“You’re lying.” The General brandished his sword and hauled Axalia to her feet by her dirty, lanky strands of hair. “Be careful what you say next, or your sister’s head will lie at your feet.”
“Am I?” Axis grinned, though it felt lopsided and strange. “That’s not the best part, however. The best part is—wait for it—Julia is our very own DEA agent. That’s right. As in Drug Enforcement Agency. Don’t you justlovethe irony?”
General Escobar let out a roar of pure rage. He released Axalia and rushed toward Axis. He backhanded him so hard that drops of blood flew everywhere. Axis heard Axalia’s sharp intake of breath. It drew the General’s attention. Before she could react, he punched her in the stomach, and she doubled over, gasping in pain. Then he hit her again and threw her into a metal chair next to Axis. Quickly removing a pair of zip ties, he bound her hands and feet.
“If you’re lying to me, I will strip you of your skin inch by excruciating inch and fillet you alive myself.” He and his soldier turned and hurried out of the room.
Axalia scooted her chair so she was facing Axis. Her eyes burned with a murderous fire in their depths. “You’re pretty messed up. Your face is split wide open.”
Axis offered his strange, lopsided grin. “General Escobar marked me with the initials J.E.”
“I’ll return the favor and carve double A’s into his face so he’ll never forget us.”
“Are we sticking to our plan?”
“We stay the course. Just like Mom and Dad taught us.”
They discussed contingencies while they waited to learn their fate. The blood stopped running down Axis’ face as it coagulated. Axalia giggled and remarked that he resembled a Jack-o-lantern on Halloween. He crossed his bloodshot eyes and stuck out his tongue. Axalia burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter.
The heavy door swung open, interrupting their hilarity. General Escobar, his soldier, and his lieutenant, whose name Axalia said was Alfredo Escobar, one of the General’s many grandsons, stepped across the threshold. Alfredo Escobar shot Axalia a look that Axis understood, and he strained against the zip ties that held him prisoner. The General’s grandson lusted after Axalia. He did nothing to disguise his desire.
“Well?” Axalia tossed the challenge and flashed Alfredo Escobar a flirtatious smile.
Axis cocked his head. So, his sister was aware of her admirer’s feelings and intended to use them against Alfredo Escobar. They could use an ally.
General Escobar wore an unhappy expression on his tanned face that bore no wrinkles given his age, somewhere in his seventies Axis assumed, from the harsh Mexican sun. “What do you want?” he demanded.
“That’s more like it,” Axis replied with smug self-satisfaction. “First, I need a doctor to stitch up my face. I think I have some broken ribs, too. And since I’m out of commission, you’re going to help Axalia snatch our beloved half-sister Julia and bring her here, where I’m sure you’ll enjoy breaking her. And then?—”
“Why do you hate her?” General Escobar interrupted.
“Hate her? We don’t,” Axis answered. “We feel nothing for her. She’s just a means to an end.”
“Whatend?” the General frowned.
“You’ll find out soon enough.” Axis didn’t want to show all his and Axalia’s cards. “Now about that doctor?”
His movements lithe as a panther’s, General Escobar pulled a K-BAR from a belt around his waist and sliced through the zip ties around Axis’ and Axalia’s hands and feet. He addressed Alfredo Escobar. “Take the young lady to suitable quarters. I’ll escort our guest to Dr. Alvarez myself.”
“Sí, General.” Alfredo offered Axalia a hand up. His lips broke into a wide smile.
Axis wanted to smash his face.
ALICEVILLE, ALABAMA
MARCH 6
Miguel and Julia
The morningthat Miguel was scheduled to be released from the hospital, he woke up with a massive headache. He kept his discomfort from the nurse tending to him and from Julia, who had arrived at dawn. As the morning waned and they waited for Miguel’s discharge papers, his headache grew worse, followed by a spike in his temperature and chills, dizziness, and nausea. His new symptoms threw Julia into a panic.
“No, no, no! This can’t be happening!” she exclaimed. “Not today. Not when you were doing so well.”
Julia left him long enough to track down his nurse who entered his hospital room with a portable blood pressure machine. She donned a mask and gloves and encouraged Julia to do the same.
“Please keep your distance, Agent Washburn, until we figure out if Officer Rivera’s wound is infected or if this is something else,” the nurse advised.
She wrapped the blood pressure cuff around Miguel’s upper arm and stuck a thermometer under his tongue whilethe machine registered his vitals. When they appeared on the monitor, Miguel’s heart sank. He hid his dismay behind a neutral expression. Blood pressure one forty over ninety. Temperature one hundred and two.
