Las Almas, Mexico
ARZALEA 'SILK' BLACKWOOD

"VALERIA, THERE'S ONE MORE."

I stood at the now closed door, my eyes taking in the scene in front of me. In the middle of the room were three men sitting in chairs. Two had white bags over their head, while the one who had his back to me was sitting up straight, stiff and obviously nervous. The other two men with bags on their heads seemed either dead or unconscious.

My eyes then snapped to the woman standing off to the side as she glared at the three men in the room. She was dressed in somewhat normal attire, her jet-black air coming to a stop in a crop just above her shoulder. She had a few guns strapped to her hips and a large knife strapped to her thigh. This wasn't a woman you fucked with. That much was obvious. I could see why El Sin Nombre chose her as his personal Sicaria.

The woman, Valeria, turned in our direction, her brown eyes locking on me instantly. She slowly took me in, eyeing my outfit and my face before letting out a scoff.

"You bring me a damn Barbie doll?" She snapped at Diego before looking back at me, "Sit down," She motioned to the chair with the dead guy in it.

A guy, that was standing off to the side, quickly grabbed the dead guy out of the chair and dropped his body on the floor carlessly. I stepped over the body and took a seat, tugging the bottom of my dress so I don't flash anybody.

"Who is this?" Valeria asked, stepping closer to Diego as she eyed me closely.

I stared around the room, acting as if I didn't understand them.

"Her name is Silk. She came to us."

"Silk?" Valeria laughed, "And you let her in?"

"She said she has information—"

Valeria kicked the back of Diego's leg, quickly knocking him down before pulling out her knife and placing it to the side of his neck. "We don't know her and she's seen our faces." She growled in his ear.

For a moment, fear flashed across the mans face before hardening. "Valeria – we need intel. She could help us!"

Valeria pressed the knife into his neck before looking up at me. I stared back wide-eye, mocking the look of shock and confusion. She narrowed her gaze before looking back down and Diego. "She better...or after I kill her, you'll be in that chair." She shoved him away and placed her knife back in its holster on her thigh.

Diego quickly moved away to sit on the steps in the room as Valeria approached us. My eyes quickly flicker to the other man across from me. He was sweating and I could hear his heart pounding in his chest as he grew more tense when Valeria stepped closer. The guy in the chair to the right was slumped forward with a bag over his head and I listened for his heart beat, but heard nothing.

"Ninos, and Ninas," Valeria smirked, patting the dead man on the knee. She looked between me and the other awake man. "This is simple, I ask you questions. You answer truthfully." As she was saying this, she pulled out her gun and started to check it over, "Do not lie to me." She cocks the gun with a snap and finally meets our gaze.

I give her an innocent look, biting my tongue so I wouldn't slip up and speak. Reminding myself of the warning Diego gave me.

Valeria glanced at me, then the other man. "Recently we were protecting a friend in the mountains. Someone attacked us there...who?"

The other man looked up at her nervously, his gaze flickering to me for a second before snapping back up to her. "Era un caos, no vi—"

"In English!"

The man flinched, eyes going to me. "I-I think it was the Rivals Cartel."

Wrong. I felt bad for this man. I had a feeling this wouldn't end well for him. Valeria turned to me next, motioning with her gun for me to speak. "Your turn, chica blanca. Who attacked us?"

I glanced at the man before looking back up, "It was Mexican Special Forces,"

Valeria nodded. "We found the bodies. Fuerzas Especiales." She smirked as she looked down on me, "Now, how would an outsider know they were Mexican Special Forces and not you?" She turned her attention to the man across from me.

Diego got up and walked to stand behind the man as Valeria moved to tower over him. He glanced between them nervously before shooting me a glare. "M-Maybe she was there!"

Diego lowered himself and growled in his ear in Spanish, "You were there, asshole." Diego then glared at me, "Maybe she was there too..."

I looked between Valeria and Diego confused, "What is he saying?"

Valeria looked back at me with a hard glare, before looking back at the other man. "There were outsiders helping the Mexican Special Forces...who were they?" She asked us both.

"W-We heard them yelling – some in English. They were with the gringos...like her!"

Valeria turned to me and I didn't miss a beat when I answered, "American PMCs. Shadow Company." The expression on her face shifted at my answer and she slowly walked over to Diego.

"Los Vaqueros is working with Mercenaries..."

"Those fucking snakes." Diego growled.

"You see?! I was right! It was the gringos!" The man in the chair exclaimed, glaring at me.

I just blinked in confusion. Valeria turned on the man and shot him another glare.

"Can you even prove the Shadow Company even exists?"

The other man blinked up at her wide-eyed, knowing he was fucked.

I wiggled my fingers, "Excuse me, boss lady, I can."

She snapped her attention to me, "All right, lets see it."

I make a show of my empty hands before I slowly reached up and dig in the front of my dress, reaching in my bra and pulling out Graves insignia he gave me. I held it out for Valeria who had been tracking my movements like a hawk. She took it, staring down at the square piece of cloth, taking in the symbol stitched on the front.

"What is that?" The other man asked.

I spared him a glance, "Shadow Company's insignia...Proof."

Valeria glanced at the man before looking back at me, she stepped forward and lowered herself, getting in my face. Her eyes scanned over my face, looking for any indications of descpetion. "Who leads Shadow Company? Give me a name."

I hold her glare, "Phillip Graves,"

Diego chuckled as Valeria stepped back, "Fill Graves."

I gave Diego an odd look but said nothing as he continued to chuckle at the name. "Fill Graves. I like that."

I didn't attempt to correct him, already knowing they wouldn't appreciate my witty comments. Last thing I needed was getting shot by these assholes.

Valeria passed the insignia to Diego before looking back at me, "This man...Graves. What does he want?"

Everyone was staring at me now and I shifted in my seat, "Missiles," I stared up at Valeria, "The ones you're moving,"

"How does she know that?" Diego whispered from beside Valeria, eyes narrowing at me.

The other man glanced up at the other two, "You can't trust her, you can't! I'm telling you!"

I continue to act oblivious to what they are saying as Valeria turned to glare at the man, who was shaking in his seat. "You told us nothing!"

He looked panicked as Diego pulled out his gun, "No, no, no! Don't do this, please! I don't want to die!"

My body tensed when I realized what was about to happen, and honestly, I felt bad for the other man. He was only doing his job. Yes, he sucked at it, but I didn't think he deserved to die for it.

"We pay you well, and this outsider knows more than you!" Diego barked back.

The man continued to plead and beg for his life, but they weren't having it. Valeria ordered Diego to kill him and he didn't hesitate to shoot the unarmed man in the back of the head. I jumped from the sudden noise and stared wide-eyed at the scene before me, my heart thumping faster in my chest.

I watched as the now dead man slumped forward in his seat before slowly looking back at Valeria who was already staring at me. She slowly walked forward, leaning down once more to get closer to my face. She looked me over before a slow smile stretched on her lips.

"Very good there. Well done. There's something about you I like, chica blanca. Keep this up, and you might find yourself on the right side."

Valeria stepped back and began to walk to the door, "Let's get to work,"

Diego shot me a look, one that I think was approval as he motioned for me to get up as well. I shot on last glance at the dead bodies in the room before getting up, my heels clicking on the floor as I moved to keep up with them.

"We're going upstairs."

I walked behind Diego as Valeria disapeered up the hall.

"To be clear, Mi amor, we're not done with you." He casted a glance over is shoulder at me, "Sin Nombre will decide your future..."

Great. So my fate is in the hands of a faceless man. Soon we joined Valeria in the elevator and I stood with my back pressed against the cool metal, my eyes going between the two of them as I stared at the backs of their head. I still needed to find out who Sin Nombre was.

Diego pressed the buttons in the elevator while side-eyeing Valeria, "Los Vaqueros is moving fast,"

They shared a secret look. A message passing between them that I couldn't decipher.

"I'll be in the penthouse with Sin Nombre."

I decided to take my chance and speak up, "Um. Excuse me." I started off softly, maybe a bit nervously. Bambi. Be a Bambi. "When will I get to see El Sin Nombre?"

They both turned to look at me, sharing a secret look again.

"Valeria is going to speak to the boss, now. You will wait with the others." Diego told me while Valeria took a step closer to me, her eyes looking me up and down.

"I have a feeling, El Sin Nombre will be...Very interested in talking to you, Pequeno Pajaro."

Diego chuckled with a nod, also looking me up and down. I gave them my best smile I could, hoping to the gods above that my dimples would whoo them enough to be believable as they both turned away from me, share yet another secret look.

Soon enough, the elevator opened up and I was relived when I saw a masked Alejandro waiting on me. Diego pushed me out the elevator and into his arms.

"I'll be in the ofrenda. No interruptions." Diego told Alejandro.

Alejandro steadied me on my feet as he nodded at his "boss" and he pushed me to walk. I gasped when Alejandro pushed me to face the wall, beside a window. My hands were on the wall as I stared at the reflection, to see some men in the room behind us.

"Here, make her change into this and give her a mask. And make sure you watch her." A man said, coming up to us and passing Alejandro a suit of clothes for me.

Why in the hell did I have to change? I mean, I wasn't complaining because I was ready to get out this damn dress, but I didn't understand.

"Very well," Alejandro said as he frisked me for show. He took the clothes and mask from the other man before grabbing me by the shoulder and forcing me to walk.

I stayed silent as we went, reaching up and under my hair to click the com in my ear. I heard as it came on and the silent hum of the radio filled my head.

"I'm glad to see you alive, amar," Alejandro whispered as we turned a corner.

I smirked up at the man, "Did you doubt me, Ale?"

His mask shifted as he smirked, "Not at all,"

We came up to a room that I'm guessing was a closet and he passed me the clothes and mask. "Dress quickly,"

I don't waste time as I go into the closet and change. Once I am done, I step back out and adjust the tank top I was now wearing.

"El Sin Nombre is in the penthouse. Third floor." I inform the man, as I slipped on my mask.

Alejandro stared down at me, "We'll need a keycard."

I nodded, "Diego has it."

Alejandro reached behind himself and pulled out a knife. He passed it to me. "Take this."

I stared down at the large blade before nodding and hiding it away on my persons. I then looked back at Alejandro. "Why is everyone wearing a mask?"

"Some people here can't be seen with the cartel."

I nodded before reaching back up and pressed my com, "Radio check."

Alejandro nodded as he heard my voice come from his own com. "You're good. Let's head out."

We leave the secluded hallway and take a turn down one full of windows. I fall into step behind Alejandro, my eyes looking outside the window for a moment, taking in a group of men walking around armed.

"Ghost, we're in."

"What've you got?" His voice came through, caressing my brain as my now shoe covered feet hit the tiled floor.

"El Sin Nombre is in the penthouse. Third floor." I answered.

"Elevator is a straight shot. We just need Diego's keycard." Alejandro lowly said, looking around at the other guards as we walked down the hall.

"Where's Diego?" Ghost questioned.

"The ofrenda. Second floor." Alejandro answered him.

"You seein' anything, Lt? I'm getting nothin'," Soap spoke up.

"Tinkerbell, if you can scout a way to the roof, there's access to the penthouse." Ghost addressed me.

I nodded, even though he couldn't see me. "I'm headin' up stairs either way Big guy. You gonna cover me?"

"Always," Ghost promised, and it caused me to smile.

Me and Alejandro come into an empty room and he turned to face me, eyes serious behind his mask. "Guards find you up there – or in the garage, they'll shoot on sight."

I quirked a brow under my mask as I looked up at the man, "What's in the garage?"

"No idea, but it's important to Diego."

"Find El Sin Nombre and let's get this done. Out here." Ghost cut in.

I shared another look with Alejandro before we both split up, ready to get this shit done and bring home the bag.