Fat Louise

by Jamie Begley

  She glumly took the hotdog and soda from Cade when he returned. “Thank you.” Jane hoped he didn’t hear her sniffle.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?” he said, backing the truck up. “I thought you would be happy to go with me to find Bailey. I even fed you, and you look like I shot your fucking dog.”

  “You don’t have to be so freaking rude,” Jane said, taking a bite of the hotdog.

  Cade turned back to face the road, but for a second, she thought she saw a brief softening in his expression. Then he blew it with his next comment.

  “Just eat the fucking hotdog.”

  Asshole.

  Chapter 6

  Jane stood at the hotel window, staring out. They had been there for two days, sharing the same room. He had slept on the small couch, while she had taken the bed. It had been miserable.

  Cade had left her behind to scout the address she had found to see if Bailey could possibly be there. Jane prayed she was. If not, she hoped it would at least lead to where she was being kept. Jane wished it could be as simple for Cade to find Bailey as it had been her; however, Bailey’s phone hadn’t worked since she had entered Mexico. Jane’s own phone was now useless until she could purchase a charger, and since Cade had taken all her money, that wasn’t going to be anytime soon.

  Several men walking down the street caught her attention. Something about one of them seemed familiar. Jane’s breath caught in her throat as she practically pressed her face to the glass. It was Raul! He was with three other men who were talking as they paused outside a bar. Jane was tempted to leave the hotel and run across the street to demand to see her sister, but she didn’t. Sex Piston or Killyama would, even Crazy Bitch would. T.A. would without thinking about it, yet Jane merely stared stupidly out the window, wishing Cade would come back.

  Ultimately deciding to be more proactive, Jane braced herself and picked up the truck keys from the nightstand. Then she practically ran outside, afraid the men would leave before she could get inside the truck. Trying to appear inconspicuous, she slowed her pace to the truck, opened it, and climbed behind the steering wheel to wait.

  Raul was the first to leave, and Jane prayed he didn’t look her way. Thankfully, he turned in the opposite direction. Jane waited until he turned the corner before starting the truck. Slowly pulling out, she drove at a snail’s pace down the road, turning the corner where she saw him get into a black SUV. Jane pulled over and parked the truck.

  The SUV pulled out, and Jane waited until it was almost out of sight before pulling out again. She bit her lip as she followed, already regretting the decision to follow Raul. Cade would be furious with her.

  She turned at a bend in the road and gave a frightened squeak when she saw the roadblock. She wanted to turn around, but there was another dark SUV coming up behind her, pinning her between the two vehicles.

  Jane watched helplessly as Raul remained in his vehicle and talked to the soldiers. One broke away and walked toward the truck she was sitting inside.

  “Get out.”

  Jane shakily stepped out of the truck, trying to keep her back toward Raul’s SUV. She didn’t have to be told she had made a terrible mistake leaving the hotel.

  “Give me your cash.” The soldier made no pretense of collecting a toll.

  “I ... I don’t have any.”

  She went flying backwards against the truck when a hand suddenly hit her across the face. Jane barely managed to put her hands up to protect herself before another strike landed on her.

  “Please, I don’t have any money. If I did, I would give it to you,” Jane pleaded as a harsh hand grabbed her by the hair and pulled her toward him.

  “Then I guess you will be paying in something other than cash.” His hand went to her T-shirt, and Jane felt the material rip at his sharp movement.

  “Diego, stop.” Raul came to stand next to her.

  When the men in the SUV behind them also got out and came forward, Jane knew she was in more trouble than she could handle.

  “Let her go. That is my sister-in-law you plan on raping.” Jane’s frightened eyes met Raul’s cruel ones. “What are you doing here, Jane?”

  “I thought I would come for a visit,” Jane said mockingly.

  “Bailey didn’t tell me you were coming.”

  “I wanted it to be a surprise. Surprise!” Jane said lamely.

  Raul didn’t try to hide his distaste for her antics. “You can ride the rest of the way with my men. Diego, get rid of the truck.”

  “Wait, I’ll need that when I leave.”

  “No, you won’t. You won’t be leaving.” Raul turned, leaving her to his men.

  After one of the men took her arm, leading her to the SUV and practically throwing her inside, Jane straightened on the seat. She had been constantly manhandled since she had entered Mexico. The women in the States would drag these Neanderthals to court if they were handled the way she had been.

  One of the other soldiers moved the truck she had been driving, letting them pass.

  Cade was going to kill her when he found her. Jorge was going to be pissed his truck wouldn’t be returned. This whole debacle was a huge failure.

  * * *

  Cade stared around the empty room, his hands clenched into fists. He strode angrily to the nightstand, seeing the truck keys gone.

  “Motherfucker!” He went back downstairs where the desk clerk gave him a frightened look when he stormed up to the desk.

  “Have you seen the woman who was with me?”

  “She left about an hour ago. I saw her drive that way.” He pointed outside the grimy window in the direction she had taken.

  “Did she leave a message for me?”

  “No, she didn’t say anything. She was running very fast.”

  “She was running?” His anger turned to worry.

  The clerk nodded.

  “Was anyone chasing her?”

  “No.”

  Cade’s anger returned with a vengeance. He was going to strangle her. He had told her to stay in the hotel room.

  Turning on his heel, he headed out of the hotel. He took his cell phone out of his pocket and called Luis.

  “I need a favor,” he said as soon as Luis answered.

  “Depends on what it is.”

  “I need something to drive and cash. Can you make it happen?”

  “Si. Give me thirty minutes. Where are you?”

  Cade gave him the address then disconnected the call. He glanced up and down the street then back at the hotel. He had thirty minutes to find out what had caused her to run from the hotel. If he didn’t find her, he had basically lost a hundred thousand dollars, and he didn’t fucking like losing money.

  He refused to acknowledge that money wasn’t the only reason he was furious at Jane for being gone. She was just another job. That was all. He would find her and return her to her father. She would never cross his mind again. Thank God for that because she was a pain in his ass, constantly complaining about being hungry, thinking she was too good to talk to him. What’s more, when he told her to stay put, did she? Hell no!

  Bitch!

  Chapter 7

  Jane laid her head down on her knees. She was sitting on the bed with her knees pulled up to her chest in a luxurious bedroom she had been locked in for two days.

  When she heard the door open, she raised her head, thinking someone was bringing her lunch. The only time anyone entered was to bring her a tray of food.

  “Bailey!” Jane jumped off the bed, running toward her sister.

  When she would have hugged her, Bailey coldly sidestepped Jane, setting down a small suitcase she was carrying.

  “Why are you here?”

  Jane stared in dismay at her younger sister. “I came to help you. Dad and your mother were worried when you told them Raul wouldn’t let you leave.”

  “I over-exaggerated a bit. We had a small fight.” She shrugged. “Now we’ve made up.”

  “Then why haven’t you called?” Jane looked
her sister over carefully. She didn’t look like she had been hurt or was in distress. In fact, she looked fucking fantastic. “Why haven’t you come to see me before now? I’ve been here for two days!”

  “I’ve been busy.”

  Jane wanted to smack her sister.

  “I had to take off work. I’ve spent days traveling to get here. I even worked in a bar.” Jane took a deep breath. “And you’re too fucking busy to come to my room in the same house you’re living in?”

  “I don’t live here. This is Javier’s home, Raul’s uncle.”

  “Oh.” That made Jane feel marginally better. She could have lived in another city, and it might have taken time to get her here.

  “We live a mile away. Our house was the first one on the road.”

  Jane remembered seeing the huge house as they drove past. She could have walked to see her.

  “Fine. I’m glad you’re okay. I’ll tell Dad and your mother. Now, will you please ask your husband to give me a ride back to my hotel? I want to go home.”

  Bailey waved a hand dismissively at her request. “Raul wants you to stay and visit for a while, so I brought you a few clothes since Raul told me you didn’t bring any. You really should have come better prepared.”

  “But I want to go home. I need to get back to work,” Jane argued. “I didn’t bring any clothes, because I didn’t plan on getting kidnapped.”

  “Your job can wait. Raul wants you to stay, so you’ll just have to stay.” Bailey ignored Jane’s angry face. “Besides, you weren’t kidnapped. You were the one chasing after Raul.”

  “Bailey, you’re married to the man, so it’s your choice if you want to listen to his lies, but I don’t have to. I think it’s crazy, and I want to leave.”

  “It’s different here in Mexico. Here, women respect their husbands.”

  Jane wanted to vomit. “No, it’s not. What’s different is your willingness to put up with this bullshit.”

  Bailey’s pretty face flushed with anger. “I never could talk to you!”

  “You could always talk to me. You just never wanted to, because I’m not going to just spout off shit to make you happy. Bailey, I’m telling you this is a fucked up situation.”

  “I don’t have time for this. Some of my friends are coming over for dinner tonight. Our husbands are having a business meeting, so we’re having a get-together. I’ll see you in a few days. Maybe you will have calmed down by then.” Her sister turned to the door.

  “Don’t you dare leave me!”

  Bailey gave her a smug glance before going out the door, slamming it shut behind her.

  “Bailey!” Jane frantically tried to open the door, only to find it was locked. “Bailey!” She wasn’t coming back.

  Jane leaned on the wooden door, wanting to bang her head against it for being stupid enough to try to help her sister. Finally, her knees gave out, and she slid to the floor, wanting to scream and rant at the closed door. Instead, she fought back silent tears.

  The only small thread of hope she held on to was that Cade would find her. Without that thought keeping her calm, Jane didn’t know what she would do. He was her last hope of returning home.

  By the next day, she had lost that hope, though. She was going to take her escape into her own hands. She had put herself in this situation; therefore, she would get herself out.

  Jane waited until it was dark and her dinner had been brought in before slipping on a pair of jeans as well as a long-sleeved shirt that had been in the suitcase Bailey had given her and putting on her tennis shoes.

  The door was locked, but someone always returned to pick up her tray. Jane was so nervous she barely tasted it, but without knowing when her next meal would be, she forced each tasteless bite down until she had eaten the whole meal. She set the plates to the side then went to stand by the door, tensely waiting. After what seemed like hours, she heard the key turn in the door.

  Jane waited only long enough to see the dark head of a soldier before bringing the tray down on his head. Thinking fast, she grabbed the key from where he had dropped it when she struck him. He was trying to regain his footing when Jane struck him with the tray again. This time, he fell down face forward and didn’t get back up.

  She stuck her head out of the doorway, making sure no one else was there, before walking out and closing the door behind her, locking it for good measure. Let the bastard see how easy it was to get out of the locked room.

  Jane’s instinct was to run like hell, but reason had her walking slowly down the steps she had been brought up. She heard loud voices to the side and knew she wouldn’t be able to slip past to the front door without being seen.

  Cautiously, she moved toward the back of the house. Most houses had back doors, and she prayed this one wasn’t any different. Smelling food, she knew she was heading in the direction of the kitchen, which Jane feared would have servants. She stopped for a moment, trying to think of her best option, then realized she didn’t need a door to escape.

  She saw a door to her left, and taking a fearful breath, she opened it slowly, her eyes widening when she saw the contents. Ducking into the room, she closed the door behind her. There were guns everywhere along with several boxes lying on tables, which Jane took valuable time to search, and she was glad she had.

  Jane picked up a wicked looking knife, shoving it in the back of her pants before pulling her shirt over it. Then she picked out a gun that seemed similar to the one John had shown her how to use, praying it was loaded. She promised herself she was going to take a shooting class when she returned home, but then changed her mind. She would beg Stud to teach her, instead. This was the last time she would find herself in this situation.

  Opening another box, her brow wrinkled into a frown. It couldn’t contain what she thought they were. Gingerly, she took one out and placed it in her pocket before she looked around and found a canvas ammo bag to put a couple more into. She didn’t know if the bullets inside would work with the gun she held but when she found a safe location she would see if they would fit in the chamber.

  Opening the door again, Jane peeked out. When she didn’t see anyone, she edged into the hallway, quietly closing the door behind her. She then cautiously opened the door next to the one she had just left, finding it dark inside. Trying to quiet her loud breathing, it was a few minutes before she felt in control again.

  Her heart almost skipped a beat when she saw moonlight glinting into the dark room from a window. She carefully walked across the room, bumping her knees several times on furniture. At last, she reached the window, expecting to hear the loud sound of an alarm as she raised it, and prepared to throw herself out of it if she did. However, the only sound she heard was the sound of loud laughter coming from the front of the house. If there was an alarm, it must have been cut off while the party was going on.

  Jane sat on the ledge of the window before easing herself out. Once outside, she tried to determine which would be the best direction to go. She was at the back of the house, facing another smaller house several feet away with a lit path leading the way up to it. Jane was afraid to go to the front of that house, worried she would be spotted by someone from the other house who would then alert Raul.

  Suddenly, Jane heard the sound of a door opening and ran to hide in the shadows of the house, crouching down behind several thick bushes. Raul’s uncle had obviously spent a fortune on landscaping.

  She watched as a large group of men walked down the path toward the smaller house. The man in the lead was dressed expensively in a suit, and the other men followed him deferentially, as if he were royalty. He held a lit cigarette in his hand, and Jane shivered as he brought the smoking tube to his lips. The brief flare highlighted his sensuously cruel features as he talked to his men.

  Raul gazed with admiration at the man, making Jane wonder if he were Raul’s uncle, Javier. He flicked his cigarette to the ground before stepping on it, continuing to the house where he paused to knock on the door.

  A soldier op
ened it, standing back to let the men enter. As the door began to close, Jane prepared herself to make a run for the front of the house until a loud scream filled the night.

  The door was thrown wide open, and a young woman ran out of the house with a terrified expression on her face.

  Horrorstricken, Jane saw Raul come back outside, catching the woman halfway down the path by her hair flying out behind her before dragging her to a stop. Her screams intensified until Raul slapped her across the mouth several times, quieting the woman. Raul didn’t release the woman’s hair, using it to drag her back inside the house, instead. Then a soldier came out and closed the door behind him before standing guard.

  Jane sank to her ass in defeat. She couldn’t go anywhere until the guard went back inside.

  It wasn’t in her personality to stay quiet. Under normal circumstances, she would call the cops or her friends to get help. Here, the police didn’t help, her friends were nowhere near, and if she tried to take on the men alone, she would lose.

  The men disgusted her, and she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to hide if she kept hearing the screams coming from inside the house.

  Many, many times over the years, she had wished she had the personalities of her friends. They were all ball-busters, not afraid of anything, whereas she usually hid among them. They had protected her since she was a kid, and she had become used to it. Without them by her side, she felt lost and alone. If Killyama was there, she would have raised the gun in her hand and shot the guard before saving the woman whose cries were breaking her heart.

  When Raul finally opened the door again, his shirt had been removed and his pants were unbuttoned He said something to the guard, and then the two turned and entered the small house, closing the door behind them.

  Jane’s heart accelerated. Now would be the perfect opportunity to slip away. She planned out in her head how she would sneak through the grounds parallel to the road. That’s when the screams from inside escalated.