Her lipstick was garishly red and her hair hung loose about her shoulders.

Her aim, as always, was to stand out from the crowd, which required a degree of effort in venues that were loud and dark and filled with pussy.

Killing always made her juices flow and she had no intention of spending the night alone. She’d discovered long ago that the best way to wind down and relax was to have sex with a beautiful stranger.

‘Time to hit the town,’ she said to herself, as she draped a little red purse over her shoulder.

A few minutes later she was walking through the hotel’s luxurious reception area to the sound of Going Loco Down in Acapulco by the Four Tops. It made her smile because it had been her father’s favourite song and he’d played it constantly at their home in Culiacan. It was one of the reasons he’d been so keen to visit the place.

As previously arranged there was a car waiting for her in front of the hotel, the driver standing next to it, waiting to open the door for her. He was tall and dark-skinned, and wearing a black shirt over jeans. He introduced himself as Miguel.

The only thing she knew about him was that, like her, he worked for the Sinaloa cartel. Carlos Cruz, their boss, had given her his number and she’d called him from the hotel.

His face broke into a wide grin as she approached.

‘I have heard many things about you, Miss Lopez,’ he said in Spanish as his eyes gave her the once-over. ‘And I can see that the tales of your beauty were not exaggerated.’

She got this a lot from the men she encountered and it used to drive her crazy. Now she just ignored it.

‘There’s no time for small talk,’ she said sharply. ‘Just get me to where we’re going.’

His smile vanished and he quickly opened the rear door for her to climb inside.

As soon as they were on the move, she said, ‘So tell me what I need to know.’

She already knew that there were two targets and they were top lieutenants in the Los Zetas cartel, which had been at war with the Sinaloa cartel for some time.

Carlos wanted them taken out because a month ago they had given the order for a local politician and his entire family to be murdered. The man, his wife and their two teenage daughters had had their throats cut and were then beheaded. Video footage of it happening had been then posted on the Internet.

‘The pair have been under surveillance throughout the day,’ Miguel said. ‘They are now at a restaurant on Avenue Escencia. The place is busy and the two are sitting next to a window with a view of the ocean.’