Since Ciana was a regular at this particular shop, the woman was already fawning all over Bennie, offering him a snack and coffee. He rolled his eyes and pulled his phone from his pants pocket as he dropped down into a chair. One of his guards moved to stand off to the side, being as inconspicuous as possible.
The twins’ security detail was a little more lax than Ryan’s or even the team that followed Ciana around when she went out alone. I knew if things didn’t go the way I was hoping, the guards would get in trouble, but that was a risk I was willing to take in order to save my friend. Besides, it would teach them to be more vigilant.
I walked into the changing room and sat down, messaging Cali that I would see her soon and preparing myself for the possibility of things going south and having to take more drastic measures to ensure my friend’s safety. Vito had taken Ciana to a different shop so she could find a few more bathing suits, which made this a little easier than I’d anticipated. But there were plenty of other obstacles in my way between Cali and myself.
There were no cameras in the area outside the changing rooms, something I’d noticed in the past when I’d come to this shop and the associate hadn’t been able to find a dress I wanted in my size. She’d taken forever trying to find it, and I’d gotten impatient at the time and gone back to help her find it myself. Now, I quietly opened the door and snuck into the back room, where storage was kept—where I found a hat that I ripped the price tag off and tucked my hair up under—and where the employee entrance was. From there, that entrance led to a hallway that would take me out to the main part of the mall.
I’d chosen a shop on the same floor as the hotel entrance, and once I was inside the lobby, I walked over to the bank of elevators like I belonged there. Cali was on the tenth floor, so I pressed the eleventh, then took the stairs down one floor.
There were no guards outside the doors of her room. That would draw too much attention, and attention was the last thing Manuel wanted to bring to his stay in New York City. Ryan and his family had eyes and ears everywhere. One little peep of anyone with the last name Ramirez being in the city and there would be war. For the past few years, Manuel had stayed barricaded inside the fortresslike compound Matias owned in Colombia, tossing out orders to his street soldiers as they attempted to take over one territory after another in the Ramirez name.
But just because there was no sign of a guard didn’t mean there weren’t any. I knew there would be plenty in the surrounding rooms. The least little sound, and they would be pulling their guns on me.
As soon as I reached Cali’s room and knocked, the door opened and I quickly stepped inside, making sure the door didn’t even make a clicking sound as it shut behind me.
Cali’s dark hair fell over her face, shielding half of it from me, but I pushed it back and swallowed my gasp when I saw how badly her face was bruised. As an influencer, Cali had gained her following by doing makeup videos. She knew how to change the entire appearance of her face so drastically, she could make herself look like almost any celebrity. But right then, there was no hiding the destruction someone had violently inflicted.
Her jaw was swollen, and she had a black eye. The difference between the sides of her face was like night and day. One side flawless, the other something from a horror film. The effect made her blue eyes more striking with her dark hair and alabaster complexion. “When did this happen?” I hissed.
“Last night,” she whispered back, so softly I had to strain to hear her. “I begged him to let me see Matias, and he punched me.”
The anger that had already been boiling in my veins only grew hotter. “Cali.”
“I know,” she sobbed, then quickly swallowed her tears. “I have to get out of here, Nova. If Matias dies, Manuel will kill me. Or worse…” She shuddered, her face turning slightly green. “The only reason I’ve stayed alive this long is because Matias has been somewhat coherent. He expects to see me. But I can’t do this anymore. I can’t…” She closed her eyes, silent tears spilling down her cheeks. “You’re the only one who can help me. The only one I trust.”
I threw my arms around her, hugging her tight for a long moment, trying to offer her any comfort I possibly could. “I’ll get you out of here, I swear.”
Moving farther into the room, I went straight to her suitcase. Pulling off the hat I was wearing, I shoved it into her hands then started taking off my clothes. She was a few inches taller than me, but we were roughly the same size. My shirt might be a little tighter on her because her boobs were bigger, but it would get the job done.
Once she was changed and I stood there in only my bra and panties, I opened my purse and handed her the black Amex card Ryan had given me for my sixteenth birthday. “The pin is 0715,” I whispered. It was Ryan’s birthday, so it was easy for me to remember. “Repeat it three times so you remember it.”
She whispered it over and over again while I tried to find something else to wear from among her clothes. I needed something designer but also an outfit I would typically want to wear, so no one would question me when I returned. Finding a dress I liked, I slipped it on and then grabbed a hair tie, pulling my hair into a knot, before doing the same with Cali’s hair, trying to be gentle so I didn’t hurt her face. “Have you heard anyone in the room above?”
She shook her head.
“Do the guards have a balcony?”
Again, she shook her head, and I breathed a little easier. “We have to move quickly. Don’t be scared, okay?”
“Nova,” she breathed, the fear in her eyes making my heart clench with empathy for her. “Where do I go?”
“Use the card. Buy a ticket to California. Get as close to where I live as possible. I’ll have someone meet you and take you to my aunt’s shelter. You can trust her, Cali. I promise, she will help you out as much as she can. Tell her everything and why I sent you.” I told her the safe word that the person who would meet her would know and for her not to go with anyone else but the person I sent. “From there, it’s all up to you.”
Aunt Gracie would help Cali as she did all the abused women who showed up at her shelter. She would get Cali medical assistance—and mental help if she needed it. Aunt Gracie had the means to get a new identity for anyone who came to her in need and to help them start a completely different life. Anywhere they wanted.
I gave Cali another hug and then opened the door to the small balcony. It was narrow out there, but there was plenty of room for what I needed to do. Climbing onto the stone railing, I hoisted myself up to the balcony above and prayed Cali was right and no one was in that room. One of the good things about New York City, no one ever looked up from their phones or where they were going. No one cared what was going on outside their own personal world, so I didn’t have to worry that someone would suddenly look up and see me hanging from a balcony and think I was going to jump.
Once I was on the balcony above, I made sure the sliding door was unlocked and pushed it open, confirming the room was empty before reaching down and helping Cali up.
We exited the room, and I sent her down the stairs while I took the elevator back to the mall entrance level. Instead of taking the same back route—because I wasn’t confident I could get in the way I’d gone out—I walked in through the front door, pretending like nothing was amiss. The associate was helping someone else, and the guard didn’t even blink when he saw me walking toward the mirrors behind Bennie.