The Bargain (Vargas Cartel #1) by Lisa Cardiff

Author:Lisa Cardiff [Cardiff, Lisa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Amazon: B00U8ZYO1I
Publisher: Limitless Publishing LLC
Published: 2015-03-17T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Numb…that’s how I felt when I slipped on a pair of too short jean shorts and a too large t-shirt. The lukewarm shower water had stung every inch of my bruised and battered skin, and as I stared into the peeling mirror, I didn’t recognize the woman staring back at me.

Purple circles stained the skin under my bloodshot eyes. Red scratches marred my right cheekbone, and three butterfly bandages dotted the length of my neck. I looked like serious arm candy…just as Ricardo said. A bitter laugh escaped my mouth, startling me.

Expelling a monster breath, I exited the bathroom. I expected to find Ryker waiting for me, but he wasn’t in the room. The hum of a car idling outside my window caught my attention. Maybe Ryker already left, and he planned to meet me outside.

I walked toward the open window. The rusted, three decade-old blue sedan was empty. Before I could second-guess my actions, I placed both of my hands on the window frame and threw one leg over the windowsill. For a few ticks of time that felt like an eternity; my body straddled the windowsill as my mind weighed my options, relentlessly analyzing my next move.

To hell with Ryker. I was leaving. I climbed out the window, hanging from the ledge before I jumped. My swollen ankle screamed, but I kept moving. Within seconds, I sat behind the wheel of the car. I didn’t waste time. I shoved the gear into drive and slammed my foot on the gas pedal so hard I thought it might crash through the rusted metal floorboard.

Clouds of brown dust rolled upward behind the car as I drove over the gravel road. I wasn’t delusional. Ryker would realize I had run again within minutes, if not seconds, but the thought didn’t stop me. If Ryker wanted me, he had to work for it. Sure, he’d probably find me and punish me, but I refused to rollover and accept my fate—not when I still had viable options.

Palm tree canopies shaded the road. Green vines snaked up the tree trunks. Hints of the startling cerulean sky penetrated the green miasma. I couldn’t see a damn thing, but the road had to lead me somewhere, so I kept driving. The rough dirt road combined with the never-ending twists and turns forced me to proceed slower than I wanted.

Second after second, the tires ate up the dirt road until I no longer saw the bed and breakfast in the rear view mirror. The invisible chain links around my body snapped one by one and my breath evened out. Holy shit. I was doing it. I was going to beat Ryker and the entire Vargas Cartel with only my mind and a rusted out blue sedan. I didn’t have a gun, but I had a car.

With one hand on the steering wheel, I popped the center console, searching for a map or anything that steered me back to civilization. Blindly, I emptied the contents on the seat next to me.

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