by Marie, Kay
Scarface walks into the room carrying a tray with breakfast and a bag. I slowly sit up, watching him carefully.
“Buenas dias, chiquita.” he gives me an evil grin. “We have a long day ahead of us.”
I eye him wearily and glance from him to the bag, then back to him. I’m afraid to ask.
“We will be driving you to meet your new master today,” he tells me, setting the tray on the end of the mattress and the bag next to it. He stalks toward me. “I’m a little disappointed I can’t keep you for myself. Maybe we can have a little fun before we leave.”
His phone rings, saving me from whatever was going through his disgusting mind. He mutters something in Spanish.
“You’re a lucky little whore,” he says before answering his phone. When he’s out of the room, I let out a heavy breath I didn’t realize I was holding. I crawl to the tray and bag, curious about what’s in it. I cautiously open the bag. My eyes pool with tears when I realize there are clothes in it.
I pull out a pair of yoga pants, similar to the ones I wore here. There are a few t-shirts in the bag. Whoever packed it was kind enough to give me options. I grab what looks like a loose t-shirt and pull it over my head quickly. It has a deep v-neck that shows off the top of my boobs, but it’s comfy. At the bottom of the bag, there are multiple pairs of new panties and a pair of flip flops. I change into a new pair of panties before putting the yoga pants on.
After I’m dressed, I eat the oatmeal he brought. I pace myself so I don’t get sick. I can’t eat much in one sitting since my body had become accustomed to only eating toast once a day. The oatmeal is like a feast for me. The kid comes into the room while I’m eating.
“Did he tell you?” He leans against the doorway.
“What?”
“We’re taking you to meet with your buyer.” He says it like it puts a sour taste in his mouth. I drop my head.
“Yeah. I knew it was coming. It was only a matter of when,” I tell him. I stand from the mattress and walk toward the bathroom.
“You’re a little steadier on your feet,” he says.
“The oatmeal must be giving me some strength.” I give him a small smile before ducking into the bathroom to brush my hair and teeth.
“Make sure you pee before we leave,” he calls out. “It’s a long drive and I’m not sure when we’ll make our first stop.”
As soon as I’m done in the bathroom, the kid grabs the bag of what are now just shirts and panties and walks me down to the main floor. Scarface is pacing the hallway, talking on the phone. He sees us standing there and quickly gets off the phone.
“Let’s go. We meet with the buyer tomorrow morning,” he says. With that, we walk out of the house and load up in a blacked-out SUV and begin our drive to my new future.
What feels like forever later, we arrive at our destination. We’ve been in the car for close to twelve hours. I still have no idea where we are. I lay across the back seat half the way here, unable to sleep because of all the nerves. Scarface climbs out of the car and opens the back door to let me out. We walk to our room and Scarface drops onto the bed closest to the door.
“Don’t even think about trying to run, chiquita,” he tells me. “I’ll hunt your ass down and kill you.”
Within minutes, he’s passed out and snoring. There is another queen-size bed and a small couch. I walk to the couch and lay down.
“You can have the bed,” the kid says.
“If he wakes up and I’m sleeping in that bed, he’ll be pissed,” I tell him. He nods and takes the bed.
I get a few hours of sleep, but I might as well have gotten no sleep at all. Scarface wakes me up with enough time to pee and then we leave. We pull up to a deserted rest area on the side of the highway. There is a car and two men already here.
“Hermano, get the girl,” Scarface says, then climbs out of the car. The kid climbs out of the car and helps me out of the back seat. As we walk closer to the two men, I notice they tower over Scarface. Their expressions are unreadable but intimidating. From a distance, they look like twins, but up close, I can spot some differences. One is a couple inches taller than the other. The taller one has greenish hazel eyes and the other has blue. The taller one also has a clean-shaven face, while the other has some scruff. Both are well-built men.
“Ricardo,” the man with hazel eyes says. “You’re late.”
“I’m sorry,” Scarface says. His real name might be Ricardo, but he will always be Scarface to me.
“Don’t let it happen again,” the man deadpans. He walks over to me and the kid steps away.
“I was surprised to get your call, Finn. Only one girl and two weeks earlier than your scheduled shipment?” Scarface says to him.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but she’s a gift for a friend,” the man now known as Finn says as he looks me over.
“I hope he likes them feisty. This puta will take some time to break.” Scarface gives an evil smirk. The blue-eyed man is shooting daggers at Scarface. Finn’s eyes are locked on mine, his back toward Scarface.
“The feistier, the better.” Finn winks at me. The fear I felt before melts away. Something in me is telling me I can trust these men. Finn turns to Scarface. “I’ll give you ten thousand less than what we discussed before.”
“I can’t do that.” Scarface shakes his head.
“You can and you will,” the blue-eyed man says. “She looks like she’s been starved and you’ve admitted she still needs work.”
“But she’s still one of the most beautiful girls we’ve had,” Scarface argues. Finn walks to his car and pulls a bag out. He walks to my side and tosses the bag at Scarface’s feet.
“You were also late. Take the money and go,” Finn growls out. Scarface’s eyes go from Finn to me, lingering for too long. He picks the bag up and tosses it to his brother.
“Let’s go, hermano,” Scarface says and climbs into his car. The kid gives me one last look, sadness in his eyes then climbs into the car. Finn, the other guy, and I stand there until they’re no longer in sight.
“Are you alright,” Finn asks. The other man is on the phone.
“Yeah, I think so,” I tell him honestly.
“You’re safe now, I promise,” he tells me. I’m not sure if I should believe him, but I do. “I’m Finn, and that’s my brother Lochland.”
“I’m Sienna,” I tell him. He smiles like that was something he already knew.
“Let’s go get you some food,” Finn says. I nod and the three of us load up in their car.
“They’re tracking him. Said they’d let us know when they have them,” Lochland says to Finn. Finn nods, his face serious again. Lochland turns in his seat so he’s facing me. “Do you mind telling us about your stay with Ricardo?”
“Um, sure,” I say. I explain everything to them, from day one all the way up to today. Both of their expressions are hard as stone the entire time I talk. I make sure to let them know that the kid was being forced to do the shit he was doing by Scarface, so if someone ever finds these guys, maybe they can go easier on the kid.
When I’m done telling them everything, I lay across the back seat. My eyes become heavy and I drift off to sleep.
33
Shade
When Finn called me, he told me they were setting up a meet with the guy they believed to have Sienna. He had given Bull all the details and Bull quickly came up with a plan. Finn and his brother Lochland are meeting with a guy they call Ricardo this morning. Once Ricardo takes the money and leaves, Lochland will call Tech so he can start tracking him. Ranger, Ratchet, Diesel, Clutch, Rascal, and a few others are in the Roswell, New Mexico area waiting on a call so they can grab this asshole and bring him back to the clubhouse.
There’s a big group of them in charge of that in case Ricardo has people with him. Better safe than sorry. Sketch and Raze are with me, going to a location to meet with Finn and Lochland once they have Sienna. We’re an hour into our drive when my phone rings. Bull’s name flash
es across the screen and I answer on Bluetooth.
“They have her,” Bull tells me. I let out a heavy breath. I feel a fraction of a beat better. I won’t be one hundred percent until Sienna is back in my arms. “There’s a diner in Midland that they’ll meet you at.”
“Got it. Thank you, Bull,” I reply.
“Bring her home, brother,” he says and hangs up. I pull over at the next gas station so I can relay the information to Sketch and Raze.
“Everything alright,” Sketch asks when we stop.
“Just wanted to update y’all. Bull called and said they have Sienna. We’re meeting them in Midland,” I tell them.
“That’s great! What about that fucker, Ricardo,” Sketch asks Raze. Raze has this long-distance earwig in so he can hear what’s going on with the brothers that are tracking Ricardo. Raze doesn’t respond right away, concentrating on what’s being said in his ear.
“It sounds like they have him. He had his eighteen-year-old brother with him so they grabbed him too,” Raze tells us. “Sounds like they’ll be headed back to the clubhouse soon.”
“Good shit all around,” Sketch says.
“Let’s get back on the road,” I tell them. My phone pings with a text. It’s an unknown number. I open it and my heart leaps into my throat.
From Unknown: She’s safe.
Below the text is a picture of my whiskey girl, sleeping. Her cheeks look sunken in, telling me they were starving her. When I get my hands on that piece of shit, he’ll wish he never even looked at my girl.
“What is it,” Sketch asks.
“Lochland sent me a picture of Sienna. Let’s go,” I say. They nod and start their bikes up. We get back on the highway, going at least ten over the speed limit. Nothing is stopping me from getting to my girl.
Another four hours later, we pull into the diner. I don’t see Finn’s car so we pull into some parking spots at the back of the lot. I climb out of my car to talk with Sketch and Raze while we wait and send a text to Lochlan.
To Lochlan: We’re here.
As I’m about to slide my phone into my pocket, it pings.
From Lochlan: We’re ten minutes out.
“They’ll be here in ten,” I tell Sketch and Raze.
“How are you feeling,” Sketch asks. I run my hand through my hair.
“Would it be dumb if I said I was nervous?” I let out a small chuckle.
“Not at all,” Raze says. “We know she’s safe now, but as far as the shit she’s been through since TJ took her? We have no idea what those assholes did to her.”
“Exactly,” I reply. “All I want is to get her home and keep her safe.”
A black SUV pulls up next to my car and Finn and Locklan step out.
“She’s still asleep in the back,” Lochlan tells me. I must have a questioning look on my face. I walk to the SUV and open the back door. She looks so peaceful. I tuck a stray hair behind her ear, causing her to stir.
“Hey, Whiskey,” I whisper, tracing a finger down the side of her face. Her eyes flutter open. When her eyes connect with mine, they go wide and tears start pouring down her face.
“Shade?” She sits up and flies into my arms, bawling into my shirt.
“It’s okay, you’re safe now,” I tell her.
She pulls her head back so she can look at me. “I was starting to think I would never see you again.”
“I’m here, babe. You’re safe and we got those assholes who have been keeping you from me,” I say.
“What about TJ or Torres?” There’s fear in her tone.
“We haven’t found them yet. And until we do, one of the brothers or I will always be with you,” I explain to her. “Are you hungry?”
“A little,” she says. I help her out of the SUV. “I’m still kind of weak.”
“Do you want me to carry you,” I ask her. She giggles and damn if it doesn’t make my heart swell. “I missed you more than I could ever explain.”
“You can show me just how much you missed me when we get home,” she says, patting my chest.
“We’ll talk about that once we get your strength up,” I tell her. “Let’s go inside.”
She wraps her arm around me, using me as a crutch to help her walk. She’s quite a bit skinnier than she was before. Still just as beautiful, though. Having her here, being able to touch her, it’s so surreal.
“Hey, Sienna. Glad to have you back,” Sketch says to her when we catch up to them.
“Glad to be back,” she replies.
The six of us head into the diner and find a place to sit. Sienna has her chair so close to me, she might as well be sitting on my lap. After the waitress comes by to get our drink order, I pull Sienna into my lap.
“What are you doing?” she whispers to me.
“I wanted you closer,” I tell her with a grin. She just smiles and shakes her head. The guys talk about random shit and they all act like Sienna had never been missing. Sketch jokes with her, while Raze tells her about some shit Minx did. Sienna asks how Cali is doing. Finn and Lochlan tell us about themselves and how they started buying women from traffickers to save them.
When they started talking about that, I worried about how Sienna would react. This woman continues to amaze me. She watches them with such admiration. I know, without her needing to say it, how grateful she is for these two. Because I am too. Without their help, I honestly don’t know if we would have found her.
We get around to ordering our food. While the waitress is getting everyone else’s orders, Sienna’s eyes find mine.
“What’s wrong,” I ask her softly.
“This might be weird, but can I share whatever you order,” she asks with a shyness I’ve never heard from her. I cup her face in my hand.
“It’s not weird. You can eat whatever you want off my plate,” I tell her and kiss her nose. The waitress comes to us.
“I’ll take a bacon cheeseburger with a double order of fries,” I tell her. “She’s gonna pick off my plate.”
“Sounds good. I’ll get that right in for y’all.” The waitress walks away. The guys are in their own conversation, not paying attention to Sienna and me. I turn her face so she’s looking at me.
“Do you want to talk about it,” I ask her. This time, she cups my face with her hand.
“As much as it hurts to talk about it, I do, but not here,” she tells me. I give her a quick kiss on her lips.
“Whenever you’re ready, I’m here. I’ll always be here,” I reply.
After lunch, I pull Finn to the side.
“I wanted to thank you for helping us get her back. It means everything to me. If you ever need help with anything, give me a call. I’m forever indebted to you,” I tell him.
“I’m glad we were able to help. I hope she has a speedy recovery. If for some reason she has any problems with everyday things, let me know. We’ve helped a lot of women in worse shape than her get rehabilitated,” he says.
“I appreciate it,” I reply. We say our goodbyes and go our separate ways. Sketch and Raze follow us back to Sienna and Wren’s apartment. It’s almost nine by the time we get there and Sienna is passed out in the passenger seat. I thank Raze for everything and he heads home to Minx.
“I’m gonna hang around outside her apartment. Help give her some peace of mind that she’s safe,” Sketch offers.
“Thanks, brother. You really don’t have to do that,” I tell him.
He shrugs. “If it were my girl, I would want her to feel as safe as possible.”
Sienna’s keys were lost when TJ ditched her purse. Lucky for both of us, Wren gave me a spare when I moved to Texas from Arizona.
“Do me a favor?” I say to Sketch.
“What’s up?”
“Head up to the apartment and do a quick sweep? I doubt anyone would have broken in, but just to be safe,” I tell him.
“Yeah, of course.” He takes the keys and goes to the apartment. Five minutes or so go by and my phone pings.
From Sketch: All
clear.
I pick Sienna up out of the car and carry her to the apartment. She starts to wake up as I walk through the door with her.
“Where are we,” she asks in a sleepy voice.
“We just walked into your apartment,” I tell her. She opens her eyes and glances around. “Wren isn’t here and hasn’t been here in a while.”
Her face falls. It hurts seeing her hurt.
“She knows you were missing and she’s been worried. I’ll call her in the morning to let her know you’re home,” I say.
“Thank you,” Sienna replies. I set her down on the couch. “You’re not leaving, are you?”
“Nope. I’m staying for as long as you want me to,” I tell her. She visibly relaxes. “Sketch is gonna stick around too, but he’s gonna stay outside the apartment. Just as a precaution.”
She nods her head.
“Is there anything I can do or get for you,” I ask her.
“Sit with me,” she says. I sit on the couch and pull her into me. I lay across the couch, letting her lay on me and I rub her back until she falls asleep.
“I love you, Whiskey,” I whisper.
34
Sienna
The next morning, I wake up lying on top of Shade, on my couch. I’m home. I’m safe. I lift myself up, but strong arms wrap around me, pulling me back down.
“Where do you think you’re goin’,” Shade playfully growls at me.
“I was gonna get up and take a shower,” I tell him. “Care to join me?”
“If I shower with you, that’s all that’s happening until we get your strength up,” he says. I stick my bottom lip out in a faux pout. As much as I want him and have missed him, knowing that he’s worried about my health melts my heart.
“I think I’ll take a bath instead,” I tell him. “Maybe a long soak in an Epsom salt bath might help.”