Chapter 29

29

Bea

T he hotel was much nicer than its drab facade implied. Her fourth-floor room, decorated in warm terracotta colors that seemed designed to put visitors at ease, had exposed wooden beams and high, arched windows overlooking a picturesque canal. On the opposite side of the canal, the buildings were adorned with vibrant flower boxes spilling over with colorful blooms, adding to its charm.

Bea sat on a corner of the enormous four-poster bed, easily three times the size of the narrow berth she and Rogue had shared on the boat to Panama.

She blushed when she thought of what the two of them had done on that narrow cot. Unfortunately, she almost hadn’t seen Rogue since arriving in Antwerp. He and his team had been working around the clock, while she’d sat here, all alone most of the time, watching TV and eating room service.

So much room service, she’d practically memorized the menu. She’d tried almost everything, except for the herring salad with onions, pickles, and mustard dressing, because … well, because she wasn’t about to do that to herself. The pasta was mediocre, but the salads and burgers were pretty decent. Most of the time, she ate alone, but sometimes the man standing guard outside her room joined her.

Five sharp knocks sounded on the door, the pre-agreed code.

Bea tried to recall who was outside at this time. She knew it wasn’t Rogue, since he usually took the night shift. But even when he was there he’d been working, poring over computer files that meant nothing to her. There’d been little chance for the two of them to speak, let alone do anything else.

She was glad to see it was Dark. Though quiet and brooding at first, he’d opened up when she’d asked him about his life in Zurich. He had a girlfriend, Alexia, whom he’d met on the team’s first mission. Bea hadn’t had many girlfriends in her life, but Alexia sounded like someone she’d like to meet. She hoped they’d get a chance to meet. Bea moved aside to let him into her room.

“How are you holding up?” Dark asked.

“I was just about to order some lunch,” she said, holding up the menu. “Would you like something?”

“Sure,” he said, but didn’t bother to look. “I’ll have the burger.”

“Medium rare, with everything, right?” She’d even memorized how each man liked their burger. That’s how bored I am. Bea sighed. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected when she boarded the plane to Antwerp. Danger. Fear. Some level of distress. But not this complete, absolute boredom.

She hadn’t left the room in days and, though her brain knew she wasn’t a prisoner here, it was hard not to feel like the bird trapped in the proverbial gilded cage.

At night, she slept fitfully, her dreams populated with grand plans to escape her uncle’s hacienda . Upon waking up, the only relief was finding Rogue sitting at the desk under the window, or lying in bed beside her, watching her with intense eyes.

Rogue. There was so much she wanted to say to him, but they hadn’t had the time. Maybe you should make the time. She wondered what he would say when she confessed that she wanted to go to Zurich with him, when this was over. If it’s ever over.

There was so much that could go wrong. So far, they hadn’t found any sign that Emiliano was on his way. And while she was sure about the place, and almost sure about the date, there was always the possibility that her uncle had changed his mind. Her and Rogue’s disappearance had to have jarred him. Maybe he’d decided to stay home.

“Would you like me to order?” Dark asked, his blue gaze assessing.

Bea turned quickly towards the phone. “Sorry, just got distracted for a second.”

Less than fifteen minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Faster than ever before. They were getting so predictable with their orders, the kitchen probably had it ready before she’d even called.

Except it wasn’t room service. It was a tall, russet-haired man with hazel-colored eyes, thick eyebrows and a strong jaw. Handsome and clean-cut, in his dark suit.

“Agent Roberts?” Dark took a step forward.

Roberts. He’s the DEA agent Rogue and the rest of the team went out to meet. Bea looked quickly behind him, but the agent was alone.

“Where’s Rogue?” she asked, hating the fearful note in her voice. “Has something happened?”

“We have to go.” Urgency colored his tone.

“What’s going on, Roberts?” Dark asked, bringing his phone out.

“Your uncle is here,” Roberts said, his cold look making the hairs on the back of Bea’s arms stood on end.

“That’s impossible,” Dark said, taking a step closer towards her, until their arms touched. Bea took comfort from his proximity. She knew she was being ridiculous, but there was something about Roberts …

“Take a look at this,” Roberts said, bringing out his own phone. Bea stepped closer to look. Beside her, Dark began shaking.

From that moment on, everything happened in slow motion. It took her a long time—too long—to understand what she was seeing. And even when she did, even after she’d seen the stun gun in Roberts’s hand, it was as if the signals weren’t traveling fast enough to her brain. She stood there, paralyzed, as the man applied continuous voltage against Dark’s neck.

A long instant later—which felt like hours but couldn’t have been more than a few seconds—Dark’s body hit the ground hard. Roberts followed, his finger still on the trigger.

Finally, the fog behind Bea’s eyes cleared.

“Stop!” she shouted.

By now, Dark wasn’t moving anymore. His eyes were closed. Bea prayed he’d just passed out. Roberts stood up, giving her that cold-blooded stare once again. At least he wasn’t tasering Dark anymore. Then his shoe slammed on the side of Dark’s head.

“Stop! You’re going to kill him.”

“Shut up.” He grabbed Bea by the elbow and pulled. She dug her heels in but wasn’t nearly strong enough to fight the bigger man. On the ground beside them, Dark groaned.

“He’s still alive,” Roberts said, arching an eyebrow. “You want to keep it that way?” Bea nodded quickly, gulping in air. “Then come with me,” he said, shaking her in a way that made her teeth rattle. “We can walk out together, nice and easy. Or you can watch me kill him and then come with me, anyway. It’s your choice.”

Bea gasped. The stun gun in his hand had been replaced by an actual gun. The way he was staring at her and Dark, there was absolutely no doubt in Bea’s mind that the man would make good on his threat.

She thought of Alexia, who’d be waiting in Zurich for Dark to come back. She had to get Roberts away from here before something happened that would change the woman’s world forever.

“So, what’s it going to be?” Roberts said, his voice oddly toneless. As if either option was fine with him.

Bea knew she didn’t really have a choice. Back in Colombia, Dark had risked his life to save her and Rogue, and she wasn’t going to repay that favor by letting him get killed now.

“Please don’t hurt him again. I’ll come with you.”

“Good choice.” He sounded almost disappointed.

“You’re a DEA agent,” she said. “You’re meant to be one of the good guys.”

Roberts dragged her forward. “That’s not how we’re going to do things. You want to have a little heart-to-heart, we can have it later. Now, you’re going to be a good girl and walk downstairs with me.”

Bea allowed the man to drag her out of the room and to the elevator, telling herself that once they were far enough from Dark, she would make her move.

But what move?

Roberts had an iron grasp on her elbow.

She prayed that the elevator would stop on the third floor, then on the second floor, then on the ground floor. But it didn’t. The next time the doors opened up was in the garage. It was cooler down here. Cool, and dark, and altogether too empty.

There were only three cars parked in the small space. Roberts dragged her towards a large, black SUV with tinted windows. It looked so much like a bad guy’s car, it almost made her laugh. Almost, but not quite. Because she knew the moment she got in the car with him, she’d be lost.

You never let the bad guy take you to a different location.

“Don’t lose your courage now, sweetheart. You were doing so well.”

“I’m not your sweetheart,” she spat out.

Roberts’s fingers tightened against her arm, causing her to whimper in pain. “Emiliano would prefer me not to damage you, but he will forgive me for doing so. So don’t tempt your luck. Sweetheart .”

Bea’s heart stilled. For a moment, she was sure she would throw up all over the man’s dress shoes. “You … you know my uncle,” she panted.

Roberts took advantage of her momentary confusion to shove her unceremoniously into the back of the vehicle. He buckled her in quickly, then pulled her hands up and proceeded to handcuff her to the grab handle.

Bea gasped, struggling to breathe through her panic. She struggled to believe what had happened—how just a few minutes earlier she’d been complaining of boredom. She’d ordered a burger. And now …

Room service. Room service will come and find Dark. They’ll help him. They’ll call the rest of the team.

Relief hit her, then, and suddenly she could breathe again.

“You think your friends will come save you,” Roberts said, those expressionless eyes of his staring at her as he maneuvered his way carefully out of the narrow parking spot.

“Are you working for my uncle?” she asked. They were outside the garage now. She made herself tall in her seat, in case there were cameras, knowing Rogue would come looking for her.

The man’s lips stretched into a thin smile. “Work for him? What an interesting way of putting it. No, I don’t work for him. I made him.”

What?

“Years ago, you see, I saw how your father treated his brother. And I saw what nobody else saw. I saw how badly Emiliano wanted more. So when the time came, I warned Emiliano that the DEA was coming. Thanks to me, he was able to get away. He was able to rebuild.”

Understanding dawned.

“You helped him infiltrate the US market. That’s how he was able to do it so quickly.” She knew that was one of the things that had bothered Rogue and the team. How quickly Emiliano had been able not just to rebuild, but to expand.

“You catch on quickly,” Roberts said. He drove confidently along the side of a canal, one hand on the steering wheel, the other hand on the stick between the two front seats.

Smothering a cry of pain, Bea pulled hard on her wrists, but the grab handle didn’t budge.

“We would have been just fine if your uncle had stuck to the plan. But no, he got greedy and fell into Rogue’s trap.”

“Your trap.”

“Right. Well, I didn’t find out what was going on until it was too late. When I was first asked to approach Rogue, I thought it was safe to do so. I was sure nothing could drag him back to Colombia.” He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “But people always do the unexpected. I got back from holiday, and there he was, stirring the hornet’s nest. By the time I was able to warn Emiliano, it was too late.”

“Back at the hacienda. After the wedding, he was going to kill Rogue.”

Roberts nodded, unconcerned. The thought suddenly struck her that maybe he’d hurt the others as well. That maybe he’d hurt Rogue.

“Where is Rogue? Is he okay?”

Roberts barked out a laugh. “He’s fine. Probably still circling around, making sure nobody’s following him. Taking every precaution, the fool. Except I already knew where you were.”

“Why would you do this? You’re meant to be one of the good guys.” She felt like sobbing.

“For the money, of course,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone. As if it were obvious. He sighed. “We were going to conquer Europe. It was going to be so beautiful. Now, it’s all about damage control. Unfortunately for you.”

The car turned a sharp corner. Bea’s head slammed against the window, hard enough to make her see stars. Don’t pass out. You can’t pass out now.