Ruiz leans against the wall. “The other day, I overheard my daughter talking to a friend. She was quite upset, so I listened. She mentioned Agent Folger. I was surprised to hear his name come from her lips. But I was more surprised by what she said next.”
Ah, this can’t be good. Dammit, Brian, of all the people to get involved with.
Ruiz takes a few steps and leans over Brian. “She was upset because you canceled your date with her last night.”
The man straightens up and shoves his hands in his pockets. “I thought I must have misheard, so I asked her what she meant. The expression on her face, it was like a child caught with a hand in the cookie jar.” He paces in front of us. “She told me you two were dating. But that couldn’t be because my daughter is young, and frankly, you couldn’t be that stupid. But it turns out you are because my daughter kept pulling up her collar. I yanked it down, and you know what I found?”
I close my eyes. My brother had this thing about marking women he slept with back when we were in high school and college. The only reason I know about it is that girls would ask me if I did it, too.
“She had a hickey. A goddamned hickey. I asked if it was from Agent Folger, and she said yes.” He walks over to Brian and smacks him across the face, causing the blood pooling under his nose to fly onto the nearby wall. “You put your hands on my daughter!”
Enough time has passed that I know without a doubt Ruiz didn’t drink any of his tainted drink. He’d be out if he had. And we really need him to pass out, but luck is not on our side.
“I told her I would kill you,” he continues. “But then she told me I couldn’t.” He stares at the ceiling, then his gaze returns to my brother. “Because she’s pregnant, and you are the father.”
“Oh shit,” Ozzie says under his breath.
I glance over at Ozzie, and based on the subtle movement of his hands, I know he’s doing what I’m doing, working our way out of the ropes. We need time alone in this room so we can work faster without being caught.
I don’t know what is going through Ruiz’s head, but it’s probably worse than if we had been caught drugging him.
Brian finally looks up. “Your issue is with me. Why are they here?” He nods in our direction.
Ruiz laughs. “Well, since you fucked with my family, I figured I’d fuck with yours.”
Well, this really isn’t good.
Ruiz goes to the door and opens it. “Bring her in.”
He’s going to make his daughter watch him torture Brian? That’s cold.
But it isn’t his daughter who enters the room next. It’s Delaney. Her hands are tied, and she’s stumbling as Tattoo brings her into the room.
“What’s she got to do with anything?” Brian asks.
Ruiz smiles. “My daughter told me this two weeks ago. For two weeks, I’ve been trying to figure out how to make you pay for what you’ve done. I had my guys follow you. I was pleased to learn your brother was in town. But simply killing him really wouldn’t be enough. No, you need to see the pain on his face so that lives in your memory for the rest of your life.”
I brace my legs in case I need to move fast if he pulls out a gun. Thankfully, they didn’t bind our feet.
“And after I saw these photos, I knew what I had to do.” Ruiz pulls up a picture on his screen and turns it so Brian can see it.
From where I sit, I can tell they are photos of Delaney and me. In one, we are holding hands. He flips, and in another one, my arm is around her. We appear to be a couple.
“Now I will kill the girl in front of your brother and then your brother in front of you.” He turns to Ozzie. “Unfortunately, you just have to die.”
Ruiz turns back to Brian. “All because, apparently, I can’t kill you. But I can torture you and make your life hell.”
Ruiz walks to the door but then turns back. “Folger, it’s bad enough you played me, you double-crossing liar. But my daughter? You took what is most precious to me. Now I’m doing the same.”
He leaves the room, and Tattoo comes in. We don’t have much time, and I haven’t been able to get the ropes off my wrists yet. I glance at Ozzie, and he shakes his head.
“Well, sorry about all of this. My boss is a little crazy,” the guy says. He pulls a gun out of his waistband and aims it at Delaney.
“No!” I yell.
The man winces. Delaney is crying.
He turns to me. “I’m sorry. You do seem like nice people. Well, not you,” he says as he glares at Brian.
