“Darlin’, are you stupid? The war has already started.”
His eyes lifted to the spot over my shoulder.
I turned.
And then everything went black.
My head throbbed and something warm trickled down my temple.
The goon who clubbed me into unconsciousness had thoroughly enjoyed putting his hands on me. That much was obvious when I finally opened my eyes and met his gaze.
I was in the back of a van; my limbs and hands were free. Even if I was able to get a good kick at the asshole, rendering him inert, there was no way I could get through the metal safety screen between the front and back of the van.
Better to wait.
My heart beat frantically in my chest. I’d prepared for Dev to hurt me physically. We had discussed this possibility at great length while solidifying the plan. Still, it was one thing to mentally brace yourself for pain, quite another to actually feel it. Nausea churned in my belly as we went around a curve.
“Bitch is awake,” the Iron Horsemen thug in the back of the van said.
His friend who was driving said nothing, but passed a phone to Dev, who was sitting in the front passenger seat.
“Mia, darlin’, what’s your ride’s number?”
I told him and he put the phone on speaker.
“You know who this is. We’ve got your girl and need the address for the pickup.”
I heard mumbling on the other end of the line but couldn’t make out what was said.
“Oh, that’s simple. If you don’t give me the address, I’m gonna bring her back to you in about five different garbage bags. Give me the fucking address! Now.”
I heard a delay, then a response, and then Dev hung up and I shut my eyes to keep my headache from spiraling out of control.
They’d moved the shipment from a storage unit to a warehouse in a deserted, blue-collar part of town.
Twenty minutes later, the van came to a stop. The door flew open almost immediately and Dev was there, hauling me out, a pistol trained on me. He was taking every precaution and it was clear he assumed he was walking into a trap. But the fact that he came at all proved how desperate he was to get his hands on the missing product. I’d been fishing for information when I’d said I knew the cartel didn’t yet know the shipment was missing and I’d struck a nerve.
His clock was ticking and time was almost up.
The full moon lit the sky and there wasn’t a cloud in sight. A bead of sweat rolled down between my breasts. My mouth was dry and I was in desperate need of water.
Dev jabbed the pistol into my lower back. “Move.”
My vision was spotty and my head ached, but I forced one foot in front of the other. I couldn’t see the two men that were with Dev, but I assumed they were surveying the area.
“All clear,” one said, confirming my suspicion.
“Yep, I don’t see anything,” his friend added.
“Look around,” Dev barked. “I don’t trust this bitch.”
“Smokey and Mac checked it out as soon as we got the address and they didn’t see anything. It’s been a while now and nothing. They’re watching from across the street but no one has come in or out.”
We trekked toward the warehouse and when we arrived at the door, one of his boys pulled out a bolt cutter and cut off the lock.
“You first,” Dev said, prodding me with the pistol.
I opened the door. “I’m going to turn on the light, okay?”