Among the Echoes

by Aly Martinez

  "Can I ask you something? Something you probably don’t want to talk about?"

  She sits up, leaning on one elbow to look me in the eye. "You can ask me anything, Slate. I don’t have any secrets from you anymore."

  I lean forward, kissing her on the forehead, feeling the pang of guilt for keeping my newest information about Leo from her. "I think you need more therapy."

  She groans and lies back down next to me. "That’s not a question."

  "Okay, let me rephrase. Why don’t you go to more therapy?"

  "Because they told me I should leave Leo," she says honestly, shocking the hell out of me.

  "Why’d they tell you to leave Leo?" I ask even though I know the answer.

  "I saw the file in the safe, Slate."

  "How’d you get into the safe?" I say, shocked.

  "Leo gave me the combination in case of emergency."

  "How the hell did Leo get the combination?" I shout while suddenly sitting up, forcing her to sit up with me.

  She only responds with a shrug and the tiniest of smiles. "Anyway, I know you know everything that happened that night. So you know why they wanted me to leave Leo. I’m actually glad you read it. There were a lot of times I wanted you to know the truth but just couldn’t bring myself to talk about it."

  "I just read it tonight. Have you read it?" I ask nervously.

  "I lived it. I don’t need to read it." Thank God for that! She would freak if she read Leo’s little ‘drastic’ line. "Did it explain why he sat by while I was being raped?"

  "Erica, there isn’t a rational reason why any decent human would ever do that. I know you think Leo has protected you all these years, but that’s warped. He stood guard while men raped you just so he wouldn’t blow his cover. That is fucked up, no matter how you look at it."

  She let out a strangled laugh. "Is that what he wrote? That he didn’t want to blow his cover? He is such a dick!" she yells into the night.

  "Actually, he didn’t give a reason at all. I just assumed."

  "Well, you assumed wrong, Slate," she snaps. "Leo was compromised. Wilkes didn’t trust him at all even though Dom did. Wilkes sent two men to watch Leo. They confiscated his weapon as soon as they walked into the house. There wasn’t a single moment of that day that there wasn’t a gun pointed at his back. He either had to play along or they would have killed him flat-out. I’ll give you one guess what would have happened to me if they’d killed Leo."

  "Jesus Christ."

  "When it was Leo’s turn, he managed to talk them into giving him his gun back just in case I got loose when he flipped me over."

  "Flipped you over!" I roar, jumping to my feet.

  "Leo never touched me, Slate," she says calmly from the ground.

  I have no idea how she is telling this story without breaking down. I wasn’t even there and it’s killing me to hear.

  "Anyway, you know the rest. I don’t have Stockholm syndrome or anything. Leo wasn’t my captor who I suddenly fell in love with. He may have taken me there, but he did the very best he could to make sure we both survived. He won’t forgive himself, so if you are on a mission to get someone into therapy, start with him."

  "Erica, it’s not right. You need to get mad and stop being so sympathetic towards him. Fine, he’s not a horrible guy, but that doesn’t mean it’s healthy for you to be his best friend."

  "And that is your opinion. It might be odd to others, but it works for us. Leo and I were forced together after that night. He hates himself for what happened, and as much as I needed him to feel safe, he needs to know I’m safe to be able to sleep at night."

  "You both need help," I answer, settling back down on the blanket.

  "Probably. But that’s for us to decide."

  "Just so you know, if I ever see him again, I’m going to fuck him up. It’s my duty as your man to kill him for what he did. I’ll let him live, just because I know you love him, but that’s all I can promise," I say seriously, but she only laughs. I lie down and she immediately curls into my side. "Don’t try to stop me, Erica. I’m serious." My words cause her to laugh even louder.

  "Okay, Tarzan. You can do whatever you need to—as my man," she teases but rolls on top of me. "I love you."

  "Christ, I love you too, beautiful." I lean forward to find her mouth.

  It’s a brief kiss, but only because she slides off me, settling once again on her side. She’s right beside me, but her mind is a million miles away. I’m hoping she’s thinking about our conversation and taking some of it seriously. Erica needs help. She’s probably right about Leo too, but right now, I think he has bigger issues to deal with—like staying alive.

  We lie in silence, staring up at the sky for a while before Erica says anything else.

  "When all of this is over, where do you see us going?"

  "Like physically moving or our relationship in general?"

  "Both."

  "I don’t really know, because a lot of that depends on what you want to do. I can tell you that, no matter when or how it ends, I’m in this forever with you, Erica."

  She squeezes me tight and sighs. "Sometimes, when I can’t sleep, I imagine what it will be like to not live in fear anymore. I think of all these silly scenarios where you and I do the most normal things together. Things like going to a garden center to pick out flowers for the beds in front of our house."

  "What kind of house is it?" I ask, rolling to my side to face her.

  "Two-story, plantation style, with a big wraparound porch. I want a porch swing." She smiles, and I can tell she’s envisioning it.

  "What else do you want?"

  "I’d like to go back to work. Although I’m not sure I’m cracked up for emergency medicine anymore. I’m too jumpy these days. But I was thinking… I know you fund several rehabilitation centers for abused women. I figured I’d be really great as part of the medical staff somewhere like that. Maybe my past could actually be beneficial to some of the patients who come in."

  "I know a guy who could probably get you a job." I wink.

  "That’s what I was kind of banking on," she replies with a smirk. "What about you, Slate? What do you want to do now that you are officially unemployed?"

  "Well, my plan was always to go back to Ohio and open a boxing gym for underprivileged kids. My mom almost went broke trying to keep me in the ring. Finally, my coach recognized that I had some talent and put me on a scholarship. I wouldn’t have been able to afford to stick with the sport otherwise."

  "So do you want to be like a trainer or just run the gym?"

  "Nah. My place is in the ring. I’d hire someone to run the everyday operations. I really think I’d enjoy working with the kids."

  "Do you want kids of your own?"

  "Yeah, I definitely want kids…eventually. What about you?"

  "I think I want just one, but I’m not ruling out more," she says nervously.

  "I’m cool with only one." I tuck a stray hair behind her ear as she rushes out a breath.

  "Oh thank God. I could totally see you wanting, like, five kids. I don’t think I can do the big-family thing."

  I begin laughing as she giggles beside me.

  "You want to get married?" I ask, lifting an eyebrow at her.

  "That better not be your proposal." She laughs again.

  "No. I fully intend to get you a disgustingly gaudy ring and force you wear it everywhere when I finally propose."

  "Oh, God. Please don’t," she says, as horrified as if I’d just threatened to kill her puppy.

  "Yep. Totally happening. I can’t even tell you how excited I am to pick it out. It’s going to be ridiculous."

  "Slate, swear you won’t do that!"

  "I’m sorry. I can’t do that, Erica. It’s another one of my duties as your man," I joke.

  "What? To buy me an ugly engagement ring?"

  "Hey! Who said it was going to be ugly?" I grab my chest, feigning injury as she begins rolling in laughter beside me.

  Yeah, even if it i
s temporary, my Erica is definitely back for the evening.

  We talk for hours while lying on the hard ground. The blanket does nothing to soften it for us, but you won’t hear me complaining. I love every second of it. We keep things light, as I suspect we have both had enough of the heavy to last a lifetime. Finally, Erica begins to yawn.

  "You ready to go in?"

  "No."

  "You’re about to fall asleep, beautiful."

  "As soon as we go back inside, real life starts again. Can’t we just say out here forever?"

  "One of these days, I’m going to make the inside of those walls better than the outside. We’ll have a home where the real life inside will be your sanctuary instead of your prison."

  Her eyes glisten with tears as she nods. "I like the sound of that."

  "Me too." I kiss the top of her head.

  "Thank you," she whispers, but I don’t respond. It would feel wrong to say anything, because I should be the one thanking her.

  "Mmm. Where you going?" I try to grab Erica as she slides out of the bed.

  "Shh. Go back to sleep. I’m just getting some water," she whispers as she hurries out of the room.

  Without another thought, I immediately fall back to sleep.

  "Slate!" Erica screams, causing me to fly up off the bed.

  Before my eyes even have a chance to adjust to the darkness, the hard metal butt of a gun slams down on the bridge of my nose. Pain explodes inside my head, but with Erica’s screams still ringing in my ears, I don’t let it control me. I still can’t see my attackers, but that doesn’t stop me from returning every blow they hit me with. My arms fly, wielding punch after punch, but what I can’t figure out is how they remain standing.

  Suddenly, I’m tackled from behind and forced to the ground. Even as I struggle against them, my arms are pulled behind my back and sealed in plastic zip ties. I continue to fight until light illuminates the room and an older man comes casually strolling in, dragging Erica by her hair. Rage and adrenaline overwhelm my body at the sight of him manhandling her like nothing more than a rag doll.

  There are four men standing around me in various stages of injury, and even though my hands are bound, I still manage to escape their grasp and rush toward her. Tears are streaming from her bright-blue eyes, and without question, I know I will do absolutely anything to protect her. I never thought murdering someone would sound so appealing, but as I watch this man tip a gun up to Erica’s head, it suddenly becomes my life mission to make sure he dies a painful death.

  "Mr. Andrews, so nice to finally meet you. I’m a big fan," he says, pulling Erica’s hair tighter, forcing her to cry out.

  I recognize him as Lucas Wilkes from one of the photos Leo had in the folder. I instinctually take another step forward, but he shakes his head to stop me.

  "No, no, Slate. I’m going to need you to stay right where you are." His smirk is disgusting.

  "Give her to me," I growl but freeze as he slides the gun to her temple.

  "I’m afraid I can’t do that, and if you get any grand plans of trying to muscle your way out of this, I can assure you, I have no problem killing either one of you." He turns his attention to the men standing behind me. "Bring him to the living room," he bites out as he walks from the bedroom, his hand still firmly planted in Erica’s hair.

  My head spins as I try to figure out what to do. How the hell did they even get up here? But before I can really wrap my mind around the current situation, two men step up on each side of me, guiding me from the room. I don’t fight them. I need to make sure Erica is safe before I can even consider fighting back again.

  I’m led into the living room, where he is still holding her. His grunts deposit me in a chair and stand behind me. My eyes stay glued to Erica. She's crying, but the most alarming part is the odd level of calm she’s wearing under the surface. It’s almost as if she has given up and accepted this as the end.

  "It’s okay, beautiful," I say to try to snap her out of it—to bring her attention back to us. Even if I am bound to a chair, I need her to focus on something real before she gets lost in the fear.

  "Beautiful! How sweet!" Wilkes laughs manically. "You know, Slate. I have been asking myself over and over how the hell a big time celebrity like yourself got involved with these two. I thought, on the way over here, that you were just a fool who hired the wrong man to run security. But now…" He pulls Erica to face him. "I heard you were a little whore. Are you sleeping with the boss? Tsk tsk, Erica. What would dear old Leo have to say about this? There has to be a reason all these men are falling all over themselves to keep you from me. Maybe I should take you for a quick spin to see if you live up to the hype." He leans forward, dragging his nose up her neck.

  Bile rises to my throat as I bolt to my feet. Blinded by my uncontrollable anger, I sprint toward him only to be knocked to my ass by two of the men who were, seconds ago, standing behind me.

  "Get your fucking hands off her!" I shout from the ground, but his smile widens.

  "Now where’s the fun in that? I’m quite enjoying the show." He moves behind her and very suggestively rolls his hips against her.

  A blaze of rage erupts inside me again. I jump to my feet, head-butting the man on my left before charging forward. I’m not thinking straight, and it’s only the sound of Erica’s scream that slows me to a halt.

  "Slate, stop!"

  I look up and see that Wilkes has moved the gun from Erica and is currently aiming it directly at my chest. Part of me wouldn’t even care if he shot me right now if it meant I could get my hands on him. But the idea of leaving Erica alone with him is the only thing that stills me.

  "Please just stop!" Erica cries, completely breaking down for the first time since this whole ordeal started. Her body violently shakes and fear covers every inch of her beautiful face. "Please. Just do what he says for a minute." Her eyes are pleading. "Just one minute, Slate," she repeats.

  I stare at her in confusion, but I can’t catch my breath any more than I can process what the hell she is attempting to convey to me. But it’s obvious that trying to bulldoze over these assholes isn’t going to do us any good. I take the few steps backward, careful never to take my eyes off Wilkes, and sit back down in the chair. I suck in a few deep breaths to slow my racing mind. I need to formulate a plan, but the image of this man touching my Erica is holding me captive.

  "Okay, Slate. Let’s get to the point. As very entertaining as your little show was, I’m getting bored. Tell me where Leo James is at and I’ll be out of here before you know it. Who knows? I might even leave your little girlfriend here when I leave."

  "You are not taking her anywhere. Ever," I say menacingly, but it does nothing to sway his cheery demeanor.

  "Last chance." He smiles, moving the gun back to Erica’s head. "Where. Is. Leo?"

  "I have no fucking idea where he is. He left us over a week ago," I bite out, but my eyes flash to Erica. Her chest is heaving, but she has the strangest look on her face.

  "He’s lying," she squeaks out. My eyes go wide as I look at her, confused. "If I tell you where he is, you have to promise to let Slate go. He’s not involved in this."

  "Oh, of course, my love. I would never harm your dear Slate. You tell me where Leo is and I’ll leave Slate unharmed." He winks at me from behind her. Lying son of a bitch.

  "Erica, what the fuck are you doing? Don’t try to be brave here." I call out.

  "I’m sorry. Don’t be mad at me, okay?" She swallows before looking over her shoulder at Wilkes. "He’s in the security room with two of his men. Just don’t hurt Slate."

  Wilkes’s eyes go wide as his smile grows to epic proportions. "He’s here?" He exclaims before leaning in and whispering, "This just got interesting." He nods his head toward the back hall and three of the four men head that way.

  "I’m sorry," she whispers before squeezing her eyes tight and covering her ears.

  "Erica?" I jump to my feet, immediately concerned about why she is apologizing.


  Suddenly, I hear shots fired and shouting down the hall. Wilkes uses his gun to signal his last man to investigate before aiming it back at Erica’s temple.

  I stare down the hall, trying to figure out what the hell is going on. Leo’s not in that room, but I have no idea who the hell is. Just as suddenly as it started, the whole room goes silent.

  Wilkes yells, "Mark!" but no one answers. He nervously takes a step forward and shouts again, "Dan!"

  With his attention focused somewhere else, I see it as my chance to make a move. I quietly rise to my feet, but Erica’s head swings toward me. Her eyes are desperate but fearless as she mouths, "No. Sit down." The determination and bravery on her face has me momentarily willing to comply.

  As soon as my ass hits the chair again, I hear a thick Spanish accent roll through the room. "Lucas Wilkes. It’s so nice to finally see you again."

  At the entrance of the hall, all four of Wilkes’s men reappear. Only now they are unarmed, restrained, and being pushed forward with guns at their back. I’ve never seen the four new men who are escorting them. They are definitely not on my payroll, but they are clearly here to help.

  Wilkes spins, pulling Erica completely in front of himself.

  The group of men split as a young, well-dressed Hispanic man saunters into the room from between them.

  "Mateo Rodriguez. What the fuck are you doing here?" His eyes are surprised but he never lets his smile falter. Wilkes swings his gun forward, pointing it at our newest guest.

  "Looking for you, of course." He grins as three more men follow him—guns raised and aimed directly at Wilkes. "My new friend, Leo James, paid me a little visit this week. He informed me you were on the way here to find him. I have always wanted to visit the Windy City, so it was actually quite fortuitous." He pushes his hands into his pockets and shrugs casually.

  "You are an idiot, Mateo! It was their testimony that landed Dom in jail. Now you are working with them? Have you forgotten about your family’s honor? Because I sure as hell have not."

  "Oh, I know all the facts, Lucas. I also know that Dom was a traitor and should count his lucky stars that he gets to serve a life sentence on the inside of a prison. Because, should he ever be released, he will unquestionably share your fate. So you see, I owe Mr. James quite a bit. He killed your stupid brothers and got rid of mine as well. Seriously, I don’t know why he didn’t come to me sooner. My apologies, Erica. It appears I’m a bit late to the party," he says, taking a step toward her.