Yara |18+|

39

VICO

They're taking too long.

"How long has it been?" I asked Kortez, glancing down at my watch but failing to remember what time Yara went in.

It could have been anywhere between ten minutes and an hour and I wouldn't have known with the chaotic mess my head was. Tapping my foot, I ran my tongue over my lower lip and forced myself to stay in my damn seat.

Everything was screaming at me to get her.

"Thirty minutes," Kortez said, his eyes drifting off to the side—to nothing in particular. He was oddly calm, but as tensed as I was. He didn't look at me and I breathed through my nose, silencing a sigh that so desperately wanted to escape.

Why is this torture? She was fine, I knew that.

"Nothing is going to happen," he added, his fingers tapping the gun on his waist. "Nothing can happen. Have you seen him? Yara can easily take him." That wasn't the point.

I dropped my head, pursing my lips. That wasn't the point at all.

Yara is going to kill me if I barge in there and disturb their talk.

But did it matter?

I bounced my knee and attempted to relax, but that was impossible when I felt the way I did. Conflicted. It was easy to storm in there and have the driver swallow a hallow point but Yara would have my head on a chopping block if she was an inch away from progress and I ruined it.

Potentially and possibly save her life, or potentially and possibly have her angry at me? The latter seemed like the best option. Or the only option.

"They're quiet. Aren't they?" I murmured, looking up at Kortez and seeing his hands behind his back and his gaze roaming the room we were in.

He was suddenly fidgety, pacing back and forth.

"We're not supposed to hear them," he said, easily convincing me that I was a paranoid man who had his world behind a shut door.

Was Kortez right? Was it my imagination or had I grown too accustomed to having Yara constantly in my sight?

At the same time, my concern felt as if I were undermining her. She was only there to talk and Yara was an excellent talker. To me, at least.

Alas, there was a feeling I couldn't explain.

I glanced up at Kortez one more time, realising that he still wasn't looking at me. I watched him until he turned to me, the panic loud and clear on his face and the shift didn't get overlooked. His eyes were wide and his breathing seemed unsteady. I frowned—standing up.

"We should check on them," he suddenly said, his eyes locked on mine in a way I had never seen before. He was concerned. Extremely worried and I saw the look of absolute terror dawn on his face.

"Something doesn't feel right," he added. "You're right. They're too quiet."

He moved his hand and shook it, indicating that he was feeling just as uncomfortable as I was. I turned away from him, my mind made up the second he had spoken.

If Yara was going to be mad at me, I didn't care. Rather that than...anything else. Also, half an hour was more than enough time to get any information she needed.

Right?

"Vico—" Kortez called out, but it landed on deaf ears.

I walked straight out of my open door and crossed the tiny hall, my hand reaching and grabbing the door handle quicker than I realised. My eyes glanced over the room, expecting to find Yara sitting down and instead, I felt my insides drop.

For a brief moment, I was in a state of absolute disbelief.

My blood had ran cold and with my fingers still on the handle, I felt my fist tighten until my knuckles turned white.

The room was empty.

Not a single fucking soul in sight.

Nothing.

Her chair was empty. His chair was empty.

Quickly snapping back into reality, I called for Kortez. When he came running and saw the empty room, he paused.

"What do you need me to do?" he asked hurriedly, his gun already out and cocked mid-air.

"Have everybody on duty block all exits," I told him, his slightly confused face doing nothing at easing my frustration. In fact, it made it worse. "Now, Kortez." At the sound of my voice, Kortez nodded and ran out—yelling out orders in both Spanish and English.

The panic I felt was unreal. Beyond comprehension. Where the fuck were they?

Where could they have gone? Did he take her? Did she take him? Nothing made sense. He was tied. How did he get loose? Did...she untie him?

What was happening and why did my chest feel as tight as it did?

They were two feet away. I didn't understand. The room they were in had another door. A door that stayed locked and untouched. It led through a flight of stairs and through a double floor door heading outside.

It was always...locked.

I rushed across the room, zeroing in on the door as if it were my target and with one twist of my hand, I found that it was open. Very much unlocked—but closed.

"Why the fuck isn't this door locked?" I asked Kortez, watching him run back in and confirm that he had followed through with the order.

I opened it, stepping outside and seeing nothing but a dark backyard. Again, I looked at him when he didn't respond. His eyes were wide and I stared at him, my face hard and my heart unrelentingly beating in my chest.

There was only one person who had that key.

"Kortez," I said boldly, my jaw ticking. Sounds of my men searching for her in the background felt a distance away when I had hot anger pumping through my veins.

"I asked you a question, Kortez," I murmured, my voice slow. The door wasn't broken down. Or had signs of a struggle. No, it was simply unlocked with a key.

"Do you want to stand here and ask questions or do you want to get out there and find Yara?" he asked, running his hand through his hair as he paced back and forth—again.

Looking at him, I felt my panic and anger morphing together to form a feeling I couldn't make sense of. All I knew was that someone was going to be killed.

I needed to find her.

And I needed to keep a close eye on Kortez too.

• • •

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