by Amy Braun
My heart slumped in my chest, turning into a weight too heavy to hold up. I pushed away the throbbing pain, and focused on the meeting.
“Is there something I need to do?” Mateo asked.
That evil smile spread across Isabel’s face again. She pushed herself off the couch and model-walked toward my boyfriend.
“I’m so glad you asked. As it happens, I’m looking for someone very, very important. She’s a little girl, and would be fourteen years old now. Pale skin, bright blue eyes, long white hair. You wouldn’t forget her if you saw her. She goes by the name Andromeda.”
My heart was pounding so hard it hurt. He won’t do it, I told myself. Mateo likes Dro. He loves me. He won’t turn on us. He would never–
“Yeah, I know Dro. She’s a kitchen helper here. What do you want with her?”
I felt like I had been stabbed in the chest. A huge, raw pain dug itself into my heart like a knife, twisting and shredding every piece of hope I had. My vision blurred and a heavy lump formed in my throat. It hurt to breathe. I tried to tell myself it was a lie, that Mateo was just stringing Isabel along, but he had spoken too easily. There hadn’t been any hesitation. He just gave in.
I clutched the side of the hacienda and the balcony railing, forcing myself to concentrate and push away the pain burning in my heart. I would feel it later. I held my breath and blinked to clear my vision, looking at the woman who ruined my life and the man who had just shattered the rest of it.
Isabel smiled again. “Don’t worry about that. But if you bring her to me, you will be greatly rewarded.” Isabel considered Mateo. “I trust that bringing Andromeda won’t be difficult?”
“No, but,” Mateo hesitated, “she has an older sister. Constance. And Constance won’t give up her sister without a fight.”
Isabel laughed. “I’m sure I can handle one temperamental girl.”
Mateo stared at Isabel for another long minute, then turned his head toward Hernandez. “Bring Andromeda here. But don’t hurt Constance.”
That son of a bitch, I thought hatefully. Still acting like he cares.
It didn’t matter now. I had to get my sister and get out of here. We couldn’t wait. It would take Hernandez five minutes to walk to the servant house once he got out of the hacienda. Which meant I had ten minutes to get my sister and escape.
I gripped the railing and dropped down. I clutched the bricks and made my way down as quickly as I could. I slipped a couple times since there wasn’t a lot for me to hang onto, but I kept going. Focusing on Dro made me faster, and once I was close enough to the ground, I let go.
My boots thumped hard into the grass, shock vibrating up my legs. I pushed myself up from my crouch and looked up. None of the guards had seen me. I shot to my feet, whirled on my heel, and sprinted toward the servant houses.
The little apartment building was tucked in a curve of trees on the left side of the hacienda. It had never seemed too close before. It would only take me five minutes to walk to Mateo’s room whenever I wanted to see him.
My heartstrings twisted at the thought of looking in his eyes after what he had done. So I thought about Dro, and ran faster.
The door to the servant house was always unlocked, so I was able to shoulder my way in. I didn’t even bother to see if anyone was awake and wondering what the hell I was doing. I didn’t have time to care. I swung myself around the railing and stormed up the stairs.
“Dro!” I shouted. “Dro!”
She pulled open the door before I reached it. She was dressed for bed in navy blue sweatpants and an oversized sky blue shirt. Her long white hair was braided over her shoulder. Her eyes looked drowsy from sleep, but the moment they fixed on me, she started to wake up.
“Connie? What’s wrong?”
I clutched her shoulders and forced her back into our room. “We have to get out of here, now,” I urged.
I slammed the door shut and twisted the lock. I yanked the chair from the desk and shoved it under the doorknob.
“Connie, what’s going on? You’re starting to scare me.”
At least I’m not the only one. I pulled away from the door and looked at my sister.
“Isabel. She’s here.”
Dro backed up, eyes going wide with fear. She started shaking her head. “No, no, that can’t be–”
“I saw her, Dro” I said, grabbing the rest of my weapons and strapping them to my body. “She made Mateo an offer, and he took it. He sold us out.”
I walked to the window and slid it up so we could climb through.
“Oh, Connie, I’m so sorry.”
I flinched when heartache stabbed me again. Despite all our recent problems, we had loved each other. Or I thought we had. Things had been going good. I should have known better.
“We need to get out of here,” I said as evenly as I could. I pulled myself out of the room and hung on the windowsill. “Hernandez is on his way. They don’t know what I heard, so we have a little more time. Come on.”
Dro hesitated, then scurried over. She didn’t have anything she needed to take. She climbed out of the window beside me and started making her way down. I reached up with one hand and pulled the window closed behind me.
I skidded down the walls while Dro made her way down the white lattice. We used to climb trees all the time as kids. Who knew the skill would come in handy later on when we needed to run from a traitorous gang and an evil witch?
I made it to the ground first, dropping onto the grass. Dro landed behind me, rushing to my back. I jogged to the corner of the apartment and looked around it. There were no extra guards. No one had been told to stop our escape, since they didn’t think we would be making one. I looked at the line of vehicles across the front yard.
“Do you know who keeps their car unlocked?”
“Ricardo does,” Dro informed.
“Which is his?”
She pointed to a pale green Mercedes Benz across from us by the gate. I looked between it and the security booth beside it. I glanced at the hacienda again. Hernandez wasn’t out here yet, but he had to be close. I looked over my shoulder at my sister.
“You remember when Dad taught me how to drive?”
“Yeah, but I can’t drive, I’ve never done it.”
“Pull the handle to D to put it in drive. The left pedal means stop, the right pedal means go. I’ll take care of the guards.”
“Con, that’s too risky! What if you get caught?” Her eyes glistened. “You know what they’ll do to you?”
Oh, I knew all too well. They paid me to do the same things.
“They have to catch me first,” I said. I reached around my back and handed her my hatchet. She looked at it nervously. “Hang onto this until I get back in the car. Are you ready?”
“Yes,” she lied.
I checked around the corner of the apartment building again and made sure the coast was clear. Then I turned and started running for the Mercedes. I moved at a brisk pace to avoid attention, but looked back and forth to make sure no one was following me. Dro had to jog to keep up with me. I reached inside my jacket and slid out one of my throwing knives. I tucked it up the sleeve of my long shirt so it would be ready when I needed it.
“Constance! Andromeda!”
I stopped in my tracks and whirled around, pushing Dro behind me. Hernandez was walking briskly toward us, his face completely deadpan. His jacket was open, ready to get a gun if I gave him trouble.
“Get in the car, Dro,” I whispered to her.
She hurried to do so. Hernandez started jogging. He looked over my shoulder at Dro as she eased the car door open. I kept my hands loose at my sides and tried not to look severely pissed off.
“What’s your sister doing?” Emilio’s bodyguard asked when he was only a foot away from me.
“Ricardo forgot something in his car,” I said. “He asked Dro to get it. Seemed fishy, so I came with.”
“Huh,” Hernandez grunted, clearly not buying my story. “Well, Emilio wants to see her
. It’s important.”
“That so? What does he want?”
“Didn’t say, and it doesn’t matter.” He leaned to look past me. “Get out of the car, Andromeda.”
She started the car instead. Hernandez gave me a menacing glare. “Tell her to get the fuck out of the car,” he growled.
“No.”
His lips peeled back into a scowl, and he reached for the gun inside of his jacket. I palmed my throwing knife and hurled it into Hernandez’s chest just as he pulled his hand back. His dark eyes widened in shock. He opened his mouth to scream, but I leaped on him. I yanked the knife out of his chest and shoved it into his throat. Blood squirted out from his neck, splashing against my hands and face.
There were some raised voices, the other guards asking what was wrong with Hernandez. I lifted my head and looked at the two guards manning the booth. I stood up, taking my knife with me. I looked at Dro and signaled her to move the car.
I dashed toward the guards as one of them lifted a radio to his lips. The second guard fumbled for the gun on his hip. I slowed down just enough so I could hurl my knife into his chest. He screamed and collapsed. The guard with the radio dropped it and reached for his gun. By the time he got it out, I was in front of him. I knocked the gun away and punched him in the throat. He chocked and gagged. I spun a wide roundhouse into the side of his head and knocked him out.
Then I heard new voices shouting. I looked over my shoulder. More guards were pouring out of the hacienda. Isabel, Emilio, and Mateo were among them. I grabbed the fallen guard’s gun, then ran for the security booth. Dro was idling the car in front of the gate. She refused to go anywhere without me.
I stormed into the booth and looked at the controls. I flipped the switches to turn them on. The gate started to slide open–
Crack!
I jumped when the first bullet shot through the booth, splintering the glass window on my left. I ducked on instinct, but there was nowhere I could run. Two more bullets slammed into the wall and desk behind me. It stopped, and the shouting resumed.
“Don’t shoot, you fucking idiots!” Emilio screamed. “We need them alive! Get the girl!”
I got to my feet, raised the gun, and started shooting at the guards. They cringed and scampered for the little cover there was by the other cars. It was all a blur, and I lost sight of Isabel, Emilio, and Mateo. I could only hear Isabel and Emilio screaming. As soon as I stepped out of the booth, a sharp kick knocked the gun from my hands. I looked to my right. A fist crashed into my face.
The hit knocked me onto my ass. I shook off the dizziness, and looked up at the face of my boyfriend. My ex-boyfriend, now.
I scrambled back, glancing over my shoulder at the car. Dro had driven out of the gate and was waiting for me. She was hanging out of the driver side door, staring at me urgently. With Mateo stomping toward me, there was no way she could escape before someone else caught her.
“Go!” I screamed at her.
Mateo punched down for my face, but I rolled away and kicked him in the jaw. He grunted and stumbled. I hooked my leg around his arm and twisted until he was on his front and I was controlling his arm. I gave it a sharp tug, and yanked it out of its socket.
As Mateo screamed in pain, I looked back. I was about to be swarmed by Blood Thorns. There was no way I could make it out. I looked at Dro.
“Go! I’ll meet you!”
My little sister shook her head, tears sparkling in her eyes.
“I promise! Go!”
That was the last thing I managed to say before Mateo jabbed his other elbow into my ribs. I was thrown off him, but ignored the pain as I got to my feet. I ran for the booth again, swinging into it and flicking the switch to get it to close. I looked out of the window and saw Dro driving away. As soon as she was gone, I reached under the desk and yanked out all the wires. Hopefully one of them would keep the gate locked–
A hand twisted in my hair and pulled me out from under the desk. He hurled me against the wall. I slumped against it, and he slammed a boot into my chest. My cry of pain was a broken gasp, but it didn’t make him stop. His heel connected with my jaw, sending a flurry of pain through it. As soon as I landed on the floor, the kicks started.
Sharp, pointed boots jabbed themselves into my ribs and stomach, crushing the air from me. I used my far hand to reach for another knife, but he hooked my elbow. He twisted it until I rolled onto my back, desperate to relieve the searing pressure.
Emilio looked more furious than I had ever seen him. I’d killed his bodyguard, injured his son, and let someone important escape from him. He’d killed people for less.
But he wasn’t going to kill me. That would have been far too kind.
“I should have known you were just like your father,” Emilio sneered. “Trying to be noble and do the right thing, but a traitor to the very core.”
Emilio leaned down, twisting my arm until I thought he was going to break it. I winced, but he stepped on my chest so I couldn’t move.
“I never got the chance to make him pay for what he did. So I’ll just have to make you pay for his betrayal, as well as your own.”
Emilio’s fist shot down into my head, snapping it to the side. My eyes fluttered closed, and soon I was drawn back into a pain-filled darkness...
Someone grabbed my shoulder. I jerked out of the dream and swung my fist at them with a roar. The man caught my wrist before I punched him in the head. I tried to pull away, but he wasn’t hurting me. It took me a second to realize I’d nearly hit Warrick.
He stared at me with concerned green eyes. “Hey, relax, it’s just me.”
I jerked my hand back, unwinding a little. I sighed and started to sit up, rubbing my eyes with the heel of my palm.
“What time is it?”
“About three in the afternoon.”
That explains why I’m so damn hungry and why I desperately need to pee.
Hunger and bladder aside, I was feeling much better. All that sleep had been magic for my body. There wasn’t any hint of pain or tenderness. Which meant I could start getting stuff done.
“Looked like you were having a hell of a dream,” Warrick said, stepping back from the bed as I swung myself off of it. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Nope. What’s going on?”
Warrick frowned, but dropped the topic. “Everyone else is awake. The slayers want to meet with you. We need to talk about our next step, Constance.”
“Wow, don’t make it sound too fun,” I muttered.
I raised my arms over my head and stretched them. They were a bit sore from two days of not being used, but they would be functional. I turned around and nearly bumped into Warrick, who had been watching me intently.
Goddamn it, he needs to stop doing that.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked.
Okay, maybe he can do it sometimes.
“I’m fine,” I insisted. “I’ll meet you in the kitchen. There is a kitchen, right?”
The worry eased itself off Warrick’s face as he smiled. I practically melted.
“Yeah, go left down the hall and then turn right. I’ll see you there.”
I nodded and waited for him to leave the room. I finished stretching, used the bathroom, and picked out a set of clothes I found in the dresser. They were made for a woman about my size, so the black sweater and green cargo pants would fit me just fine. I started stripped and swapped clothes, pausing when I looked down at the bullet hole scar in my right shoulder.
Even with all her healing abilities, that was one mark Dro couldn’t take away. It was a constant reminder of Mateo’s betrayal, and if it had been three inches to the left, I would have died.
I thought I had left him and the Blood Thorns behind. But no matter what I did, it seemed like my past was all too happy to catch up with me.
Chapter 10
I thought I would like the demon slayers when I walked in the kitchen and saw the huge lunch they’d made us.
There were mouthw
atering pulled pork sandwiches with crisp coleslaw, a hearty roasted zucchini and potato dish, a sweet-as-Heaven chocolate mousse pie, and fresh iced tea to wash it all down with. My stomach rumbled with anticipation. I was more than ready for an overly filling meal.
Then I looked at everyone in the room, and saw how pissed off they all were.
Sephiel was standing near the farthest wall with his hands crossed behind his back. He was staring at the ground, though he didn’t seem hurt. I couldn’t see his eyes, but I imagined he was caught between grief and anger. On his right, Max was sitting on a navy blue couch. He was slouched over a coffee table, slowly eating his lunch. He glanced at me and gave me a weak smile, but his eyes were distant.
At the kitchen island directly across from me, I spotted Warrick sitting with three other people. The one he was directly beside was a bald, bulky, kind faced man with onyx skin, wide lips, and big dark eyes. He was dressed in a grey shirt and military cargo pants.
Next to him was a blonde woman in her early thirties. Her hair was tied in a sleek ponytail that made her look cold and severe, but it didn’t take away from her beauty. She had high cheekbones, pouty lips, sculpted eyebrows, and bright blue eyes. She raised her head when she saw me walk in. Her eyes went down to my clothes, and she grimaced. Well, at least I knew whose wardrobe I’d raided.
On the other side of the pissy woman was a man in his late fifties. For a guy his age, he was in fantastic shape. Hard muscles could be seen under his black shirt. The man was about as sturdy as a piece of concrete. Grey hair was cropped close to his head in a buzz cut. My gut told me he must have been a military man at some point. His lips were turned down and his eyebrows were pinched together, as if he spent all his time accusing people.
Which must have made him the leader of this little group.
I looked to my right when I saw white hair moving near the stove. Dro was focused on putting a couple plates together, her snowy hair pulled into a simple braid down her back. My heart sighed gratefully, until I saw the tightness of her lips. I took a resigned step toward her.
“Sit,” she said sharply, not even turning to look in my eyes.