by S Williams
I squeeze my eyes shut for a moment. “They aren’t in there anymore.”
He frowns a bit, and when realization hits him, he sighs. “Shit. Dead?”
“Yeah.” I look him over again. “Why didn’t you tell me you knew Toni? He’s your cousin, and in the shed, when we first met, you acted like you didn’t know him at all.”
His mouth twitches. “I didn’t trust you.”
“Do you now?”
“Well, seeing as you’re the only person that can get me the fuck out of here, I guess I have no choice, huh?”
“Why should I break you out?” I stand, picking up the lantern. “I mean, you did lie to me. I’m on good terms with the boss. You knew Toni—knew exactly how he was. What else do you know?”
“I don’t know shit,” he spits out. “All I know is that Toni was fucking stupid for crossing The Jefe. He shouldn’t have gotten so goddamn cocky. He brought whatever happened to him on himself.”
When his eyes glisten, I ease up on my temper, but not completely. “Did you . . . did you know he killed my father?”
When I ask that, his eyebrows shoot up, as if he’s really shocked to hear it. “Lion?”
“You know that name too?”
“Of course I do. He’s the reason I’m even here, in Mexico. He gave me the job, to look after The Jefe. To watch him and make reports, make sure he wasn’t doing anything stupid. I never understood why he had me tailing him, but I wasn’t going to ask questions. He paid me too well for that.”
“But you got caught.”
He looks away.
“That doesn’t explain why he still has you here and is doing this to you.” I gesture to him. “What does he want to know?” He doesn’t speak. He keeps his gaze away, focusing on the shelves above. I frown down at him, taking a step back. “I’m not even supposed to be down here, Henry, so you better start fucking talking or I’ll leave you down here to rot.”
When I take another step away, he panics, his only chance at survival slipping away. “Shit—fine! He thinks I work for someone named Hernandez.”
“Why?”
“He saw some old pictures on my camera of me with that crew but I don’t work with them. I don’t care about that stupid fucking wannabe cartel—hell, I didn’t even know they were organized for that shit. I was with them one night at a fucking bar, hung out at their penthouse because they invited me, and that’s it. I got drunk, got lots of pussy that night, and went back to watching Draco Molina. I never even met anyone named Hernandez. I went back to doing my fucking job. He caught me a week later, saw the photos I took with them, and thinks I’m one of them too. I’m not with them. I don’t know shit about them, all right? I don’t know what plans they have or what they’re trying to fucking do. I don’t know anyone by the fucking name of Thiago either, so I wish he would stop asking me that shit!”
“Shh!” I hiss. “Keep your voice down. I’m not even supposed to be down here—let alone walking around freely. They’ll notice I’m gone soon.” I release a thick breath, lowering to a squat. The LED light causes his eyes to glisten. I can’t tell if his tears are from rage, fear, or both.
“Do you swear?” I ask. “Because if I find a way to get you out, I have to be sure. He will threaten me for it, maybe even punish me, but he won’t kill me. That I know for sure.”
“What makes you so sure?” he grumbles.
“Because my father promised me to him a long time ago. Another reason he hates Toni.”
Ronaldo scoffs, dropping the back of his head on the wall. “I just want to be free, Gia. I want to live my life. I don’t care about Toni or Draco Molina. I will run to the ends of the earth if I have to. I will hide for as long as I need to. I don’t care as long as I get the fuck out of here. I won’t tell anyone where the hell I’ve been or anything. I just want to be free. I’m tired of being tortured for something I didn’t even do. Can’t you see what that motherfucker has done to me? He won’t stop until there is nothing left of me but my head. I can’t take anymore. I’m being punished for nothing, and he’s so fucking paranoid that he doesn’t believe me. He probably knows it too, that I don’t know shit about what’s going on, but he doesn’t care. He wants someone to take his anger out on.”
“He has every right to be paranoid,” I whisper, recalling that conversation with Thiago, how sure of himself he was. And now me. Down here with a man he believes is another enemy.
I run my fingers through my hair, glancing over my shoulder at the steps behind me, and then focusing on the shelves above. There is a kettle up there, a hand shovel, and a large pair of pliers.
Holy shit. Perfect.
I stand up and hurry for the pliers, taking them down by the handles and going back for him.
“I’m risking my life by doing this,” I murmur, bringing them down and squeezing one of the chains. It pops and I hear Ronaldo release a ragged breath of relief. “But no matter what Draco thinks, I believe you. Daddy trusted you to look after Draco for a reason. I’m going to stick with my gut and believe it’s because he knows you wouldn’t have betrayed him . . . not like Toni did. Plus Daddy obviously didn’t want Draco dead. He was keeping tabs on him for a reason . . . until he died.”
He scowls. “I’m nothing like Trigger Toni. He betrays anyone he meets. It’s why I never wanted to work for him.”
“You have a smart-ass mouth like him.”
He chortles.
“There’s a party going on tonight. Most of the guards are drinking so they’ll be slacking a little. I can’t help you get out of here. You’re on your own with that. I will do my best to keep Draco occupied. There’s a library right across the hallway. You can get out through the window. None of the guards should bother you tonight but you have to be gone by morning if you want to make it out alive.”
“You’re putting your head on a platter for me,” he says.
“Yeah.” I grunt, squeezing the handles. “A thank you would be nice.”
His mouth twitches when I pop the last chain. “Thank you.”
There is something about his gratitude that makes the heart I thought had frozen solid, fill with warmth again. I don’t know why, but I believe him. I really do. I don’t think he has anything to do with this Hernandez person. Toni never mentioned anyone by that name while I was with him and neither did Daddy.
Draco is just so consumed by his own paranoia that he feels he can’t trust anyone that even spent time in the same room as this person. I guess I don’t blame him. He didn’t become who he is overnight. He worked for his title. He has to be cautious. But sometimes being too cautious and too prideful can make a person foolish and reckless. It can cause innocent people to lose their lives.
“You defy him, and he likes that,” Ronaldo says when I put the pliers back. He shakes his body a little, loosening his joints and allowing the rest of the chains to fall off. There are red marks on his skin, chain patterns. “It’s why you’re in the position you’re in now.”
“He’s making up for his wrongs. I’m only being myself,” I tell him, picking the lantern up.
He grins. “Are you? Or is everything so normal and boring right now that you’re hoping he actually does something to you when he finds out what you’ve done? He’s spoiling you. Pampering you. He fucks you good, I’m sure. I can tell by the way you speak about him. So highly, like you owe him or something. But you want the old him back. The brutal one. The one that tossed you around and made a fool out of you. That’s the kind of man you want—the kind of man you crave so that you can have a reason to fight back or even kill him if it comes down to it. You’re just too afraid to accept that godawful truth.”
My eyebrows stitch together. What the hell is he talking about? He doesn’t know shit about me. Before I can speak on what he’s just said, I hear voices growing louder. Someone’s coming down the corridor. I listen harder and it’s one of the guards, shouting at another
“Shit.” I hurry to the steps, listening to the guards speaking rapidly in
their native language. “They’re about to do a perimeter check. Draco will come looking for me soon. I have to go.” I shut off the lantern, putting it back in its place. “Tonight is your only chance to get out,” I whisper-hiss. “Wait for about thirty minutes. You better make it count, and you better run as far and as fast as you can. I would wish you good luck, but luck doesn’t seem to be on your side much right now.”
He chuckles dryly. “Luck is probably the only reason I’m still breathing, Gia.”
I purse my lips and rush up the steps. I grip the doorknob, the voices becoming distant. Good. They aren’t coming downstairs yet. I have time to make it back and pretend I’m coming from the library.
I hurry out, pulling the key from the lock and placing it above the banister again. I purposely leave the door unlocked, my heart beating a mile a minute. I don’t know what the hell I’m doing, but I hope that I’m right. I hope that Henry gets out and he gets somewhere safe.
I’m not sure if the part of me that feels guilty is the part that still cares for Toni or for Daddy. What Toni did—it was wrong. Unforgivable. But it doesn’t mean that I’ve stopped caring about him altogether. I remember everything I shared with him. Every moment with him felt like bliss, but that bliss has become shadowed by the troubling truth.
I don’t know how Henry will escape without arms. Maybe he won’t at all, but at least I tried. If he’s caught, it will be his own fault. My conscious is clear and my promise to him has been fulfilled. I did my part. He is on his own now.
Giving a thorough look around the hallway, I turn around and make way for the marble staircase. I get halfway down the hall before Patanza appears ahead of me, shouting, “Where the hell have you been?”
“Bathroom,” I shout back, pretending to adjust my gown.
I enter the dining room with her again. The music is still playing and Draco and Simon are still downing shots of tequila.
He spots me, head cocking. “Where is my mother?” he asks when I’m close.
“She’s tired.” I take the seat beside him. “She went to bed.”
“Oh.” He tosses his shot back, not even wincing as he slams the cup down. “Did she say if she had a good time or not?” he asks me, leaning back and planting his elbows on the arms of his chair. He runs his thumb over the skull ring on his pinky finger.
“Yeah. She said it was a good night,” I respond.
He nods and then stands, grabbing my hand. “Good. Let’s go.” I stand with him and we leave the dining room. But as we walk out, I look down the hallway, feeling my chest tighten. As we walk up the stairs to get to Draco’s bedroom, Henry’s last remark really gets to my head.
It rings.
Chimes.
Echoes.
“Are you? Or is everything so normal and boring right now that you’re hoping he actually does something to you when he finds out what you’ve done? He’s spoiling you. Pampering you. He fucks you good, I’m sure. I can tell by the way you speak about him. So highly, like you owe him or something. But you want the old him back. The brutal one. The one that tossed you around and made a fool out of you. That’s the kind of man you want—the kind of man you crave so that you can have a reason to fight back or even kill him if it comes down to it. You’re just too afraid to accept that godawful truth.”
Am I bored?
Am I stupid?
Am I both?
Perhaps it’s not about the promise I made to Ronaldo. Maybe it’s something much deeper than even I want to begin to understand.
But for now I can’t think much about it. My back lands on the soft bed. His lips drop down to my neck and he sucks on my skin, trailing down, kissing each breast while his hands shove my dress up.
Fingers wrap around the waistband of my panties, tugging down. His mouth moves south, lower, lower, lower, until his face is centered between my thighs.
I can still hear the music—the guests partying and laughing.
Warmth coats my sacred area, swirling on my clit. His tongue plunges in and out of me, his hand resting on my belly to hold me still before I can wriggle.
I gasp, threading my fingers through his thick hair, looking down into his hot eyes. “Fucking mine,” I hear him growl and he wastes no time finishing me off.
I sink into this abyss of pleasure, allowing him to do what he wants with me.
I have to enjoy this now because I’ve just done something I shouldn’t have.
I’ve betrayed him.
And if I know Draco, betrayal is something he doesn’t take lightly at all.
He will punish me for this when he finds out the truth, and the sad thing is, I’m ready for it.
I’m ready for all he has to give me.
17
Thunder rumbles in the sky.
I roll over, looking out of the window. I believe this is the first time it’s rained since I was brought here. The sky is gray, and the clouds are thick with water.
It’s a dark, gloomy morning.
To my right, Draco is still sleeping. His hair is a mess, and he’s not wearing any clothes. The sheet covers only his manhood, which seems to be growing harder as I rub my hand over his chest.
After what I did last night, I feel like I owe him more than just sex. He doesn’t know about it yet, but I have this feeling deep in my gut that he will find out soon. Very soon.
Tugging the sheet down, I lean on my elbows and bring my lips toward the head of his cock. I lick the length of him, sliding it down to his balls and then up to his tip again.
He shudders in his sleep, eyes rolling behind his eyelids like his dream has been heightened tenfold. Gripping his thickness in hand, I apply just enough pressure with a squeeze and wrap my lips around the head. Pumping slowly, while sucking him there, he groans deep and twitches in his sleep.
I watch him, enjoying the way his skin slides through my lips and over my tongue. The saltiness lands on my tongue too, and I swallow it down, bringing my other hand up to play with his warm, taut sack.
“Shit,” I hear him croak, his voice thick with sleep. When I look up, his eyes are open, lazy but heated.
I don’t stop. I keep going, feeling him tense up beneath me. I continue pumping his cock with one hand, using the other to caress his balls again. His hands go behind his head and he watches me. No words are spoken. All I hear is the slurping and smacking. I circle my tongue around the head and he shudders again, his abs contracting.
I pump him a little harder. He’s so hard in my mouth. I don’t know why I get satisfaction out of knowing he’s close. He’s so close. Rock hard and ready to explode at any second.
He squeezes his eyes shut, panting now as he jerks his hips. I move my hand and lean forward, taking his entire length into my mouth, gradually pulling away. I do this repeatedly, drawing out a rise in him.
“Fuck,” he groans.
I do it again and again. His hand comes to the back of my head and he forces it down, causing me to choke around his massive length. He doesn’t ease up until I feel him shooting his hot release down my throat.
His entire body vibrates, a deep sigh filling the bedroom, fingers still tangled in my hair.
“Goddamn, niñita,” he murmurs when I lick his tip again, making sure he’s completely clean. I pick my head up and he swipes a thumb across the edge of my lips. “I love what this pretty little mouth of yours can do.”
Loud footsteps sound, getting closer and closer, and then there is insistent banging on the door. Draco jerks away from me with haste, brows furrowed, and I sit up, watching as he hops up and walks to the door, completely naked.
“What have I said about interrupting me before seven, Patanza?” he snaps after yanking the door open.
“Jefe—it’s important,” she says, and she sounds serious. Breathless. I swallow hard, forcing my back against the upholstered headboard. “If we could handle this on our own, we would, but this is different. You need to come see for yourself.”
He stands there for a moment and then he steps
back, peering over his shoulder at me. I look away, toward the window, swallowing my guilt. “Fine. Give me a minute.”
He shuts the door in her face and marches for the closet. He takes down some boxers, jeans, and a T-shirt, and gets dressed in a matter of seconds. He slides his feet into a pair of tan loafers that somehow match well with the outfit and then he rakes his fingers through his hair, going for the door.
“Don’t leave this room. I’ll be back.”
He shuts it before I can speak. I rush to the door on tiptoes and put my ear to it, listening to Patanza speaking rapidly in her native tongue as they walk down the hallway. “He’s not in there, and we can’t find him anywhere around the property. I sent Simon and Diego on the boat to look for him, in case he took one of your canoes, and sent the newer guards out to town to look for him. The chains look like they were cut, Jefe. Like someone did it for him. I bet it was fucking Thiago. Told you not to let him stay here. Fucker can’t be trusted.”
Draco curses beneath his breath, and I don’t hear anything else from them after that.
My eyes are wide as I pace the bedroom. I have to act normal. I don’t care if he blames Thiago. It’ll get him out of this house. Draco already doesn’t trust him. This would be the icing on the cake—more than enough reason to get rid of him.
“Calm down, Gia,” I whisper to myself, walking to the closet and pulling down a black dress. It’s a spaghetti strap, loose and gauzy. I hang it on the doorknob and walk into the bathroom to freshen up.
He wouldn’t suspect me to do such a thing. There is nothing that can give me away—nothing but my shaky hands and frazzled nerves, that is.
My whole body is shaking, surging with adrenaline. I grip the edge of the counter, breathing deep. Then I turn on the water, sticking my hands beneath the stream and bringing the coolness to my flushed cheeks.
But when I look up, I don’t see my reflection. I see white hair and hard, dark eyes. I see a twisted smile and blood spilling down his throat.
Bain.
I gasp, jolting as I back away.
“You’re still a stupid fucking bitch,” he chuckles. “Stupid to think Jefe won’t find out. What’s done in the dark always comes to light. Puta.”