I protected Windred then, and I protected her again in high school. I did my best to keep her safe, and once again I was going to be the one protecting her. Lorena Windred Rojas.
***
I sat in the passenger seat of Andrew’s Black Charger while he drove us out to the Warehouse where we would be meeting Bellerose. It had been about thirty minutes already and we were far from the safe house by now. I could tell that we were close by the change in scenery around me.
The sun was going down, making the Ocean we were driving by glimmer, and the houses on the other side of the road were well built, tall, and had brand new cars in the driveways. That was all I needed to see to let me know that we were in the suburbs.
“You like it out here?” Andrew asked.
“Yeah, it’s beautiful,” I said while still watching the ocean.
“So are you,” Andrew responded. I didn’t say anything back, but I agreed with him in my head.
Andrew had bought me a black dress that stopped at my ankles and had a slit that started at my knee to show a little leg. The top covered my chest, but hung diagonally to reveal my shoulder. I guessed that Andrew could tell what type of woman I was after those two weeks of working for him, and he knew exactly what to tell Jaylen to get.
We finally pulled up to a large warehouse after going through a few gates guarded by security. My heart raced when I thought back to the time that I had fought here and I tried to brush off the memory. This was definitely the same place, but it was rebuilt, and back then they didn’t have security guards guarding the gates.
The thought of me slamming the little girl into the snow came to mind, then the blood staining the snow in little droplets. My hands started to shake, so I clenched my fists tightly and tried to hold my breath so that Andrew wouldn’t see how nervous I was getting.
As we drove through the parking lot I was starting to feel worse. The images just kept flashing in my mind and they wouldn’t stop. I felt like I was going to vomit, but I needed to keep myself together. I should have known that they would be having the fights at the same place that I fought at.
“You okay?” Andrew asked after we parked on the side of the warehouse. There were no other cars, and only a few street lights for us to see.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I just never had been to one of these. I don’t do that well around blood,” I lied.
“Oh, well it’s cool. You don’t have to watch. There are other places to have drinks and chill while the fights go on,” Andrew said, then he gave a reassuring smile. It was weird since it was coming from a man that threatened to kill me if I were a snitch or a thief.
“Okay,” I nodded, “cool.”
We both got out of the car and made our way to the door. I looked around and noticed how we were surrounded by only a few other buildings, but not like how we were in the middle of the city.
“How do the police not suspect anything?” I asked.
“This is private property.” Andrew knocked three times on the door, and then continued, “Bellerose owns this place, so he just says that he’s throwing a party, but it’s actually where the dogfights are held.”
“Oh.”
The door opened and two tall security guards stood in the entrance. Andrew nodded to them and stepped through, but I had to be patted down. I was glad Bobby gave me a Taser that I could slip in my ankle strap. I knew that they wouldn’t be trying to go so low to check for anything, so I put it right on my calf. I wouldn’t have been able to bring a gun, but this Taser was small enough to fit and not be seen.
The security guards nodded and let me through, then they closed the door behind me and continued to stand guard. I took one last breath before we exited the small hallway and was now on the open floor of the busy warehouse. I could see why Andrew wanted to bring me instead of one of his dancers. The people here looked uppity, classy, and rich. One man that walked by even smelled rich.
I observed my surroundings and found the area full of chairs and couches that Andrew had told me about earlier, then I looked over to see where a few kids around seven through nine stood to themselves outside the small arena. They weren’t watching the current fight that was going on, but I knew why. Why would they want to watch something so brutal?
The arena was right ahead of me, but I couldn’t see the fighters because they were being blocked by the excited crowd around them. I felt disgusted just watching these people cheer as two children were hurting each other in unimaginable ways.
“Oh, I see them. Roberto!” Andrew called, breaking me from my thoughts. He took my hand and led me in the direction of the bar. I searched and searched, but couldn’t spot Lorena. Not until I saw Bellerose turn to Andrews call…
Chapter 13
Lorena was standing right behind Bellerose while sipping on red wine. When she spotted me her eyes grew slightly wide, but then went back to normal so that Andrew wouldn’t see her surprised expression.
I felt like I had been punched in the stomach at the sight of Lorena. I didn’t expect the feeling I got from seeing her after seven years to be pain, but I guessed that was because I had missed her to the point that I went into a depression.
Lorena was beautiful, and she had definitely grown since the last time that I saw her. She no longer had any red in her hair, and the black dress she wore showed every curve on her body.
“Hey!” Bellerose greeted Andrew with a handshake, “I’ve been waiting for you.”
“Sorry, had to get my little lady ready,” Andrew said looking over to me. “Sarah, this is Roberto, the man I work for, and this is his Wife, Lorena.”
“Hi,” I said, turning to Roberto, “nice to meet you two.”
“Nice to meet you as well,” Roberto said as he reached out for a handshake. I took it. He was unexpectedly gentle and gave the sweetest smile. Bellerose looked exactly as he did in the pictures, but younger. If I had to guess, I would say that he was in his early thirties. “So, you ready to watch the fights?”
“Ah…”
“Sarah doesn’t really like the sight of blood. You know those fights can be gory,” Andrew laughed.
“Neither does this one,” Roberto said, pointing to Lorena, who just smiled. “You two can sit over there while we do a little business. Sweetie, show her to the lounge area.”
“OK,” Lorena said softly, then kissed him on the cheek and nodded for me to follow her. I couldn’t help but feel a bit of jealousy to see her lips on someone else, but I had to remember that he was her husband. I didn’t have much of a right to feel jealous anymore.
I followed Lorena away from the bar and over to the circle of couches that surrounded one large coffee table. We were the only ones sitting over there, because everyone else was either at the bar or watching the fights.
Lorena sat down on the couch that faced the fights, and I sat down next to her. She stared over at the two men talking for a moment and I couldn’t help but watch her do it. I wondered what type of woman she was now, or if she were the same person that I remembered her to be.
“Um, Lorena...” I didn’t know what to say.
Lorena turned to me with a slight smile on her face, “What are you doing here Rose?’
Now I really didn’t know what to say. Her expression looked so kind, but her voice sounded like everything but. “You shouldn’t be here.”
I was stuck. I bit my lower lip and sighed. Lorena was right. I wasn’t supposed to be here. This is one of the very last places I should ever be, but I was, and I was here for a reason.
“I’m here undercover,” I said in a low voice. “They sent me in because of you.”
Lorena sighed, “Because of that phone call that I gave them? Took them long enough.” she looked up at me with the same worried expression that I had remembered from all of our times together. “They still shouldn’t have sent you.”
I couldn’t help but smile. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see me, it’s that she didn’t want me to get hurt.
“But who else wou
ld be better for the job?” I asked.
Lorena blushed and turned away to face the fights. “So, what do they have you doing here?” She asked.
“I’m looking for all the children Roberto has hidden. Any idea where they may be?”
“No, he doesn’t speak about his business with me, and I don’t ask,” Lorena answered. Her smile faded, and I couldn’t help but feel bad for her. She was with a man that kidnapped children and sold them. Even though she couldn’t remember, she was in one of those children’s shoes before.
I sighed, “I’ll find them.” I didn’t want to leave her, but this was the perfect chance to go and search for the other children. “If they ask, just tell them that I was going to the restroom.”
“Wait,” Lorena said. She grabbed my wrist before I walked away. “This is very dangerous Rose. You need to be careful.”
I smiled down at her and said, “You know I’ll be okay.”
Lorena slowly let me go with a worried expression on her face, and then she went back to normal. We couldn’t look like we knew each other, and she knew that.
I nodded, then walked away and went into the crowd of money hungry people. I was headed for the back rooms, where fighters were taken after a fight, when I noticed a familiar face among the crowd.
“Rose?” It was Abigale. I immediately felt jealous when I saw that she got to wear a black tux.
“Abs,” I said in almost a whisper, “what the hell are you doing here?”
We turned to make it look as if we were watching the fights.
“Same thing you are. Did you meet him yet?”
“Yeah, I saw Lorena too.”
“Really, how could you miss her?”
I frowned and took a deep breath, remembering that this was my best friend. “Look, did you find anything?” I asked.
“Not here, this place is clean. The only fighters I see are the kids that came with their owners.”
I nodded, “This place is sick.”
I saw one boy slam the smaller one and the crowd cheered.
“Very, so what do we do now?”
“You just keep searching on your end, and I’ll-“
Two shots went off causing the crowd to scream and scatter. Abigale and I ducked, then looked to where the shots came from.
“Shit, that’s one of Bellerose’s rivals. I work for that dude,” Abigale said.
The man holding the gun fired again and hit one of the security guards that was running to stop him.
“There’s another one,” I said, looking at another guy that was firing his gun at more of Roberto’s men.
“Abigale, get out of here,” I ordered.
“What-“
“Go!” I pushed her into the frantic crowd and ran back to stop the shooter. When I got close enough, I saw that Andrew had been shot in the head and was out cold, then I spotted the shooter walking in Roberto and Lorena’s direction with a smile on his face.
“Doesn’t feel good now that I have the upper hand, does it?” The shooter asked.
“Look Leon, just put the gun down,” Roberto said holding his hand out. Lorena looked over at me in fear as she stood behind her husband for protection.
Angrily, I tackled the shooter named Leon to the floor and knocked the gun out of his hand, then I elbowed him multiple times in his face until he stopped moving. I looked for the gun, but it had been kicked by someone that was running for safety.
“Sarah, let’s go!” Lorena yelled. She stepped from behind Roberto with wide eyes.
The second shooter had seen his partner go down and was now pointing the gun in our direction. He was pointing it at Lorena.
Without thinking I sprung to my feet to shield Lorena, and within seconds the bullet that was meant for her went through the right side of my stomach. Two more shot’s went off, but I wasn’t sure who fired them as I went crashing down next to Andrew’s body.
“No!” Lorena’s voice echoed in my ears. When I looked up I saw her reaching out for me, but for some reason she couldn’t reach me. It was as if she were being pulled away…
The sound of men and women screaming filled my ears again and I jumped back into action. Now that Lorena was safe I could get the hell up out of here before the police showed up. I rolled onto my knees and searched Andrew for his keys. When I found them, I got back to my feet and ran for the back door.
Once I was outside I saw cars flash by and doors slamming shut. Andrew had parked on the side of the building because all of the parking spaces were filled, so I made my way around the building and saw his car under one of the street lights.
I held my hand over my stomach and splashed through the puddles as I made my way to the car. Apparently it had rained as soon as we stepped inside of the building. Once I finally got to the car I pulled out the keys and got inside. From there, I couldn’t remember much, because it was all coming in flashes. The last thing I heard was the sound glass shattering.
***
I woke up in the hospital the next day with Abigale sitting next to me. When I cracked an eye open I smiled at her, and she smiled back.
“Thanks,” I said.
“No problem. I couldn’t have you dying on me. What the hell would I do without you?”
I smiled and felt over my stomach. It still hurt, but it wasn’t so bad. I guess I could say that I’ve been through worse.
“Were you the one who stopped the other shooter?” I asked.
“Yeah, I took him down. My aim is getting spot on,” Abigale winked. “And you told me to leave. You know you need me,” she laughed.
“Yeah, I need you to leave this hospital room,” I laughed too. “We don’t need one of Bellerose’s enemies to be spotted with me, or that’s both our asses.”
Abigale nodded. “Well, I spoke to Luis. He’s on his way to see his wounded little sister,” she teased, then stood up. “Be safe Rose.”
“You too,” I said.
Abigale was about to walk out of the door when I stopped her. She knew what I was wondering before I even asked. “She’s safe at home,” Abigale said over her shoulder.
“Thanks,” I said, resting my head back into the pillow.
“No problem,” Abigale pulled her hood over her head and walked out of the hospital room.
It wasn’t long before a nurse came walking in to check on me, then the doctor checked on me just to say that I would be okay and should be up and about in a few weeks. I haven’t been in a hospital for a while, so it felt a little weird, like déjà vu.
Thirty minutes after Abigale left, Bobby and Jaylen came walking through the door. Jaylen looked a little drained, and I figured it was from hearing that Andrew was killed, and Bobby just looked his usual self.
They both stayed with me for a while and we talked about what happened. Jaylen told me about how Roberto had already found someone named Bruce to take Andrew’s place, and then they eventually left. Bobby just gave me a head nod before he left, letting me know that I did a good job. He later texted me that he got most of the news from other agents on Abigale’s side after she gave her report.
I felt myself growing tired again and closed my eyes. The first person to pop up in my mind was Lorena. She looked so afraid when she saw Leon pointing a gun at them, but then she looked almost crazed when she saw me get shot. I still could picture how she reached out for me, but was too weak to fight against Bellerose who was pulling her away. I didn’t blame him for doing it though. He didn’t know me, and he had to protect his wife.
“How are you feeling?” I heard someone ask from the doorway. It was a familiar French accent that sent chills down my spine. When I opened my eyes my mouth slowly dropped for me to respond, but no words came out.
Roberto Bellerose stood in the doorway wearing a new black suit and a smile on his face.
Chapter 14
“H...hi,” I stuttered. He looked so much like Arnold that he could pass as his son. He carried himself the same way, looked the same, and probably even smelled the same.
My heart raced as he got closer to me. I didn’t know why I expected to feel pain as he came near, but I did. I had to control myself before he noticed how I was reacting to him being in my presence. If he noticed there was fear radiating off of me, then he might suspect something, and I really didn’t want someone as dangerous as him to suspect me.
“I’m feeling alright,” I said, staring up at him. He was standing a foot away from the side of my bed.
“That’s good,” Roberto nodded. “I would have hated to tell my wife that her new friend had died.”
I bit my bottom lip then asked, “How is she? Did you guys get away safely?”
“Oh, we got away just fine, thanks to you. I do apologize for leaving you that way, but I had to think about my wife’s well-being.”
“I understand,” I nodded.
“I was just stopping by to say thank you for protecting her,” he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “I really appreciate it.”
“Oh…it’s no big deal. I just saw that she was in danger and…didn’t want to see her hurt.”
Roberto nodded, and then sat down. I was starting to feel a little calm as the time went by.
“The way you took Leon down, that was amazing,” Roberto chuckled, “and then the way you started hitting him. That’s a mean elbow you have there.”
I couldn’t help but smile, “It was just the adrenaline.”
“Hmm…Adrenaline. Well, I could use someone like you to work by my side. I’m betting that was much more than adrenaline, and no one would expect that the shy woman next to me would be able to fight the way that you do.”
My eyes widened. This was it. This was how I was going to get close to Roberto, by working with him, by his side.
“What do you think? Would you like to work for me? I need more security at my house and for someone to look after my wife. Plus, she seems to like you. Lorena doesn’t really take to other people.”
Caged 2 (Caged Series) Page 9