In the end, I gave in and started walking. It was damn humiliating, but my burning lungs and spaghetti legs gave me no choice.
Gramps paused and looked down at me. His chest was heaving, too, but he was still standing.
I squinted up at him, lashing at the sweat running down my neck.
“You done already?” He grinned.
I glared at him.
“Come on, son, we’re gonna make it to the top. I don’t care if you have to crawl there.”
A low growl reverberated in my throat and I marched past him. He chuckled softly behind me and let me take the lead. We hiked the rest of the way, scrambling up precarious rocks near the end. We finally reached the pinnacle and were rewarded with a glorious view. I drank in the valley below us, and I could do nothing but marvel. The earth was beautiful. The air was clean. Being in a place like this revived the soul. Gramps had done the right thing in bringing me out here.
My breathing was still labored. I sucked in the air, trying to regulate my heartbeat. Gramps sat down next to me and pulled a water bottle from his backpack. He chucked it to me.
“Happy Thanksgiving.”
I snorted out a dry laugh before slugging back a gallon. Tossing it to him, I finally found my regular rhythm again.
“Ready to talk yet?”
“I guess.” I slumped down on the rock beside him and pressed my elbows into my knees; my skin was so sweaty they nearly slipped off.
I tucked a loose lock of hair behind my ear, squeezing the band holding my stubby ponytail. Caity loved it when I tied my hair back. Too bad she wasn’t there to see it.
Damn, she’d love this place.
My face scrunched as the raging emotions tried to take me out. “It hurts, Gramps.”
“I know,” he said softly. “But it still don’t feel right. When we get back, you need to head to L.A., find your girl and fix this thing.”
“How am I supposed to do that when she doesn’t even want to talk to me?”
Gramps shrugged. “Find a way.”
“How? How do you make someone love you? You can’t do that! You don’t think I tried?” I stood up, pacing away from him. “I was everything she needed me to be...at least I thought I was.” I threw my hands in the air.
“You still are. I don’t think this has anything to do with you.”
“It’s like Dad all over again,” I muttered, kicking the dirt.
“Boy, you have to let that go.”
I whipped around to face him. “He abandoned me. He up and left. I don’t know how the hell you’ve forgiven him so easily. That loser left us! He didn’t give a shit. He just fucking disappeared.”
“Watch your mouth!” Gramps shook his head, anger coursing over his face. His lips pressed into a firm line, twitching a few times before he finally looked at me and said, “Your father may have made many stupid decisions in his life, but he deserves a little respect. He loves his family. He loves you.”
“Yeah, right.” I swung my leg back and booted a large stone. It scuttled across the ground and smacked into the boulder Gramps was sitting on.
He shot from his spot, marching toward me and getting right in my face. I wanted to step away from him but he wouldn’t let me, grabbing my shirt and holding me in place.
“Boy, don’t make me slap some sense into you. You think your father ran away out of selfish pride? There’s always more to the story. You don’t hurt the ones you love without a really good reason.”
My breath evaporated, my eyes searching his. “What are you not telling me?”
He sighed, letting me go and pacing away. He gazed out at the distance, rubbing his head. “Your father cared about you and he left to keep you safe...and he stayed away to save your life.”
I wanted to ask more, demand why he hadn’t told me this before, pepper him for details, but I couldn’t, because one thought came screaming through my brain so fast it nearly blinded me.
Caity.
The most self-sacrificing person I knew.
She’d give up anything to keep me safe...including me.
Breaths punched out of my chest. I squeezed my eyes shut, hating myself.
Why the hell hadn’t I thought of that before? Too caught up moping like a spoiled five-year-old, I’d totally missed the fact that Caity was no doubt messed up in some kind of trouble.
What had she seen?
What was she doing in order to keep her friends safe?
She hadn’t told any of us. She broke her promise not to lie to me, but she must have had a good reason.
I pictured her face; it swam through my mind, flashing me images of her from the moment I first saw her to the day she ran away. Her blue eyes shone, her cute smile was always given like a special gift just for me. I felt her in my arms again, the look in her eye after we’d made love, the way she ran her fingers through my hair...and then that sudden change. I forced myself to relive that moment she ran away, and suddenly that look of malaise I thought I’d seen turned into something different. She hadn’t been annoyed about me trying to win her back. Damn it! She’d been scared.
I had to call her. I had to make sure she was okay. I patted my running shorts, realizing I didn’t bring my phone with me. Where the hell was it?
“Shit! My car!”
“What, son?” Gramps spun to face me.
“I gotta get back.”
“What’s going on?”
“Caity. You’re right, she wouldn’t just leave me for no good reason, and her whole needing space bullshit was just that...bullshit.”
“What do you think’s going on?”
“I don’t know, but it must be something pretty huge if she was willing to hurt me like that.”
“I told you it wasn’t her style.” His lips tipped with a small grin.
I stopped and pointed at him. “Can we talk about Dad later?”
“You go get your girl back first. Then we can talk for as long as you like.”
I squeezed his shoulder. “Thanks, Gramps.”
He nodded, knowing how much I meant it.
There were no words after that, we just turned on our heels and sped back to the car as fast as we could. With each step and slide down that hill, my turmoil grew.
Caity was in trouble.
I could feel it.
And I had to get to her.
40
Caitlyn
Thanksgiving lunch was impossible to eat. I nibbled at my turkey and played with my sweet potatoes. I managed half of my pumpkin pie before placing the silver fork down on my plate.
“You are not hungry today?” Mendez eyed me carefully.
I gave him a closed-mouth smile and patted my stomach. “I’m not feeling very well.”
It was an easy lie to buy into. My skin was no doubt sallow, my eyes felt dull. I’d put makeup on that morning to try and hide my fear, but it hadn’t really worked. I felt sick, down to my very core. Kaplan and her men couldn’t get there fast enough and I still had the ordeal with Miguel to endure. I had no idea what I was expected to do. I assumed he wanted me to use my eyesight to win him more money at poker.
I cleared my throat. “I don’t mean to be rude, but would it be okay if I went to lie down?”
“But you’ll miss the football.” Quella pouted.
“I’m sorry.” My smile was tight as she reminded me once again how immature and self-absorbed she was.
She huffed, giving a little shrug and looking away from me. She was still pissed with her father’s change of plans; I didn’t have to read her to see that.
Mendez gave me a kind smile. “You go and rest. I will send up someone to check on you soon.”
“No, that’s okay.” I waved my hand in the air. “I just need to sleep.”
His mask slipped and I noticed his eyes narrow. He was trying to figure out if I was lying or not. I forced a shaky smile—not hard to do in my current state—and left the room. Miguel was at the door, his intense stare searing through me as I walked past him.
My feet were filled with lead, making it difficult to ascend the stairs. I clutched the marble railing, trying to stay calm and not let my imagination destroy all common sense. I had absolutely no one to help me. Miguel had stolen any chance of communication with my rescuers. The only hope I could cling to was the fact they’d be busting into the house later in the day.
I closed my eyes, praying Mendez’s meeting was sooner rather than later.
By the time I reached my room, I genuinely felt like throwing up. Bile surged up my throat when I entered and saw the gold sequined dress lying on the bed. On the floor was a pair of stiletto heels. Miguel obviously didn’t know me that well if he thought I could pull this off.
I was so dead.
My lips quivered as I neared the bed, my body fighting me each step of the way. I slowly stripped off my clothes, dropping them on the floor. Collecting up the shiny dress, I stepped into it and pulled it over my hips. It was a snug fit; I had to lose my bra and struggled to get the zipper done up. Walking to the mirror, I examined myself. I looked like a freaking James Bond bimbo. I slid my hand down the skin-tight dress. It hugged my curves until just below my hips then opened up into a slight flare. The material draped on the floor at my feet. I poked my leg out of the high split and grimaced. It was ridiculous. I needed a name like Pussy Galore wearing this stupid thing.
Running my fingers through my hair, I piled it high and looked both ways in the mirror. If I was going to pull this off, I had better go the whole way. I stepped into the bathroom and opened up my makeup kit, applying another layer of foundation and fattening up my eyelashes with some more mascara. I pinned my hair up, letting a few loose curls roam free and put on the sparkling jewelry Miguel left for me.
I had to say, by the time I was done, I looked pretty glamorous.
My lips quirked with a small grin.
The shoes were the next challenge. I slipped them on and teetered around the room, getting in as much practice as I could before someone knocked on my door.
“Who is it?”
“Miguel.”
I tottered over and let him in. He closed the door behind him and eyed me up and down.
“I suppose that will have to do.” He nodded.
Snatching my arm, he pulled me toward the adjoining door and through Quella’s room. In the back corner, attached to the wall, was a full-length mirror. Miguel pulled it away to reveal a narrow doorway.
I frowned and Miguel looked smug as he yanked me into the passageway. Stopping to open up the flashlight app on his phone, he led us down a set of narrow stairs into what looked like a panic room.
“Mendez and his paranoia,” Miguel muttered a quick explanation.
I stood in the middle of the padded room while he moved to the heavy, black door on the other side and punched in a code. It grumbled open to reveal a much larger passageway. This one was more like the tunnel leading down to the girls, with the roughly hacked walls and dank oppression.
He grabbed my arm again and pulled me along until we reached a garage. Two black cars that looked like the kind royalty were transported in sat side by side. Miguel shoved me toward one of them.
“Get in.” He unhooked the key from the wall and beeped it open for me.
I slid into the passenger seat and settled myself into the plush leather.
A garage door whirred up and Miguel reversed onto a large, round disc, which spun the car around by ninety degrees. We then entered a dark, narrow tunnel. About five minutes later, we popped out into the sunshine and Miguel accelerated down a dirt road. I looked out the back window, trying to figure out where we had exited the house from, but all I could see was a rocky wall that looked like the side of a mountain.
“It’s the east exit. The tunnel pops out two miles from the house, so we use this when we want to sneak away.”
I swallowed, shuffling back around to face out the front. “Which one did Quella and I come in the other day?”
“The west.”
“Are there any others?”
“The buyers come in through the south.” Miguel kept his eyes on the road, missing the shudder running down my spine.
“What time are they coming today?”
He glanced at me. “Even if I tell you, you will have no way of contacting your outside party.”
“They said they’re watching the traffic anyway.” I winced, wishing I’d kept my mouth shut.
I still didn’t trust him. The man had eyes like a snake, deceptive and unpredictable. I could read him, but I couldn’t see into my future. We may have a deal going on, but I had no guarantee he wouldn’t turn on me at any moment. There was a pretty damn good chance he’d spill the beans to Mendez as soon as I’d done whatever he wanted me to.
I had to try, though.
I wasn’t ready to die.
I cleared my throat, staving off another spine tingle. “So, where are we going?”
“There is a private casino about twenty miles from here. It is for select members only.” His eyebrow arched. “You are accompanying me as my date to a very important poker game.”
I eyed him carefully, letting his mask fall away. He was nervous about this one, but also angry?
“Are we playing the man you are indebted to?”
He lips twitched. “No. We are playing the man who put me in debt. I am going to win back every penny I owe, get Gomez off my back...and then make a profit.” He gripped the wheel, his expression hardening with molten rage.
I had no idea who Gomez was. He hadn’t mentioned the name before and I could only assume he was the man Miguel owed wads of cash to.
“Where did you get the money to play this game?”
His anger landed straight on me, making me shrink against the car door. “Mendez is funding it.”
“Does he know that he is?”
Miguel’s jaw clenched. “The money will be returned before he even notices it’s gone.”
Oh, man, this just kept getting worse. I closed my eyes and swallowed back my nausea.
“So, um...” I cleared my throat. “How am I supposed to help you win this money?”
A slow, creepy-looking grin eased the right side of his mouth up.
“What? If I’m not playing, how am I supposed to help you?”
“You have eyes, and you are my lucky charm. You will never leave my side and will constantly be touching me, kissing my cheek and telling me exactly what I need to know without saying a word.”
I swallowed.
“You pay off my debt and make me a profit, then we will return to the house and Mendez will know nothing. I will disappear before the raid and we will both get what we want.”
“What about your boyfriend?”
His jaw clenched. “He will be safe. The kitchen staff know nothing of Mendez’s underground affairs.”
I threaded my fingers together. “So, what kind of silent code am I giving you?”
“I was thinking a shoulder squeeze could mean the player opposite me has a good hand. Playing with my hair could tell me the person to my right has a good hand, that type of thing.”
We spent the rest of the journey devising a code that would be subtle, yet effective. I hoped I could remember it all. We pulled through a plush set of gates into what looked like a resort. It was in the middle of nowhere, like an oasis in the desert.
I got out of the car as gracefully as I could, squeezing the valet’s hand in order not to topple over in my heels. Miguel put on a tender smile and presented his arm to me. I placed my hand in the crook of his elbow and walked beside him.
We were led through the fancy lobby and down a red carpet hallway. As we neared the intricate double doors, Miguel pressed his lips to my ear.
“Remember, we are in love. You are my new catch and I cannot get enough of you.”
He wrapped his arm around my waist and squeezed me too him, kissing my cheek at the opportune moment. The doors swung open and everyone in the room saw us entering. It was an effort not to push the large man
off me, but my life depended on playing this right, and so I gave ‘my man’ a sultry smile. Thinking fashion model, I swayed my hips and tried not to fall over in my ridiculous heels.
“Mr. Vera, welcome back.” A short man with dark, threadbare hair, who was trying to pull off an Armani suit, approached us.
Miguel grasped his bejeweled fingers and gave them a squeeze. “Thank you for inviting me.”
“Well, I was surprised to get your call this morning, but the opportunity to take even more of your money was too good to pass up.” He chuckled.
Miguel laughed, but beneath his mask he was throwing the stout man a murderous glare.
“And who is this?” The man eyed me greedily, his dark eyes sparking with something that made my insides turn.
“This is Carlotta.”
I extended my hand with a demure smile and let him kiss my knuckles.
“So young and beautiful.”
“Thank you.” I only managed to whisper the words. Trying to keep his mask in place was an effort; the guy’s creepiness made my skin crawl. I looked away from him, finding minimal refuge in Miguel’s fake smile. I kept his mask on, needing to pretend that someone in this room actually cared about my well-being…that just one person was going to protect me from the circling sharks.
Every man in this room was an arrogant prick; it didn’t take long to figure that out. They all sat around the table, some with their bellies pressing into the padded leather edge. Two were smoking cigars, another was sipping on what I assumed was brandy. There was only one other girl in the room, and she dangled off Mr. Armani Suit like a diamond earring. Her look was vacant and behind her mask I could see a bored, rich lover that was only sticking around for the expensive wardrobe and fine cuisine.
I placed my hand on Miguel’s shoulder as the first hand was dealt. He was tense beneath my touch, his need to win so potent I could practically smell it. I rubbed my hand over his back, trying to calm him down. I needed him to win just as badly.
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