11. Chapter 11
Ines
I'm not sure how long I've been incoherent but from the stiffness of my body and the splitting headache I'm nursing – where I'm sure there's a knot from the assault– I've been asleep for at least a couple hours. I blink several times to allow my blurred vision to refocus, but I don’t see anything. There’s a thick blindfold tied around my head, denying me the opportunity to scope out my surroundings. And worse, when I attempt to move, I find I’m bound to a wobbly wooden chair.
Shit. I just had to follow Salvador tonight, didn't I?
Despite the unfortunate situation I currently find myself, Carmen pops into my mind.
She's alive.
How can she be alive?
Why didn't she come back for me?
I have dozens of questions but no time to sift through possible answers because two sets of heavy footsteps approach. I would hope they're friendly, but with assault, kidnapping, and tying me to a chair blindfolded under their belt, I'm going to wager they don't have my best interest at heart.
I brace myself when a door flies open.
“Who do you work for?” A male voice booms, startling me.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I attempt to wiggle free from my bonds, but the rope is expertly tied and gives me barely enough room to breathe. “Who are you?”
“I have the same question, Senorita.” I hear a chair slowly dragging closer to me; the legs scraping against the wood floors. I know it’s an intimidation tactic and hate to admit it’s working.
“Listen” – I say, attempting to calm my rapidly beating heart – “my family will be looking for me.”
“Please, Senorita.” His voice reeks of pity, as if to say he knows exactly what I am and my feeble attempts at deception will not get me out of whatever hell he has planned. “I would rather do this the easy way.” The chair finally settles in front of me, and the man plops down.
I swallow, my chest rising and falling as I fight to steady my breathing. "What is it you want? Money? Favors? I'm sure my father will– "
"I know you were sent to spy on me and the other Dons," he interrupts with a calmness that rattles me. "What I want to know is who sent you and if your employer's goal is to overthrow the Soberano?"
"Senor, I have no idea what you're talking about." I summon tears to my eyes, hoping he will see me for a damsel in distress as they slip down my cheeks. "I swear, I sneaked out of my house to have a little fun in the Night District."
Suddenly, it's utterly quiet and my stomach flips. Heavy footsteps march from across the room until they're behind me fiddling with my blindfold. When the fabric falls from my face, I blink several times to adjust to the dimly lit room.
From the silence outside, I’m positive I’m no longer in the Night District and can only assume from the rectangular shape of the room, I'm in the Silver or Bronze district.
There are two narrow windows in the sparsely furnished room, but the heavy drapery shields the view from me.
However, a small gap in the curtains gives me a sliver of hope when I see it's still dark outside.
Meaning I haven't been here long, but it's long past mandatory curfew.
With my sight restored, I glance across at the man straddling the wooden chair and my stomach drops.
"I would truly hate to hurt you."
"Don Rafael." I am in deep shit. "I swear to you, I'm not lyi – "
"I did not crawl to the height of power for a pretty face to derail me with poisonous words!" The first sign of viciousness rears its ugly head.
My eyes dart from him to the stranger now leaning against the back wall, arms crossed over his broad chest. In contrast to Rafael's stylish hair and expensive suit, the second man's black, wavy hair is loose above his shoulders and there is nothing particularly extraordinary in the way he's dressed.
But it's his brown eyes that strike me. They carry pain and sorrow and I'm not sure if he's lamenting what is about to happen to me or if he's fighting his own personal demons.
"Who is he?" I thrust my chin at the man who released me from the blindfold.
Don Rafael smiles. "He's a friend."
"Mine or yours?" I ask sarcastically.
All humor drains from Rafael's face. "I know you are not who you claim to be, Senorita. Now tell me who you work for."
My deception spent, I ditch the mask of a lady of high society and permit my contempt to run the show. "I'm currently in between employment, so if you have any leads – "
"Who do you work for?" He interrupts; gone is the flirtatious man I met in the Night District.
Here before me sits a cruel and cunning Don who will do whatever it takes to extract information from me like one would draw poison from a wound.
"I would advise you to be forthcoming, Senorita. My mercy will soon run out."
I lean forward as much as my bonds will allow and enunciate each word to ensure he doesn't miss a single one. "I don't know what you are talking about."
He sighs, as if he's the one about to suffer. "Then I'm afraid you are in for a very long night."
Standing, he kicks his chair away and it thunders across the room. Slowly, menacingly, he leans forward, curling his fingers around my wrists. His face inches closer to mine and even though I want to headbutt him, I keep still.
"This is your last chance," he whispers. "Tell me what I want to know, and I swear no harm will come to you. I'll even ensure you are greatly rewarded for any information you give me about your employer."
I would be a liar if I said the offer to avoid whatever cruelty lying ahead of me wasn't tempting, but I made a deal with Dona Otero.
Despite what I've done in the past – the blood I've spilled, the people I've robbed, the lies I've told – I have never once gone back on my word.
And if I die keeping Otero's rebellion alive, so be it. I am bound to die sooner or later.
I inhale deeply, bracing myself mentally for what's about to transpire. "I don't know what you're talking about."
His hand flies to my throat and I'm powerless to defend myself.
He squeezes and I gasp for air as my fingers grip around the armrest of my chair.
My vision begins to blur, and I can feel my heartrate slowing, but before Rafael finishes me off, he releases me to catch my breath.
I gulp down air as if I was drowning and breached the surface.
"Who are you working for?"
Still trying to steady my breathing, words fail me. But I have nothing to say to him. My brows pinch together when I frown up at him and shake my head in response.
"Give me a knife," Rafael commands, extending his hand to the side, keeping his gaze fixed on me.
My eyes widen when the second man pushes himself up from the wall he's been rooted to and stomps forward.
He unsheathes a knife from a holster on his thigh and places the hilt in Rafael's palm.
I expect him to retreat to his starting position, but instead, he stays where he is, running the tips of his fingers across his facial hair.
I drag my gaze from his now empty hand up to his face.
Though everything about his posture screams of his nonchalance in me being tortured, his eyes say otherwise.
Perhaps he is squeamish because I'm a woman.
If only he knew, if given the chance, I'd take the knife he just handed Rafael and slit his throat with it.
Rafael places the tip just above my knee.
Shit. His torture methods escalated quickly.
"Are you sure there's nothing you wish to tell me, Senorita?"
Panic trembles through me at the thought of his blade disappearing deep into my knee, but at this point, I can't tell him anything.
Despite his lofty promise of keeping me safe and rewarding me for turning on Otero, I know men like him never honor their word.
At the end of the day, I'm a loose end, and once he gets what he wants from me, he'll either torture me for sport until I expire or mercifully plunge his knife into my chest and dump my body into the sea.
I may be terrified, but I am no coward.
"I have nothing to say to you." I grit my teeth and prepare myself for the impact.
Instead of the blade sinking into my flesh, Rafael surprises me by cutting the bonds around my wrists, before slowly moving up to slice the one around my chest. He's toying with me. I'm just not sure why.
"Surprised to see I'm cutting you loose?" he asks, a wicked gleam in his eyes as he kneels before me.
I don't honor his question with a response, but I'm sure he can tell from just looking at me I'm indeed curious.
"I could slice you up and stain this floor with your blood, but those barbaric methods are far too gruesome and messy for my liking.
" He drags the knife past the slit of my dress exposing my thigh until he gets to the top of my knees and cuts the rope, quickly moving to my ankles, freeing me from the chair.
"There are far easier ways to make you talk. "
If I am to escape, this will be my only chance. I'm not sure where I am, but if I can pry the knife from Rafael's hand, I can kill them both and put this treacherous night behind me.
Curse my curiosity in following Salvador. He's probably tucked in his bed this very moment, blissfully unaware that my life and his rebellion are on the brink of extinction.
I use what little strength I have and kick Rafael square in his chest. I lunge for him as he falls and throw several well landed punches but my attempt to disarm him proves futile when his enormous henchman wraps his arms around me and pulls me off Rafael.
As the Don scowls and rises to his feet, I notice a trickle of blood ooze from his busted lip and a satisfied grin stretches taut across my face. I most certainly will pay for those blows momentarily, but at least I won't take this beating lying down.
"You have spunk," Rafael hisses. "Too bad your time has run out. I might have enjoyed your company."
"Save your flattery, pendejo." Asshole. I spit on the floor by his boots. "I have nothing to say to you."