boss draws too much attention. There are eyes on him, and Dominges is expecting him to come. Better that it’s just you, me, and Sasha. Their security is prepped for a mass attack, not a stealth one.”

I drag a hand down my face. This is his war, his territory. I made an agreement with him.

She tilts her head to the side. “Does he own you, Anna?”

“No, of course not.”

“Then stop acting like it,” she snaps. “We leave in ten minutes.”

She slams the door on her way out, and I stand there in shock for a moment. Una hates Rafael, and I don’t know why. Without him, I’m not sure what I would be. Maybe that’s what she hates. After all, he was there for me when I didn’t even know she existed.

I find my bag at the end of the bed. Rafe obviously had it brought up here. I dress in a pair of black denim shorts and a clean tank before pulling my hair into a ponytail. Fastening a leather holster across my chest, I take both my guns—the one that Rafael gave me, and a colt 40.—and slide them beneath each arm. When I step out of the room, I find a guard posted right outside the door. I pass him by and exhale a frustrated breath when he follows me. Turning to face him, I stab a finger into his chest. He drops his gaze to my finger and frowns.

“Stop. I don’t need protection, so you can leave.”

“Boss’ orders,” he says simply, clutching the rifle in his hand.

I’m aggravated by my sister’s comment, and the simple presence of this guy is making me feel suddenly suffocated and irritable. “Look, I’m leaving, and my sister will shoot you if you try to follow us.” He scowls at me and the muscles in his jaw twitch. “I’ll tell Rafael I gave you the slip,” I say, suddenly feeling just a little bit guilty when I think about what Rafael will do to this guy for letting me go.

He takes a slow step back, and I nod before turning away and striding down the corridor. Una is waiting at the bottom of the stairs, gun already in hand. I eye the weapon before meeting her gaze.

“What are you doing with that?”

“We figure Rafael’s guys might not appreciate us leaving.” So she plans to shoot her way out…

“Where’s Rafe?”

“Not here.”

That makes this a little easier. Una jerks her head to the side, motioning for me to follow. We step out into the warehouse, and no one seems to notice us, but I spot Carlos lingering in the office doorway, a frown on his face as he leans on his crutches. He says something into a radio, and I know we’re probably not getting out of here. Una takes out four of Rafe’s guys- unconscious, not dead- before we make it out onto the airfield. She strides across the dusty tarmac of the airfield, and yank the door of the helicopter open. Sasha sits in the pilot’s seat, flipping various switches.

“Does he actually know how to fly this?” I yell over the deafening sound of the engines as we lift into the air.

“Of course.”

“Okay, and did we technically steal this?”

“Borrowed.”

Great. Rafael is going to be so mad…and then my sister is probably going to shoot him. Why do my family have to be so…aggressive? The desert passes by beneath us before we climb higher into the sky. A little while later and we’re landing in yet another patch of desert. Una shoves a rucksack at me. “You’ll need that. We have to walk a few miles to the site.”