Crimson Desert

by Melissa Jane

  “That was the whole point.” I replied solemnly.

  “I’m not sure I am following.”

  “Juan wanted to mark me. A scar to serve as a constant reminder that I was his.”

  Danny shook his head, disgusted.

  “That guy is so fucked in the head.”

  “That’s what I told him and he did this to me.”

  I didn’t even flinch as Danny stabbed my face with an anesthetic syringe. He chuckled a little at my lack of response.

  “Used to the pain, huh?” he queried.

  “You could say that. A needle jab is nothing compared to the beatings I have received.”

  “I really don’t know how you are not going to be fucked in the head after all of this.” Danny wasn’t teasing, his tone was soft and… sorry.

  “I don’t know.” I shrugged my shoulders. “I guess I have a good filter.”

  “Even so.”

  I watched as he threaded a small needle, then moved closer to my face before he continued. “I guess we are all fucked up in some way.” He sounded distant, as if recalling some memory.

  “Even you?”

  “Sure. Even me.”

  “Your time as a marine?”

  He nodded his head, but said nothing.

  “So what happened to you today?” I asked, changing the subject from something he clearly wasn’t prepared to discuss. “Did you know that Juan would shoot Aiden in the chest and not the head?”

  “No, there was no possibility of knowing that. We had only just arrived on the scene when he took that shot. The plan was to sneak from behind, except we were held up on our end of the road because Juan was smart enough to have some men waiting for us. We had to take them down before we could get to you. It was just our luck that he is a shit marksman. It’s easier to go for the widest part of the body than it is the head. Even at close range.”

  “That is beyond lucky.”

  “Indeed it is. There is a force out there that just won’t allow him to win, I’m sure of it.”

  “I didn’t know you were religious, Danny?”

  “Baby girl, I have seen too much shit in this world to be religious.”

  We remained quiet as he finished up stitching my face.

  “There, like I said, I can’t promise that it won’t scar, but even by my standards, I’ve done the neatest job yet.”

  His humor always made me smile. “Thank you.”

  “So…” Danny began, tossing the medical equipment into the box. He walked over to the mini bar and pulled out two beers. I raised my brow at him questioningly as he handed me one before sitting back down on the couch. “A lot has most certainly changed since last I saw you.”

  I sighed heavily, contemplating the events of the past month. “Well, not really. People are still being shot at, me getting abducted for the…. I’ve lost track how many times now and Juan with his crazy ass fucked up grudge hasn’t changed at all.”

  “Don’t play coy with me young lady, you know to what I am referring.”

  “And to what are you referring.” I said innocently.

  “The F word.”

  “The what word?”

  “Feelings. Or perhaps it has escalated to the L word by now.”

  “I don’t know what you are talking about,” I lied.

  “Yes, you do. Love, it happens. And right now it’s happening between two people I know. They go by the names of Laila and Aiden.”

  “Mmm. Don’t know them.”

  “Really cos she looks a lot like you. And is almost just as feisty.”

  “Hey, I am not feisty.”

  “Oh, so you are the Laila I am talking about?”

  Silence.

  “Last time I saw you in Mexico you were at each other’s throats. Now you are all loved up and caring for each other and shit.”

  “Well, I have learned a lot since then.”

  “Do tell.”

  “Let’s just say I was a bitch to the one person who cared from the start.”

  “It’s more than just caring for you, Laila. You have changed him in ways you could never imagine.”

  I took a second to absorb his words. Luckily for me, I didn’t have to say a word. Danny was more than happy to keep talking. “If there was one person I would want protecting me it would be him. I know there have been fuck ups along the way, but you have to remember that he never expected you. He could only have been as prepared as the environment allowed him to be.”

  “I’m not sure I follow.”

  “We are only a few men against hundreds who are happy to see us all die, even though they have never met us. They have never even met Hector or Juan, yet they would do almost anything for them. It’s hard to compete against that. All things considered, we have done well to stay alive.”

  He was right and I had only made it harder for Aiden to look out for me. “So what happens next?”

  “What did Juan say to you when we were shooting at him?”

  “That he would come back for me. That I belonged to him and that he would be watching everything I do.”

  “Do you believe him?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “Cos he has done well so far.”

  Danny looked to window lost in contemplation. “We go after him.”

  “What? That’s crazy.”

  He looked back to me, not a hint of humor in his chocolate brown eyes. “Not crazy. It’s survival. We can’t keep running forever. The whole goal was to keep you safe and out of harm’s way, then go back for the kill.”

  “Kill?” This had never been mentioned before.

  “Aiden wants Juan’s blood and he will stop at nothing.”

  I could understand that, especially with the truth now revealed. “Hector killed Aiden’s mother and father.”

  When Danny just stared wide-eyed, I continued. He obviously didn’t know.

  “Juan told Aiden just before he shot him that his mother used to belong to Hector. She ran, he followed. Hector waited until Aiden was old enough to remember the slaying and then took him in as his own.”

  “Fuck me! I knew that family was sick, but to even begin comprehending all that Aiden has been through is near impossible. I am assuming he will be out for Hector’s blood too.”

  I nodded at his words. “They will kill him, Danny.”

  “Why do you have so little faith in him?”

  “It’s not that. It’s just our luck hasn’t exactly been on our side and whatever bit of it we do have, I don’t want it to run out.”

  He moved forward and gripped my hand. “We have to end this, Laila. Surely even you can see that. Juan’s obsession for you is not going to go away overnight. He will follow you till the ends of the earth. This is a game, and it has been since even before Aiden was born when Hector laid claim to his mother. Now it’s a case of history repeating itself.”

  “I know.” I sighed.

  “I’m sorry, Laila.”

  “I’m sorry too, for getting you involved in all of this.”

  He scoffed. “Please, I’m trained for this shit. Just remember, he doesn’t have to be the only one who plays games.”

  Taking in a deep breath, my mind started racing with his words.

  “Get some sleep, I will watch both rooms from the outside hall.” He planted a kiss on my forehead before flicking the switch on the table lamp, leaving the room in darkness. I watched him as he walked through the door of the motel room, in the dim light of the outside path. Through the lace curtain I could see him take a seat on the flimsy plastic chair and lace his fingers behind his head. Danny had already been through so much with us, he was even going to do the first watch. Juan had been wrong, what he said in the desert. There wasn’t just one guardian angel out there watching over me. There were two. Aiden and Danny.

  Wanting to give the injured man on the bed some space, I curled up on the couch, tucking the cushion under my head. I thought it would be a challenge trying to fall asleep. But it wasn’t. M
y very first dream was that of revenge.

  Chapter Thirty

  Aiden

  Squinting against the light coming through the blinds I could hear the faint sound of breathing next to me.

  “Laila?”

  “I’m here.” She said sleepily. Her tiny hand gripping mine.

  “Why does my head feel like it’s been smashed in?”

  “Because it has.” She replied without humor.

  Turning, I could see her lying on her side facing me. She was badly beaten. A busted lip and stitches holding together and inch and a half long gash on her cheekbone. It was clean and perfectly straight. The fucker had taken to Laila with a knife. I felt the familiar sense of rage I experience whenever I know he has hurt her. Beneath it all, she was still so fucking beautiful it hurt.

  “We need to get out of here.” Pain assaulted my lower abdomen as I attempted to sit up straight. Falling back on the bed, I gritted my teeth as the agony eventually subsided. Laila’s hands cupped my face, her eyes peering into mine.

  Fuck, I missed those eyes. The last time I saw them, they were swollen from crying and filled with terror.

  “No sudden movement, big boy. You will pull out your stitches.”

  Seemed like knives were the weapon of choice that day. Motherfuckers playing dirty.

  My hand flew to my chest where Juan had shot me to find there was nothing there except for minor bruising. There were two things I instantly became grateful for. One that I put on the vest before leaving that day and the second, that Juan was a shocking aim and didn’t risk going for my head.

  “Don’t go being a hero and ruining all of Danny’s handiwork.”

  “You are the sexiest nurse I have ever laid eyes on.”

  From the other side of the room, Ethan cleared his throat, but I ignored him. I noticed that Laila shyly turned her wounded face away from me. Sadly, I sensed it had nothing to do with her brothers’ reaction. That was something I would address in private.

  Danny appeared from the bathroom just in time before things grew awkward between the three of us. “How’s the trail?” I asked.

  He waited until he shrugged a shirt on before answering. Dark circles under his eyes told me he hadn’t slept a wink, but that wasn’t slowing him down. “GPS says he crossed the border again. We’re going to be safe for now.”

  “Juan thinks I’m dead. The last thing he will be expecting is to see my face again.”

  Three sets of curious eyes came to rest on me. “What are you thinking?” Danny asked, a gleam in his eyes.

  “That we have him finally where we want him.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Laila

  For the next two days Danny and Aiden spent most time on the bed, for Aiden’s comfort, while discussing what had transpired the day in the desert and conspiring about what was to come. Doing my best to not listen into their conversation, I couldn’t help but feel rushes of anxiety as I heard about their revenge plans. I could understand their thirst for justice. I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel the same twinge too. For Aiden, it was a case of revenge on steroids. Not only had he fought his way through an ambush and come out alive, but he had also heard the truth about his parents’ gruesome murders. His whole life had become one massive lie and I couldn’t begrudge him the right to avenge it all.

  On the second night in Aiden’s recovery, we lay in bed with the soft glow of the lamp illuminating our space. It was here I could finally address my concerns. Turning onto my side to face him, I used my elbow to prop myself up.

  “You and Danny seem to have everything worked out.”

  “Well, we have the upper hand now.”

  “I’m coming with you.”

  “No, you’re not.” Aiden was stern but gentle at the same time. “Armed combat is not your thing, Laila. It’s dangerous and completely unforgiving.”

  “I know,” I said, resigned to the truth. I just wanted to be of some assistance rather than being useless. I knew my track record so far would prove I was more of a hindrance than anything else.

  Squeezing Aiden’s hand in mine, I stroked his knuckles with my thumb. “I’m sorry about your parents.”

  “I had already told you they were murdered.” he sounded distant and my heart broke.

  “You didn’t know it was Hector who arrange their deaths. That kind of takes it to a whole new level.”

  Aiden turned his saddened eyes to me and I felt a hard lump forming in my throat. “Yes, it does. I agree with you. But he said it all on purpose. As a way of distracting or weakening me.”

  “So do you think it is true then?”

  “I feel it is. As I think it over it all makes sense now.”

  “Are you ok?” Even I knew it was a stupid question. It was a question I hated people asking me when I had lost my parents, but still it seemed like the thing to say. Aiden hadn’t even the time to digest all the information since the day he heard it.

  “Babe, I have dealt with witnessing my parents murdered. It’s an image that plagued me every second of the day. I can still now remember each gruesome, horrific detail. But now, so many years on, it’s like I wasn’t the same person who saw it. Juan’s story does carry some weight to it. He tried his hardest to get to me, but knowing who the murderer was doesn’t change the fact that they are dead. I know it was Hector’s intention for me to always remember. I know now why my mother always looked over her shoulder. Everywhere she went, she was always worried, always keeping me close as if somehow if she took her eyes off me something bad would happen. It was because of him. He had been watching the three of us. My whole life, he knew he would take away the people I loved most. What kind of sick fuck does that then makes me play home with them?”

  “The kind of sick fuck that has always got away with destroying people’s lives.” I added.

  “He won’t be getting away with it for much longer.” Aiden’s tone was unnerving and sent shivers across my skin. “The whole thing doesn’t dredge up memories I can’t handle. Juan failed in that respect. What has changed is how I view things and the decisions I make for my future.”

  “Let me help you.”

  He laughed in disbelief. “Laila, I am not letting you anywhere near that place again, so forget it.”

  “I can help you. I too have enough motivation to see him dead.” We needed to turn the tables on him and retribution was in order.

  “Don’t be like that.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like you are unaffected by death and murder.”

  Was he right? I had seen a lot of shit unfold and I had dealt with it, but that wasn’t to say that some time down the line when it all sunk in that I wouldn’t feel its real effects. “I am not immune to it, Aiden.”

  “And that’s why I don’t want you involved.”

  “I already am involved. I am the reason we are all here.”

  His hand squeezed my shoulder with earnest and a sadness I rarely saw flashed across his eyes. He wore the same look just before he was shot. “I can’t let anything happen to you. It would kill me.” His fingers gently brushed my cheek beneath the knife wound. “Already he has –”

  I caught his hand in mine. “He’s left his mark on me. Scarred me so I always will think of him.”

  “Muñequita, this is not his mark. That may have been his intention, but it’s far from it. This is a scar just for you, to show your strength and all that you have overcome. You were already a strong woman when I first met you, now you are just simply fucking incredible. We will never give him the satisfaction of his memory. Do you understand that?”

  I nodded my head slightly as tears welled in my eyes and my chest seized. I was all overcome with emotion. The bandage wrapped around Aiden’s waist had caught my attention and I considered the almost deadly knife wound under it. I never wanted to relive that feeling of losing him again. It had all been so real. His hand cupped my cheek and pulled my face toward his.

  “Munequita, don’t cry. I would do anything
to protect –”

  “- It’s not that. I almost lost you. I thought Juan had killed you.”

  His voice quietened to a whisper. A moment shared just between us. “But he didn’t. I am still here. Still here with you.”

  “Aiden, he had told me that I was about to witness my lover die. After, he was planning on taking me far away where no one would find us. That was his plan. I knew you were driving into an ambush and I could do nothing to warn you. To help you. I was restrained and I knew I couldn’t do much anyway, but I my heart was breaking watching you get hurt. Then when he shot you, my world just… just crumbled. I never want to have that feeling again. I never want to lose you.”

  A small smile twitched his lips and for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out what he found so amusing. I had just spilled the guts of how I felt toward him. For all I knew, after this was all said and done, he would most likely take off and start a life somewhere fresh that didn’t involve a troublemaking girl from New York.

  “My beautiful, I am sorry you had to witness it. I won’t lie, I didn’t think Juan would be so stupid as to shoot me in the chest, but I am thankful he is an incompetent shot.”

  “But he could have killed you, he could have—”

  “Shh, don’t cry. I am here with you now.” His lips gently touched mine being careful of any bruising.

  “I love you, Aiden.”

  “I love you, muñequita.”

  ***

  Another five days passed and both Aiden and I were on the mend. He was walking around, trying to get some energy to his body and my lip had completely healed and the stitches removed from my cheekbone. Danny had done an excellent job at repairing the wound and if I did scar from it, it would only be very minimal. Aiden was instructed to wear the bandage under his clothes for fear the stitches might pop with all the movement. After some friendly arguing between the two friends, Aiden finally relented and followed doctor’s orders.

  “Danny can’t you stop him, at least for another two days while he heals?” We were parked behind a deserted building only the brave would venture behind. I had pulled Danny aside while we watched Aiden sort through the weaponry in the trunk of the car. His movements were stiff and awkward, still sore from fractured ribs and stab wound.