Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

February 7 th

12:02 A.M.

This had sounded a whole lot easier to do in theory than it turned out to be in practice.

Ella had assumed the dinner with Raul would be a relatively brief affair. She’d wear the dress he chose for her, something a whole lot more revealing than she was used to but she hadn't made a fuss, just put it on and tried not to think about how it barely covered her backside and was low enough cut that part of her breasts were on display for all to see. She’d sit with him at the table in the grand dining room and eat a meal, doing her best not to worry with each bite that she was being poisoned.

Then that would be that.

He’d send her back up to her room until morning, or perhaps take her straight to a lab and make her get right to work.

Either of those options she could have coped with.

Barely, but knowing she wasn’t alone anymore would have given her the strength to do what she needed to do.

Only that wasn’t what had happened.

Dinner turned out to be a big affair with a dozen other guests and was still going hours later.

The worst part was that Miguel was nowhere in sight.

She knew he was out there somewhere, watching over her as best he could while still maintaining his cover as one of Raul’s guards. Ella hadn't asked how he’d made it onto the estate or how he got the guard’s outfit. She didn't want to know the details, and besides, her mind could easily imagine the answer. He’d killed one of them because he’d been following her and wondered if she was going to lead him right to the weapons trafficker.

And she had.

Just not in the way he probably thought she would.

It didn't bother her that he’d killed another man, he was a SEAL, it was part of his job, and besides, the two men he’d killed first had been about to rape her, and whoever he killed to steal their spot on the team was going to wind up saving not just her life but her family’s, too.

Ella was glad he was there she just wished he was right beside her instead of off somewhere else.

Maybe if Miguel was right by her side, Raul would stop giving her those heated gazes that made her blood turn to ice. He kept using every excuse to touch her as well and it took all her mental willpower to keep from shying away each time his hand came toward her.

The dealer’s touch made her nauseous, but earlier, in the bedroom upstairs, when Miguel had touched her, held her, and gently cleaned the blisters on her feet, it had soothed her racing heartbeat and filled her with calm and confidence.

Now she needed another hit of that secure feeling only Miguel could bring her.

Too bad he wasn’t there to give it to her.

Heat flushed her cheeks as she thought about what else she’d love for Miguel to give her. He’d been the star of more than one fantasy over the last several weeks, and if her life hadn't so drastically fallen apart, she might have seen if he could turn all those dreams into reality.

But right now, it was hard enough holding onto some semblance of sanity. She had no leftover energy to imagine sharing a bed with a man like Miguel.

“Ella, darling,” Raul drawled, and she couldn’t help a small shiver at the way he said her name. There was beginning to be a hint of possessiveness to it, and she had a sinking feeling that she knew what his plans were for her once she gave him the formula he wanted, and it wasn’t killing her.

It was something worse.

Because being kept as a toy for a notorious weapons trafficker was a fate worse than death.

“Would you like to dance?” Raul asked.

A no almost came bursting out before she could stop it. Somehow, she managed to keep control of her mouth because turning down a man like Raul at what seemed to be some sort of dinner party even though she had no idea who any of the guests were, was a recipe for disaster. All she needed to do was play the game for a little longer until whoever the new team was who was coming in there to capture Raul arrived.

She could do that.

Maybe.

Hopefully.

Had to.

This wasn’t just about her, other people were counting on her. Not just her family, and not just her team, but lots of innocent people would be hurt if Raul continued to stay free, continued dealing in weapons, and selling them to people he knew were going to use them to kill thousands.

Failing here wasn’t an option.

“Can I just pop to the bathroom first?” she asked, running the tip of her tongue over her bottom lip and realizing too late her mistake as she watched Raul’s hungry gaze follow the movement.

“Be quick,” he answered, waving a dismissive hand at her.

Yeah right .

She was going to take as long as she felt she could get away with. Maybe Miguel was close enough that he’d see her slip away and make contact with her. Ella could really do with a little infusion of Miguel’s magic right about now. Especially if she was going to have to go back out there and dance with Raul.

Dancing meant letting him touch her.

Intimately.

While wearing this dress that all but left her on display.

Without a major infusion of the calm and confidence Miguel seemed to be able to bring her, she had no idea how she was going to endure that.

It was weird, she thought as she found the downstairs bathroom and pushed inside, drawing in a deep breath as she was enveloped with quiet and privacy, because Miguel had come there intending to take her into custody, and yet, he had believed in her so easily.

Easier it seemed than her own team did.

Pain lanced her chest as she thought of the three women she loved like sisters believing even for one second that she would betray them. Ella felt so conflicted, she knew she’d made herself look guilty, and yet, at the same time, she kept wondering how her team could believe she was guilty. When Scarlett had been set up all of them had known without a sliver of doubt that she was innocent. Why hadn't her friends afforded her the same benefit of the doubt?

Knowing that even if Miguel’s plan worked and they made it out of there alive and back home, her life would never be the same again left her feeling empty. She’d been prepared to face prison time if it meant her family were alive, but she’d never truly considered the fact that Prey would believe she was guilty.

Ella was so lost in thought, grieving the loss of the people she considered to be family, that she didn't realize anyone was in the bathroom as she came out of the toilet stall until it was too late.

Until she’d been shoved up against the wall.

A hand clamped over her mouth, muffling her scream as it tried to escape.

It was one of the guards and she didn't even have to look at him to know he was drunk, she could smell the alcohol on his breath as his face loomed above hers.

“Pretty hair,” he mumbled as his free hand tangled in her long locks, which she’d left loose hoping she might be able to angle it so it covered her breasts.

Now it was being used against her.

The man tugged hard, making her eyes fill with tears at the stinging on her scalp.

She tried to fight her way out of his grip, but he was so much bigger than her, and he was pinning her in place with his body making it hard for her to find a way to kick out at him.

Still, her fingers clawed at the hand on her mouth, and she wriggled and squiggled to the best of her ability as a meaty hand nudged her thighs apart, heading with precision and purpose right to her panties.

A tearing sound told her her panties had just been ripped, and then the next thing she knew, a finger was being shoved inside her.

With renewed vigor, she strengthened her efforts to get away.

Already the man was unzipping himself and pulling his erection free from his pants and underwear.

It looked grotesque as he guided it toward her and blind panic had her fighting like a crazy person, anything to stop him putting that thing inside her. His finger was bad enough but the thought of that in her body had her losing control.

Which wound up working in her favor.

Struggling to keep his hold on her mouth and get himself inside her at the same time, the hand on her mouth slipped slightly and she took full advantage.

Sinking her teeth into the tender skin of his palm, she bit down until she tasted blood, then when the hand yanked away, she let out an ear-piercing scream and prayed it was enough to alert anyone nearby that something was wrong.

February 7 th

12:26 A.M.

Rage clouded his vision as he slammed open the door to the bathroom and saw Ella shoved up against the wall with one of the guards pinning her in place.

She was seconds away from being raped and fighting with everything she had to give.

Pride for her warred with his fury toward the man attempting to violate her.

Even if he’d been armed with a weapon he could use without drawing attention to the situation, Miguel would have wanted to use his bare hands for this. There was a protective and bloodthirsty part of him that wanted to know he’d killed the man trying to take something from Ella she didn't want to give with nothing but what God gave him.

Drunk out of his mind if the smell was anything to go by and preoccupied with his desire to get himself inside the helpless woman at his mercy, the other man didn't even notice Miguel approaching him until his hands were wrapped around his neck.

The guard fought clumsily and uncoordinated, but he fought, even reaching for his weapon at one point. But he was no match for Miguel and the anger raging inside him.

Slowly the man’s attempts at fighting for his life dwindled until he was nothing but dead weight. Still, Miguel struggled to unclamp his hands from around the man’s neck even though he was dead and no longer a threat.

This man had tried to hurt Ella.

That enraged him in a way he’d never experienced before.

He loved women, he had fun with them, unlike his brother, he didn't go back to the same woman more than once, and it was only ever one night. He’d never felt anything even remotely close to what he already felt for Ella toward any other woman.

She’d been prepared to sacrifice everything for her family.

Including her own life or her freedom.

Even though it terrified her, she had walked into the lion’s den with nothing other than hopes and prayers that her plan would work.

Ella reminded him so much of his brother Luis, who bravely took on the role of protector when they were kids. Who had done whatever he had to do to make sure they had food to eat, who had taken beatings to spare him, who had devised a plan—albeit a terrible one—to get them a better life. One that had wound up working just not in the way Luis had thought it would.

His brother was a protector, he was brave, and he did what he had to do without complaining, just like Ella had. Miguel couldn’t remember a time when he hadn't looked up to his big brother and hadn't wanted to be just like him. Now he couldn’t not look at Ella with an air of awe. Her bravery was impressive, and while he wished she’d found a way to clue in her team so she hadn't walked into this mess alone, he respected that she had prioritized her family over herself, while still remaining true to her Prey people.

Now he’d let her down.

Hadn't been there when she needed him.

Standing there shivering, torn panties hanging tangled around her ankles, the dress he’d had to force himself to let her wear to dinner when all he’d wanted to do was cover her properly so Raul wouldn't be leering at her disheveled, Miguel was confronted with just how badly he’d failed.

“I’m sorry, honey,” he murmured as he finally forced his fingers to uncurl and dropped the dead body of the guard at their feet. Taking a tentative step toward her, he lifted a hand, intending to palm her cheek and brush away the black tracks of mascara mixing with her tears and trailing down her cheeks. At the last moment, he dropped his hand to his side. After what she’d almost endured, it was presumptuous to assume she’d want anyone touching her right now.

Ella’s gaze was locked on the dead body of her assailant, her chest beginning to rise and fall more sharply as her breathing increased to the point where she was almost hyperventilating.

Knowing he had to calm her before she completely lost control if he wanted any hope of getting her out of there alive and in one piece, Miguel nudged her chin with a single knuckle, keeping the contact brief, just enough to draw her attention. When she looked away from the body, he offered her what he hoped was an encouraging smile.

“You did good, honey. I'm proud of you, but I need you to hold it together. Can you do that for me?” He knew she could, but at the moment, what he knew didn't matter. Ella had to know she was strong enough to compartmentalize long enough for him to get them out of there. While he could handle the situation with her hysterical it would make it a whole lot harder.

Before his eyes, he watched as she locked her gaze onto his. When she lifted a trembling hand, he had no idea what she intended to do with it until she tentatively rested it on his chest, above his heart, and he realized she was trying to slow her breathing by matching it to his.

The feel of her small hand on his chest, right over his heart, sent his emotions haywire, and since now was not the time to attempt to make sense of them he ignored them all and instead focused on the woman doing her best not to fall apart.

“There you go, honey. That was smart,” he encouraged, pressing one of his hands above hers, letting her know with his touch as well as his words that she wasn’t alone. He was right there and he wasn’t going anywhere.

Bit by bit her breathing slowed. Her unblinking gaze never wavered from his and it took Miguel a moment to realize his thumb was brushing lazy circles across her hand because he was losing himself staring into her deep green eyes.

“Good girl, you’ve slowed your breathing,” he murmured when it was pretty much back to normal. They’d used up as much time as they could. Raul seemed to be developing an obsession with Ella. While Miguel hadn't been able to keep eyes on her every second, he’d seen enough to recognize the way the weapons trafficker looked at her.

Possessively.

The man wasn’t going to let Ella go.

The longer they stayed there the more they tempted fate. Raul wasn’t going to wait long before sending someone to find Ella and return her to the dining room.

Plus, there was the added concern of the fact that the number of guards at the estate was down by two. Sooner or later, someone was going to find the bodies of the men who had tried to assault Ella in the jungle, and he didn't want to be anywhere near there when that happened, because then Raul would know there was a traitor somewhere.

While he would have liked to be able to hole up there until a team came in to capture Raul, that wasn’t a viable option anymore. It wouldn't take long for the guards to realize he was the one who didn't belong there.

Right now, the safest option was to get Ella out of there, find a place to hide in the jungle, and wait for rescue. While Miguel usually liked to be proactive and in the thick of things, the idea of hiding out with Ella wasn’t as unappealing as he would have thought.

“You going to be okay?” he asked, already running through their options.

“For now,” Ella replied, a shaky nod accompanying the words.

“That’s all I need. We have to get out of here.”

“I thought the plan was to wait here until help came.” Although she said it, he didn't miss the way she shuddered at the thought of staying in Raul’s presence. Ella was smart and she had no doubt already picked up on the man’s signals toward her.

“If they don’t already know guards are missing, it’s only a matter of time before they find the bodies and realize one of us isn’t who he’s supposed to be. I don’t want us here when that happens. I'm going to get you to change into the guard’s clothes,” he said, kicking a foot at the dead man and doing his best to ignore the way her color dropped a couple of shades. “You're small, but so long as we keep moving no one should pay us much attention and notice the size discrepancies. You still have the tracker on you?”

“Yes.”

“Good. We’re going to climb the back fence and head out into the jungle. The tracker will make it easier for us to be found.”

“Okay,” Ella quickly agreed, handing him her trust like it was no big deal. And maybe it shouldn’t be. After all, he was the expert here, and she was a lab worker, but it felt like something huge.

“Get rid of the dress and pop this on.” Miguel reluctantly let go of Ella’s hand after giving it a quick squeeze, and then crouched and began to strip the man. He couldn’t help but feel as though a clock was rapidly counting down, and he hurried Ella as much as he dared to get her into the guard’s clothes.

There was no way the shoes would do her any good, which meant for now, she was stuck with the strappy pair of heels Raul had given her to wear. Not ideal at all for running through the jungle, but he didn't want to waste the time it would take to send her up to her room to get her sneakers.

“The key to fitting in is to act like you belong,” he told her as they headed out of the bathroom and toward the nearest exit.

It worked.

Nobody stopped them as they headed outside.

Nobody stopped them as they walked through the gardens.

Nobody stopped them as they reached the fence and started to climb it.

It wasn’t until they were halfway up that the first shot was fired.