Page 36 of Rogue Voice

Realizing she didn’t even know the name of Rogue’s friends, she dialed the number she’d committed to memory only a day ago; it seemed so much longer.

It rang once. Twice.

“Hello,” a deep voice said.

Bea almost dropped the phone.Idiot.

“Who are you?” she asked fearfully.

“Is this Beatriz?” the voice asked. “Where’s Rogue?”

“You have to help him,” she breathed.

“Where is he? Where are you?”

“I don’t know exactly. We’re back in my uncle’shacienda,I know that much. My uncle locked me in my room. I managed to get hold of this phone, but I don’t have long.”

“Shit.” The voice sounded fainter now, and she realized he’d moved away from the phone. “It’s the girl. She and Rogue were captured. They’re back in the Cruz estate.” A fair summary of the situation, but he could do that later, when she wasn’t risking her life.

“I’m Slate,” the man said.

“I have to go,” she said, her voice shakier than she’d like.

“Wait, Beatriz, wait. Is Rogue okay?” There was real concern in his voice now.

“I don’t know. I don’t know. He was unconscious when we were brought back. I don’t think he’s in the main house, butthere are so many buildings. Please come. They’re going to kill him.”

“No,” he barked. It took her a moment to realize he wasn’t speaking with her. “It has to be sooner than that. Tell the DEA to go fuck themselves if?—”

The DEA?

Bea’s insides liquefied. Rogue was working with the DEA? The DEA would arrest her, too. The DEA would?—

It doesn’t matter. It’ll be worth it if Rogue survives.

“We need some time, Bea. We can’t get there until tomorrow morning. Can you find out where Rogue is being kept, and let us know?”

A small whimper escaped her. He couldn’t ask that of her. Not when what she really wanted to do was get back to her room and wait for everything to be over. Then she thought of Rogue. Tomorrow morning might be too late for him. “I’ll try,” she said.

“Please tell Rogue to hold on.”

Bea cut the conversation and erased the call from the phone log, then powered down the phone. Hands shaking, she put it back in the drawer, struggling to remember the exact position she’d found it in.

She made it back to her room without any incident. She closed the door carefully behind her. There wasn’t anything she could do about the lock, but hopefully her uncle would think he’d been the one to leave it unlocked.

If he ever comes back.

Her stomach rumbled. Now that she thought about it, she was weak with hunger. She’d been drinking water from her bathroom but hadn’t had anything to eat in a whole day.

What if he intends to leave me here to starve?

Her old self might have curled into a ball, but Bea wasn’t that person anymore. She’d found her way off thehacienda. Sure, she’d been brought back, but even then, she’d found her way outof a locked room and contacted Rogue’s friend. She wasn’t going to curl up and cry. She was going to drink some water, rest, and stay alert. Tonight, she would go exploring.

16

Rogue

This time, when he heard the noise, Rogue didn’t even bother to raise his head. He wasn’t sure he could lift it, and in any case the steps sounded nothing like those of his two tormentors. This was more like a small animal scratching at the wooden door. Then the door creaked open. There was a soft rush of air into the room, and then he smelled her—orange blossom.

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