Escaping From Forever: Tank & Kat's story, Part 1 (Battle Born MC Book 5)

by Scarlett Black

  “Behave like the bonita mujer that you are. We don’t want such a beautiful face to be bruised on your quinceañera, sí?” His eyes devour me from my eyes, to my lips and then down to my chest and legs, then back up again.

  My head falls to the side, and I analyze the man I have never seen walking through the doors of the casa. I would remember such a handsome, commanding man.

  “No, señor. Could I have your name, please?” I go for gracious with the stranger. He would desire it, and I do want to know more. How does he know me, and why does he care if my father slapped me?

  “Matias Castillo,” he simply states and waits for my reaction, but I give him none. It is as I suspected, he is the son of the Cartel boss.

  He left me standing there with tempting thoughts I couldn’t do anything with.

  My father came for me that night. He made me kill a whore with a knife. I had to slit her throat for having run away. Mi padre spat in my face after to remind me that I would be next if I made a scene like that again. He knew I hated killing women, but he made me.

  I didn’t run into Matias again after that night. The dangerous stranger was stuck in my mind like a virus. I wanted more of him and his devilish good looks. I knew he probably wasn’t good for me, and I forced myself to forget in the next few weeks that passed after our run in.

  My throat constricts and my eyes squeeze tightly as I’m taken back into the past.

  The church bells ring off into the distance and the sounds of birds scattering and flying away filter into the car. Korina and I laugh as we giggle and whisper our hopes for one of the birds to shit on the people that have gathered for our quinceañera.

  Since the death of our mother, she and I have only gotten stronger in our connection, and my father hates that. At least it seems that he does, and I don’t understand why. Pushing past the thought, I focus on our special day.

  Together, we get out of the car and she helps with fluffing out my white dress. I haven’t felt like a princess in so long, and, in this moment I do. I allow myself to live in this dream for today and today only. I know better. The dress makes me look like the happiest girl in the world, where lies live beneath the large bell-shaped dress with its over-the-top puffy sleeves.

  Mi papa comes around the car, and, for the crowd, he waves before placing an attentive kiss on my cheek. He then pulls back with an adoring smile, taking my hand and gently placing it on his arm. He does the same for Korina, situating her on his other arm.

  The girls that came with us for the ceremony pamper Korina, fluffing out the dress she wears which is identical to my own. They all chose to match and wear sleek lilac dresses. Like a walk down the aisle, the girls follow behind and we smile proudly for everyone to see.

  The priest waits for Korina, my father and I to approach the front of the church where the ceremony is to take place. It is witnessed by the large crowd that has turned out to pay respects to our family. The entire time the priest talks and gives his blessing for us to start dating, I can only think about the man who defended me, Matias. Will he come looking for me now, after today?

  Soon enough, after the church ceremony, we leave to go back to our family’s large home and ranch. El Banda Machos play in the back yard and the beat pumps up the crowd along with beer, tequila and the drugs that are discretely passed around. But I ignore all of that and hang out with my friends and cousins. We sneak a few shots of tequila, eat until we can’t possibly eat anymore and dance for hours until the main event is here.

  Mi papa wouldn’t tell me who the chambelans, the young men who will lead my sister and I through the traditional dance to celebrate our age in becoming women and ready to date, would be.

  The music changes to the song we practiced weeks for, and the girls line up behind us, with each of them being paired with a boy. Nerves overcome me at who my father could have chosen for me.

  A strong confident hand glides over my forearm and clasps my hand.

  “Hola, mi Katherine, you are so very beautiful.”

  Matias.

  My breath hitches, and I turn to face him. He is so close, we are mere inches from a kiss. Before either of us can do anything, the beat picks up and we do as we are instructed, dancing across the floor together. Giving the crowd a great show with our performance.

  I don’t know how we did it. Our eyes never left the other and I fell in love with him that night. The stars shown as bright as my future, and magic seeped into our hearts.

  Only, I fell in love with the lies and deceit that I never saw coming because I allowed myself to believe in fairytales.

  On that day when I first saw Matias, my father gave him a contract for my hand in marriage. Cobra, my old man, had sold me off to the Cartel, to form alliances with them.

  A year later, after my quinceañera, I was engaged to Matias, and he took my virginity that night. I desperately wanted him to. I wanted him so badly to claim me and possess me.

  I didn’t see him much because he worked a lot. But now, looking back after years have passed, I chuckle. Yeah, he was busy fucking anything he could.

  By my eighteenth birthday, I was married to the man of my dreams who ended up being a nightmare that came to life.

  Possess me he did, the cold calculated virus that lived in him, now living in me.

  I married the man known in the Cartel as El Psicópata.

  The Psycho.

  Chapter 3

  Katherine

  A car backfiring in the busy street of Mexico City forces me to jump from the obnoxious sound behind me as I’m getting out of the our car. My nerves flare, and panic sets in before the guards step in closer to me and my sister, Korina.

  The bustle of the packed sidewalk of people goes on unfazed. But to the Familia Castillo, enemies are everywhere and everyone. You would think, after nine years of being married to the Cartel, I would not have reacted this way, but things have felt a little off lately.

  Not only am I older, and my twenty-eighth birthday is coming up, but my life doesn’t feel settled. Korina has grown increasingly cold and distant. My father has been calling me more than the usual. He has news and it must be why Matias has ordered for Korina to stay near us this week. He doesn’t trust my father, and he shouldn’t.

  Cobra always has plans, and that’s why, over the years, I’ve kept up my boxing and running. However, with the change in the surroundings, I’ve increased my exercises and time at the gun range. This morning, I ran an extra two miles and then kick boxed with my trainer for hours. I didn’t stop until my arms and legs couldn’t make another swing or kick without falling.

  As I’m walking around inside a cute boutique, a thought sticks with me. Why are the guards so jumpy as well? For me, that’s a normal reaction, but it’s as if they are waiting for something. I watch for any further signs while we continue our browsing in the shop, wandering over to the lingerie section where I can keep an eye on the front door and everyone else that’s in the store.

  My fingers trail over the lace of a blood red corset, it’s beautiful. I can’t help myself from soaking in the details, taking in every stich. Desire burns in my heart to wear it, but I won’t buy it for Matias. He would just ruin it.

  “Korina, are you happy with your life?” I wonder out loud and memories play in my mind like a movie. A daydream of what it all could have been like had I been someone different. What if I hadn’t been the daughter of Cobra?

  Korina has never married, but I really wonder if she is happy. I find it strange that she has not found a husband, or, rather, that our father hasn’t arranged one for her.

  “Sí, why wouldn’t I be?” she questions. A sigh escapes me; I don’t know that she would get where I am coming from. Our father never contracted her into marriage like he did me. Korina would never know how cruel Matias can be.

  “I sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have been able to choose my life differently, what it would’ve been like now,” I shrug. “Doesn’t matter really—”

  My
thoughts die out when I catch her staring over to the car that just pulled up, and Esteban steps out to speak with a guard. Korina is intently watching every step he takes.

  “You see something you like?” I tease. Esteban is dark and handsome, has a goatee, and is Matias’ right hand man.

  She shakes her head no and looks back over to me, “Not all of us are free to choose, Katherine.” Her voice has a bite to it, more than ever before.

  Why would she think that I was free to choose? Or is she implying that she couldn’t choose?

  She takes her bras and underwear over to the cashier when she sees Esteban walking over to us.

  “Matias wants you back at the casa, along with Korina.” His eyes wonder over my sister’s body, then quickly directs them back to me.

  “Sí, Esteban, can we stop at the market for groceries or is this urgent?”

  “We need to hurry, tu padre esta en la casa.”

  If my father is at the house, then he has business there, and my heart sinks at what he would want. It is never good.

  Korina walks over to us and Esteban steps protectively close to her side, escorting her to his car and not to the one she and I came in together.

  The guard opens my door and I slip into the seat, staring out the window, watching the people on the crowded street. Busy with their lives. Children keeping up with their mothers. I wonder if they’re happy.

  My thoughts jump back to when my mother was still alive, and I was a little girl.

  “Tell me, Katherine, what does mi hija want to be when she grows up?” My mother runs her hand through my hair while she lies next to me on my bed. I stare into her deep brown eyes that have light wrinkles around them.

  “One day I want to be a momma just like you and have a husband to love me. Maybe I could be a nurse too and take care of people.” Her hand stills in my hair and she closes her eyes briefly before opening them to look at me. Her breathing changed and I feel bad. Did I disappoint her?

  “What’s wrong, momma?” My hand grabs her arm and she tries to smile, but I know her, she is sad.

  “Don’t forget your dreams, mi hija, promise me?”

  “Sí, momma, please don’t be sad. I’m sorry,” I beg her. I want her to smile more.

  “Don’t be, mi bebe. Ven aca, come here.” She pulls me back to her and wraps a protective arm around my body. “Go to sleep, my baby, dream of your world. I want you to have that so much.”

  Her whispering voice cracks at the end and I feel even worse that I upset her. Holding her tight, I try to make up for my mistake.

  The voices outside carry on through the night. Men and women laughing from the beer and tequila they’re drinking. I don’t care because she makes me feel safe, and I drift off to sleep in her arms.

  The car comes to a stop and I’m jolted out of my dream. I gather my bags and step out to a not so happy looking Matias. I don’t even pay attention anymore, as he is never happy.

  He grabs the bags from my hands, and I lean in to kiss his devastatingly handsome face that I used to die to see.

  “Gracias, mi amor,” I politely thank him and wait for what he wants from me.

  He wraps his arm around my body and the contact hurts with the void that is now there. He whispers into my ear, “Make your padre happy tonight, don’t fuck this up with your attitude,” he warns me and pecks my cheek, then a little louder he plays his part as mi padre steps out the front door. “Love you too, mi amor.” I turn to him with my eyes shut and push forward to kiss his lips.

  “Katherine.” My father tilts his head to me, and I nod. The words feel stuck in my throat before Matias’ hand grips my arm painfully.

  “Papa, I’m so happy you are here. What can I make you for dinner?” The vomit I feel lodged in my throat from the bullshit coming from my mouth is nauseating, a sickening feeling in my stomach. Cobra smiles that I have finally found my manners and have given into what is expected of me.

  “Whatever you have is fine,” he concedes with a dismissive look.

  “Okay, I’ll have something ready soon.” Matias loosens his biting grip, and I leave them outside before I do something that will make things worse for me.

  In my room, I drop the bags like bricks, my day of shopping losing its luster of my usual escape.

  After a moment of gathering and bracing myself for the night ahead, I make a mental list of my tasks and head into the kitchen to begin preparing dinner. My feet start to ache in these heels, but I know better than to take them off.

  I hear men talking in the hallway and tiptoe over to listen. “Where is she now? Why did you take so long?” Matias growls.

  “I drove around to make sure there was no tail on Katherine. I distracted them, and they followed me,” Esteban replies patiently to his boss.

  “Do not fucking take Korina alone again. She stays here tonight, until all threats are cleared.” The harshness in his voice and odd command makes my head snap back like a slap to the face.

  Quickly, I tiptoe back over to the sink and turn on the faucet to wash my hands. The door swings open into the kitchen and I hum along to a song, pretending that I didn’t hear the conversation from just seconds ago.

  Matias storms in and starts pacing the floor in front of the island. I walk over to the fridge and pull out a beer for him, then step closer to hand it to him.

  He snatches the bottle from me with one hand and grabs my arm with the other, aggressively pulling me into him. My body collides against his chest, making me trip over my heels from the force of his anger.

  “You are mine, never forget that,” he sneers down at me.

  The love that was once in his eyes from when we were young lovers is now distorted into the man he is today. He crashes a brutal kiss on my mouth, then rips away, pushing me back. He storms away from me and out of the kitchen with uncontrollable brutality.

  Propelled backward, my back stops my fall as I’m slamming against the kitchen island. Pain shoots through my side and I lose my breath from the wind being knocked out of me. I double over, terrified, trying to breathe through it. Finally, I take a paralyzing gasp of air in, and my eyes water from the intensity. I close them and take deep, calming breaths in.

  Moments later, Korina is in the kitchen with me. She doesn’t seem to notice my distress, but I clearly see the pain etched on her face. My heart throbs and realization hits when she says, “Matias wants me to help you.”

  “How long?” my choked-up voice rasps.

  Not my sister. God, not her.

  “It doesn’t matter, Katherine, I didn’t choose this,” she bites back at me, waving her arm around.

  My hands fist at my sides. Hate overwhelms me that he has taken every bit of anything good that I ever had, and that I never tried stopping him.

  Like a practiced routine, we bury our problems, and my sister and I work together in a deafening silence.

  Nothing will ever be the same again.

  All the times our father tricked me into doing horrible things so she wouldn’t have to, and, in the end, she betrayed me.

  I allow the devastation to eat me whole and consume me with the heartbreaking truth. Once again, I must mourn the loss of someone I love. This is not the sister I know. Hell, I’m not even me for that matter.

  Who the hell have we become?

  I straighten my spine because I’m going to need it to live through the next few hours without giving away what I know. Fuck, what am I saying? I’m going to need it to survive this to be able to escape this hell alive.

  She works besides me like a robot, warming tortillas while I finish plating our dinner. We walk out together, carrying the plates for the men at the table and placing beers in front of them. After they are served, she and I are forced to sit across from each other.

  I hate her. Hate that she has done this to me.

  My anger is so fierce that I would put a bullet in every single person’s head that’s sitting at this table. Including my own.

  This shit is so fucked up and po
isonous. Every single person sitting here represents poison to love and dreams and everything good.

  I stare daggers at the bitch that I felt was the only person I could trust.

  Mi padre looks between us both, and a light comes on. This just got worse. He will use it to drive me to do what he wants. I just know that he will find a way to use this information to his advantage.

  I can’t help but seething and glaring at her with disgust. I can feel Matias’ eyes boring holes into my skull with his anger. Fuck him, too.

  A fire burns hotter within me, and I turn and scowl at him with all the pain that’s pent up over the years. Let him see the creature he's turned me into.

  His jaw ticks at me, and I squint back at him, a challenge to kill me. Do it, I have nothing, not a damn thing, to lose anymore. He has sucked everything good out of me, like a leach.

  A smirk comes over my face. “You’ll have to excuse me,” I comment, wiping my mouth with my napkin, “I feel very nauseous and must go lie down.”

  I stand and toss my napkin on the table. “Padre, hermana, esposo,” I look each one in the eye, “Te amo tanto, mi familia, buenas noches.” I tell them how much I love them all, hoping to spread the disdain like cancer.

  With that, I leave in silence, knowing that I’ve created a war, and I could care less.

  On the back patio outside of my room, while they finish their dinners, I smoke a cigar as I’m watching the night sky. My back rests against a large pillar and a foot is propped up, keeping me from crumbling.

  A long pull and then exhale of the cigar whispers across the sky, and the smoke, like a hypnotic dance, plays before my eyes. The quiet, along with the smoking, calms my nerves while I contemplate my next move.

  I think about all the times I was blind to the bullshit happening right under my nose. What I now see as bullshit, it was easier to ignore then, to confront it.