“Ai, meu Deus,” he whispered. “You’re not making this easy.”
With a wicked smile, I tugged on the zipper of his jeans. He grabbed my hands and placed them on his chest, which with all those muscles was welcomed too.
“What?” I asked, before licking his lower lip.
He groaned. “We should go. The sooner we leave, the sooner we’ll be at my house, and the sooner I can throw you on my bed.”
His bed. Under his sheets. With him. I couldn’t think of any better place in the world.
The cheer left my body as I realized something. “First, I need to stop by the ranch.”
He tensed under me. “No, no.”
“I have to go there. To tell Jimmy I’ll be gone for a few days, to grab some of my stuff, and to do something with Argus. I need to. Eric said he would call someone to take Argus away. If I’m not there, nothing will stop him from doing that. Or worse, put Argus down.”
“But what if he’s there?”
“He shouldn’t be. He should be at practice for …” I reached for my cell phone and checked the time. It was 3:10 p.m. “For another two hours. I should be able to find Jimmy there and pack a suitcase during that time. Though I’m not sure what to do with Argus. Maybe I should take him to my parents' house. Then I can pick Hilary up.”
“Or we can take him too.”
I gawked at him. “You will take me, my sister, and Argus?”
He shrugged. “Why not? If they’re important to you, then they are important to me. Besides, you already know I have a soft spot for Argus.”
I placed a quick, happy peck on his lips. “How are we gonna take him? He doesn’t like being touched. It’s not like I can ride him out of there.”
Well, it was not like I could ride him. Or ride any horse. Period.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t over riding another horse yet.
“How about you drive the trailer to my house?”
“That could work.”
“Okay. I’m coming with you. I won’t leave you alone there.”
He leaned to me, and I was ready to meet him halfway when his cell phone rang. “Merda.”
He picked it up and stared at the screen. He cursed in Portuguese before answering.
“Dad,” he said, his tone curt. I heard muffled Portuguese words and saw Leo tensing by my side.
After a few seconds and without saying a single word, he turned the phone off.
I reached to him and squeezed his hand in mine. “Want to talk about it?”
Leo squeezed my hand back. “My father didn’t know I left and he just found out. He is … pissed to say the least. He wants me to come back right this instant before he throws me off the team for good.”
I frowned. “Maybe it’s not a good idea for me to come to your house.”
“Of course it is! And if he complicates it, I told you, we leave. Together.”
I shook my head. “Leo …”
He pulled me closer to him. “Morena, say whatever you want to say, but I’m not letting you go again.”
My heart flipped with comfort. “All right. But you should go home now.”
“I won’t leave you alone.”
“Leo, I won’t be alone. Jimmy will be there, and Paul will probably be too. I’ll ask Jimmy to take Argus to the trailer while I pack a bag, then I’m out of there.”
His jaw tensed for the hundredth time in the past thirty minutes. “I don’t like it.”
“I know, but it’s going to be okay. And I want you to go home. Your father sounded pissed and he’ll probably be more pissed when I show up there, so please, go there and prepare him.”
He let out a long, strained breath. “Promise me you’ll be quick and that you’ll call me if anything happens.”
I leaned into him and kissed his cheek. “I promise.”
He cupped my face in his hands and turned his mouth to mine. It was a quick, but deep and meaningful kiss, and for a second I forgot what I had to do after.
“Be quick,” he said. “Seriously. Otherwise I’m coming after you with my infantry.”
I laughed. “All right.”
He put on his hoodie and kissed me again before exiting my car and entering his borrowed one.
He waved as he drove away, and soon I followed him out of that parking lot with a smile on my face and hope in my heart.
Chapter Twenty-Six
I drove back to the ranch like a mad woman. A happy mad woman.
My chest was bursting with excitement and anticipation. I couldn’t wait to get to the ranch, do whatever I had to do, and leave.
Leo’s plan probably wasn’t the best, but it was all we had, and honestly, I didn’t know if I could wait any longer for a better one. I couldn’t even look at Eric anymore. I had to break free now or I would be the one drowning.
I stopped my car in the parking lot and ran out, leaving the keys in the ignition and the door open. As I jogged to the stable, I looked around. Even though I wouldn’t be gone for more than a week or so—at least, I hoped I wouldn’t. One week was enough to dissuade Eric and tell the club or the police about who he really was, right?—I knew I would miss this place.
I rushed into the stable. “Jimmy?” He didn't answer, but Argus did. He came to the door of his stall and spied over it. “Hey, boy.” I walked up to him and got as close as I thought he would allow me. “I need you to trust me, okay?” He snorted and I chuckled. He was too smart for his own good. “We’re taking a short vacation. You and me. I promise you, you’ll like the place we’re going.”
He snorted once more, but didn’t back away.
The same feeling as when I was with Leo came back. The three of us were connected, I was sure of it. One saving the other.
I took a deep breath and stepped forward. He retreated. I opened the door and entered his stall, expecting him to retreat to his corner. But he didn’t. He stood his ground only two feet from me.
I peeked at his bucket. It was filled with grain.
“You didn’t eat anything today?” I scooped a handful of grain and extended my arm to him. “Come on, boy, you have to eat something.” I took a step in his direction and I almost cried in relief when he didn’t recoil. “If you eat, I’ll bring strawberries and peaches for you. Deal?”
For a long while, he stared at me. Then he stretched his neck and ate from my hand. When the grain was gone, he didn’t back away. Instead, he nudged my hand. Holding my breath, I ran my palm from under his chin to his cheek. He leaned against my touch, closing his eyes. A bubbly laugh escaped me, and a single fat tear ran down my face. I took a step forward and placed my cheek against him. He sighed, as if in relief, and I felt his muscles relaxing as I ran my hand over his beautiful coat. Poor horse. All he needed was care and love and understanding, and I wanted to give it all to him. Leo and I would give it all to him.
“I’m gonna take care of you,” I whispered. Then he tensed, and I pulled back a little to look at him. “What is it?”
“How touching,” Eric said.
I tensed right along with Argus.
My heart pounded as I whirled to face him. He still wore his dirty practice uniform.
“Eric, what are you doing here so early?”
An evil grin appeared on his mouth. “Well, let me see.” He approached the stall’s door, and Argus retreated to his corner, snorting and stomping his hooves. “I had this feeling that my woman might be misbehaving.”
“What?”
He lunged forward and grabbed my arm. “Don’t play games with me.”
I jerked against his death grip. “Eric, release me.”
Argus neighed and charged him. He raised his front hooves, trying to make Eric retreat, but Eric brought his hand forward, showing a whip he had been holding behind his back. He swatted the whip at Argus hard, harder than the other time he used it against the horse. He slashed Argus’s neck.
“No!” I jerked free of Eric’s grasp.
With enraged eyes, Argus came at Eric again, but Eric d
odged one of Argus’s kicks and hit the horse again with the whip, this time on his left thigh. Whimpering, Argus’s knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground.
“No!” I ran to Argus and knelt beside him.
As my hand touched his coat, Eric grabbed my elbow and hoisted me up and out of the stall.
“Bastard!” I pushed him away, but his grip only tightened. I tried kicking him, clawing him, but without letting go of the whip, he turned me around, pressed my back against his chest, and held my hands together. “Let me go!”
“Never,” he whispered in my ear. I shuddered as desperate tears made their way to my eyes. Holding me tight, he walked us out of the stable. “I want to talk about your misbehavior and your punishment.”
“Eric … Argus needs help. Please, let me help him.” I didn’t even know why I bothered asking him that, but I couldn’t help myself. I had to ask. To beg. “Please, let me help him.”
“Why would I do that? I’m hoping that horse will bleed to death.”
I clamped my mouth as a sob assaulted me.
Thirty minutes ago. I wanted to go back to thirty minutes ago. Everything was perfect, or looked like it could be perfect thirty minutes ago.
My phone chimed.
Holding both my wrists in one hand, Eric fished my phone out of my pocket with the other. He stared at the screen, and then turned his enraged eyes to me. He showed me the phone. It was a message from Leo: What’s taking you so long?
“See? You misbehaved.” He threw the phone on the ground with all he had, and then stepped on it to finish the job. My phone was gone. “I won’t lie. I’ll enjoy punishing you.”
I whimpered as he pushed me up the porch steps.
“Hey! What’s happening here?” It was Jimmy.
With a growl, Eric threw me to the ground just like he did with the cell phone, and I banged my head on the foot of a swing chair.
Dizzy, I lost a few seconds of what occurred, but when I recovered, I sat up.
Eric brandished the whip high and brought it down on Jimmy.
“No! Eric! Stop!” I wobbled to my feet, but had to kneel when the world whirled around me. “Eric …”
Jimmy’s raised arms took most of the hit. Blood quickly soaked his sleeves. Staggering, he tried to punch Eric, but Eric stepped out of the way and whipped Jimmy on the back. The old man fell on his hands and knees, and screamed. I screamed too.
Eric unleashed the whip on Jimmy twice more, until the old man was lying on the ground, motionless.
I crawled down the steps. “No, no, no.”
Ignoring me, Eric grabbed Jimmy’s hand and pulled him to the stable. I forced myself to my feet and limped to them. I followed Eric as he dragged Jimmy to a stall full of hay. He dropped Jimmy’s limb body—at least I could see he was still breathing as his chest moved slowly up and down—behind a wall of hay, and tied him to one of the wooden posts. Then he put another piece of rope around Jimmy’s mouth.
“Oh my God, please, Eric.”
Another sob made its way up my throat. This couldn’t be happening. No, no. Eric hit me. Okay. I mean, as okay as it could be. Some men hit women, unfortunately, and Eric was one of them. I could deal with that. I had been dealing with that. Hating every minute of it, but I handled it. Eventually, I would get out of it. But … this? Slashing someone with horse whips and tying a person and leaving him to bleed? And he did the same to Argus.
Eric was a monster. A pure evil monster.
He turned to me with enraged eyes. He had some rope in his hands, and I knew what he wanted to do with it.
I ran out of the stall and out the stable. Still a little dizzy, I lost my footing on a loose stone and fell on the ground. I heard his footsteps approaching and quickly shot up. I raced to my car, and as I touched the open door, it closed with a bang when Eric pushed it.
He tsked and I whimpered.
“You’re still misbehaving,” he said, his tone too cold.
“Please. You don’t want to do this,” I whispered, leaning against the door and away from him. But he stepped closer, putting himself right in front of me and any possible exit.
“Who says I don’t?” He reached for my hands, and I pulled them away. Desperate, I charged him, pushing him back with my shoulder, but he laughed and put his weight against me, pinning me to the car again.
I screamed and raised my hand to claw him. Once more, he laughed and held my wrist before my nails could touch his face. Then I kneed him. Unfortunately, he saw it coming and twisted to the side, and I kneed his thigh.
With renewed anger in his gaze, Eric slapped me with the back of his hand, sending me to the ground.
Before I could recover, he was sitting over me and tying my hands together.
I jerked against him, but it was too late. “No! Please, Eric, don’t.”
He lifted me from the dirty ground. “If you don’t stop complaining, I’ll tie your mouth too.”
Would screaming get me anywhere? Nobody would hear me anyway. Not right now at least.
“I won’t complain anymore,” I muttered as tears rolled down my cheeks.
He wound his arm around my waist. “Good girl.” He kissed my cheek and I flinched.
I scoured my mind for a quick plan, a way out, but nothing came to me, and I was too exhausted and broken to try anything. The best thing at this moment was to go along with what he said. Hopefully, I would feel less dizzy and stronger soon, and would be able to come up with a plan.
So I didn’t fight when he led me to the house.
As we climbed up the front steps, I glanced over my shoulder to the stable. Tears blurred my vision and I suppressed a sob. I prayed Argus and Jimmy were strong enough to hang on until … I didn’t know.
***
Eric threw me down on an armchair in the living room, untied my hands, and then tied my wrists to the arms of the chair. He excused himself, as if he were actually polite, and went to the kitchen to make some calls.
I couldn’t make out the exact words, but I did hear his tone and it didn’t sound pleasant.
He stayed on the phone for over twenty minutes. If it was one call or several, I had no idea, and I didn’t really care because my mind was trying to come up with a plan. Any plan. Any idea. Any spark of an idea. Anything.
Other than to wait for someone—more specifically Leo—to notice something was wrong, I had nothing.
I heard a car approaching and my heartbeat sped up. I held my tongue so I would not scream for help until I was sure whoever it was could help me, but my hopes dwindled when Eric strolled into the living room and opened the front door.
I heard heels clicking on the stone path leading from the parking lot to the house.
“Where were you?” he asked.
“Don’t complain, Eric,” the woman said, and I gasped. His mother! “I was downtown meeting with friends. If I were home, it would have taken me longer to arrive.” Chloe walked past him and into the living room. Her conflicted eyes settled on me. “Oh, Eric, what have you done?”
He hissed. “Don’t. Just don’t.”
She approached me. “Are you okay, dear? I mean, are you hurting? Can I get you anything?”
Hmm, what? “Freedom,” I said.
She patted my hand and turned to her son. “This isn’t really necessary.”
Eric ignored her. “I need to go … somewhere. Keep an eye on her.” He pointed at me with his chin. “Bring her water, food, whatever, but don’t untie her.” With her gaze to the floor, Chloe nodded. “Okay, then.” He quickly approached me, kissed my cheek—and I flinched again. “Be right back.”
He left the house, and I exhaled as if fresh air had invaded my lungs after weeks under a dense fog.
But the fog settled back around me when Chloe sat down on the couch beside my armchair, avoiding looking me in the eyes.
“What’s happening?” I asked, unable to hide the surprise and disgust from my voice. “Can’t you see what he is doing?” I jerked my arms, but they barely move
d. “He’s insane. Literally. And you’re helping him?”
Oh crap, what if she was insane too?
She didn’t answer me right away, and I thought she wouldn’t, until she finally whispered, “I don’t have a choice.”
“What? Of course you do. Cut these ropes and let me go. There’s your choice.”
She lifted her face and stared at me, her eyes brimming with tears. “I can’t go against him. I won’t go against him.” She brushed her fingertips under her eyes, but one drop rolled down, leaving a streak of mascara on her pale cheek. “There’s no easy way of saying this, so I’m just gonna go ahead and say it. I think Eric is a psychopath.”
I gaped at her. “What?”
“I’m not sure, since he would actually have to want to be examined and diagnosed, and he would never do that. I actually never said this out loud until now, but I’ve talked to specialists about it and read many books about it and … it all fits. His behaviors, his moods, his anger, his lack of regret over the things he does.”
I gulped. “What else does he do?”
She looked down at her hands and picked at her nails. “Oh, Hannah, I don’t think you want to know.”
“Actually, I do. I want to know everything.”
With a practiced smile, she stood. “I need some water. While I’m in the kitchen, can I get you anything?”
“What? No, Chloe, answer me. Tell me what you know.”
She waved at me as if I had told her an unfunny joke. “All right, then. I’ll be right back.” She whirled around and disappeared through the hallway.
What the hell?
On instinct, I jerked against the ropes until they bit into my skin and I whimpered in pain. “Shit.” My gaze didn’t stop darting around, trying to find a solution, a way out, as if it would pop from the wall or from under the couch. Anywhere.
Then the house telephone rang.
I froze.
I stared at it, so lonely sitting on the shelf along the wall between the staircase and the hallway door. Oh, how I wanted to know who it was. I hoped it was someone who knew me, not a sales person who wouldn’t give a damn if the phone was answered or not.
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