Crimson Desert

by Melissa Jane

  “Your brother?” she asked, incredulously. “You are not even related and, thank Christ, you couldn’t be any more different to each other.”

  “Oh, but we had one thing in common.”

  Juan’s repulsive gaze travelled the length of her body, then flicked back to me, a self-satisfied gleam in his eyes.

  “Go fuck yourself,” Laila said, undeterred.

  “Right, Juan.” Hector had run out of patience. “I don’t give a flying fuck about the cock parade you two have going on. Finish him.”

  Juan moved close, his face only a breath away from mine. He was trying to intimidate me. But just like when we were kids, it wasn’t working. “I will kill you, fucker, and you won’t be around to stop me from fucking her senseless.”

  I scoffed at his bravado. That wasn’t how shit was gonna go down.

  “Fucking do it!” Hector bellowed again. Juan’s face screwed up in anger as he cast his father an irritated glare.

  “What are you waiting for?” I taunted. “You can kill me, but it doesn’t change the fact that Laila won’t be yours at the end of it.”

  His brow creased in confusion. “And why the fuck not?”

  I leaned in closer still. “Because as much as this is a game to you, it’s life for Hector. This is what he does. He did it over thirty years ago to me and he is doing it now to you.”

  Chapter Forty-One

  Laila

  The tension in the room was simply frightening. I wasn’t sure which of us would survive the standoff, the promises of revenge threatening to destroy us all.

  “Jesus fucking Christ, I will do it myself.” Hector cursed, infuriated with the lack of inaction.

  Too engrossed battling each other, both Juan and Aiden missed Hector’s chilling words. From my position on the ground, I watched as he poured himself a drink from the crystal decanter. He swallowed it in one mouthful, his teeth bared from the apparent burn. Opening the small drawer in front of him, a gleam of metal instantly caught the light and I knew time was of the essence. Aiden was unarmed and he couldn’t see what was unfolding.

  I was already on my feet, desperately lunging for Aiden, screaming his name when the gun fired from behind. The blast filled the small room and seemed to bounce off the walls as he caught me in his strong arms.

  He was safe.

  I watched, dazed as if everything was in slow motion. Aiden looked behind him, his face returning to mine seconds later, a look of shock and confusion lacing his features. He mouthed something to me, his face contorting as though he was yelling, but I couldn’t make out any words. It was almost as though my world had gone silent seconds after the blast.

  Hector rushed past, his shoulder knocking us both to the side. Aiden lowered me to the floor, a single tear slipping down his rough cheek. Why was he crying? He held me at arm’s length, stroking my face with his knuckles.

  That’s when I saw it.

  A dark crimson stain over his arm and neck.

  I had failed, he had been shot. I watched in shock as he ripped his black shirt off, the smears of blood confusing me. Had he been shot twice? Aiden balled up the material, his movements becoming even more blurred through my own tears. He pressed the shirt under my collarbone bringing on a world of hurt I had never experienced before. The blurry haze that surrounded me cleared in an instant, a pained scream rising up from my gut.

  “Aiden, what’s happ—”

  “Shh, baby. Just stay still.”

  My heart was pounding painfully in my chest, my body spewing blood beneath Aiden’s shirt. I was painfully sore everywhere and despite my best efforts I couldn’t stop the tears, my head growing heavier with every breath.

  “Ethan, he’s in the base—”

  He nodded his head to say he understood. “Stay still. Don’t move.” Aiden continued to stroke my cheek until my breathing relaxed.

  “Ok.”

  He smiled at me, a sad, knowing smile that both broke my heart and made me fall in love all over again.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Aiden

  “Get the fuck up.” I heard his voice sound behind me. I didn’t want to take my eyes off Laila, not even for a second. She was falling in and out of consciousness and I needed to get her help. Going undetected, I lifted the cuff of my trousers and located my small revolver tucked into the ankle holster.

  “Are you fucking deaf, boy?” Hector yelled.

  Standing upright, keeping my weapon concealed behind me, I faced the man I was about to kill. In my peripheral, Juan’s body lay still near the door.

  “I have waited a long time for this,” I said, barely controlling the rage coursing through my body.

  “Is that so?” Hector laughed, but being covered in Juan’s blood, I could tell he was suffering.

  “Get on your knees,” I ordered, a look of confusion crossing his face.

  “Are you stupid or something, asshole? I hold the gun, I give the orders.”

  “Not this time.” I barely finished my sentence before I simultaneously shot Hector in the thigh and knocked his weapon from his shaky hand. He fell to the floor, his pained shriek filling the room.

  Standing in front of the man I once considered my father, I held my gun to his forehead, staring down at his twisted face.

  “I give the orders now, fucker. Before I end you, I have a simple request.”

  His snarl indicated he was listening. Blood gushed down his leg so I knew he was hurting bad.

  “Beg.”

  “What?”

  “You fucking heard me. Beg like the way you made my mother and Laila beg.”

  “Never.”

  “Never?”

  “Florez men do not beg.”

  Leaning behind Hector, I pulled his knife from his belt. The same one he had pierced Laila’s throat with.

  With the revolver still pointed between his eyes, I used the tip of the blade under his chin, tilting his face up to mine.

  “Beg, motherfucker.”

  He remained silently defiant.

  Gliding the knife down his throat, I stopped just beneath his Adam’s apple.

  “Last chance.”

  “Fuck you.”

  Arching my brows in mock disappointment, I sunk an inch of the blade into his neck piercing his windpipe. Pulling it out roughly, I watched as Hector gasped desperately for breath while I wiped the blood stained blade across his cheek.

  “Still defiant?”

  He clutched his throat in a poor attempt to stop the raging sea of red.

  “M-make it st-”

  “I’m sorry, I can’t do that.”

  Even through his struggles, Hector still managed to curse me to hell under his breath.

  “This is for the family you destroyed and the woman I love. Now open.” I held the gun to his mouth, waiting for him to comply.

  He shook his head, refusing the instruction.

  “You’re dead anyway, asshole. And, believe me, I’m offering you the prettier version.” The tip of my knife moved down to the cavity beneath his breastplate, threatening vivisection.

  “Open.”

  Hector’s eyes narrowed, but acknowledged defeat. I forced the muzzle into his mouth, teeth clattering against metal. Holding it upright, I stared deep into his eyes. He was pleading with me now. Scared for his life. Just how I had envisaged him to be in his final moments.

  “Rot in fucking hell, you piece of shit.”

  I turned my face to one side just as Hector Florez’s brains exploded over the plush sofa, splatters of it landing sporadically over the cream carpet.

  His reign was over.

  The Florez name would no longer terrorize people.

  A second blast sounded directly behind me. Turning, ready to take aim, I saw Juan on his knees clutching his stomach. Blood now stained his entire front, his pistol hanging loosely in his hand, dropping from aiming right at me to by his side.

  He hadn’t taken a shot, he had been shot.

  To my side Laila was where I had lef
t her, arm extended out, my Glock in her tiny bloodied hand. Her breathing was shallow and far between, lips pale blue. Even with a wounded, weakening body, she had made a perfect shot. Breaking through the adrenaline, my heart seized with fear. I had to get this girl to Danny before it was too late.

  Juan’s deathly eyes reached mine, a burning rage and challenge still evident. Turning smugly to Laila, he surveyed the damage, taking in her broken state.

  “Mamasita, I will be waiting for you. Just you and me, like I promised.” Sniggering, blood oozed from his mouth. Too weak to respond, Laila remained still. Her tired eyes barely open as she slipped in out of consciousness.

  He returned his pointed stare to me, a smile contorting his pained features. He laughed, a low chuckle catching in his blood filled throat. “You win this time, brother.”

  The smile left his face, eyes emptying of all life as he fell to the floor at my feet.

  ***

  Cradling Laila’s limp body in my arms, I took off at a sprint down the halls. My shirt I had used to block the rapid blood flow was now a sodden sticky mess. Her pale skin was a sickly shade of gray and damp all over. Balancing Laila on my knee, I retrieved the ear piece from my back pocket.

  “Danny, are you there?”

  “Yeah, where are you? Have you got your girl?”

  “Yes, I’m travelling down the west wing. She’s been shot. We need to move fast.”

  “On it.”

  “But wait,” I called as I galloped down a small flight of stairs, “she mentioned Ethan is in the basement. You don’t know where the door is so I need you to meet me, take Laila to the car and I will go and find Ethan.

  “I’m heading to the west wing now. What of Hector and Juan?”

  “Dead.”

  “Beautiful.”

  ***

  “Just where the fuck do you think you’re going?” I could have recognized that voice with a hint of a Russian accent anywhere.

  So Alexsonov had turned up to the party after all. I had rounded a corner after climbing down some stairs to the bottom floor when we almost collided head on. There was blood dripping down from his forehead from an injury sustained in the blast. Pointed directly at me was his gun.

  “I asked you a question, boy.”

  “Get the fuck out of my way.” I wanted nothing more than to make this man suffer, but my priority was to get Laila out of here, alive.

  “I don’t think so, you’re not going anywhere with the girl.” Alexsonov studied Laila’s limp body in my arms and immediately his face radiated fury. “What the fuck happened to my purchase?”

  “You can thank Hector for that.” I said dryly.

  “Where are you going with her?”

  “The fucking hospital before she dies. Where the hell do you think I’m going?”

  “Give her to me, I will take her.”

  “Over my dead body.”

  “It can be arranged.” He raised his gun. With my hands full, I had no defense. I could only rely on Danny finding us in time. Alexsonov’s eyes narrowed as recognition flowed between us. I knew who he was, but he was only just figuring it out on his end. “You’re one of Hector’s boys. The one who hired that fucker who stole my two girls.”

  “Yeah, that’s right. I am the one who hired the fucker and it was the best decision of my life. Those girls are safe to live a normal life now without you and your fucked ways in it.”

  “Watch your tongue, boy.”

  “Get out of my fucking way.”

  Alexsonov raised his gun, pointing it directly between my eyes. His face was deep red, beads of sweat dripping down his bald head.

  “Hey, cocksucker!” came a voice from behind him. Alexsonov’s brows creased together in confusion before he turned to look behind him. Not wasting any time, I ducked to the right as Danny shot him, only just avoiding having the instantly dead Russian fall on us.

  “That’s a shame,” I said, staring down the bullet hole in the man’s temple.

  “What?” Danny asked.

  “The fucker deserved a more painful death than that.”

  Danny made a look of mock offense. “I’ll do better with the next asshole.”

  “Here, take Laila to the car. I should only be a few minutes getting Ethan.” I handed my beautiful girl to the only man I trusted.

  “She’ll be fine,” he said gently. “I’ll start working on her while we wait for you.

  “Good. Shoot any fucker who dares to get close.”

  ***

  Taking off at a sprint down the hall, I saw just how much damage Danny had done while I was upstairs with Hector and Juan. The agreement was to show no mercy, no matter who it was. All the guests who attended the parties deserved such a fate. Now, as I jumped over their lifeless bodies wearing diamonds and pearls and designer clothing I could see the irony in how they lived their lives. They were all about how money could buy anything from decadent luxury to other humans. Yet no amount of money could breathe life back into these sick fucks.

  The door I needed was the last on the left, but for as long as I could remember, it had always been securely locked. Aiming my Glock at one of the four brass deadbolts, I shot where I figured the mechanism would be. Fragments of brass and wood fell to the floor before I aimed at the next bolt. With each successfully blown to bits, I kicked the door open and advanced down the darkened stairs, my flash illuminating a path.

  “Ethan, are you here?” I called out. Nothing.

  Flicking the torch around the space, all I saw was dusty furniture stacked on top of each other. Had I heard Laila correctly?

  “Ethan, can you hear me?” Still nothing.

  Entering deeper into the darkness, a moaning sounded in the distance stilled me.

  “Keep up the noise, buddy. Lead me to you.”

  A chorus of groans filled the space and after a few moments of navigating head high obstacles I found him tied up, hanging by his ankles from a ceiling beam.

  “You ok?” I asked, bending to remove the gag from his mouth.

  “Been better. Where’s Laila?”

  “She’s in the car with Danny.” I withheld the part about her being shot because the last thing I needed was a hysterical brother blaming me for everything shit in the world.

  Using the knife still coated in Hector’s blood, I cut the rope around Ethan’s wrists. “Put your hands on the ground and get ready to fall.” I instructed.

  “They are chains around my ankles.”

  “Right.” Reaching up, I felt for the chain circling his ankles. “Don’t fucking move, whatever you do. Remain perfectly still, you understand?”

  “Yes.”

  Exchanging the knife for my Glock, I squeezed the muzzle between his heels, pressing the tip of the silencer against the metal. “Ready?”

  “Do it.”

  Holding the flash between my teeth I pulled the trigger, the bullet penetrating half the link. Ethan’s weight was enough to cause the weakened metal to bend and finally unlink from the others. Catching him by the legs before he fell, I set him on the ground.

  “Are you ok to get out of here?” I asked before helping him up.

  “I’m fine, just dizzy from the blood rush,” he said, following me. “They hadn’t gotten around to the real beatings they promised before going up to party.”

  I couldn’t help but snort with laughter. I knew what Ethan was saying was true, but he had a way of dramatizing everything to the point where it was almost unmanly.

  To the far left of us, something metallic caught my attention. I knew what it was and what it would have meant for Ethan if we were a few hours too late. This sort of behavior rarely took place under the Florez roof. It was messy and unnecessary, especially when there were henchmen employed to take care of the shit. I could count on one hand how often it did happen. On the dusty table lay a crowbar, drill, and small pieces of surgical equipment designed to cause maximum pain.

  “Fuck me!” Ethan’s words barely formed behind me.

  �
�You got lucky, bro.”

  “Jesus Christ, you lived in one fucked up house, man!”

  “You don’t even know the half of it.”

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Laila

  “She must fucking love you.” I could hear the faint voice, but I couldn’t will my eyes to open. “It’s not every day you find someone willing to die for you.”

  “She is something else, isn’t she?”

  “You are one lucky fuck, that’s all I can say.”

  Their conversation faded out as I felt myself slipping back into a dark abyss. Fighting with all the weakened energy I had, I clawed my way back to the surface.

  “Aiden?” I said, but it sounded more like a release of breath from a wounded animal.

  The banter between the men stopped. A warm hand clutched mine and gently squeezed.

  “Laila? Babe, can you hear me?” Aiden asked, a hint of urgency lacing his tone.

  “Yes,” I whispered, my throat dry.

  “Can you open your eyes?”

  Attempting to prise them open, I felt like the lids had been stuck together with glue. Eventually they peeled apart and the glare of the harsh fluorescent hospital lights greeted me.

  “Danny, turn off the lights,” Aiden instructed as I blinked furiously to abate the pain throbbing through my skull. His hand cupped my cheek and I wanted to melt into him.

  “Hello,” he said, his smile coming into focus.

  “Hi,” I responded, a small smile of my own playing on my chapped lips. “Can I get out of here?”

  Aiden laughed at my impatience, but his eyes were filled with a sadness that made my heart drop. “Not yet, muñequita. You lost a lot of blood. Maybe the day after next.”

  “Are you ok?” I asked, studying his face.

  “Better now we have you back with us.”

  A tidal wave of images flooded my mind as I recalled some of the events that took place.

  “Danny’s house, I am so sorry. They destroyed it. It’s all my –”

  “Don’t even say it,” Danny said as he appeared at the end of the bed. “Those fuckers would have stopped at nothing. Besides…” – his eyes lit up – “It’s not my only house.”