Inferno (A Hotter Than Hell Novel Book 7) Read online

  Austin clears his throat and the room turns its attention to him. “This is too convenient after what happened to Mak and Cori.”

  Moon’s fists clench. “I hope you’re wrong. If Fernandez has cartel connections, we’re in for a bigger war than we planned.” He looks back at Cal. “We need this information yesterday.”

  “On it, boss,” he says as he comes out of his seat. “Good to have you back with us, Mak.”

  I give a small smile, appreciating his words. The other men ignore our exchange and continue talking when Cal leaves the room. I knew controlling New Mexico was straining Moon’s resources when it came to men he trusted, but I didn’t know it was this bad until now.

  “You really need Rack,” I say as soon as there is a space for me to add my two cents.

  Moon looks at me and the other men follow suit. “I know he’s out of the life, but he owes you. Call him and ask him to check out the New Mexico shipment. If he only needs to examine the merchandise, he’ll do it.”

  Alex nods. “I’ll call him if that’s okay with you, boss.” Yeah, Alex is going to get his dig in after Moon shut him down.

  Moon ignores the jibe of being called boss and another smile appears on his face. “Good thinking.” He gives me a nod of approval before turning back to Alex. “His brothers are law enforcement. If he can’t or won’t, don’t push it.”

  Alex agrees and Moon asks for an update on Fernandez’s whereabouts, which is what I’ve been waiting for.

  “He hasn’t contacted Cartwright for another female,” Juan answers after giving me a quick look.

  I’m very familiar with Cartwright and he’s a thorn in my side. He’s heavy-handed with his women and he keeps them supplied in drugs so they complain little. Celina almost went to work for him when she first came to me about a job at the agency. Alex tied that impossibility up quickly.

  “How is Fernandez connected to Cartwright?” I ask.

  The men go silent. Moon reaches for my hand. “Two of his ladies didn’t return after separate visits to Fernandez. Fernandez paid Cartwright a hell of a lot of money to not ask questions. He won’t be in business much longer. When things settle, I’m personally taking the bastard out.”

  All righty then. I wanted to play with the big boys, so now I am. “If I don’t handle it first,” I reply with steel in my voice. I guess I can be a blood-thirsty bitch when the situation warrants. If Cartwright sent those women to die at Fernandez’s hands, he needs to go down. I won’t just step out of the way, I want to be part of eliminating Cartwright.

  It’s another hour before the meeting ends. I wiggle one finger at Alex and point to the door. I need to stitch him up. He stands and I notice the boots he’s wearing. He hates them but because Celina gave them as a Christmas gift, he never told her. “Come on cowboy,” I say. “I don’t want you bleeding throughout the house.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Fernandez

  The hit on Gomez wasn’t successful and my mood goes from bad to worse. Adding to the cartel’s fuck up, the son of a bitch who sent me the last two hookers cut me off. Says he wants nothing to do with more disappearing prostitutes because the other women in his stable are rebelling. I smell bullshit. I’m willing to pay big money and he had no problem taking it the last time.

  I need to fucking pound some snatch and then snuff out the life of said snatch to keep my cool. Nothing is going as planned, and Goose isn’t helping matters by sulking around about his dead fucking cousin. The man was stupid enough to be taken down by a woman. He deserved exactly what he got.

  When the bitches escaped, Goose and I were out doing surveillance to see how difficult it would be to launch an attack against Moon’s compound. Lucas had one fucking job—feed the women. He couldn’t even get that right.

  The only good thing right now is Goose found us another house. The dirty motel room was more than I could take. This place was available because it has no central air in this godforsaken desert heat. It has what’s referred to as an evaporative cooling system. It circulates warm air while adding moisture in this damn over-abundant humidity. This wasteland is not the promised dry heat they brag about.

  Goose has been walking around in his fucking saggy, white briefs because of the temperature inside the house since we arrived. For some reason he makes me think of my dead heads, the stuffed animals that populated my home in California before the prick Austin burned it down. I miss those fucking animals and had managed to replace a few at the last rental. Moon burned the fuck out of those too and he’s even higher on my hit list now. Goose belches disturbing the quiet and my thinking. Glancing at the fuckface, I imagine how his head would look on a nice piece of polished, cherry wood. If we had time, I’d visit the taxidermist who sold me the other animals I just lost and I’d restart my collection. It will wait and so will Goose’s mounted head, at least until I’m through with him.

  The only positive about the place Goose rented is that it has no one living nearby. It’s hard to explain women’s screams coming from the bedroom at a motel. Even when gagged, they make too much noise. I might sweat like a fucking pig while humping some cunt here, but at least we won’t be dealing with the police.

  “Goose. Get your fucking clothes on and find me a cunt to fuck. I don’t want some skank off the street either. Find me a piece of young snatch.”

  He grabs his balls with one hand and grins. I almost grab my gun and shoot him. “We gonna fuck her up?”

  “Yeah, we gonna fuck her up,” I mimic his whiny nasal voice.

  It goes right over his head, the fucking moron. With his ridiculous grin still in place, he heads to his room and puts clothes on. A few minutes later, he leaves me in fucking peace. With his idiot face out of here, I call my California connection for news on Austin and my sister using speaker phone now that Goose’s ears are out of range.

  “They took off a few days ago for an unknown destination. Took some of his men.”

  I rub my sweating palms together. They’re here in Arizona, I can feel it and they’re exactly where I want them.

  “Can you get close enough to blow up his house while he’s gone?”

  He grunts. “They have the property sealed tighter than Fort Knox.”

  Fucking coward asshole. If I were there, I’d find a way. I push the thought aside. “Do you have connections for C-4 in Arizona?” This piece of shit I’m talking to is almost worse than Goose. Smarter yes, but he doesn’t do anything without a hefty amount of cash. His baby shit ass is also afraid of Austin, which means he isn’t much use to me. He and his small group of idiots will meet a swift end when California is mine.

  “For the right price, I can get you anything.”

  Of course he can. “Give me a number and I’ll wire the money.” I have off-shore bank accounts that handle my millions. It’s the only reason I’ve stayed afloat since Austin fucked up my life and took my sister.

  I end the call and transfer the money with a few clicks on my smartphone. He’s gouging me on the C-4, but beggars can’t be choosers. I’d rather make Moon suffer slowly by hurting someone close to him. But I’m a man of many plans and if taking out his entire team is what’s required, I’ll take my slow revenge elsewhere.

  An hour later, Goose returns with a hot Latina cunt. She appears to be in her late teens. It’s hard to tell with her smeared makeup because of her crying. I like the tears and the way she shakes when looking at us.

  “How old are you?” I ask after grabbing a handful of her hair and smiling into her tear-streaked face.

  “Seventeen,” she manages to quiver out of those lush lips of hers. They’re painted black and I kinda like it. Blood will look good on her. Younger would have been nicer, but she’ll do.

  “I hope you’re good at giving head. If not, I’ll cut your worthless throat.” I pull the large hunting knife from my hip. It’s so much better than a gun for intimidation. Women would rather be shot than have their faces fucked up. This girl will blow me and if she’s still fuckable aft
erward, I’ll give her to Goose. When he’s finished, I’ll wrap my fingers around her throat and squeeze the life from her terrified eyes.

  I unzip my pants and force her to her knees.

  It’s not her lucky day.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Madison

  Celina joins us in the medical room while I stitch Alex’s forehead. He’s been grumbling at me since we left the conference room. Celina and I grin. We both know what his problem is. Even with blood covering one side of his face, the man is seriously sexy in his boots; he should wear them more often.

  “Stop whining, cowboy,” I say just to get under his skin after he complains I’m too rough with the needle. I glance at Celina and wink. She winces when I slide the needle through his skin and I start the serious work without teasing him.

  The injury is a little more than a scratch and requires nine stitches. Moon went to the control room to check on some new information while I tackle the whiney baby. Neither Moon nor Alex handles an injury well. Doesn’t matter if it’s a bullet or a splinter in their finger. Men!

  When I’m tying off the last stitch, Alex brings his hand up and grabs mine. “You okay?” he asks solemnly.

  He’s not talking about stitching him up. “I’ve been better,” I say honestly. After a deep breath, I cast a quick look at Celina. “I’m worried about Cori. We need to find her a counselor or something.”

  Celina’s hand touches my back and she rubs up to my shoulder. “Maybe you both need a counselor.”

  I keep my eyes on the work at hand after Alex releases me. “After Fernandez is dead, maybe. I don’t need someone in my brain making what happened tolerable. I need my anger to feed what I need to do.” I look into Alex’s eyes and see sympathy and understanding. Both he and my husband lived a large part of their lives seeking vengeance.

  I slap a medium-sized bandage over my stitch job and smile. “You’ll have your ugly face back and scaring the kids in no time.” I place the medical supplies in their appropriate cabinets and then turn to leave. Alex’s strong arms pull me into his chest like he did when he first saw me.

  “I want that son of a bitch too. I promise it will take him a long time to die.”

  I step back and stare deep into Alex’s eyes. “I don’t want him dying by anyone’s hands but mine. I will cut him into pieces while he’s alive. I want to hear him scream and I want him to know he’s dying.”

  Alex’s expression softens and understanding shows in his eyes. “I have your back,” he promises. He understands that sometimes people just need to die. I never did, until Fernandez. Killing is something I’ve done only out of necessity and self-preservation.

  Moon would rather use a single bullet, but Alex understands this need for blood coursing through me. He believes death should come as slowly and painfully as possible for those who deserve it. He also likes his pain to be personal. I love that he protects my husband, but I’ve had doubts about my sanity when I think of what Alex really does. Now, I understand him too. Some people need to die by violence and if that means others won’t challenge my husband, it’s even easier to live with.

  “Would you like to go see Cori?” Celina asks from behind me.

  I turn and her eyes show she’s on the same page as Alex. “That would be great. We need to get her downstairs. Let’s stop in the kitchen and find out what’s for dinner first.” Gabriella has brought trays of food to my room and I’ve all but ignored her and the food. I need to make peace.

  Celina gives Alex a quick kiss. “I’ll bring you aspirin so you can continue with the tough guy routine.”

  He slaps her ass. “It’s only a scratch, but I’ll take the aspirin if it makes you happy.”

  He’s such a… man and I don’t even try to hide my smile. If a rattlesnake bit him, he would claim it was a mosquito bite while whining about his treatment.

  The smell of green enchiladas hits us before we reach Gabriella’s domain. I’ve always loved this room with its modern light fixtures, sliding door refrigerators, and every conceivable kitchen gadget known to mankind. Not that I can cook. My limit is little more than peanut butter and jelly on bread. This room reminds me of family. Our household may seem unorthodox to many, but everyone within these walls is an integral part of our lives. We’re a happy commune. Six of Moon’s men live on the property. The others have wives and children and live within ten minutes of our home. He pays well. The men might not exist at our level of extravagance, but their children will grow up and go to college without financial worries.

  Gabriella is at the sink. I circle my arms around her waist and kiss her cheek before she can stop me. “I’m starving,” I breathe into her ear.

  I release her and she turns around. I don’t expect the tears in her eyes. “I made your favorite, mi hija.”

  She’s never referred to me as her daughter before and tears well in my eyes too. Her arms come out and I’m quickly in them, both of us fighting tears of the best kind. Gabriella is a constant pain in my ass and I love her for all the right reasons. She’s strong and fierce with loyalty to Alex and my husband that surpasses anything I’ve ever witnessed. I’m part of her loyalty and I’m able to push all the bad that’s happened over the past few days aside and feel comforted by her love.

  When we’re able to control our emotions, she releases me. “Get out of my kitchen, chiquita, and I’ll call you when it’s ready,” she says while wiping her hands on her apron.

  I smile. “Cori will be joining us,” I say and hustle from the room.

  Celina waited at the entrance to the kitchen and now she’s staying on my heels as we head to the third floor. There are four bedrooms up here. Four of Austin’s men are staying in two of them. Two of his men are on the second floor in the room next to Austin’s and the last four are staying in the pool house. Moon gave me this information over breakfast before I was eating or speaking more than a few words, but I remember. Between our men and Austin’s, the house is the safest place we can be.

  I have an idea, but I know it will upset my husband. If we give Fernandez a target outside the house to bait him, he’ll fall into our hands. I want to be that target. I haven’t told Moon about my plan yet because I’m still working out the details in my head. The cartel is throwing a wrench into everything at the moment and in the back of my mind, I feel the cartel and Fernandez are somehow linked. It’s a nagging sense in my gut that won’t go away.

  When we enter Cori’s room, she’s sitting up in bed talking to Melina. Her lips form a warm, though exhausted smile when she sees me. “It’s about time you joined the living,” she says after I kiss her cheek.

  “Same for you. Gabriella made my favorite dinner and I promised her you would be joining us.” At Cori’s stubborn look, I add, “She’ll beat me with a rolling pin if you don’t.”

  Cori rolls her eyes. “We wouldn’t want that, but I’m not sure I’m ready,” she says honestly.

  “I’m not sure if I’m ready either, so we need to tackle this together.” I take her good hand in mine. “We’re survivors, and that monster isn’t going to win.”

  From her expression, she doesn’t believe me. The doubt is creeping back in and I understand. Talking and doing are two different things. The time for making promises is over and action is the only thing that will allow us to sleep at night. The bastard will die.

  Melina breaks into our conversation. “How about a game of Spades,” she says, pulling a deck of cards from the side table. “We can play partners and pretend we’re ordinary women with too much time on our hands.”

  I laugh. “You’re on, even though I’ve never played, I’ll kick your ass.”

  “Good, I’ll take you on my team. Cori is stuck with Celina.”

  Celina rolls her eyes. “No fair. Just because I’m unlucky doesn’t mean I can’t beat someone who has never played.”

  For the next hour, I feel almost normal. I lay my final trick down and smile at Celina. “Told you that you would eat those words.”

 
Chapter Twenty-Three

  Moon

  Madison is waiting in our room when I’m finished with a few security details. I was extremely proud of how she handled herself in the earlier meeting. It doesn’t mean I’m not worried about what she’s been through. Her turnaround has been too quick. It’s possible she’ll take a step backward and hide in the dark again. If I dare mention that she’s delicate, I’ll be sleeping with Two Dogs for the foreseeable future.

  She’s sitting on the bed staring at her toes and when she sees me, a small smile quirks her lips. “You’ve been very patient with me.”

  “I love you,” I say simply and take her hand.

  She looks away, which bothers me. “I need to tell you everything that happened,” she whispers so low I almost don’t make out the words. “I know I shouldn’t be ashamed. My rational brain tells me this, but the irrational part is having trouble.”

  “Tell me when you’re ready, baby. I’ll be here.” I circle one arm around her back and she rests her head on my shoulder. “I just want it done and over with and I know that doesn’t make sense. Talking about it won’t make me forget.” She lifts her head and leans away so our eyes meet. “I love you and you need to know what happened,” she lifts her hand and places it over her heart, “is eating me alive. It’s like cement blocks on my chest making it hard to breathe. If only one is removed maybe I can breathe easier.” She puts her hands in her lap and stares down. “It might not. I just need to try,” she whispers.

  “Start at the beginning,” I encourage gently. “I know you got in that car to save Cori. It doesn’t mean I’m happy about it, but I love you for who you are, and that woman would never let a friend suffer without trying to help.”

  A small whoosh of air escapes her lungs. “They didn’t give me time to think or plan. It was come now or she dies. So stupid really, and that’s one part that’s bothering me.” She glances up. “My getting in that car didn’t help Cori.” I see the regret in her expression.