Crimson Desert

by Melissa Jane

  “I am incredibly lucky.” My tone couldn’t be any drier if I tried.

  “Get her out,” Juan ordered the man next to him. My senses became hyper alert when not too far away, I could hear more vehicles pulling up and car doors slamming closed. I was carelessly pulled out of the trunk by the burly man and dumped unceremoniously on my knees.

  “Please, can you take the bag off my head?” I was so itchy and my wounds were begging for freedom.

  I could barely see Juan lowering himself to my level. His voice was only inches away from me.

  He sighed dramatically. “I was hoping for a big reveal for when Aiden gets here. I know how much he likes to see you all roughed up.”

  “Please, just for a while.” I don’t know why I was bothering. I didn’t want that thing on me at all, but if I could be granted twenty-minute reprieve I would settle for that.

  “For you, my love, anything. Besides, I am missing that face of yours.” Juan leant forward and my body became rigid as he pressed against me, his cologne penetrating the holes through the fabric. Hands worked behind my head, untying the rope, and seconds later the bag was pulled off me. My eyes were closed as the fresh air caressed my skin and allowed my wounds to finally breathe.

  “Look at me.” Juan’s voice was gentle. Doing as I was told, leaving the brief moment of tranquility behind, I opened my eyes to see his expressionless face.

  “You are so beautiful when you cry, mamasita.” I hadn’t even been aware I was until he brought it to my attention. A single tear rolled down my cheek. Juan caught it with his thumb, wiping the moisture over my bottom lip, the saltiness of it stinging my busted skin.

  “Only you would find someone’s pain beautiful.”

  He shook his head in denial. “No, just yours.” This man had a way of making my stomach plummet and my body shiver with dread all at the same time. If he succeeded in killing Aiden, not only would I have lost the man I cared about, I would also have to survive Juan and his abuse of power for the rest of my life.

  Abruptly, he stood and gruff hands behind yanked me to my feet. Looking around I could judge from the massive rocky canyons we were somewhere in the Nevada Desert.

  The six men I had seen earlier at the house had also joined us. They were of various sizes and muscle mass, but I was sure they were all just as sinister as Juan. My thoughts were confirmed when they each gave me a twisted evil grin.

  The man behind shoved me forward and I walked in time with him, following Juan up a slight hill to the base of one of the canyons. Again, without any care, the asshole threw me to the ground, a plume of dust almost choking my airways.

  “On your knees,” the brute ordered from behind.

  “Why here?” I asked Juan who stood in front of me, his arms folding over his chest. I knew what he wanted to do, but why here?

  He looked at me, confusion that I wasn’t sharing his dream. “Look around you,” his hands gestured to the wide expanse of the desert before us. “This is our stage!”

  “Besides,” Juan’s voice was chillingly void of all emotion as he crouched down, our eyes locking in battle. “I can’t do what I want to do with the public as witnesses. So no more questions, mamasita. I am not going to spoil the show for you.”

  “And what makes you so confident? You think Aiden isn’t ready for you? He will kill you, Juan.”

  He considered my words for a moment, his face hardening as the seconds passed. Deciding he didn’t favor my opinion, he scowled before backhanding me hard across my right cheek, reignited the pain from earlier. I turned my cold eyes to meet his again, the tang of fresh blood in my mouth reinforcing my resolve.

  My comment was slowly having its desired effect on Juan. He was growing more irritated, even rattled, and I had to hide a smile as he straightened, squaring his shoulders. Perhaps he knew that Aiden would be a challenge after all. That would explain the posse of men here, dangerously outnumbering his opponent.

  “I am not afraid of your lover,” he spat. “I have told you before, your tears turn me on. So while you will be mourning the loss of that cunt, guess what I will be doing with yours?”

  I grew light-headed, bile rising in my gut. His words were hitting a nerve and he knew it, judging by the smirk on his face.

  “Anton,” he said, pointing to the man behind me, “will be watching you like a hawk. One wrong move and he will truss you up. Understand?”

  I nodded to avoid further punishment.

  ***

  A good half-hour passed and there was no sign of Aiden. I was starting to wonder if he was going to turn up at all or if he even knew where to go. During this time, I watched Juan pace in silence, his nerves clearly getting the better of him.

  The desert breeze that had picked up made me both happy and my life that much harder at the same time. The sweat from the searing heat welcomed the smooth caresses of air, but with every gust came a cloud of red and brown dirt to contend with.

  “Boss. Look.” Anton’s deep voice caught Juan’s attention.

  The hazy specks in the distance grew larger and darker with each passing second, a giant cloud of dust left in its wake.

  “Showtime!” Juan exclaimed with a sickening joy. I wanted desperately to signal to Aiden to stop, to turn around. I knew in a fair fight Juan would lose. But nothing about this was fair. Aiden would be outnumbered and the result would be devastating.

  “Mamasita,” said Juan, He turned to me and shot me an evil glance. “Watch me fight for you.”

  I ignored his taunting. He wasn’t fighting for me, he was fighting simply for the thrill of it.

  The specks had now morphed into cars and the closer they got the worse the sickening sense of dread became.

  The other six men looked on with excitement blazing in their eyes. As they switched weight from foot to foot, I could tell they were just as amped as Juan. This was their chance to prove themselves. They were all itching to fight.

  The cars now closed the space between us at rapid speed and even though I couldn’t yet see Aiden’s face, I knew he was watching me. I could feel him. Thankfully, Juan was so wrapped up in the impending battle, he neglected to put the hessian bag back over my head.

  I watched as a car I didn’t recognize pulled to a stop. Moments later, Aiden and Jorge stepped onto the desert plain, their bodies both rigid and military-like. He was such an impressive force, always so strikingly confident. Aiden’s eyes darted between Juan and me before they came to rest on my face. His lips pressed together, the twitch in his neck revealing itself as he took in my beaten and bloodied state. Feeling the urge to run to him, I was given a not so friendly reminder by the brute behind me to remain still.

  “Sit down, bitch.” He warned, pressing the muzzle of the gun hard against my temple until I settled back into position.

  “Well, well, well,” Juan began in mock appraisal. “I am rather impressed brother you managed to find us so quick. Unfortunately for me, I lost a bet. I thought at least two hours minimum, but here you are.”

  “What did you do to her?” Aiden’s tone was arctic.

  Juan feigned an air of mock confusion as he looked between us.

  “Well, I didn’t have time to do much to be honest. But there is always later, so I am in no rush.”

  I watched as Aiden’s hands clenched in fury.

  “Are you ok, Laila?”

  I nodded slightly in reassurance, wanting him more to focus on the task ahead.

  “What do you want, Juan?” Aiden was all business.

  “Ah, see, that I do know. It’s quite simple really. I want your blood sprayed across this desert and sweet Laila here, mine to do what I want with.” He said it as if wanting a favor. He was truly fucked in the head.

  “That’s not going to happen.”

  “And why is that, brother?”

  “You’ve left a trail, Juan. From Mexico into America, you have left your mark. You have jeopardized Hector’s name. Do you think he will be ok with the game you’re playing?” Aiden pa
used for effect, the insinuation loud and clear. “No, I don’t even think Hector is aware of your tirade.”

  “You think Hector gives a fuck right what I do? It’s all on you, puto. You fucked up and he wants you dead. You know why he wants you dead? Has it even crossed your mind as to why he never even hesitated to launch a bounty?”

  Juan laughed wickedly, causing me to cringe. He was behaving like a mad man.

  “You are not his son, puto, I am. But you knew that already. He doesn’t love you, he never has. You were used from the very beginning when you lost your parents. He never took you in because he felt sorry for you. He took you in as a final insult to the family he had killed! Your family you dumb fuck.”

  What the hell?

  Shit!

  Hector had killed Aiden’s family in cold blood.

  The man I had grown to care so deeply for stood motionless. Up until now his expression had remained fairly stoic. Now, however, I could sense a sadness in his eyes he was trying desperately to hide. Juan was a piece of shit coward, saying such a thing; even if it were true, the truth should never have been revealed this way.

  I was sick to the core.

  Sick at what I was hearing.

  Sick for a young boy who lost his parents in one night to a brutal masochist.

  “I’ve waited for this moment for a very long time. I deserve a fucking award for keeping a straight face and holding my tongue. For so long, I have known the truth that would destroy everything you ever thought was real. I have dreamt of seeing your face as I tell you about your whore of a mother.”

  “She wasn’t a whore.”

  “Indeed she was. In fact, she was Hector’s whore.”

  Aiden shook his head in confusion. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

  “Before you were born, puto, my father kept your mother as his whore. Actually, she was the first bitch to steal my father’s heart from my mother. She ran from him and eventually he found her working in some filthy bar in Tijuana. She was stupid enough to get involved with my father, even more stupid thinking she could escape and get away with it. Then one night, just like that, your mother disappeared. Word got around she took off with some white-haired marine. Hector watched you for years until the time came when you would be old enough to remember seeing your mother raped, her throat slit from ear to ear and your father shot in the head.”

  Oh, my god. My stomach lurched and tears stung my eyes. How could this be happening?

  “You’re lying,” Aiden replied evenly.

  “No, puto. Haven’t you learned over the years what Hector is like? He hates losing and he wasn’t about to lose to some know-it-all fucking Americano.”

  “If that part is true and if he despised my mother and father so much, why take me in? Why treat me as one of his own?”

  “It was no secret, he loved your bitch of a mother. More than he loved mine. When she took off, it broke his heart. She ran because she hated what he did. She didn’t want anything to do with the world he lived in. So as punishment he killed her. Then to add salt to the wound he took you in, cared for you, loved you, raised you in his world. Hector sent you to the marines so that you would come back and be trained to protect the one place your mother despised. You were deliberately orphaned by the person who wanted to raise you himself. Ironic really.”

  “How so?” Aiden was doing his best to remain strong, but his composure was crumbling.

  “I have your girl, puto. And she will watch you suffer, then become my whore.”

  “You will not touch her.”

  “I already have.”

  “And if I were you, I would hold on to that memory. Cos, that’s all you will have soon.”

  “Says who?”

  “Me.”

  Juan laughed maniacally at Aiden. “You and this guy.” He pointed to Jorge, who stood stony-faced. “Two versus eight of us. Surely even you can do the numbers.”

  “Just let her go. It’s over.”

  “Not even close.”

  The humor Juan possessed only seconds ago all but vanished. He flicked his hand as a subtle gesture to the six men who stood closest to Aiden and Jorge. “Get them,” he ordered, “but don’t finish that one.” He pointed to Aiden. “I want the pleasure for myself.”

  The posse of men began circling Aiden and Jorge and I grew hysterical knowing they were so outnumbered.

  “Aiden,” I called. He turned partially to see me, but kept focused on the threatening men. “Aiden, please don’t play his games.”

  “Laila, have some faith.” he replied as if he were not the slightest bit concerned by what was about to unfold.

  “Juan, stop this, I will go with you. You don’t need to hurt them.”

  “No, mamasita.” He squatted next to me and gripped my chin viciously in his hand. “I have been waiting for this moment for a very long time.”

  He stood up and turned just before the first man advanced on Aiden. The man was wearing torn jeans and a plaid shirt, unbuttoned and revealing a black singlet. He didn’t look like a fighter, but he wore a snarl that terrified me. The aggressor was light on his feet but not quite as quick as Aiden. He swung his fist, but, before it had even gone half way, Aiden pushed it to the side and grabbed the man’s head with both hands, pulling him down.

  Even from the distance, I could hear the sickening thud as Aiden’s knee connected with plaid’s nose. The wounded man stumbled backward half-dazed, blood spurting from his face.

  The pack of men, obviously deciding on a safer, more effective option, advanced forward as one, closing the circle around Jorge and Aiden. In a blink of an eye, the whole scene became a mess of fists and legs begging for contact. I could barely make out the two in the middle, but they were keeping strong as a team.

  What they copped in punches, they gave back three-fold, bringing the small posse of men to their knees one after another. Despite the brutality of the situation, I was deeply impressed with Aiden’s fighting ability. He was obviously trained for it, but still, seeing it in motion was terrifyingly beautiful.

  Juan’s men were weakening and it was obvious the combined force of two trained marines was too much for the amateur men Juan had employed.

  He obviously felt my sentiments. “Fuck this bullshit.” Juan spat, frustrated by the scene in front of him. Pulling out his Glock, he aimed it at the group.

  “Aiden!” My scream was cut off by the powerful blast of Juan’s gun, its noise echoing eerily through the canyons.

  An agonized scream sounded from the group and I searched frantically amongst the chaos of bloodied men. Aiden stood on the spot, his chest heaving with exhaustion.

  He was standing.

  He was ok.

  Jorge was on the dusty ground, bent in half and clutching desperately at his shot knee cap, rivers of red running through his laced fingers. While I was thankful Aiden had been spared from the bullet, I was devastated for Jorge.

  “What the fuck is wrong with you?” I screamed at Juan.

  He turned on me, looking like Satan himself.

  “Mamasita, there is a lot wrong with me. I thought you of all people would have known that by now.”

  Ignoring his gloating I turned back to Aiden who stood close to Jorge but watched the group cautiously as they regained their strength. The six men Aiden had successfully fought off now looked like a pack of hyenas intimidating their prey. One of the men detoured from the pack and round-house kicked Jorge in the face, his hand snapping to the side with the sickening blow, knocking him out.

  Fuck!

  Aiden wasn’t going to come out of this alive. Together, Jorge and Aiden could fight and win, but now, by himself, Aiden didn’t stand a chance. He was already bleeding from various cuts on his face and his posture had dropped slightly.

  “Now,” Juan yelled, “let the games fucking begin.”

  Needing no further encouragement, two men tackled Aiden to the ground in a vicious attempt at gaining the upper hand. I could hear the sickening thuds as one m
an laid into Aiden’s face while the other attempted to wind him, landing punishing blows to the ribs.

  “Enjoying the show, beautiful girl?”

  “Juan, stop this, please. They will kill him.”

  “They won’t. I will.”

  “Aiden is not at fault, please just tell them to stop. I will do anything – ”

  “You see, you just don’t understand. In the end, I get what I want without negotiation. Aiden will die and you will be mine. That is how the story goes.”

  “You are an asshole, Juan.” I was crying hard, barely able to voice the words. He relished in seeing the destruction he was causing.

  The sounds of scuffling, yelling and cursing brought my attention back to the violence being played out. Aiden was still on the ground, bucking wildly under the weight of the men who struggled to subdue him. Eventually and somewhat miraculously, he was able to push one aggressor off. In a beautifully choreographed move, Aiden’s left leg flung high enough to wrap around the throat of the man who had slipped off him. He was pinned down on the ground struggling between the vice grip of Aiden’s thighs until he fell still. The man who had been punching Aiden’s face received a cruel blow to the jaw, the power enough to send him sprawling to the ground.

  Jumping to his feet, Aiden swung a booted foot into the face of the man who had received the last blow. His head snapped back in a single sickening movement before falling limp.

  “Aiden, behind you!” I screamed as yet another man stalked from behind, a knife poised in his hand. I was too late. Aiden hadn’t enough time to react as the man thrust the blade into Aiden’s flesh just above his belt line. His shirt became immediately stained with blood and he fell to his knees briefly before stumbling forward away from the man wielding the knife.

  For the first time, I saw a flicker of concern across Aiden’s face. They were fighting dirty and he knew hope was diminishing.

  Two more men advanced but before they could get too close, Aiden roundhouse kicked one of them, sending him flying. I was shocked that despite his new injury Aiden had knocked the man out cold. The second man acted quickly while Aiden was off-balance and cowardly punched his knife wound.