The little girl in overalls and pigtails that used to follow me around had been gone for a long time, but all the hope I’d held that someday I’d be able to see that same unhindered smile on her face had vanished. No, I hadn’t loved her the way she’d wanted me to, or at least thought that she did, but I had loved her.
I closed my eyes while the paramedics loaded me onto a stretcher and into the ambulance. While it raced the few blocks to the hospital, I tried to replace the memory of Trinity’s agonized scream with some of the happier memories from when she was younger. There were a few, but so very few of them. My heart broke even more knowing she’d never had a chance to really live, and now she’d never get one.
Chapter 32
Toni
I sat near my mother’s bed, trying to focus on anything except the patchwork of bruises across her face. She had always been a huge presence in my life, dictating every aspect of it, but seeing her so still and quiet, I realized how small she really was.
Last night, about an hour before my father was supposed to be home from work, Agent Perez stopped by to see my mother. I still don’t know why he tried to speak to her alone. If he wanted her opinion, he should have asked my father, because she never contradicted him, ever. Instead of receiving her trademark chilly hospitality, he found her beaten with a blunt object and left for dead. She suffered several blows to the head, which caused a subdural hematoma, both of her eyes to swell shut, and hairline fractures along her cheek and one side of her skull.
Machines beeped with each beat of her heart, and the respirator whirred and whooshed as it breathed for her. The nurse that showed me to her room told me I should talk to her, but I hadn’t known what to say to my mom long before she was attacked. Not only did I not know what to say to her, but also I doubted I’d have even been in the same room with her if she weren’t in the hospital.
Zack burst in and froze when he saw my mother. “We’ve got to go. I’ve been ordered to take you to the safe house right away. Agent Perez is going to meet us there, and he has something to tell you. But we need to leave now.”
I refused to move. He pulled on my arm, but I can be pretty damn stubborn. “Something happened, and I’m not going until you tell me what.”
His jaw clenched. “I don’t have time for this right now. My job is to protect you, and if I have to handcuff you and toss you over my shoulder to get you to move your ass, I’ll do it.”
I got up and moved away from my mother’s bedside. How horrible was I that I welcomed the excuse to leave her? I’d think about that later, but for now I was taking the opportunity and running as far away from a woman that had always treated me like an obligation as I could.
I studied his face for clues as I crept toward him. “Ordinarily, I’d tease you for that, but you’re making me nervous. Will you tell me when we’re in the car?”
He shook his head. “I’ll tell you as soon as we get to the safe house.”
Zack grabbed my elbow and led me down the hallway toward the stairs. I wondered why we were bypassing the elevator, but he had the door open to the stairwell before I had a chance to ask.
As soon as we were outside the hospital, Zack was even more on alert, if that was even possible. He practically dragged me across the parking lot to force me to keep up with his much larger stride. He kept looking over his shoulder, and the instant I closed the door on the passenger side of his car, he raced around the front and started it quickly.
He turned down a side street and continued to check the rearview mirror the entire way through town.
“Okay, you’re really starting to freak me out,” I said after he glanced at the mirror for the hundredth time in the last minute. “What is going on? Are we being followed?”
Zack exhaled. “I don’t see anyone behind us, but I just have a bad feeling.” He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. “Don’t freak out, okay?”
I narrowed my eyes. “You do know that telling someone not to freak out pretty much guarantees that they’re going to do just that, right?”
He looked at me quickly and then returned his gaze back to the road. “Yeah, I can see that now. It’s just there’s no way to start this without giving you a heart attack.”
“Rip the damn Band-Aid off, Zack.”
“The Hitching Post caught on fire today. Trent was injured, but he’s alive. The bar was completely destroyed. Fire investigators aren’t sure if it was accidental or arson just yet,” Zack explained quickly.
I gripped the door handle. “Go back,” I screamed. “Why the fuck are you taking me away from the hospital if Trent is hurt? I need to be there. Take me back now!”
The muscle in his jaw clenched, and I could tell he was grinding his molars. “Did you miss the part where I said it might be arson? Detective Daniels has already assigned officers to watch Trent, and it will be easier for them to protect him if they don’t have to try to look out for you, too. Can you just cooperate and let me get you safe so we can focus on getting Trent treated and back to the safe house with you?”
Feeling completely chastised, I nodded. I didn’t want to do anything that would make it harder for them to take care of Trent, but thinking of him hurting and alone at the hospital made me feel ill. Still, I wouldn’t give Zack any more trouble. It was obvious he was also worried about Trent.
It didn’t take long for Zack to maneuver through town and pull out on the freeway. Instead of heading into the mountains, which never proved very effective for my friends, we headed south. Halfway toward Yakima, we pulled off the highway into Selah and out to the countryside.
There was a moderate-sized house set off the county road down a long dirt driveway. He pulled around behind the house, effectively hiding the car from view of the road. Zack used a key to open the back door and immediately locked it after we entered.
“I’m going to call Daniels and see if there’s any new information on Trent,” he said, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket and leaving the room.
I’d let him call Daniels, because I was going to call Kate and see if she could dig up any information. The phone rang three times, and I was about to give up hope when she finally answered.
“Hey, I thought it would be you,” she greeted. Her voice didn’t sound like she was going to have to deliver bad news.
Still, my voice trembled when I spoke. “How is he?”
“Really freaking lucky, that’s how. He’s got some burns to his hands, and they’ll hurt like a bitch for a while, but there’s no permanent damage or even scarring likely. He’s also being treated for smoke inhalation, but he should be released soon. Like I said, he’s very lucky.”
“Do you know when…?” A sound at the back door forced me to pause. Instinctively, I crouched down and whispered, “Kate, there is someone at the back door.”
“Let Zack handle it,” she ordered.
“Stay on the phone with me,” I whispered.
“Of course,” she whispered back. I’m not sure why she did, but it wasn’t the time to discuss it.
My heart pounded a loud beat in my chest, and I was sure the sound was audible across the room. Zack silently motioned for me to stay where I was. It wasn’t like I had suddenly become a ninja. Nope, I’d continue to hide behind the sofa like the badass I was.
He cautiously approached the door and peered out the peephole. I gave him a questioning look, but he shook his head, letting me know he didn’t see whatever made the noise. He lifted up his shirt in the back, revealing a holster hidden inside the waist of his dark-wash jeans. Slowly, he opened the door and stepped outside with his gun drawn.
I was able to see him scan to the left and the right. A poorly hung bird feeder swung in the wind and hit the post of the awning with a thwack. Zack’s shoulders relaxed, and he turned to reenter the house.
I watched in horror as a darkly dressed figure jumped up on to the porch and hit him in the back of the head. He collapsed in the doorway, and a trickle of blood ran down behind his ear. I screamed and
scrambled backward, trying in vain to get onto my feet.
Miguel came into view from the late-afternoon shadow, stepped over Zack’s prone body, and moved toward me. When he reached me, he grabbed a handful of my hair and pulled me to my feet.
I began to tremble uncontrollably. My scalp burned, my stomach rolled, and my mind refused to stay rooted in the here and now. Half of my consciousness was aware Miguel was here in front of me, while the other half was back in my old bedroom being assaulted by Kate’s ex-husband.
Desperate, I began to swing and kick wildly. I stomped down on the top of his foot, and he released my hair only to backhand me across the face. The coppery taste of blood infiltrated my mouth, and my lip split from the impact.
Zack still hadn’t moved, and I knew I was on my own. Miguel pulled some cable ties out from one of the pockets of his cargo pants. He yanked my arms behind my back and secured my wrists with the hard nylon strips. It was too tight, and I quickly felt my fingers tingle with the decrease in blood flow. The zip ties cut into my skin, and blood slickened the bindings.
He grabbed my ankle, but I wasn’t out of fight yet. I kicked at him with my free leg, and made contact with his shoulder, but I only managed to piss him off. He grabbed it, formed a vise grip around both my ankles, and yanked my legs hard, causing me to fall backward and bang my head on the floor.
While I was reeling from the impact, Miguel quickly secured my ankles together. Since I couldn’t physically resist him, I began to scream. We were far away from the nearest house, and it was unlikely anyone was going to hear me, but I couldn’t stop resisting.
“Would you shut the fuck up?” From another large pocket he revealed a roll of duct tape. “This is really going to hurt that split lip you made me give you, but at least I won’t have to listen to you shrieking.”
He ripped off a large, rectangular strip and slapped it down hard against my aching mouth. I was alone with Miguel, Zack was possibly dead, and I was going to suffocate. I tried to suck in a large lungful of air, but the tape was inhibiting my ability to breathe.
Miguel wasn’t particularly tall. He was taller than me, but that wasn’t very hard. Still, I was surprised when he managed to pick me up and begin to carry me through the house. He was stronger than I had ever noticed, and the realization caused my rising panic to increase.
When we approached the door, I expected Miguel to step over Zack, but instead he kicked him hard to move him away from the threshold. I released a muted grunt and watched impatiently for some response from Zack. There wasn’t one; not even a flinch. I couldn’t even see if he was breathing.
I choked back a sob and felt my eyes well up with tears. I didn’t know how Zack was, Trent was being treated for burns and smoke inhalation, and all of it was because of me. For probably the billionth time, I wondered why a guy who couldn’t bother to pay attention to me while we were dating was going to such great lengths to get me back after I ended our relationship. Not for a minute did I believe he’d had a change of heart and decided he couldn’t live without me.
Miguel carried me around to the side of the house where he’d parked his car, because no windows faced this part of the yard. He set me down while he searched another one of his pockets, I assumed for keys to the car.
A click from behind him caused him to freeze. My eyes widened when I saw Leo, that guy from the bar, holding a gun to Miguel’s head. I wasn’t sure if I should feel relieved or if my situation had just gotten much worse.
“Take the tape out of your pocket and toss it on the ground,” Leo ordered.
Miguel hesitated for a second, but it was clear by the look on Leo’s face that he wasn’t bluffing. After a tense second of waiting, Miguel reached into his pocket and threw the tape aside.
Leo gestured to the tape with his gun. “Pick it up and pull a strip free without tearing it.”
Miguel did as he was told, and Leo took the tape and quickly bound Miguel’s wrists. Once he was subdued, Leo put away the gun and finished securing Miguel, going as far as duct taping him to a tree.
“We need to get going. He won’t be following us.” He patted his pockets and scowled. “It seems I don’t have my pocket knife. I’m sorry, but I can’t get you loose from the restraints without something to cut you free.” He grabbed the corner of the tape on my mouth. “Brace yourself. This is going to hurt.”
Leo ripped the tape off, and my split lip tore a little more, dragging a scream from me. He gave me a second to collect myself and then picked me up and set me down in the backseat of Miguel’s car.
I wondered why he was taking Miguel’s vehicle, until I noticed a motorcycle parked haphazardly in the front yard; Trent’s motorcycle. I started to shake. “Why do you have Trent’s bike?” I asked in a trembling voice.
He looked up into the rearview mirror, staring into my face, and this time instead of fear, I felt an overwhelming sense of peace looking into his dark brown eyes. My breathing calmed down, and I waited for him to speak.
“Annie, I’m going to ask something of you that’s going to be hard for you,” he said.
“What?” I squeaked.
“I need you to trust me.”
I closed my eyes and saw a younger version of him standing over me. Annie, I need you to trust me…He reached his large hand out, and I placed my tiny hand in his.
My eyes flew open. “I think I remember you. Where do I remember you from?”
“I’ll explain everything to you soon,” he answered and sped away from the house.
Chapter 33
Trent
During my short ride in the ambulance, images of Trinity looped through my head. It didn’t seem real that she was gone, and if I hadn’t witnessed her being consumed by fire, I doubt I’d have believed it. Trinity was a force of nature in my life. She had a quick wit and a sharp tongue. When she was around, the world was painted in shades of neon, and I’d never see things the same way I did before she entered my life years ago.
Unfortunately, time had changed her into a hopelessly fucked-up girl. After she left us the first time to go back and live with her mother, Trinity had turned to drugs and alcohol to cope with her life. She’d grown increasingly bitter and jaded during her teen years, as the cycle of going between our house and her mother’s wore her down. I’d tried hard to bring back the young girl in pigtails that still believed there was a happy ending out there waiting for her, but there wasn’t any hope in Trinity’s eyes when I saw her today.
The ambulance pulled in front of the hospital. Even though I was only feeling pain in my hands, I was still strapped down to a gurney and wheeled into the ER. Doctors hovered over me and talked about me as if I weren’t present. I opened my mouth to speak but an oxygen mask was placed over my face.
When a nurse brought over a hospital gown, I started struggling with them. I ripped the mask off my face, which stung like a bitch when I closed my hand around it. “I’m not wearing that shit.”
The doctor sighed. “Mr…” He flipped through my chart. “McKenzie. You need to be treated for the burns on your hands and for smoke inhalation.”
My jaw clenched. Yelling at the doctor for doing his job was stupid, but I wasn’t wearing that ass-baring sheet they called a gown. “Treat me then, but I’m not wearing that,” I said and pointed to the faded blue piece of fabric the nurse was still holding.
The doctor shrugged. “Have it your way. If the smell of smoke gets to be too much, let us know and we’ll bring you a gown.”
Not fucking likely. I didn’t plan on staying here long enough for it to be a problem. “When can I get out of here?”
“We’re going to run some tests on your blood count and monitor your oxygen levels first,” he said. “Also the burns on your hands need to be treated and dressed. Once all of that is taken care of, we can see to getting you released.”
“Fine, but can someone track down Toni Padilla?” I asked. “She’s visiting her mom Graciela Padilla here in the hospital. Oh, and I should call my mom,
because if she hears about the fire on the news, she’ll kick my ass once she finds out I’m okay.”
I dictated my mom’s phone number to an administrative assistant and waited impatiently for someone to bring Toni in. Ten minutes later when she still hadn’t appeared, I started to worry that her mother’s condition was very bad and that once again Trinity had managed to keep me from being with her. As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I felt guilty. Being angry with her wouldn’t take away the pain of her death, but dammit, I was so pissed off at her.
From down the hallway, I could hear my mother’s voice demanding to be shown to my room. She was a calm woman under normal conditions but could be a total lunatic when she was stressed. After hassling a few nurses, she was shown to my room. My doctor exited to give us a few minutes alone and to check on the arrival of the burn specialist.
“Oh! Thank God you’re all right,” she sobbed. “Look at your hands,” she gasped.
“They’ll be all right, Mom. A specialist is going to be in here soon to check on them. Please don’t worry about me.” I paused, not wanting to make Trinity’s death any more real by telling my mother. Like telling her would confirm I wasn’t trapped in some horrible nightmare I’d soon wake up from. “Mom, have you heard…?”
My mom put her hand on my cheek and sat down on my bed. “I know about Trinity.” She wiped a tear from her cheek. “I think we all knew that girl was on a path of destruction. I hoped she’d turn her life around, but I suppose I’ve been preparing myself for this day. Of course, I hadn’t imagined she’d burn down your bar while you were still in it. I’m so mad at that girl and mad at myself for feeling that way.”
“I understand. I’m mad at her too, and it makes me feel like shit,” I admitted.
My doctor returned, and my mom stood and stepped away from my bed. “Sorry I can’t stay. I’ve got to start making arrangements for Trinity’s funeral. I’ve been trying to find her mother. I would want to know if I was her parent, but she seems to have fallen off the face of the earth again. I want to make a few more phone calls before I throw in the towel.”
Destroy You (Destroy #3) Page 24