13. CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER TWELVE
SASHA
“ N ick. You’re here.” I ran up to him and flung my arms around his shoulders but quickly pulled back when my mistrust of him raised its head in my mind. “What the hell happened? How did you get away?” His face still looked the same with no new injuries so I didn’t think Zeke beat him up to escape.
“Zeke’s fucking crazy,” Nick spat. “He tied me up with some jump-starting rope and tape over my mouth. He left me. The owner of the warehouse came by about five minutes after you were gone and set me free. He wasn’t too happy that Zeke stole one of his cars and said he was going to file a police report.”
“How did you find me?”
“I transferred the guy some money from his computer and bought one of his cars. I didn’t know you were here,” Nick said. “The toilets at the gas station across the street are out of order, and I needed to use the bathroom. Plus, I need a shower, some food, and sleep. Lots and lots of sleep. I just don’t have money to get a room because my wallet is back on the cruise.”
Nick still had dried blood on his face from before and dirt all over his clothes. He was indeed in desperate need of a wash. “You can use ours, but after that, you gotta go.”
“You’re not coming with me?”
“Zeke’s gone to grab my things from the cruise,” I told him. “Things I need. I can’t leave and I don’t want you here when he gets back because I don’t know what he’d do. If you want to freshen up, you’ve gotta do it quickly and then leave.”
Nick nodded. “Okay.”
I remembered I didn’t have a way back into our room. “But first I need to ask the guy for access because Zeke took the only set of keys.” I turned to the man whose eyes were back on the newspaper again, just on a different story. “Hi. Remember me? My partner went to get some groceries and took the key with him. I left the room to check out the pool and use your phone and now I realized I can’t get back in.” This wasn’t the original girl who checked us in, but the man who gave me money to use the phone. Shit.
“Which room were you in and what was the name under?”
“Room four and the guy’s name is Zeke.”
He turned around and took another set of keys from the hanging board. “Here you go, darling.” The man slid the key under the plastic divider and I snatched them from his hands.
“Thanks.”
I wasn’t sure how much longer Zeke would be, but I prayed that Nick would be long gone before he returned. We took the stairs up to my room though I was still a little sluggish being so tired from the heat.
Once I unlocked the door, we went inside and I got another whiff of the moldy odor. I closed my eyes and groaned. “Bathroom’s over there,” I told Nick.
“Thanks.”
He disappeared behind the door and closed it for privacy. The toilet flushed before the shower turned on. I stayed on the couch while Nick freshened up and replayed the events since the skydive. Everything just confused me more. I wasn’t sure I could trust Zeke, but compared to Nick, who was clueless about who I was, trusting him seemed like it could backfire.
Nick had just finished the shower and was probably getting dressed.
There was a sudden knock on the door. “Housekeeping.”
Since I hadn’t ordered anything and we’d just checked in not long before, I decided to lure them away. “No, thank you. I’m fine.”
“Housekeeping.” The man said and I stilled my body when I remembered Zeke’s words. Don’t open the door for anyone. Maybe this was a test. Maybe it was Zeke behind the door and he was making sure that I listened to him. But it didn’t sound like Zeke. Even if it was him, he sure would be angry that not only Nick was here, but also I’d invited him in.
I went closer and placed my eye against the peephole. And there he was. A man with slightly gray hair who had one hand on a trolley beside him. It wasn’t Zeke but someone from the hotel. I still didn’t want to answer. Zeke’s voice was in my head, guiding me. You’re a smart girl. Think about it.
“Aren’t you going to get that?” Nick asked when he came out of the bathroom.
My body chilled and I felt goosebumps. It was like a sudden realization that something wasn’t right. Before I could answer Nick, the door barged open, and I almost fell back onto the stained carpet.
It was the so-called housekeeper who, now that I managed to take a proper look at, appeared awfully familiar.
It was when he smiled that I knew where I had seen him before. My father used to show me photos of his family back in Turkey. He always spoke of a brother whom he had a falling out with when they were younger. This was that brother. This was my uncle but slightly older.
“There she is,” my uncle said. “Do you know how long it’s been since I wanted to talk to you alone?”
As he tried to move closer, I scurried backwards and bumped into Nick’s chest. I remained there, frozen. Two men in suits followed my uncle in, both huge and muscular, like secret service bodyguards who protect the president. There were another two men who remained at the door.
“How the hell did you find me?” I shivered.
“After my brother was killed I wanted to find out what happened.” My uncle looked around with a foul expression on his face, like he’d just walked into the bathroom after someone had taken a massive dump. “You had everything. You were going to be married and you were going to stay rich. Now look at you. Look where you stay. I liked you, Lunara. I may have fought with my brother but he was still my brother and now I need to avenge his death.”
“I’m innocent,” I told him with a shaky voice.
“Your family is big, Lunara. If it’s not me chasing you it will be someone else.” He took one step forward and tightened his mouth when he spoke. “Now, will you tell me where that ex-fiancé of yours is before I kill you?”
Nick gently squeezed my shoulders. “Sasha, what the hell is going on?”
My uncle laughed. “Been lying to your boyfriend, have you?”
“He’s not my boyfriend.”
“We’re not dating.” Nick pointed between us. “Just friends.”
“You tried to have me killed on the plane,” I said to my uncle. For the life of me, I couldn’t remember his name. “You killed the pilot for fuck’s sake.”
“We tried to hurt you,” he said. “We did try to kill that other man you were with. I believe his name is Zeke. Where is he right now?”
It finally hit me that Zeke was trying to protect me. I was an idiot. A fucking idiot.
There was no way in hell I was going to tell them anything they wanted. “What do you want from me?”
“I thought I made myself clear, Lunara.” I hated the way he said my name so purposefully. “Revenge.”
“Why does he keep calling you Lunara?” Nick looked down at me.
“Tell him,” Uncle said. “Tell him the truth. Tell him… who you really are.”
I felt Nick’s hands slip down from my shoulders and he took a step away from me.
“Nothing to say?” Uncle laughed. “That’s fine. It’s time to go anyway. You’re coming with me.”
I shook my head and pleaded. “No. I won’t.”
“You don’t have a choice.”
I stepped back hoping Nick could keep me safe in his arms. Instead, he grasped my shoulders and leaned into my ear. His warm breath whispered words that resembled an order, “Just tell him what he wants to know and he’ll let you live.”
I furrowed my brows and turned my neck slowly to face him. “What?”
“If you tell him what he wants to know he’ll let you go,” Nick repeated. “He promised me that, Sasha.”
Holy shit, Zeke was right.
“You were involved?” I gasped, feeling a treacherous knife stab me in the back. “You did this?”
“I was just trying to help you.”
Those were just words. Empty meaningless words.
“Looks like you weren’t the only one who betrayed someone.” Uncle laughed. “How does it feel?”
It felt like the air was knocked out of my lungs when the knife dug in a little deeper. I couldn’t find any breath to keep me alive. My heart pumped away and kept my blood going, but the blood had turned into lava. I choked and scrunched my fists into a tight ball, ready to protect myself from what I knew was coming.
I turned to face Nick and lunged for a resounding slap on his face, that’s how angry I was with him. “You asshole. Zeke was right about you.”
His face turned bright red.
I may have lied to him about who I was, but he’d betrayed me in ways that were unforgivable. I was only protecting myself. I wasn’t sure what his reasoning was, but I didn’t care.
“Get her,” Uncle barked. “We’re leaving.”
Four arms wrapped around my shoulders. I was unable to move no matter how much I struggled. They shoved me right up toward the man who should have been family.
I felt the sting in my face after his immediate hit. The ring on his finger surely made a dent in my cheek. It burned and the blood rushed toward the pain. I cried. I wanted to hold it together and look strong, like they could never take the part of me I promised no one could ever touch. My resilience. But at the moment, it wore thin like soaked rice paper ready to break.
My attention shifted to the front door. The men that stood outside the room suddenly disappeared. There were cries of pain when a fight escalated. I heard punches and kicks thrown in the air and people being knocked to the wall. High pitch screams filled the air outside. The two men who held me back didn’t loosen their hold on me. Instead, their fingers dug into my flesh ensuring I couldn’t escape.
Suddenly everything went quiet.
“Your boys out here are dead,” Zeke yelled out from behind the threshold. I recognized his voice but he was still out of view. “Let her go.”
“Ahhh, Zeke I presume.” Uncle said. “Why don’t you come in where we can see you.”
A body fell face down toward the ground and Zeke emerged from behind the wall. I assumed he would step over the guy but he stomped right on him and then into the room. That guy was dead for sure.
Zeke noticed me first being held strong by the two men. “Are you okay?” he asked, pointing to my stricken cheek. I nodded then Zeke caught sight of Nick. “How about you, traitor. Are you okay?”
“It’s nothing personal.” Nick’s voice trembled.
It was personal to me.
Zeke glared at my uncle then who had a smile attached to his lips. “Tell your men to let her go or they will receive the same fate as the other two I killed.”
“Once I’m done interrogating my niece you can have her body,” Uncle bravely said. “It will give you a chance to give her a proper burial.”
“You’ve got one chance, old man.”
One of the men’s hands choked around my neck, forcing my head to look up at the ceiling. I hadn’t noticed how filthy it was before but for some reason that was all I could focus on. That and the sound of blood tapping in my ears.
“Everything is going to be okay, Sasha.” Zeke reassured me in a soothing voice.
Sure, Jan.
I felt the blood restrict when the man squeezed tighter. It was harder to breathe.
What was probably only four seconds of a stand-off felt like four minutes.
Zeke made the first move against my uncle. In a flash, he retreated his arm back and swung it forward, throwing him a solid punch in the face. My uncle bowled over before Zeke kicked upwards, striking him in the nose. It all happened so fast that my uncle hadn’t had a chance to defend himself.
The two men who held me pushed me away and I tripped over Zeke’s backpack crumbling down to the carpet. I landed on my injured wrist and yelped.
Another fight broke out behind me. I tried to crawl as far away from my uncle and his men. When I managed to look up from behind the bed, I noticed Nick had disappeared. He must have run out of the room instead of facing his backstabbing decisions.
My uncle was on the floor bleeding from his head and one of the guys Zeke hurt collapsed on top of him. Zeke kicked the guy still standing. He lifted his right leg while the left leg was firmly planted on the floor. The man arched his back flinging against the wall. Fresh blood smeared on the white paint as he slid down. His eyes were closed and he was knocked out, probably dead.
I should have been scared of Zeke but I never flinched when he came over to check on me. “You alright?”
My lips quivered and I shook my head before a light sob came out. Zeke wrapped his arms tightly around me and for the first time since the plane crash, I felt safe.
Zeke guided my arms around his neck and I tied them together before I felt myself being lifted off the floor. He stepped over the bodies as he carried me through the room, unbothered by the carnage he left behind.
“My Uncle’s going to find me again,” I muttered.
“Your uncle is dead,” Zeke assured me. “Besides, it wasn’t him I was worried about.”
Did that imply that he was worried about me or was there someone else more dangerous coming after me?
My eyes closed briefly and the next thing I knew I was in the car he had fixed before. “I got everything we need. We’ll go somewhere no one can find us.”
W e checked into a hotel this time. This one was much classier than the motel we’d been in. The phone was connected, and there was a separate shower, an extra large tub, and a king-size bed. A complimentary gift basket sat on the dining table along with a bottle of chilled champagne.
Zeke dumped everything on the floor when we first walked in and then he helped me take a seat on the corner lounge suite.
“I’m gonna call in for room service because we haven’t even eaten yet,” Zeke said as he sat beside me. I was like a zombie staring straight ahead not paying any attention to him. “Feel free to eat something from the gift basket in the meantime.”
I sat in silence and Zeke made a quick call. He ordered a whole bunch of things that he knew I would like. He then made a second phone call to someone else and offered them our room number. I wasn’t sure who he spoke with but I know Zeke used a fake name to check in with. When Zeke first started I sometimes took care of his payroll so I knew what his salary was, I realized he must have made a killing now to be able to afford all of this stuff.
When I looked down, I was reminded of Nick when I noticed the bracelet he bought me around my wrist. I unclasped it and stood from the bed before ragingly throwing it into the trash. I sat back down again. “You were right about him,” I said to Zeke when he got off the phone. He took a spot next to me on the bed.
“I didn’t want to be,” he replied. “I actually liked the guy.”
“I should leave,” I said, prompting me to stand up but Zeke pulled me back down. “I’ll go far away where no one can find me. Not you. Not Nick and not them.”
“Is that right?”
I turned to face him. “I couldn’t stand it if anyone got hurt, or worse, killed because of me and because of who my family are. It’s happened before and I won’t let it happen again.”
“Do you seriously think I’m going to let you walk out of here?” He laughed. “Do you underestimate me that much?”
“I realize now that you’re trying to help me, Zeke, but I can’t let you get in the middle of this.”
“Sweetheart, I’ve done bad things in my life. I’m no good, but before I die, I want to do one good thing and that is, protect you. I’m not the man you think I am. I’m worse. So much worse. People fear me and you should too.”
“I should go back to Turkey and end this right now.”
“You go back to Turkey, you’ll die.”
That instilled fear in my heart and every crevice of my body and mind, but I shrugged my shoulders to not show him I was scared. “Then that’s the way it is.”
“It’s not.” Zeke shook his head. “You just think it is because you care about others. You need to think of yourself for once, Sasha. It’s okay to be selfish sometimes. You need to trust me.”
Trust was hard to do after I was betrayed by a person whom I cared about, whom I thought of as a friend. Why Nick would do that was beyond me. I had so many questions that I needed answers to but I was too exhausted, in pain, and damn hungry to ask them.
There was a sudden knock at the door. I flinched then panic set in. “They’ve found us!”
Zeke rested his arm on my shoulder. “It’s probably the food or in-house doctor I called to check on you.” He stood from the spot next to me and looked through the peephole before opening the door.
A man walked in and I exhaled when I noticed the doctor’s case he had in his grasp. “Where’s the patient?”
Zeke pointed toward me.
My wrist was still inflamed and there was some pain. I hoped to god he could prescribe me something that’d take the edge off.
The doctor knelt on his knees and unwrapped Zeke’s t-shirt to inspect my injury. “How did this happen?”
Zeke shook his head, encouraging me to lie about it. “I went bike riding and lost my footing and fell.”
The doctor turned my wrist. “Are you experiencing any numbness?”
“No.”
He checked the mobility and how much range of motion I had. There was pain and tenderness but it wasn’t severe as it would be if it was fractured or broken. “It looks like it’s sprained. I’ll need to wrap your wrist and advise that you take some ibuprofen for a few days to settle the inflammation.”
The wrap around my wrist felt more secure than Zeke’s t-shirt. The doctor had a packet of meds to give me so Zeke didn’t need to go to the pharmacy.
Just as the doctor walked out, room service walked in with our food. “Good timing,” said Zeke.
I had never eaten so damn quickly in my life. Zeke probably should have ordered something less on the stomach, but I shoveled the burger and fries down like my life depended on it. After our food, I decided to take a long bath, while keeping my wrist dry. The tub, which was now dirty after sitting in it for half an hour, gave me time to think.
It was a surprising twist that Nick was the one who betrayed me while Zeke unexpectedly was my ally. I knew I needed the truth so it was about time Zeke told it to me.
I drained the tub and waited for the water to disappear before I carefully stood and got out. After drying off and quickly getting changed into some of the clothes Zeke had picked from my room, I went back out to the lounge. He was on the couch with his head down, scrolling through his phone.
“We need to talk, Zeke.” I sat down next to him, grateful that the meds had kicked in giving me some relief. “I’m ready for the truth. Who are you?”
Zeke switched off his phone and placed it on the hand rest beside him. He pondered for a moment, staring blankly at the floor beneath his feet until he finally looked back up at me. “My name is Zeke Walker and I have been watching you for the past two years.”