Chapter 7 Blair
M ateo called my cell a few hours after Creature left my room. I didn’t want to answer his call, but I knew I’d be hurt again if I didn’t answer or tried to ignore him. He already sent his lackeys to threaten me.
Mateo’s temper and violence only seemed to escalate since we met. I hated him, but I wouldn’t be able to find Bells without cooperating, which meant taking his abuse. Until I ended up in the hospital. That couldn’t happen again.
I swiped across the screen and answered. He spoke first.
“Blair, you disappeared, Chica .”
Hearing his voice pissed me off, along with the accusation that I ran from him. “I passed out. Someone found me and brought me to the hospital.”
“ Sí , I know. Who found you?”
Shit. He knew about Creature. “A stranger. I never saw him before last night.”
“His name?”
“He said it was Creature.”
Mateo made a sound of disgust in his throat. “A biker?”
How the hell would he know that? “I’m not sure. Maybe.”
“You wouldn’t be lying to me, right, Chica ?”
“No, of course not.” My heart hammered in my chest.
“I’m planning to visit later. We can talk about this Good Samaritan who helped you.”
“Okay.” Was it too late to call Creature? I needed to warn him that Mateo would probably find out who he was, and it wouldn’t end well.
“And Blair?”
“Yes?”
“Be ready to check out of the hospital. We have plans.”
Fuck. I didn’t want to go anywhere with him. I wasn’t recovered enough to do much of anything. I just had surgery because this asshole beat me for asking questions and getting into his business.
“I had surgery on my spleen, Mateo. I need a little more time.”
He scoffed. “One more day. Be ready to leave tomorrow.”
Before I could answer, he hung up.
I was tempted to throw my phone across the room, but that wouldn’t help—nothing would. A part of me wanted to skip town and get the hell out of here before Mateo realized I had left. Would he come after me? I didn’t know.
There wasn’t much about Mateo’s life I understood. I had suspicions he ran a lucrative drug business, but no proof. His friendship with Angel Mackenzie, the nephew of cartel boss Salazar Guerrero, meant he had dangerous connections.
After Bells disappeared, I did my homework and spent days surfing the internet to find everything I could about Mateo Ruiz. He liked money, fast cars, and women. He also threw outlandish parties and rubbed shoulders with the rich.
That was how Bells met Mateo, and we ended up at the party held at The Venetian. Money opened doors, and so did her famous parents. Ironic that all the money in the world couldn’t locate their daughter now.
I met several men during the parties I attended, but two stood out as possible kidnappers.
One was Luis Diego, who had a reputation for being a skilled liaison.
He connected buyers and sellers for unique merchandise, which, according to what I found online, meant people.
He’d been accused of human trafficking but not convicted.
His associate and multi-casino owner, Roderick Paul, also made recent news in several missing persons cases.
That was why this was so confusing. No one came forward for a ransom.
Bells’ parents never received any communication.
Her last update on social media showed a video of us dancing at The Venetian and showing off our drinks.
Mateo, Angel, and their associates were smart enough not to be located in the background.
There was no proof we had ever met them that night.
I stared at my phone, scared to trust anyone else, but needed help. I’d gotten in over my head. I tried to find out information on my own, but it backfired. Mateo almost killed me for it.
With a shaky sigh, I picked up the paper with Creature’s information, added it to my contacts, and dialed his number.
“Firecracker,” he greeted me after the line rang twice. “You okay?”
“I need your help.” My voice wavered and I knew he could hear the tears I held back.
“I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
“HEY, BLAIR.” CREATURE stood in my doorway, pushing open the door. “You feelin’ okay?”
I shrugged. “That’s not an easy answer. Why don’t you come in and shut the door?”
He frowned as he entered, sliding the door shut with his boot. “I’m not getting a good vibe right now, Firecracker.”
“That’s because I’m in trouble, Creature.”
He strode forward with determination and approached my bed, leaning down as his palms rested on the mattress. “Does this have to do with the motherfucker who hurt you?”
“Yes.”
He nodded, pushing off the mattress to grab a chair and shoving it close before he sat. “Tell me everything.”
And I did. I told him about Mateo, the party, and my best friend.
How Bells told me she wanted to stay after I got tired, and I left her, returning to the room we booked for the night so we could crash at the hotel and not have to worry about an Uber.
The Venetian was the fanciest place I ever spent the night.
I thought it was incredible until I woke up and realized she never returned to the room.
“It’s all my fault,” I concluded. “I should have insisted that she come back to the hotel room with me. She would be safe right now.” My lower lip quivered as I fought the sting of tears.
Creature’s hand rested over mine. “You can’t blame yourself. The choices other people make aren’t your fault.”
“But she’s gone.”
“Yes. I’m sorry for that, Blair. I know it fucking sucks.”
“I’ve been so stupid,” I admitted.
He squeezed my hand. “Tell me what else happened. How did you end up outside Toxic Tonic? Who hurt you?”
“Mateo Ruiz. He’s the one who threw the party at The Venetian the night Bells disappeared.
” I dropped my gaze from his discerning green eyes, tracing the pattern on my blanket.
“I wanted to find out what happened to my best friend. She disappeared, and the cops weren’t doing shit about it.
She was on the news a couple of times, but then her story faded. Everyone forgot about her.”
“But not you,” he replied quietly.
“No. I found a flyer that advertised Mateo’s next party.”
“Shit,” Creature cursed. “You went.”
“Yes. Multiple times. Hotels, bars, wherever Mateo went. I kept showing up and asking around about Bells. I showed her picture to bartenders and other people at the parties.”
Creature gently grasped my chin and tilted my face up. His intense gaze searched my soul with its piercing color. “Mateo hurt you.”
“Not at first, but yes, he did. He grew frustrated with my questions. A few days later, I realized that his men were following me around during the day. They watched as I went shopping for supplies for my online business and showed up at my apartment. I couldn’t lose them.”
“That fucking asshole tried to intimidate you.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. I think he was trying to figure out how much I knew about him and Bells’ disappearance. But then he got pissed when we both ended up at Toxic Tonic, and I met a guy who remembered Bells and Mateo drinking together after I left the party at The Venetian.”
“Tell me you didn’t confront him.”
“I had to know the truth, Creature.”
“Did he admit anything?”
“No,” I replied with a sneer. “He followed me outside and slapped me when I yelled at him. It escalated from there.” A few frustrated tears leaked from my eyes, and I pulled my hand free, dashing my fingers across my cheeks.
“His bodyguards watched him beat me, and they didn’t do shit to stop him or intervene. ”
Anger blazed in Creature’s eyes. “That fucking bully is going down, Blair. He won’t get away with hurting you.”
“No. You can’t get involved. He already knows your name. I had to tell him when he called earlier.”
Creature scoffed. “I’m not afraid of that cocksucker.”
“You should be.”
His lip curled into a sneer. “That’s almost insulting, Firecracker.” He sat on the edge of my bed. A sigh escaped as his hand closed over mine. “I don’t scare easily.”
“He’s coming for me.” I bit my lip, realizing that it had a more sinister meaning than I realized when Mateo called. “I told him I had surgery, and he said he’d give me one more day before he was checking me out of the hospital.”
Creature’s back stiffened as he stood. “We need to get you out of here. It’s not safe.”
I shook my head. “Where am I going to go? I’m still healing. I need medical care, Creature.”
“Leave it to me. I’ll be right back.”
He didn’t give me a chance to refuse, striding toward the door and leaving the room.
For ten minutes, I wondered what he was doing, playing with the frayed edge of the blanket until he returned. This whole scenario was a nightmare since the moment I decided to go to that party with Bells. Anxiety crept in as the minutes ticked by.
Creature entered the room and shut the door. His gaze swept over me before he turned to the dresser that lined the wall.
Without a word, he went to a drawer, pulled out a second gown, and approached me.
“Put this on.” He helped slide it on so that my first gown was tied around my back and the second loosely tied around the front.
My body was completely covered. He checked my feet for socks and slid his hands underneath me, lifting me into his arms as carefully as possible.
“Creature,” I gasped.
“When we’re alone, call me Balen.” He winked before he sat on the bed, holding me against his chest as the scent of leather, fresh-cut wood, and a hint of spice teased my nose. “Phyllis offered to help.”
“Phyllis?”
“She’s one of the nurses.”
“But,” I began, intending to object, when the nurse came into the room, pushing a wheelchair.
“Hi, Blair. I’m going to remove your I.V. and give you some pain meds. Alright?”
I sighed. “Okay.”
Phyllis pulled the needle free from my arm and pressed on the vein for a few seconds before placing a bandage over the top. She handed me my water cup and opened a package with two Ibuprofen, which I swallowed with a few gulps of water.
“Let’s get you into the wheelchair.”
Creature placed me on the seat and yanked the blanket from my bed, tucking it around my legs so it didn’t get caught in the wheels or drag on the ground.
“Discharge papers in case anyone asks or stops us.” Phyllis placed the documents on my lap. “They have instructions on home care.”
That was good. I was sure to need them.
Phyllis opened more drawers, emptying all my possessions into a bag. She handed it to me before turning to Creature.
“Let’s go,” he announced as he gripped the handles on the wheelchair, pushing me toward the door.
“I’ll lead the way,” Phyllis offered.
We followed her into the hallway as Creature pushed me at a steady pace. I glanced up at him and caught the hard line of his jaw. He seemed anxious.
We took several turns, moving past two separate nurse stations before approaching a set of elevators. Phyllis swiped her badge, and the doors opened to an empty interior. It seemed wider than an average elevator, which was probably used only for patient transport.
When they opened again, we exited onto the ground floor and to a private exit. No visitors used this door.
Outside, a white van was parked.
Creature pushed me to the passenger door and swung it open. “Manic, I need your help.”
Manic, another biker in a leather vest, slid from behind the wheel and joined us.
“Be careful. She’s hurt,” Creature informed him as he climbed inside and sat in the passenger seat. “Hand her to me.”
Manic lifted me with care as Creature held out his arms. All the jostling put pressure on my tender wound and bruises. I winced and Creature saw.
“You okay?”
“Just in pain,” I managed to grit between clenched teeth. I sat on Creature’s lap as Manic covered me with the blanket.
“Shit. We’ll take it easy.” He shot Manic a look.
Phyllis waved. “I’ll be over in the morning before my shift starts.”
“Thank you,” Creature replied with a tight smile.
“Don’t worry. I got everything covered on this end.” She turned and reentered the hospital as Manic shut the door.
He hustled around to the driver’s side and climbed inside. “I’ll try to watch the turns and road for bumps.”
“I appreciate that. Thanks,” I whispered, already fatigued from the short trip outdoors.
We left the parking lot, and I lowered my head, resting it on Creature’s shoulder.
“Anything I can do for you?”
“No. I’m just dizzy,” I confessed. “Tired, too.”
“Close your eyes. Rest.”
I yawned, intending to shut my eyes for a few minutes, but the rhythmic rocking of the van provided enough motion to sway my body against Creature’s. Safe and warm, I drifted asleep, allowing my body the ability to continue the healing process.