Free Confessed (Vargas Cartel #3) by Lisa Cardiff Page B

grip on him. He seized the moment. He lurched forward trying to sit up, bringing his face within striking distance of mine. Without a second thought, I whipped my head forward, slamming my forehead into the bridge of his nose with a sickening crack. Blood spurted out of his nose, spraying my face.
    Enrique’s body went slack, and his head bounced like a basketball against the ground. His eyes rolled up in his head. I picked the knife off the grass, intending to carve a V in his cheek. I didn’t know if I’d let him live, but he branded Hattie so I’d brand him.
    Just as I finished the first gash in his cheek, someone yanked on the collar of my vest.
    “We have to get out of here now! The SUVs are waiting for us at the end of the driveway,” Rick said. “We’re running out of time. Eric intercepted a call for backup.”
    “One more minute,” I answered without glancing over my shoulder. I needed to finish this. If Enrique lived, he’d wear the Vargas V for the rest of his life. If he died, his family wouldn’t want to have an open casket funeral.
    My heart hammered inside my chest as I jabbed the tip of the knife into his cheek and slashed downward until the two lines intersected, perfecting the V. I wiped the handle of the knife on my pants and tossed it in the bushes next to the house.
    I stood and kicked Enrique in the ribs. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
    I turned to Rick. Dumbfounded, he rubbed his hand across his mouth, his eyes wide.
    “What crawled up your ass?” I snapped.
    “Nothing.” He shook his head.
    I started walking. “Are you coming?” I said as I glanced over my shoulder.
    “Yeah, man.” He jogged to catch up with me, his gaze glued to the side of my face like he’d never seen me before.
    “What?” I barked.
    “With your background, I assumed you wouldn’t be as crazy as the rest of those cartel fuckers.”
    “You shouldn’t assume anything. I’m a Vargas.” I shot him a bitter smile as I rounded the side of the SUV.
    “Aren’t you going to finish that shit?” Rick asked, leaning his shoulder into the SUV.
    “Finish what?”
    “You need to kill that fucker or he’ll hunt you down and go after Hattie again.”
    I spun around, eyeing Enrique’s huddled body. He had rolled to his side, curling into a ball with his hand pressed to his cheek. My need for revenge had fizzled marginally in the last few minutes, but then I remembered the look on Hattie’s face before Noah threw her over his shoulder. The way her body trembled and her eyes dilated scared the shit out of me. Her high-pitched cries would haunt me for years.
    “You’re right.” I grabbed Rick’s gun from his hands, aimed and pulled the trigger.
    Once.
    Twice.
    Three times.
    I handed him the gun and flung open the driver’s side door. “Move. I’m driving.”
    Eric eyed me guardedly, and then he nodded. “Whatever you want. This is your show,” he mumbled as he climbed into the passenger seat.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Eleven
     
     
    Hattie
     
    I pushed up, bracing my body on my elbows as my eyes scanned the darkness swallowing the room. The floorboards squeaked. A loud scream erupted from my mouth, ringing in ears. Arms circled around my waist. I swung my hands and my open palms connected with flesh. I curled my fingers into weapons, clawing at everything within my reach.
    Someone pinned my arms to my sides. Short panting breaths exploded from my mouth. Fear crawled up my throat, suffocating me. My muscles stiffened, preparing for battle.
    “Shh. It’s me. It’s Ryker,” he whispered next to my ear. “You’re safe. You’re going to be okay.”
    I inhaled his familiar spicy sea scent, and the tension in my muscles evaporated. My heart slowed and my sluggish brain cleared. “Where am I?”
    He didn’t say anything for a few drawn out seconds. Instead, he stroked the back of my head lazily as he hummed softly in my ear. “You’re in my room at my dad’s compound.”
    As much