Chapter Text
When Gloria opened her eyes all she could see was crystal clear blue water around her. The smell of salt water and the heavy weight of the warm sun bore down on her. Her headache began when Lino had placed a blindfold around her eyes immediately after boarding the speedboat. She frowned as he began to place the black fabric over her eyes, but the stern look he had given her quickly warned her not to say a word.
You're lucky I'm even taking you with us. His green eyes seemed to say as he held her gaze before she finally looked away and gave in.
Though he was stern, his fingers had been gentle as he had taken her blindfold off and offered her a hand once they had reached their destination. At first she had been worried that he had taken her to an undisclosed location to end her. The thought of him shooting her or even worse, torturing her before his men dumped her body into the warm water ran a chill down her spine. No one would know she was here and no one would have a clue how her life had ended if he decided to get rid of her. Her stomach had been in knots until he had jumped down from the boat onto the sandy shore. His palm had been warm and had completely engulfed hers as she placed her hand in his and accepted his help. The moment was fast lived as Gloria saw all the men dressed in black, wearing ski masks, crowding along the shoreline. Several of them had large guns strapped across their shoulders as they stood guard and watched Lino and his group approach them. As she began to step forward, Lino grabbed the back of her arm and pulled her quietly to the side.
"Stay towards the back of the group and stay quiet. Don't try any funny shit or even think about running. There's snipers hidden all along these cliffs. You do anything to ruin this, I won't jeopardize my crew to save your ass. Got it?" Gloria could only nod as she looked at the large white cliffs towering over them. She couldn't see any men on the overlooking cliffs but she was sure Lino knew what he was talking about. Now was not the time to act out and argue with him. Her goal was to gather as much information as she could to report it back to Jimmy. She'd make sure to tell him all she knew until she could finally get her hands on a phone. For now, her eyes and ears would have to do.
The bright sunlight made it hard for her to focus. Her throat was dry and felt like sandpaper as she looked around the small island. Gloria tried to piece together where she was but no specific landmark came to mind. They were too far out for her to make a connection to any known geographical location. He had been smart in picking this place as she had no idea where they were. Still, she tried to focus on any geographical features that could prove to be useful later on. It became quiet around them as a small white speed boat approached in the distance.
A man in a white suit smoked a cigar as he was surrounded by his guards who steered the boat to shore. Gloria could see Lino clench his jaw as she turned to face him. He was clearly annoyed and on edge as the small speed boat got closer and closer. She spotted no gold gun in the back of his jeans, but she wasn't that surprised. Lino had a whole army of men behind him and if he didn't finish the job, she was sure there were plenty of people loyal to him who could take care of whatever he needed.
"Don Salazar" he stepped forward to greet the fat old man with a firm handshake. "Esparza, you picked a good location. I'm actually impressed. The gringos have been tracking me for quite a while. The Americans are so far up my ass, trade hasn't been as smooth lately, but I'm sure you can understand." "Your shipments are 2 weeks late. I'm not a patient man, Salazar. You fuck with my money, I could care less about that sob story of why you can't deliver on what you promised." The old man only laughed in return and continued to puff on the edge of the worn out cigar.
"I'm going to need another week. She must be new. If you let me have her, I could double the shipments and the money." Gloria tensed and could feel her skin crawl as the old man shamelessly looked her up and down. His eyes were glued onto her as he stared at her body. Not only was she worried about this old pervert, but what worried her more was what Lino would do. She glanced at him nervously but couldn't read his emotions as he stood calmly with his arms crossed across his broad chest. Would Lino really hand her over to this disgusting old man? She was scared he would as he clearly seemed to hate her for what had happened between them at Saucedo's after party.
"Como te llamas, muneca" (what is your name,doll)
As the old man stepped towards her, she felt a strong arm encircle her waist. His warm hand lay flat against her stomach as he pushed her behind him.
"Her name isn't any of your concern. Where the fuck is my money, old man? Asking me for another week, consider it fucking denied. You think my shipments and time are a joke?"
Before the old man could respond or plead his case, Gloria froze as she felt the splatter of blood on her face. The man before her stared at her in shock as the life left his wounded body. She felt frozen as his body toppled back and fell to the ground. The once great and powerful Don Salazar now lay dead at their feet, along with his empire. While Lino hadn't pulled the trigger, one of his men did, he had reaped the benefits of the entire exchange.
"Let's pack all of this up, putitos. Throw that old fuck into the ocean where the sharks can have a snack. I don't want Gomez on my ass for this too."
Gloria could only watch silently as all the men around her began to silently and efficiently pack weapons and supplies into duffel bags. They all waited their turn to board, while a large luxurious ship approached them and waited near the shoreline for them.
"Grab a bag and don't just stand there." Lino told her as he pointed to a smaller bag in front of her while he grabbed the larger one next to it and swung it up on a shoulder that looked way too good in a black shirt.
"Why did you kill him? What happens to all of his men? Won't they retaliate for what just happened?" Lino only glanced at her briefly as he busied himself with the weapons in front of him, dismantling and quickly packing the magazines.
"Why do you think? Piece of shit was late with the money. He was already 2 weeks behind. That's the way this works. It's a dog eat dog world. An eye for an eye. His men now work for me. If their boss doesn't make money, they won't eat either."
The feel of his hand on her face stopped Gloria from gathering the bags. She turned to face him and looked back at him nervously as he leaned toward her where he could be close to her ear. The subtle brush of his lips against her neck made her shiver and pull back.
"If for any reason, you think that what I did back there was because of you, then you're fucking playing yourself. The CIA may own your ass out there, but in this world you belong to me. You rat about this to any of your friends in the CIA, I will go after everyone and everything you love. And then I'll deal with you myself."
"Why don't you just kill me then and get it over with already? What do you want from me. What are you doing?" She asked him as she gritted her teeth in anger and stepped closer to him. His sly smile only infuriated her further.
"You only brought me back so you could use me and control me. That's all you've wanted from day one. Maybe you should get out more and find a nice girl to give you some attention and take that stick out of your ass." She knew she was being beyond childish but Gloria was done being sensible and mature about the entire situation. It had been a long day, coupled with the intense heat and hunger, she had also just witnessed a man being murdered right in front of her. She was done giving two shits about what the consequences could be.
"I suggest you be quiet. I don't beg for pussy. You know how many women I could have? How many throw themselves at me left and right every night? You're the last thing I would want. Be quiet, you stupid little girl." He towered over her as he took a step closer to her. Gloria could only laugh bitterly. She may have despised him, but his comment had stung. She felt angry at herself for even caring about his slight rejection. Since when did it bother her what Lino Esparza thought of her and what his preferences were? The effect he seemed to have on her only infuriated her further.
"Yea, fuck you too." She mumbled under her breath but he had somehow heard the comment.
She felt dizzy as she found herself pressed up against the rocky wall that surrounded the shoreline around them. The feel of Lino roughly pressing himself against her bottom made her flush. He was hard and she could feel him against her. His cologne invaded her senses and made her feel dizzy. As much as she despised him, a part of her felt excited and anxious at how close he was to her.
"If I wanted to take you, I would've that night back in that house. The day will come when you'll beg for me to fuck you, like I begged you not to pull that trigger on that night. And when that day comes, I'll make sure you beg like you've never begged in your life.” Gloria felt her face grow warm as he pressed his chest against her back. “Want to say alive? Then I suggest you keep quiet and do as I say with these shipments. Don't try to fuck with me Gloria because I will give you what you can't handle. You understand?" Gloria could only nod as she felt his hand lightly brush against her arm before he released her and let her get back to work.
She would play his game.
For now.