“You dumb, fucking puta,” Marco roared. Gripping the back of her neck in a harsh hold, he propelled her headfirst into the wall.
Blurry colors burst in front of her eyes in a starry pattern. She struck out, the heel of her hand connecting with the bridge of his already deformed nose. But with her head spinning, the impact teetered her balance sideways.
“Move and they die!” Both the threat and Rachel’s sharp cry made Penny freeze.
Two of Fuentes’s thugs dug their guns firmly into Rachel’s and Carlotta’s temples.
Marco wiped at his bloody nose and smiled. “Risking your life for these drug whores wasn’t a smart move, mi bonita. And trust me—your life is most certainly at risk.”
Another loud boom shook the foundation. “Sounds as if I’m not the only one. No one told you that Alpha isn’t that easy to get rid of, huh?”
His cold eyes flattened along with his smile. “If by some miracle your former protector is alive and well, I’ll make certain that you’re not. When I’m done with you, your hero won’t want to touch you with a ten-foot fucking dick.”
“And you think I’m just going to come with you?”
With a nod from Marco, the man holding Rachel tightened his grip on her throat. Small gasps escaped from her mouth as her fingers clawed at the man’s arm.
“Don’t!” Penny cried. “Stop!”
“Only you can stop it.” Marco’s smug smile made her sick to her stomach. “It’s your choice.”
The man holding Rachel hostage lightened his grip—barely.
“Don’t do it, Penn,” Rachel softly pleaded. Tears fell in heavy rivulets down her face, matching Penny’s. “Don’t. Please. I’m not worth it.”
There was no choice to make. Penny had come to Honduras prepared to do anything to get Rachel back. This was it. Though Rachel’s tears flowed even harder, Penny’s slowly dried. She sent Rachel every ounce of strength she had with a single watery smile. “You’re worth it and a lot more, Rach. I love you. So much. Be smart. Help is on the way.”
“No!” Rachel screamed.
“Smart choice.” Marco’s fingers dug into Penny’s arm and dragged her in the opposite direction.
She counted four turns and six unmarked doors until they stopped in front of the seventh. With a buzz and a snap, they were inside. Penny’s heart dropped.
Sterile and cold, the large room looked like a sadistic version of Frankenstein’s lab. But it was the sight of the dentist chair from hell that rolled her stomach. Her feet skidded on the slick floor as Marco dragged her closer, but with her head still woozy, her attempts to pull away were feeble ones.
After one strong backhand across her jaw, Marco poured her into the chair and easily cinched the leather restraints around her wrists.
“There’s no point in struggling,” he said smugly. “Even though your friends are knocking on my back door, it’s too late. It’s too late for you, too late for your country. As we speak, Freedom is already on its way to your shores.”
“You’re harming people who don’t deserve it, not to mention that you’ll soon be too dead to enjoy any profits,” she smart-mouthed back. As if summoned, another loud boom shook the foundation.
“Wrong. Those who willingly inject Freedom into their bodies or allow it to be given to them deserve the life that follows. A few drops of this”—he held up one of six filled syringes that sat on the small stand next to the chair—“and it’ll be your life, too.”
The hard leather bit into Penny’s wrists as she tugged, but she didn’t stop trying to free herself even when blood began coating her skin. Trapped and helpless, she watched Marco tap the bubbles out of the first syringe.
“We’re both going to make it out of here, and you, mi bonita, are going to be my poster child: my living, breathing, obedient demonstration…proof for my clients of just how Freedom can fatten their already bulging wallets.”
“You may as well inject me with a gallon of it, because I’ll be damned if I’m going to be your obedient anything,” Penny snarled.
*
The compound was a damn labyrinth with no obstacles. And no Penny. With Vince’s and Trey’s teams at his back, Rafe charged ahead, blowing locked doors with minicharges as they went from one empty hall to another.
“Am I the only one wondering why everyone’s bailed on their posts?” Vince asked from over Rafe’s shoulder. “Or is that the SEAL in me being too fucking curious?”
“We need to know what the hell we’re up against,” Rafe grumbled in agreement. “I’ve already been buried under rubble once today. I’ve hit my fucking quota.”
Vince nodded. The former SEAL grabbed his team and headed toward the belly of the beast, the most effective location if someone wanted to level an entire fucking building. Again.