Poker Face (Masks #4)

by Melissa Pearl

  I unfolded the note carefully.

  Hey kiddo,

  I know you’re hurting right now and I know you’re scared...but I also know that if anyone can find Caity, it’s you. I hate leaving you, but I figure I’m less of a burden if I’m out of the picture. Your dad has promised me he won’t leave your side. I trust him and, although this probably feels like an impossible request right now, you need to, as well. Yes, he let us down in the past, but he’s trying to make right and we need to let him do that.

  I don’t know when I’ll get to see you again, but I have to believe one day. I’m sorry if I haven’t been the mother you needed me to be. All those men, all those broken promises...I guess I was trying to fill the gap in my heart. You had your rage. I had my inability to be alone. Times of crisis always force you to reflect, and I can say with certainty that there’s only ever been one man for me and I should have waited for him to come home. Don’t give up on Caity. You two were made for each other and I’ll see you both again somewhere, somehow. I’ll keep saying that until it comes true.

  Don’t worry about me. Your dad’s set me up and I’m going to be safe. I’ll find my way.

  Please always remember how much I love you.

  xxx

  Mom

  My brow crinkled, my eyes stinging as I folded the note away. She sounded so confident and sure. I wasn’t used to that from her and if it hadn’t been written in her handwriting, I would have questioned its authenticity. My gaze flicked to Dad. He was standing at the end of the bed, watching me. I cleared my throat and shoved the note in my back pocket.

  “Did you read it?” I asked.

  “Yeah, she made me.”

  I nodded, my jaw clicking to the side. “She’ll be okay.”

  “Yeah.” He frowned, clearing his throat. “Man, I hope so. Leaving her at the airport, it kinda killed me, you know.”

  “I can imagine.” My voice was tight. I couldn’t really. There was no way I’d walk away from Caity...ever.

  “Shit, Eric, I know sorry doesn’t cut it. I never meant for any of this to happen.”

  I shrugged. “It doesn’t matter now.”

  Dad plopped onto the sofa against the wall. “It does matter.” He sighed. “Now you’re on the run...and I never wanted that for you.”

  I gave him a dry look.

  His face bunched with a scowl. “I know you think I left because I didn’t care about you anymore, but I didn’t want to go, okay?”

  Shaking my head, I turned away, picking at the bed cover.

  “Your mom kicked me out.”

  “No, she didn’t,” I snapped. “You left. You just left!”

  Dad huffed. “I started gambling when you were about four. Your mom and I were pretty tight for cash and I thought what the heck, it could get us some quick money.” He shrugged. “And it worked, too. I started on a really good streak and it was a damn easy way to bring home the bacon. It was a hell of a lot better than working night guard shift at the local mall. I hated that job. So after a few sweet runs on the poker table, I quit my job and started sneaking out to the casino every night instead.”

  He clicked his tongue, his face wrinkling with regret. “My lucky streak ended pretty damn fast, but I’d had a taste and I was convinced I could win it back. It didn’t take long for Shayna to figure out what I was up to and she kicked me out. She told me my gambling problem might hurt you and she wouldn’t have it.”

  I frowned. It was the first time I’d ever heard this, and I couldn’t decide whether to believe it or not. “Mom told me you chose to leave.”

  “I guess you could call it a choice. She told me if I got myself some help and stopped gambling, I was welcome back.” His frown lines grew deeper. “I couldn’t stop. I ended up borrowing off the wrong people and was forced to pay them back and it just became this vicious cycle.”

  I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to hold in my snide remarks.

  “She let me keep seeing you, but after I never showed for that Dodgers game, Gramps called me and chewed me out.”

  “Let me guess, he told you to stay away, too.”

  Dad nodded. “Killed me to hear it, but they were both right. I was hurting you. I didn’t mean to, but life just kept pulling me down.” His cheeks puffed out and he expelled a sad breath. “I decided then that it was time to pay off all my debts and get clean. I wanted to make it up to you.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “I did!” He pointed at me. “I may have gone about it in a really stupid way, but my intentions were good.”

  “Conning people?” I scoffed. “Stupid doesn’t even cut it.”

  “Hey, I got you that trust fund, didn’t I? I bought your mother a new house, too. When you guys moved to Pacific Palisades, that was me. I bought that.”

  “With stolen money!” I slapped the bed. “I don’t even want it anymore.”

  “Hey, I didn’t take from anyone who didn’t deserve it. That money may have been stolen, but I wasn’t the first to steal it.”

  “Yeah, well, thanks, Robin Hood.”

  He glared at me, leaning forward and digging his elbows into his knees. “I know you have no reason to respect me. I get your hatred and yeah, I deserve it, but know this...” His serious tone drew my eyes to him. “I have loved you from the second you were born and I never wanted to walk away. I did it for your own good...and that was the only reason.”

  “Thanks.” My tone was dry.

  “I stayed away to save your life.”

  “Yeah, I know. You told me the story.”

  “I’m gonna make it right, Eric. As soon as we find your girl, I’m going to get you guys out of here and I’m gonna make sure that no one can ever harm you.”

  I had no response. His words were said with such fervor, it was hard not to buy into them.

  Not knowing what else to do, I flicked my eyes away from him, punching my pillow and settling down for the night. I didn’t think I could get much sleep, but it was better than sitting there listening to Dad try and win me over.

  He could never make it right.

  Gramps was dead because of him.

  Squeezing my eyes shut, I forced the fire of hot rage burning through my system to calm the hell down. I wouldn’t give in. Beating the crap out of my dad wouldn’t solve anything and it wouldn’t get me closer to Caity. I’d let him hang around for now. I’d let him play bodyguard. But if he stopped me from getting to Caity for even a microsecond, he was going to get it…right between the eyeballs.

  18

  Caitlyn

  Santiago won the poker game and walked away from the table with close to eight hundred thousand dollars. It was totally mind-blowing and utterly ridiculous. Like the man needed more money.

  Pinching my elbow, he slowed my step toward the exit and whispered in my ear. “Well done, my dear. You passed another test.”

  I cringed. This whole testing thing sucked!

  “I must stay for more business. Gabriel will escort you back to the hotel.”

  I kept my eyes downcast and gave him a quick nod, trying to hide my glee. Was this my chance?

  Gabriel was no doubt our driver and his kind smiles were real. Maybe he would help me, drop me off on some deserted road. I didn’t care if my feet were shredded walking to a gas station. I’d take it if it meant calling Eric. It didn’t matter that it was late at night; he’d drop everything to come and get me, I knew he would. Even if he was mad at me for my deception, that wouldn’t matter. He was an honorable man, he—

  “Miss Carlotta?” Gabriel held the door for me.

  I jerked out of my reverie and gave him a smile. “Thank you.” I slid into the car, kicking off my shoes and tucking my dress beneath my legs. It would be hard to run in this thing, but I’d make it work somehow.

  Nibbling my lip, I tried to formulate my persuasive argument as Gabriel pulled away from the house. He lowered the screen between the driver’s side and the back. “I am to take you straight back to the hotel and then retu
rn for Mr. Gomez. It should be about a twenty-minute trip.”

  “Okay.” I nodded, shuffling from my seat and moving closer to the front of the limo so I could chat to him.

  My move surprised him. His brow wrinkled as his eyes darted back to the road.

  “It’s Gabriel, right?”

  “Sí.”

  “Where are you from?”

  He hesitated, thrown by my friendliness. “Mexico originally.”

  “How long have you been States-side?”

  “Since I was sixteen, about eight years now.”

  “How long have you worked for Santiago?”

  He swallowed.

  “Don’t worry, this conversation isn’t going anywhere. You just seem nice.” I sighed, leaning my head against the interior window frame. “And I could do with a little nice.”

  His smile was filled with sympathy, his masked face showing the same as what lay beneath.

  “You do not need to fear Señor Gomez. If you stay on his good side, he’ll treat you well.”

  I nodded. “It’s not Santiago I fear. It’s Bruno. He wants me.” I shivered.

  Gabriel’s face crested with sympathy.

  “Santiago will not hesitate to give me to him if I make a mistake. It’s a lot of pressure.”

  He nodded, smashing his lips together and giving me nothing. I peeled back a few layers, looking for something I could play on. I whistled through quiet determination, a tremor of fear, a resolute desire to stay in his current station.

  Dammit!

  I didn’t want resolute! I needed resentment, some low-lying anger or sense of injustice that I could play on. Nibbling my lip, I flicked my eyes away from him, a desperate frustration skittering through me.

  The limo slowed, I didn’t know what for, but I took my chance. Lurching for the door, I yanked on the handle and shouldered it open, falling onto the road and rolling a couple of times. Asphalt tore at my shoulder, scraping and bruising my exposed skin. The fine fabric on the dress shredded, leaving a gaping slit down my thigh. I scrambled to my feet, stubbing my big toe in the process. My knee was a bloody mess, road burn taking over half my shin, but I pressed on, ignoring the pain in a frantic attempt to get away. It was impossible to see in the desert darkness and I had no idea which way to go. I glanced over my shoulder toward the road.

  The limo screeched to a stop, its brake lights glowing a sharp red. Letting out a gasp, I surged forward, stumbling over a rough shrub that nipped at my skin. I ate a mouthful of dust, coughing and hacking as I pushed myself back up and tried to melt into the darkness. My elbows stung from fresh grazes but I pushed on, pumping my arms and attempting a hobbling run that lacked in speed.

  I could hear the footsteps gaining on me quickly. It was futile, but I sprinted forward anyway, only to be tackled a few yards later. Gabriel’s weight landed on me, knocking the air from my lungs. I gasped, fighting for oxygen as he wrenched my arm and pulled me to stand beside him.

  “You crazy? Don’t run!”

  Desperation made my voice tremble. “Please let me go! Just let me go!”

  “I can’t do that! If I don’t return you to the hotel, he’ll have my head!”

  “We could both leave! No one would know, and we could just disappear!”

  I couldn’t see his face properly in the dim light but he stopped, gazing down at me like a breathing shadow.

  “I can’t do that.” His voice was soft, like a wisp of air hitting my face and making me want to cry.

  There was no escape.

  He held my arm and walked me back to the limo, slowing his pace when he could see I was struggling. My lips were caked with dry dust, every pointy bit on my body stung with fury and the delicate dress was hanging off me in tatters. I hissed and winced my way back to the car. When Gabriel opened the door for me, he noted the gaping holes in my dress and shrugged out of his jacket.

  “Here.” Placing it around my shoulders, he made sure it was nestled around me before gently guiding me into the front passenger seat. “I’m going around to the driver’s door now. Please, don’t run.” He held up his hands and I gave him a minimal nod.

  It’d been foolish, but I’d had to take a chance. Gabriel was actually being really nice about it.

  “Does he pay you?” I asked as the limo pulled back onto the road and made for the bright lights of Vegas.

  “I earn what I need.”

  “So, you don’t stay for the money then.” I wiped my mouth with a shaky finger, grimacing when I realized I’d re-opened my split lip.

  His face told me no. I leaned my head against the headrest and studied his profile. “Why do you stay?”

  “I can’t leave.” The muscles in his face grew tight.

  “Why?”

  “There are people I can’t...leave,” he whispered.

  I wanted to probe for more, but he kept talking.

  “You mustn’t run.” He looked at me. “Do you understand? You have to stay on Santiago’s good side. If you don’t, Bruno will be the least of your worries.”

  He meant every word. A dark horror slashed through me. How could Bruno be the least of my worries?

  Gabriel glanced at me. “Santiago is unpredictable. He’ll turn his back on his most loyal employees without even blinking an eye.”

  Closing my eyes, I realigned my weary vision, staring back at Gabriel’s masked appearance. His mouth was turned down at the sides, his expression still tight. I pulled his mask off and saw an amplified version that just grew stronger with each layer.

  “What did he do to you?”

  “Not me.” He shook his head. “My brother.”

  I held my breath, wondering if I’d get more.

  Gabriel glanced at me again and then sighed. “He wasn’t a good man, I’m not defending him. Santiago caught him beating a girl to death. She didn’t do something the way he wanted and my brother had a temper, but...” Gabriel swallowed. “I don’t know if he deserved to be buried alive.”

  I gasped. “Where?”

  “Out in the desert. There’s a shack where people are taken and...”

  Gabriel’s grave look made my legs tingle...and not in that happy Christmas is coming kind of way.

  “You don’t want to go to the shack, Carlotta. Bad things happen there.”

  I covered my quivering lips with my fingers and turned away from Gabriel’s heartbreaking expression. His warning was all too clear. A shack in the desert. The very idea was enough to paralyze me.

  I pictured Santiago dragging me out there, burying me alive and walking away from my pleas for mercy. I’d never be found. I’d be dry bones in a dusty desert.

  Bones in a desert.

  Why did that feel familiar?

  There were no words left to say after that. Gabriel’s warning was clear. I spent the rest of the silent trip trying to ignore my stings and burning skin while telling my brain to calm the hell down. As long as Gabriel said nothing to Santiago about my attempted escape, I was safe for another night.

  “You’re not going to tell him, are you?”

  Gabriel said nothing as he pulled into the underground parking lot of the Palacio del Diablo. I could see beneath his mask that he wasn’t about to say a word and I could have wept with relief.

  Opening my door, he helped me out and I limped toward the elevator. He didn’t take me to the penthouse, instead stopping at the floor below. We shuffled down the corridor, his eyes darting around me. I frowned, wondering where he was sneaking me to.

  We stopped outside the second to last door and he pressed his fingers to his lips. I nodded, folding my arms across my chest as he knocked lightly.

  A minute later, the door squeaked open and Monique’s head popped into view. She took one look at me and gasped before casting her eyes back to Gabriel. They shared a moment. Unmasked, it was beautiful and I knew instantly that she was the reason Gabriel stayed.

  “We need to get her cleaned up before Bruno sees her,” Gabriel whispered.

  Monique nodded
, darting back into her room and returning a few moments later with a sweater thrown over her pajamas.

  “I’m sorry, señorita, but I need my jacket.” Gabriel rubbed the back of his neck.

  “Of course.” I slipped it off my shoulders and wrapped my arms around myself. Monique gifted Gabriel another precious smile before putting her hand on my back and leading me to an unmarked stairwell. I stopped her before we went through and turned back to the departing driver. “Gabriel.”

  He turned.

  “Thank you.”

  His smile was sweet as he nodded at me before turning back for the elevator, dusting off his pants as he went.

  Monique took my hand and led me up one floor. Poking her head through, she snuck me into the penthouse via the servant’s entrance. No one spotted us going to my room. Monique locked the doors behind me and pulled me into the bathroom.

  “Take that off.” She started running a bath, wincing when my dress slid to the floor, revealing all my wounds. Her smile and soft chuckle were sweet. “You really are a fool.”

  “I know.” I shrugged, my eyes welling with tears.

  She rubbed my arm gently. “Here, soak in this for a while. It will sting, but we need to get the dirt out of your wounds. I’ll go and inform Sal you’ve returned, and get the first-aid kit. We can’t have Santiago seeing any of these wounds, so we’ll have to dress you creatively for the next few days.”

  My head bobbed shakily.

  “Don’t worry. It’ll be okay.”

  She crept from the room and I slid into the bath, hissing softly as the hot water hit my beat-up skin.

  Laying my head back against the towel Monique had rolled for me, I closed my eyes and felt the adrenaline oozing from my body. It hurt. It felt like a ton of bricks was being poured on top of me.

  The shack.

  Bones in the desert.

  It was all so terrifying.

  It was a nightmare brought to life.

  I needed Eric.

  As nice as Monique was, I didn’t want her patching up my wounds. I wanted my boyfriend. I wanted his arms around me, his kisses that fueled me with strength and security. I wanted him to swoop in and rescue me from this nightmare.