I take the chance and go to the bathroom now with Paula on my heels. I quickly pee and wash my hands, not wanting to spend much time alone with her. Once she’s done, we head back to Eduardo. Sitting at the table, I pick up a menu and try to find something that sounds appetizing. Whatever they gave me to knock me out has me feeling sick to my stomach.
“The waitress came by to get our drink order. I got us all water,” he tells us. He and Paula talk to each other in Spanish and I’m thankful for two reasons. The first being, they don’t expect me to listen and respond to anything. Second, I can ignore them easier, knowing they don’t expect me to respond.
When the waitress comes back with our waters, she takes our food order. I end up ordering a cheeseburger and fries. I figure if there’s a chance I’m going to throw up, I might as well enjoy what I eat. I will pray to whatever god there is that I don’t actually throw up.
“How long was I asleep for?” I don’t know why I ask, but it just came out.
“Almost twenty-four hours.” Eduardo shrugs like it was a cat nap and not a whole, fucking, day. The two of them continue their conversation while I gaze out the window.
Once we get our food, neither of them talk until they’re finished eating. Surprisingly, eating makes me feel better instead of worse. We all go to the bathroom again before leaving the diner. Then we load up in the van and get back on the road.
“Are you taking me back to California,” I ask. Again, I don’t know why I’m asking.
“Lucky for you, no. Rodrigo is having us take you to his safe house in New Mexico,” he tells me. “There will be no escaping that house. It’s built like a fuckin’ fortress.”
“We’ll be on the road all day if that’s what you’re wondering,” Paula adds. “We still have about seven hours until we get there so get cozy.”
I do as she says and get cozy. As cozy as I can get anyway. While I’m not nauseous anymore, my head is still pounding. I close my eyes, letting sleep take me away.
I wake up in my bed at the clubhouse. My bed is filled with Rascal’s cologne. I take a deep breath, inhaling the comforting scent. My bathroom door opens and out walks Rascal. I smile. Something about him even being in the same room as me makes me feel safe. But I’m not safe, I frown.
“What’s wrong, Princess?”
“Something isn’t right,” I tell him. He sits on the bed next to me.
“Whatever it is, you’re safe with us. We’ll always protect you.”
He kisses my forehead. I trust Rascal and the rest of the Savage Menaces MC, but what if they can’t protect me?
I wake up with a sudden jolt. We’re stopping at a gas station now. Glancing at the clock, I notice I was asleep for about three hours. Dreaming of Rascal did nothing to comfort me. I should have kept a better eye on my surroundings. I never should have let my guard down, specially somewhere I wasn’t familiar with. I can’t go back and change anything, so I can’t stress about it. What’s done is done.
Four hours later, we’re pulling up to a fortress of a house, just like Eduardo said it was. When I climb out of the car, he grabs my arm, rushing me inside. We walk through the front door and he practically drags me into the living room.
“It’s about time you made it back to me.” His accent is thick, but I’d recognize that man’s voice anywhere. Rodrigo Sanchez, the man who kept me prisoner two years ago. To this day his voice still makes my skin crawl.
33
Marley
“Eduardo, Paula, leave the room,” Rodrigo demands. His eyes are on me, even when he talks to them. “Did you enjoy your time with those dirty bikers?”
His words hit me in my gut. I shouldn’t be surprised by him knowing where I was.
“Surely you didn’t think I wouldn’t keep tabs on you?” He laughs. “Killing that prospect was simply a means to get you away from that clubhouse. You don’t belong with them. You belong here with me, to me.”
“I don’t belong to anyone,” I grit out under my breath.
“¿Qué dijo? What did you say? Do you forget who you’re talking to?” He moves so he’s standing directly in front of me. I hold his stare, but inside I’m shaking to my core. I won’t let him see my fear.
“You’re the fucking Devil.”
He laughs maniacally. A bone chilling laugh.
“No, Preciosa, I’m not. But he is a close friend.” He grabs my hair, yanking my head back. Licking up my neck, he takes a deep breath, inhaling my scent.
“I let you get away once. Trust me when I tell you, it will not happen again.” He shoves me to the floor and turns to walk away. “Maria!”
An older woman walks into the room.
“Take her to her room. Make sure you lock the door.” Rodrigo walks out of the room.
“Come, niña.” She lightly grabs my arm, guiding me upstairs and into a bedroom. “I will be back in the morning. Buenas noches.”
She closes the door and the lock clicks into place. I glance around the room. There’s a queen size bed, an end table and a dresser. It’s clean, but plain. There’s a second door adjacent to the first. I open it, expecting a closet but instead finding a bathroom. It’s a full bathroom with a shower, no bathtub.
Closing the door, I move to the dresser. I find a t-shirt and some sweats. Both are about two sizes too big, but I change into them anyway. They’ll be more comfy to sleep in than my jeans. Plus, I can pretend they’re Rascal’s, even though his clothes would be even bigger.
Thinking about him makes my heart ache and brings tears to my eyes. I choke back the tears as I climb into bed. It’s surprisingly comfy, but too lonely. I close my eyes and imagine I’m laying next to Rascal. His arms wrapped around me, keeping me safe and warm. I fall asleep, only to dream of him.
I’m sitting in the living room with Maria when Rodrigo storms into the room, grabs my arm and drags me out to the garage. I gasp when we walk out and sitting in a chair in the middle of the garage is Rascal. His hands are tied behind him, his feet tied to the chair and his head is hanging down. He’s unconscious.
“Preciosa, I wanted you to be here for this. To show you that you belong to me and only me,” Rodrigo says. Eduardo moves behind me, taking hold of both my arms while Rodrigo moves toward Rascal. He waves something under his nose that makes his head jolt up.
“Rascal!” I try to take a step forward but Eduardo is holding me in place. Rodrigo is standing behind Rascal holding his head up and holding a knife in his other hand.
“This is for you.” Rodrigo’s eyes are locked on mine as he holds the knife to Rascal’s throat, slowly dragging it across.
My eyes shoot open, sitting up, tears pouring down my face. I look around, it’s still dark. It was just a dream. Scratch that, a nightmare. I lay back down. There’s no way I’m going back to sleep after that. I spend the rest of the night tossing and turning.
Morning comes all too soon. A knock on the door startles me. The click of the door unlocking has me sitting up in bed.
“Buenas días,” Maria greets. “Oh my! Did you sleep at all?”