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CHAPTER 1

A man with soulless eyes shoved a hood over Luke Sanch’s head, blocking out the private airplane hangar and spiking his heart rate The stifling fabric allowed in no light Just pitch goddamn darkness

He was officially past the point of no return

One could argue he’d passed that point the night he woke in Van Quiso’s attic, naked and shackled But unlike that brutal, defining ly

The hood had been expected What would folloever, was anyone’s guess

Beside him, his roommate and close friend, Tomas Dine, received the saside their vigilante team Jobs that put them neck and neck with vile human sex traffickers This operation was no different

Except this ti in alone

The tread of soft-soled shoes approached from behind, circled ominously, and paused a few inches before Luke

“Welcoht of a nasally Latino accent “Your luggage has been searched and transferred I trust you had no co your travels?”

The flight had been over-the-top luxurious—one of the perks of having a Coloilante tea this entire operation, which included flying Luke and Toar outside Orange County, California

To meet with La Rocha Cartel

The anized, most violent cartel in existence

Sharing the sa to weaken his stance Saliva gathered in his ly out of his league

Whether these hoht his story or intended to kill him was yet to be determined Survival depended on his ability to maintain his carefully crafted ruse over the next few days or weeks

“The flight was adequate” He slipped the tips of his fingers into the pockets of his designer suit pants “And you are?”

“I’ue here… He’s John Smith, too As are the uns at you and your bodyguard”

Funny guy A blade in theHis hands clenched

Finesse, Luke Find it and wield it Don’t be a moron

Posing as his bodyguard, To involuntary facial tics They’d been trained for covert operations by Cole Hartent, whatever-he-was operative But weeks of lessons hadn’t miraculously turned them into seasoned professionals