When I reached the threshold, he fisted his hand in the tangled strands of my hair and wrenched me backward. Pins and needles exploded in my scalp.

“Where do you think you’re going?” He punctuated each word with a tug of my hair, inexorably dragging me backward.

Hot tears prickled the corners of my eyes. My chest heaved like I couldn’t catch my breath. Disjointed pants puffed from my mouth, bouncing off the concrete walls. Thousands of curses tumbled through my brain, but I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. I felt like I was drowning. What I wanted to do wasn’t relevant.

“Get on your knees, puta.” He slammed his hand between my shoulder blades and I tumbled face first onto all fours. Fire zigzagged up my limbs. My hair shrouded the sides of my face. Whimpers and incoherent pleas vomited from my mouth.

He whipped the gun out of his waistband. It dangled restlessly from his fingertips. His obsidian eyes seared my skin as he unbuckled his belt with one hand. The metal of the buckle rattled unnaturally through my ears. Next came the slide of leather that resembled the hiss of a snake. With a flick of his wrist, he opened his fly, and he shoved his pants down to his mid-thigh, exposing his red boxers.

“No. No. No,” I murmured between broken sobs and trembling lips.

“Crawl over here. You need to earn your keep.”

I shook my head violently from side to side. “No.”

He lifted the gun and pointed it at my face. “Do it or I’ll pull the fucking trigger.”

I glanced over my shoulder toward the open door. Then, my gaze slid down his body, my face carefully blank. “Go ahead. Kill me,” I taunted as I came to my knees. I refused to do what he wanted. I wouldn’t beg for mercy.

Enrique whipped his head from side to side, popping his neck. Then, a smile crept across his face.

“If you’re holding out for Ryker Vargas, don’t bother. He’s not coming for you. He abandoned you, so you may as well enjoy your time with me.”

My stomach rolled and I wrapped my arms around my waist, trying to hold together the fractured pieces of my courage. “You’re wrong.”

He tipped up his head and chuckled. “Ah, how cute. You really think he cares about you. You really think he loves you. He hasn’t done a damn thing for over four days. If the Vargases had my woman, I wouldn’t let a single day pass.”

A tight smile curved my lips upward. “I don’t think he loves me. I know he does. He’ll come for me.”

“Really?” His eyebrows vaulted up his forehead, and one side of his mouth hitched upward like he knew a dirty secret. “Then why did he tell us to do whatever the hell we wanted with you?”

I gasped.

He snickered. “He told us to go ahead and call your dad because he didn’t give a shit what happened to you. He doesn’t want anything to do with you. You’re—and this is a direct quote—not worth the energy or the resources.”

My stomach plunged. The edges of my vision blurred and spun in kaleidoscope-worthy circles. “You’re lying,” I hissed, feeling like my heart had flat-lined.

His hands circled my upper arms, and he tugged me flush against his body, my head slamming into his thighs. “Be a good little girl, and pull out my cock. You need to do something mind-blowing to convince me I should let you live a couple more days.”

“Never.” I gagged as my stomach convulsed, but nothing came out.

His hands gripped the collar of my shirt and tore it down the front. “I’m waiting,” he said, trailing the pad of his thumb around the edges of my sports bra.

“You can keep waiting,” I taunted, feeling reckless. Feeling like I didn’t have any reason to live. If Ryker gave up on our baby and me, I didn’t want to live.

At that moment, I didn’t think I had much left to lose. Ryker told me he’d find me, but I might be dead by then. Fear could go fuck itself. I would have to be dead and cold, my soul long gone from this world before I’d willingly allow Enrique to use me.

Enquire pulled down his boxers and shoved his gun against the side of my head. “Do it.”

“No,” I screamed through my teeth.

Our eyes battled silently for a few exaggerated seconds. Then, heavy footsteps echoed down the hallway, but I refused to tear my attention from his face. I had to be ready for anything.

“What the hell are you doing?” Juan Alvarez roared as he paused at the entrance to the room.

“What does it look like?” Enrique said, grinding his gun into the side of my head.

“I asked to you move her to a new location and meet me in the office. We don’t have time for this shit today,” Juan countered, his eyes slanted into razor like slits. “We have to get ready.”

Relief tingled down my spine, and my body sagged.

“You heard him,” Enrique barked as he kneed me in the chest. “Get up.”

I tumbled onto my back and my head smacked against the concrete. Sweat sprung from my pores and pain vibrated inside my skull. Gasping, I rolled to the side and cupped the back of my head. Moisture spilled from the corners of my eyes. I wanted to disappear.

“Fuck,” I grumbled.

My head hurt.

My muscles hurt.

My heart hurt.

Every inch of my body felt like I had been put through a meat grinder.

“Enrique,” Juan growled, running his hands through his silver threaded hair. “I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but we have people waiting for us. If you want to play with her, come back tonight. I don’t give a shit, but do it on your own time.”

His words hit my chest like a pile of stones, and the air whooshed out of my lungs. My limbs trembled in waves with an excess of fear and adrenaline.

Juan tugged me to my feet by my arms. His fleshy fingers dug into my skin as I steadied myself.

“Walk!” Juan shouted as he cracked his knuckles like a prizefighter trying to intimidate his opponent. He shouldn’t have bothered. I was already scared out of my mind. What happened at the Vargas Cartel compound was child’s play compared to this.

“Okay. Okay,” I mumbled as I stumbled to the door.

Enrique pulled up his pants without fastening the buckle. Then, he stomped by me pointing his gun at my face. “Follow me and don’t do anything stupid.”

We walked up a narrow set of concrete stairs. Light flooded the main floor of the house. I shaded my eyes with my hand as I sucked air into my lungs through my nose. I couldn’t fill my lungs fast enough to clear the stench of death from my body. I’d been breathing through my mouth since Enrique shot Raul and left his body in the room with me.

“Are you sure you want her upstairs?” Enrique asked Juan, pausing at the base of the rust-colored tiled stairwell.

“Yes.” Juan nodded. “Put her in the last room on the left and don’t waste any more time.”

Enrique spun around with his lips pursed. “I’m not an idiot. I heard you the first fucking time.”

“If you heard me the first time, I wouldn’t have walked into the room with your pants around your ankles and your cock hanging out.”

“Gilipollas,” Enrique murmured as he started walking up the stairs. His heavy boots thumped against the floor.

“Enrique, you’re my oldest son. I love you, but don’t talk back to me or second-guess me again. Do what you’re told and shut your fucking mouth.”

Enrique’s shoulders tensed, but he kept walking. I followed him. I didn’t have a choice. The only thing keeping me from throwing myself down the stairs was Ryker’s promise he’d find me tonight. A few more hours and this would be over. One way or another.

Enrique flung open the light brown wooden door. I halted, unsure what to do.

“What are you waiting for? A fucking invitation?” His rancid breath washed over my face.

“No.” I shook my head as I stepped through the opening.

“Take a fucking shower. You smell like shit. I don’t want to have to tie a bandana around my face when I come back for you tonight.”