The energy drained from my body, and I slumped into his chest, my hands coiled into his black shirt. I didn’t want to leave without Ryker, but Noah was right. There’s nothing I could do to help him except do what he asked and get out of his way.
Chapter Ten
Ryker
With my gun pointed in the center of Enrique’s Alvarez’s chest, I pulled the trigger.
Click.
And…nothing.
I was out of ammunition.
Fucking hell.
Enrique tipped his head to the sky and howled like a coyote. “I’ve got this,” he said to the men next to him. Go take care of my dad.” He waved his high-powered rifle over my head. “The helicopter is leaving without you. Should I shoot it down?”
I eyed his rifle. It wouldn’t come close. “That’s not happening.”
He shrugged. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’ll settle for killing you instead.”
“You can try,” I answered. I kept my voice steady even as nerves zigzagged through my body like a plasma ball.
“It’s only fair. You tried to kill me last week. Now I’ll return the favor, but unlike you, I’ll actually succeed.” He angled his chin to the side. “I already had some fun with your woman over the past few days, but I’m happy to show you some love too.” He pointed his gun at my foot. “I think I’ll start with your feet so you can’t go anywhere. Then, I’ll take my time. You know, make a real production of the whole thing. Maybe I’ll burn a letter A into your arm so you match her.”
Pain wailed through my chest. My blood ran cold. I glowered. “What the fuck did you say?”
“I guess you didn’t look at her too closely.” He shook his head, his dark eyebrows raised. “I branded your whore. You won’t live long enough to appreciate it, but you’ll die knowing I’ve marked her as property of the Alvarez Cartel. You may have rescued her, but she’ll remember me for the rest of her life. This question is…will she remember you in a couple of years?”
My heart detonated like a grenade inside my chest. I didn’t think. I couldn’t think. Everything turned red. Rage fueled my body. I charged forward. My fist collided with his chin, and my knuckles scraped across his teeth.
Crack.
He stumbled backward, cupping the side of his face. I didn’t give him the chance to retaliate. I circled my arms around his body and tackled him. Air exploded out of my lungs as we hit the ground.
I crawled up his body, pounding his face over and over until ribbons of blood gushed from his mouth and nose. With every hit, I relished his grunts of pain and the way his eyes went from alert to glazed.
Then, he slipped a knife from his pocket. I almost missed the glint of metal as he slashed his arm in a wild arch, connecting with my lower ribs. I grabbed his wrist, shoving the blade away from me. The bloody knife was suspended between our bodies as we fought for control. With my jaw clenched, our arms locked together, moving back and forth in a tug of war punctuated by grunts, groans, and unintelligible curses.
“I’m going to kill you,” he snarled between grunts, his contorted face gleaming with sweat. His lips curled over his bloodied teeth like a wild animal. “Then I’m going after your woman.”
With his free hand, he swiped the side of my cheek, raking his fingernails down my face to my neck. I winced and softened my 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.