CUBAN HIRE (CARTEL GXG)

TOOTH AND NAIL

Olivia's head throbbed with a relentless, piercing ring as she came to, her eyes heavy and unfocused, swimming through layers of darkness. She groaned softly, feeling a sting at her wrists where rough rope cut into her skin, binding her hands behind her back. As she shifted, the raw scrape of the rope bit deeper into her wrists, and she let out a soft whimper, her breaths shaky and shallow as the full weight of her predicament started to settle.

"Yo, she's awake," a man's voice rumbled from somewhere nearby, his words barely breaking through the haze of disorientation in her mind. She struggled to remember, but her thoughts swam through fog. Flashes returned in fractured pieces: the side of the road, her car door swinging open, a rough hand grabbing her shoulder, something thick and smothering pressed over her mouth. She'd fought back, kicking wildly, her fists pounding against the grip that pulled her. But then the smell had overwhelmed her senses, her vision dimming, and after that, darkness.

"Where... where am I?" she managed, voice faint as she forced her head to lift, eyes struggling to focus on the blurred figure in front of her. A pair of polished black shoes stepped closer, and slowly the figure above her came into view—a man crouched down, face shadowed yet distinctly cold.

"You're in a warehouse," he replied coolly, his tone laced with a casual cruelty. He leaned closer, his face inches from hers as he smirked. "Your little friend Carmen was kind enough to let us in on some secrets. She says your wife moves some of the best merchandise into Miami... quite the operation, from what we hear."

"What are you talking about?" Olivia rasped, her head swimming as she tried to process his words. The name Carmen felt like a cruel twist; someone she barely trusted had betrayed her, and with that betrayal came something much worse.

"Cocaine, Olivia. Two million dollars' worth of it, every week. And we'd like our share." He grinned, his face twisting with sadistic amusement. "All that money and power... seems only fair to spread the wealth around."

"You're insane," Olivia shot back, her voice low and ragged, her chin trembling as she fought the pain throbbing in her head. She took a deep breath, her heart racing as she kept her eyes on the floor, swallowing her fear. "You have no idea who you're dealing with. Or the mistake you just made by taking me."

"Oh, we're aware," he sneered, leaning back just enough to tower over her. "But let's be real. The only way you're leaving here is if we get what we came for." He turned on his heel, his footsteps echoing as he paced slowly around her. "Or else... your wife might have one less problem to worry about."

Olivia's jaw tightened, her pulse hammering as she fought the grogginess still clouding her mind. "You don't know what you've done," she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper, but thick with anger. "By taking me, you've just put yourself in more danger than you can imagine."

The man paused, smirking down at her, but a glimmer of uncertainty flashed across his face, barely noticeable but there. He shrugged, dismissing it, and straightened. "We'll see about that, won't we?" he said with a mocking laugh, disappearing into the shadows as Olivia felt herself drift back into the dark—this time, fighting harder than ever to stay conscious, to hold onto hope that somewhere, somehow, Ezmeralda was on her way.

***

"Wake up," a voice echoed, and Olivia felt a rough hand shaking her shoulder, rousing her from the haze of unconsciousness. She flinched awake, immediately pulling her arms up to shield her chest, trying to gain her bearings. She was on a threadbare mattress, every spring pressing uncomfortably into her back, her once-neat suit now smeared with grime and damp earth.

"Smile," the man sneered, raising a camera. A blinding flash filled the room, and Olivia instinctively curled up, her eyes squeezed shut against the glare. She tried to cover her face, but her movement was abruptly stopped by a metal cuff clamped around her wrist, chaining her to the bed's rusty rail.