Page 3 of Obsession & Oath

“¡No mames, güey! Eres un pinche pendejo, ya me tienes hasta la madre.”

I ignore her string of curses as I fumble to extract the handcuffs from my pocket. No small feat whilst she continues to thrash against me at every turn.

“You know, I think I’ve had fantasies like this,” I murmur as I manage to snatch her hands behind her back and snap the cuffs closed.

“Do you know what my father will do if he finds out you even thought of me like that?” Her tone is scalding and her voice is gravely from overuse. “In fact, keep talking. I will take great pleasure watching him extract your eyeballs from your skull.”

I shove the head cover on without warning, using her distracted squeal as my opportunity to tie up her legs.

“Lucky for you,” I say with a grunt as I stand back up. “I’ve got strict instructions not to mishandle the merchandise. But there’s always next time.”

“You pig!¡Chinga tu madre y lárgate a la verga!”her voice is muffled beneath the fabric.

Satisfied with her restraints, I check my watch and give my surroundings one last hasty glance. There’s only one thing left to do and Carmen is not going to like it.

I hit the first channel on my earpiece. “That's target acquired, boss.”

Leon responds immediately. “Where the hell are you?”

The volume of background noise on his end alone is enough for me to pick up the pace. I try not to think about it too hard as I bend down to pick Carmen up, swinging her over my shoulder fireman-style.

Her muffled screams can probably be heard across the entire floor.

“East wing exit,” I pant as I adjust my grip.

I waste no time as I kick the door open, step out into the frigid evening air, and begin to beeline toward the property perimeter.

It takes ninety-seconds for Leon to fall into step by my side, covering my back as we sprint across the open yard.

I feel more than see the bullets slashing through the air around us. Too close, yet (thankfully for us) not close enough. Mainly, I think, due to Leon’s ruthlessness and sheer skill with his own firearm more than anything else.

But by the time we hit the fence—to the section that’s now warped open beyond repair—I’m gasping for breath. Sweat drips down my back as Carmen continues to prove herself to be the most inconvenient dead weight known to man.

Even Leon raises an eyebrow at the string of increasingly indelicate Spanish curses. “I was going to ask if you’re sure it’s her, but…”

Carmen, hearing his voice for the first time, has the good sense to go still for a moment.

“He’ll have your neck for this, Natali,” her voice still somehow carries some bite through the fabric. “He’ll kill her next time.”

I see the second the threat registers with Leon, his large, broad shoulders stiffening with a tension only good, old-fashioned revenge can satisfy.

Rule number one in this line of work: you don’t threaten the don’s wife.

“There will be no next time,” Leon says with a quiet kind of ferocity that would make a lesser man quake. He turns and nods me toward the vehicle parked out back, engine on and raring to go.

I take the hint and carry her the last few feet toward the getaway car before throwing her into the back seat with a generous amount of callousness.

Carmen scrambles to readjust herself. “He’ll kill you. He’ll kill all of you.”

I roll my eyes despite the fact she can’t see and lean over to strap her in securely. “He can try.”

“I’ll tell him to get you first,” she hisses. “I’ll tell him to do it slowly.”

There’s no reason why such a threat should go straight to my crotch. But it does, and I’m reminded once more that Carmen Rubio’s rage is something really very sweet.

“Well, it’s been a delight, princess,” I say as I step away from the car, tapping the hood twice to let the driver know she’s secure. “But I can sincerely say, from the very bottom of my heart, I hope our paths never cross again.”

Chapter2

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