He closes his eyes like he’s regretting telling me anything. “Yes, so you won’t be alone here in this house.”Wait! The girls are here?“You can’t trust them, Savannah. They’re all brainwashed, and whatever you say to them they will tell Denton, and you’ll be punished.” He drops his hand. “Punished in worse ways than when you were with Rodrigo.”
My eyes flicker with fear as I scan the bathroom. “Tim, please tell me how to get out of here. I won’t last. I’ll end it now.”
Stepping away from me and turning on the shower, letting hot steam fill the room, he motions for me to move away from the door and into a walk-in closet at the back of the bathroom. He closes the doors behind us and turns on the tiny light. I don’t know why, but I don’t feel nervous with Tim, maybe because he reminds of the guys back at the house. Big, but kind.
“Look, Savannah, I’m not a bad person. I never asked to work for the Cartel. I was just born into this life. My father was a runner for cocaine when he met my mother and got her pregnant. Trouble was, when she found out who my father really was, she tried to leave him. They only let her live until I was born.” His eyes shift downward for a moment. “I found out later my father was the one who killed my mother. I’ll spare you the details.”Thanks. “After that, my father gained the trust of the higher-ups and soon ran a few groups smuggling weapons and people in and out. If I wanted to live, I had to keep my head down and my mouth shut. They started me out small, but once they realized I could slip through the border with no problem, I was transferred to work with my father, and from there to here. Denton has known me for a few years, and a year ago told me I was going to be working for him. You don’t say no to Denton. I hate it here. I hate those women. Two of them I’m convinced played Denton because they were evil from day one, and the other three are way past trying to live.”
“I’m really sorry about your mother, Tim.”
“Thank you, as I am about your mother.”
This throws me. “You know my mother is dead?”
“I know all about you, Savannah, down to your shoe size.”
“Well, that’s not incredibly creepy,” I mutter sarcastically.
“It’s my job, just like it is for Logan’s company.”
My breath gets caught in my throat. Cole’s name being uttered from Tim’s lips is unnerving. “You know about Logan?”
“I know he’s Special Forces. I know what he specializes in. I know that as soon as he slips back into the States, he drops off the radar just like Denton does. Denton has been trying to track Logan’s group for years, but he hasn’t succeeded. When Denton found out Logan had you, well, let’s just say my job’s been pretty miserable.”
I sink into a small chair, as my legs can no longer hold my weight. I’m just going to say it. “Tim, you must know, Logan is a good man.”
“I do,” he interrupts, making me pause and stare for a moment.
“Okay.” I nod. “Well, you say you can slip across the border without being seen. Can you help me get out of here and back home?” I’m careful not to say where home is.
“You want to go home?” His eyebrow rises. “Back to your father? Back to that bitch Lynn?”
“No.” I stand. “I want to go back to the States where I can live a real life that’s mine.” He smiles slightly. I’m guessing that’s the answer he was looking for.
“You’ll never get that while Denton is alive.”
I feel bold. “Then let’s deal with that problem.” His eyes pop open. “Look, Tim, I’ve been through some real shit before. I’ve never killed anyone, but I know good trumps evil. You said it yourself, Denton is pure evil. Let’s try to make this world just a little bit better by taking him out of it.”
He stands there towering over me, studying me, thinking for a few long moments. I start to second guess if I can trust this guy. Oh, shit, maybe this is a test!
“It can’t happen right away,” he finally says, putting his hands on his hips. “It’ll be too obvious.”
“How long are you thinking?”
“A few months.”
“Two weeks max is all I can do.”
He makes a face. “A month.”
“Two weeks.”
“Three.”
I let out a long, shaky breath, mulling over my options. I could try to escape, but if he punishes like Tim says he does, I know I’ll break. “Okay, under one condition.”Oh, god, what am I agreeing to?
“What’s that?”
Cole