Chapter 18 #3
“Why are you here?” Someone’s voice made me whirl around.
I had almost made it to the house and hoped I could slip back inside without anyone the wiser.
The voice belonged to a rather handsome man in a dark blue jacket.
He held some papers and looked very surprised to see me.
A cigarette dangled from behind his cauliflower-shaped ear.
He looked to be a mix of Hispanic and Caucasian, but given his accent, I’d guess he’d spent time in the US.
A bag hung from his arm, and I recognized the same logo as the one from before, a half a lemon sitting in a grocery cart. Interesting.
“Why are you?” I shot back. I didn’t need some new person to figure out. I could feel the phone that burned its existence against my chest.
He swung his arm up so fast I didn’t have time to react, and he stuck his phone in my face. He tapped the screen. “This is too good not to get on camera.”
“My eyes were probably closed.” I snickered.
“Let me give you another try.” I held up my middle finger then turned my back to him and continued on my way.
Never would I act so rude in front of a camera—or anyone, really—but I was at my max with this place and my job.
Giving a shit about my professional persona was long gone.
If I didn’t act strong, I’d be swallowed whole.
“Be ready, Ms. Winter, because she wants you dead,” he called, and I knew then exactly who he referred to. Esmeralda. I dropped the bag with the peelings in it in the trash by the door and slipped inside.
I heard voices at the front of the house and could tell Bruno was panicked about something.
I headed for his office but smacked right into Armondo, causing him to drop the handful of things he carried.
Stuff went flying, and so did Archie’s phone.
Shit! I scrambled around like I was trying to help and saw two phones that looked identical.
Damn. One had to be Armondo’s. I took a guess and swatted at one of them and sent it through Bruno’s open office door.
I saw it slide under the desk and breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short lived because I was hauled to my feet in Armondo’s nasty grip.
“Ow! I didn’t see you. Let go!” I screamed, and seconds later, Bruno was in his face.
He shoved Armondo back with a puzzled look and then glared at me. “Where were you?” He made a show of looking at my shoes.
“I went for a walk.”
“Where?”
“To see the avocado orchard.”
“Why?”
“Why not?” I made a show of rubbing my arm like it hurt. “What else am I supposed to do with my time?”
“Where’s Archie?”
I stepped back. “The last I saw of him, he was in my room making a pass at me.” His jaw flexed. “Don’t believe me, check the tapes.”
“Armondo, check them,” he ordered. “Did he hurt you?”
“Depends on what you mean by hurt.” I looked away for a beat. “Physically, I’m fine.”
I saw Bruno react as someone came up behind me. “Archie,” he shouted, “take Nicole downstairs.”
“Yes, Bruno.” He headed toward me, and I pretended to cower toward Bruno. I still needed to play the part.
“I’ll deal with you later, but for now, get her downstairs and keep her there until I say otherwise.” Then he reached out and shoved his gun up under Archie’s chin. “If you touch her, I’ll skin you alive.”
“Understood.”
When he went for my arm, I jerked it back. “Don’t touch me! I’ll follow you.” He glanced at Bruno then began to walk.
“Everyone out,” Bruno ordered his men. “That means everyone. Outside, go!”
What is happening?
We headed to the bottom floor and then through a door that was flush with the wall.
Inside was a cold room full of canned goods.
I glanced at the pickles, onions, pears, and pepper sauce that were all stored neatly in sealed jars.
The labels were all easy to read; someone had very neat printing.
It reminded me of the cold room the sisters had at the orphanage where I’d grown up.
I was often sent down there to get things for the sisters when they cooked.
I loved to open those jars and help with the cooking.
Archie leaned against the wall and rubbed his head.
I wondered if he was suffering from a hangover.
I hoped so. I spotted a metal chair and table, and I hooked the back of the chair and pulled it so it scraped across the concrete floor.
It sounded like nails on a chalkboard, and he grabbed his head.
Instantly, something dark came over me, and I saw my opportunity.
I leaned my hip into the table, and when it scraped against the floor, his eyes flicked to it, and I lifted the chair and swung it at his head with all my might.
He screamed in pain, and I swung it back and rammed the leg of it straight into the top of his head.
The vibration of the impact made the pieces of orange in my stomach try to come back up.
I might fantasize about killing the men who hurt me in life, but it was a completely different thing actually taking a life.
“Oh, my God.” My fingers released from the chair as it fell, still impaled in his head. His lifeless body twitched, and I gagged. It had happened so fast; it wasn’t planned. I just saw the moment and reacted.
“Okay, okay,” I repeated and tried to control my freakout. I couldn’t afford to lose myself just yet. I knew the cameras would catch me, and I would only have a few moments to make my escape.
“Where is she, Bruno?”
I ducked by the stairs at the sound of Esmeralda’s voice.
My skin prickled like my nerves were being dragged over broken glass.
I feared Bruno because I knew what he was capable of, but I also knew he was attracted to me, and it gave me an advantage.
But I was downright terrified of his mother because she just wanted me dead.
She was smart enough to sense me as a threat.
She might realize I could be close to discovering something.
“Don’t make me search this place inch by inch.”
“Why aren’t you back in the States?” Bruno’s voice was tight.
“Because I know you can’t handle anything on your own. Now I’m having to manage you, and both projects. Give her to me.”
“Mama, like I told you yesterday and I’m repeating today, she is not here. Whoever is feeding you this trash is lying.” Bruno was a pretty good actor himself. “Did you really come all this way for her, or is there something else going on that you’re not telling me about?”
“If I find out you’re lying, I’ll send you to join your father and brother in Mexico City.”
“Mama,” Bruno snapped, “I’d appreciate some respect and—”
“You’ll get respect when you’ve earned it!” There was a pause, and I pressed my chest a little closer to the wall and caught a glimpse of the sleeve on Esmeralda’s blouse. “I heard Eric Noah was back.”
“Yes, he is.”
“Why did he come and see you?” she demanded.
“How do you know that?” Bruno sounded suspicious. “Where are you getting your information?”
“Does it matter? Why did he come to see you?”
Bruno’s shoes squeaked as he moved on the stairs, and I desperately scanned the room for a way out. “I noticed you’re not surprised that he’s still alive, Mama.”
“Nothing surprises me anymore.” She sounded even more annoyed, and I knew I had to get out of there before she decided she’d had enough of her reckless son.
I took off my shoes and moved down the hallway with them in my hand.
I slipped inside a room and saw it had a set of sliding glass doors that led to the outside.
I saw the barn in the distance. The only problem was to reach it I’d have to get past all the parked cars. What choice did I have?
Slowly, I opened the doors, slipped on my shoes, and dashed across the small patio and through a succulent garden. I waited for the two soldiers up by the pool to turn the other way then raced between two SUVs and ducked down.
I heard a man’s voice very close to where I had hunkered down.
“Her breasts were like ripe peaches.” Another man laughed and made a rude comment.
They were only a few feet from me. I lay flat on the ground and inched my way under the vehicle then carefully moved across the sharp rocks that scraped and scratched at my skin.
Boom! A crack of thunder shook the ground so hard that I had to force the scream that wanted to erupt back down my throat.
Seconds later, it was as if someone opened the gate to a dam as water poured down all around me.
I saw feet run by me, and the two men raced for cover.
I hurried out from under the car and jumped to my feet.
With my back flat to one of the cars, I looked at the house.
It was now or never. Wait, what? I spotted what could only be Esmeralda’s purse inside the car. It was open on the front seat.
I quietly opened the door a little, reached around blindly, and grabbed whatever I could from inside the purse.
I saw it was a plastic bag with stuff inside it.
I wrapped it up as tightly as I could and raced off with it toward the barn while the rain pelted painfully against my bare skin.
I heard some people yell, and I picked up the pace and flung myself around the corner and tore open the door.
Once inside, I dropped to my knees to catch my breath, but it was short lived when I heard voices outside.
I scrambled to my feet again and moved toward some horse stalls and hid behind a stack of hay.
Peeling my wet dress from my legs, I hiked it up and tucked the stuff from Esmeralda’s purse into the corset part of the dress.
“You go that way, I’ll check here!” a man yelled, and a tremor started in my fingers and traveled through my body.
There was no way out that I could see, and chances were he’d check every inch of the place before he’d move on.
I needed a weapon, but before I could find anything, the door opened, and with that suction of air, I heard a rattle from behind me.
I turned and felt along the panel next to me.
It was loose. Someone was watching over me.
With a look at the man who slowly moved past a small pen of bleating goats, I took a deep breath and pushed the panel back and ducked outside.
I shut it behind me, thankful for the sound of the rain.
I remembered what the older man said and headed what I hoped was southeast toward the open forest.
Everywhere was Cartel territory, and it went against my instincts to simply run blind, but there was nothing I could do but go for it.
Someone shouted, “There she is!” just as I slipped into some dense terrain.
I gasped for air as my chest pounded in terror.
My head screamed at me to run, but my body felt like lead as I squeezed my eyes shut like a child playing hide and seek.
I knew someone was behind me. I could feel him.
Then a hand latched onto my shoulder and yanked me off my feet, and I was tossed against a tree.
His dark eyes glinted, and I knew exactly what he wanted to do to me.
“I haven’t been with a woman in years.” He grinned, and I saw his black tooth.
Holy shit, it was the same guy from the car when I was brought here.
“You got my brother Nando killed, and for that, chica, you’ll pay.
” His rough hand shoved up my wet dress as I clawed at his chest, but he was too strong.
“No!” I hissed. The fear of adding more men to the moment was enough for me to hold back any screams. “Get off of me!”
He hooked his nasty fingers into my panties, and I had to turn my head to the side as his nasty breath found me.
My mind started to shut down as he pressed his disgusting body against mine.
He ran his tongue down my cheek, and I kicked into survival mode.
I tore at him like a wild thing. Tears of terror burned down my cheeks and mixed with the rain.
This isn’t happening, I won’t be a victim, I can’t do this.
Suddenly, the weight of the man left me as a pair of hands wrapped around his neck, and a loud snap made me stop fighting as he was flung to the side. I desperately pulled my dress down and scrambled back to see Paul standing in front of me in his fatigues.
“Paul?”