I nod.
He takes my hand, slapping it a little, and we shake on the deal.
Five hundred thousand.
18
ADAS
We’ve been in Mexico for three days now, and we’ve been able to confirm exactly where Marat has been staying. We had sent a drone over to the location he had been spotted, and within one day of spying on him, he came out of the house with two of his advisors.
Even though we have no idea how long he plans on staying, I’m almost certain that he’s come to Mexico to keep the feds off his trail. He must feel like he’s being threatened in the United States, and Mexico was the closest place he could flee to.
Such a fucking coward.
The morning of the third day, we all wake up at 5 AM to pursue Marat. It’s clear that none of us want to be here as soon as everyone has been collected. None of Santiago’s men are here yet, but everyone I had brought with me looks half-dead.
“Why the fuck do you all look like shit? Were you all out drinking again?” I growl.
“It’s like a hundred fucking degrees every day. None of us were built for this shit,” Gregory mutters, smacking himself in the face twice to wake himself up. “None of us can sleep in the heat.”
I roll my eyes, hoping to whatever deity is listening that the state of my men doesn’t fuck up this mission. It would be an embarrassment to me for them to perform poorly in contrast to Santiago’s men.
When they arrive, I feel the adrenaline finally beginning to hit me. I was worried when I didn’t wake up in a cold sweat like I usually do for these ambushes. I need adrenaline to get through these things. It makes me sharp, nearly invincible.
Santiago has arranged for six SUVs full of his soldiers to accompany us to Marat’s hiding place. Fortunately, nobody makes a sound as we load into one of the SUVs, separating the twelve of us into different vehicles to keep our shots spread out. I had half expected someone to start complaining at some point, and I wouldn’t have been able to tolerate it.
Again, maybe it’s the heat.
There’s not much talking as we take off into the desert. The windows are open, sending hot air and dust through the vehicle. I can taste the sand in the air, and the sun beats down on me through the sunroof of the SUV.
I should be trying to get into the right headspace for this. I should be thinking in a tactical, logistical way.
Instead, all I can think about is River.
All I want right now is to be back in her room with her, playing with her hair while the central air flows over the sheets. I want to be in the dark with her, feeling her skin against mine as she wraps herself around me.
I can’t focus like this. I’ve taken this woman, this complete stranger, and made her the center of my universe. She’s become so much more to me than I thought, even if I expected her to fully trust and believe me the second she woke up.
Will this be a blessing or a curse?
“Did you see that one girl by the pool yesterday?” Gregory asks Erik as if nobody else is here.
“Which one? The one with the hatchet man tramp stamp? Didn’t expect to see that kind of shit all the way out here,” Erik replies with disdain in his voice.
“Nah, the one with the bolt-ons, they were incredible. Like, literally watermelon sized. Looked like her skin was going to rip right off her chest,” Gregory continues, remembering the grotesque scene with a sense of wonderment.
“Oh, I saw her, but I wasn’t about to stare at her. She looked like she was there to get filmed throwing a drink in someone’s face. Not my thing,” Erik replies, glancing at Gregory with mild concern and confusion.
Listening to them talking about these women feels different than it used to. Even just six months ago, I would have joined them, talking about some other girl I saw there and making fun of her false lashes or meticulously-picked poolside outfit.
But since I’ve been with River, I just can’t do it. It feels wrong to me. There were plenty of women at the rodeo who would have caught my attention if it weren’t for her, but I hardly saw any of them until Santiago pointed them out to me.
“Hey Adas, what about you? You seen any weird-looking bitches since we got here? The resort is fucking crawling with them. I swear to god, being rich is only for lizard people,” Erik asks, cracking a smile. “Oh no, wait, you’ve got a wife now? Or something?” he continues.
“Yes, I do, and I don’t want to talk about girls with you. I’m not sixteen, and we’ve got an actual mission to worry about. So shut the fuck up and focus,” I reply, irritation coloring my tone.
Gregory and Erik both straighten up, exchanging annoyed glances.