Gaige

by Alaska Angelini

  “I think I’d like to try when the time comes.”

  “We’ll take things slow. For both of us.”

  I stared at the ceiling, no longer able to stay in the past. Carson was like me, a virgin. Although he’d had plenty of opportunities to have sex with girls, he hadn’t indulged and wasn’t anything like the stereotypical popular quarterback. Also, like me, he was an honor student and we’d spent a lot of time helping out at the nursing home down the road. I’d sit there listening to him read books to not only his grandmother, but anyone who didn’t mind listening.

  He had taught me so much in what it could do to a person’s spirit when all you did was offer your time. There was no shortage of his compassion and I’d embraced it, hoping I could someday be as good as him. How long ago that seemed now. The goodness I’d had within had died away the moment I’d seen the man who’d plowed into me at the library jump from the van and rush forward. Something in me screamed to run, even though my brain scrambled to grasp what exactly was going on. Yet, I’d stood there, too dumbfounded to move. That was, until his arm locked around my waist and he spun me toward the vehicle. I’d fought then.

  I blinked my eyes, cutting of the scene I knew would only lead to the root of my nightmares. The cross above me sparked hate and I’d never resented a symbol so much in my life. How could God, if there were a God, let this happen? Take away such a wonderful, beautiful person and allow all of this to continue? It didn’t make sense. And to be allowed to rest under a roof housing the worst kind of sin? The walls of this place should have burst into flames, holding such a holy relic.

  The urge to scream tightened my throat. What would happen if I did? Did I care anymore? I was so sick of this. Sick of all the bullshit. Gaige didn’t mind, aside from what had happened to his family with the loss of Carson. What about my loss? I doubted he’d even get me help. So, shouldn’t I just get this over with? Go all out with a bang?

  My arms jerked against the restraints and I fed from the pain. The only person I cared about was dead. Even my own dad hadn’t given a shit about me. Had he even noticed I’d disappeared?

  I groaned, loudly, frustration pushing me to the edge as I wildly thrashed against the cuffs. I’d been so compliant, waiting out my time for that one person to come and save me. With Gaige’s lack of concern, my patience was gone. Fuck all of these people. I was done. Marco could either kill me, or I’d finish him off myself.

  Chapter 5

  Gaige

  The high pitched yell in the distance made the hair on my arms stand on end. My heart exploded in rhythm and I knew who the maddening screams were coming from. Marco’s head jerked toward the entrance of the dining room, but I didn’t wait for him to offer me an excuse. I needed to see for myself. Even if I didn’t want to.

  The uneasy feeling that had taken over from the moment she’d confirmed my suspicions left me right on the edge of murdering the man before me. He’d killed my brother. Ruined my parents from the happy couple I’d known. Changed them into strangers, roaming through the same house, but never speaking. I wanted him dead. Wanted them all exterminated for whatever evil operations they were a part of. But I knew better. Other agencies were involved in this and there was no way I could commit a mass murder spree and get away with it. No matter how much I wanted to.

  The sound of my shoes pounding against the tile weren’t the only ones. Marco was just behind me, but nowhere near fast enough.

  “Wait,” he yelled. “She’s not well.”

  I didn’t slow down until I reached the door and swung it open. What I saw had my vision going red. Not because Elle was restrained, nude, to the bed, but because of the amount of bruises she held. Her skin was unrecognizable; completely black, blue, and a pale yellow where the clothes had covered her. Where ones were healing, fresh ones were also present close by.

  My eyes narrowed in on Marco. “What the fuck have you done?” I wanted to say more. Wanted to spill everything I knew, but if I did, I was condemning not only me, but Elle.

  “It’s not what you think,” he breathed out.

  “No?” I stepped toward him, stopping myself before I beat him half to death. “Why don’t you tell me, then?

  Elle pulled at her arms violently. “Get me out of these things!” Tears streamed down her face.

  Marco glared at me and walked over, covering her up. “You know I can’t do that, mi amour. You’re sick. You have to stay here.”

  “Sick how?” I came forward¸ not letting this go.

  Marco stared down at her, wiping away the wetness as he began.

  “Elizabeth is suicidal. The bruises are not from me. She inflicts them upon herself. I’ve tried for years to bring her around, but she refuses. I know I should commit her, but I can’t bear the thought of losing her.” Only then did he turn to me. “I love her. Don’t you see? I’d rather keep her locked up, than risk her being drugged and locked in a padded cell. Is that so wrong?”

  Had I not known the situation, I might have believed him.

  “He’s lying,” she sobbed. “I know things. I know—”

  Marco’s hand pressed over her mouth. “Enough,” he hissed. “You need to rest.” He turned to me. “If you don’t mind, I need to get my wife settled before I head back down. We’re going to need privacy.”

  My feet wouldn’t move. She knew things…she knew. I needed to get out of here and come up with a plan. One that ended this once and for all. To leave her, though…I didn’t like it. Could barely stand the thought. “Right. If you don’t mind, I’d like to go back to my motel and take a shower and clean up. Do you think we could meet for dinner to finish going over the figures? I know you need time and I need some rest after last night.”

  “That actually sounds like a good idea. I’d like to spend the afternoon with my wife. Try to calm her down. She hasn’t had an episode this bad in a really long time. I almost forgot how hard they were on her.”

  Muffled sounds came from her and the crying turned to screams again as she fought harder to move out from under his hand.

  “Elizabeth.” I moved in closer, keeping my eyes locked on hers. “I hope you feel better and that you’re well enough to join us for dinner tonight.”

  Something flashed in her eyes and she grew still. I looked over at Marco. If he thought I suspected, maybe the beatings would cease. At least for now.

  “I’ll see you both tonight.” I spun around, paying attention to the weight of my weapon at my back. I didn’t trust this to not go badly. Didn’t put it past Marco to call his men to shoot me dead after what I’d seen.

  My steps kept a fast, steady pace and I reached in my pocket, removing the keys. The front door was opened for me and my skin crawled all the way to my car. I was being watched. That was as clear as day. But, by whom? Just his men, or was Marco watching from out of his window, too? Would he hurt Elle even worse? Fuck, I shouldn’t care with all the years of blame I had built up against her. But, I did.

  The engine came to life and I left the estate at a neutral speed. Not too fast, not too slow. Once I exited the main gate, I gunned it. I pulled the cell out, dialing Crux.

  “Hold on.” His tone was deep. A bit edgy. “Okay, you’re clean. They didn’t bug the car. Go ahead.”

  The technology he had access to was amazing, but common these days. I licked my lips as I nodded, knowing he couldn’t see. “Just wanted to let you know I was alive. You can call back the cavalry.”

  A deep exhale sounded, and then a chuckle. “Your heart never stopped, but it did have some really intense moments.”

  I looked over at the watch. I should have known it tracked my heart rate. Even most sporting watches did.

  “Yeah, well, the bastard drugged me to get the truth. Luckily, he started asking the questions before it really kicked in. Anyway, I have bigger problems than that. There’s a woman there. He calls her his wife. She’s not. I know her. Elle Tanner went missing ten years ago. I’m pretty sure he didn’t make the connection that we knew each o
ther, but I need her out. She knows his secrets.”

  There was a pause. “Are you coming back here?”

  I looked in the rearview mirror. “I can’t. I’ve seen too much. I don’t trust him not to have someone follow me. Elle is beaten up pretty bad. He tried to explain it away as her having mental health issues, but she admitted it was him.”

  “Shit. What are you thinking?”

  Again, I checked the mirrors. “I’m not sure. There was a man there with the group. I think he was special. I need to locate him. See what they’ve got.” Although I knew no one was listening to our conversation, I tried to be as vague as possible. The word agent wasn’t something I wanted to say out loud. But I went into describing him, from his blond hair down to the cut of his suit, relaying everything I could.

  “Give me a few minutes. I know some people. I’ll call you back.”

  “Sounds good.” I hung up the phone, pushing the car even faster. It took almost a good hour and a half with traffic, but I finally made it back to the room I’d been staying in. Everything was just as I had left it. Untouched. My phone rang, the call coming in blocked.

  “Fallston.”

  “I needed that deal.”

  I stripped off the jacket and tossed it to the bottom of the bed. “So I was right. What are you here for?”

  Visions of the blond man from the meeting flashed in my head and I knew he was the one on the phone. His deep voice held all the power his large frame had.

  “Trafficking. What about you?”

  I paused in unbuttoning my shirt. “Trafficking? Drugs?”

  “No. Human.”

  “Shit.” I ripped the rest of the buttons open. It made sense. He’d kidnapped Elle. I thought maybe he’d just seen her and for some reason taken a liking to her, but if she just happened to be a girl who’d done more than caught his eye, that made more sense.

  “What about you? What’s your interest in Marco Garza?”

  “Ever heard of Los Banditos Del Sur?”

  There was a pause. “Pretty big gang.”

  “Not just a gang. This one has made multiple attempts to take out high political figures. Succeeded with one. It surpasses more than that, though. Things I can’t discuss. They’re strong, and funded. That’s the important part. I think Marco might be the one who’s supplying them with money.”

  “Terrorism?”

  “Yes. That’s what originally brought me here, but there’s more. The wife. Did you meet her?”

  “I did. Very…reserved. She spent a lot of time looking down. We have nothing on her. The name she goes by isn’t her real one.”

  It didn’t surprise me they’d done their homework. They would have known all of this before even heading to Mexico. “Her name is Elle Tanner. She was a girl who lived down the road from my house. Disappeared ten years ago. You can imagine my shock in seeing her there.”

  “Fuck.” He growled. “You have to let me back in there. She may have the answers we need. If I can talk to her—”

  “I’m pretty sure she knows,” I interrupted. “She tried to tell me something, but he made it impossible. She’s beaten up pretty badly. I saw the bruises firsthand. He had her restrained to the bed, told me she had mental health issues. Hell, she probably does after all these years. Anyway, I need her out. Then she can tell us everything.” I licked my lips at my increasing heart rate. “But after that, she stays with me at all times. Her family is gone. I’m all she has left.” My stomach rolled at the thought of having her close for an extended length of time. Her father was dead. If she had any family, I doubted she’d want to go back to them. My mother was the only person she was close to. Plus, I needed her with me for reasons of my own. For closure.

  “You? Sounds like she’s more than just a neighbor.”

  I removed my gun and collapsed to the bed, letting myself fall back. “Elle and my brother were very close. He died trying to save her.”

  He hesitated. “I’m sorry to hear that. I’ll call you back when I pass this information over. Maybe we can come up with something to help you out, but there’s no guarantee. What are your plans in the meantime?”

  My head turned toward the clock. There were still a few hours before I’d have to head back. “I’m leaving at five so I can meet them for dinner. We have more figures to go over, but I’m just getting my foot in the door. If you show up, great. If not, that’s fine. I’m taking her out of there, regardless. Call me back at midnight if for some reason you can’t make it. You have a one hour window. She and I are disappearing after that. I’m compromised now, and I’m going to let my agency know. They’ll probably send in someone new. If you’re going to take him down, you better do it quick.”

  I hung up, not allowing him to further the conversation. The phone powered off at my push and I carried it into the bathroom, along with my gun. The shower went by fast and I fell into bed, exhausted. No doubt from the drugs that were still in my system.

  What felt like only minutes of vivid dreams of Elle’s naked body underneath mine as I hurt, but brought her to pleasure, flashed by and I woke up drenched in sweat. Aching made getting up hard as hell and I immediately made it to the mini fridge holding the bottled waters. The first went down within seconds. As I opened the next one, I noticed how much I was shaking. What in the hell had he given me?

  My eyes slowly went to the clock, intuition telling me something wasn’t right. “Fuck…” I pulled the watch up, not believing what I was seeing. “Fuck!” I rushed for the phone, turning it on. Marco’s number was already programmed and I called it, starting to get dressed at the same time.

  “I didn’t think you were going to make it.” His tone sounded almost relieved, which calmed me a little. Did he think I hauled ass? Gave up on the deal? Did he know I wasn’t who I said I was? No, that couldn’t be possible.

  “I don’t know what the hell you gave me, but I swear, it felt like I was only asleep for a few minutes. Fucked up dreams, too, by the way.” My fingers fumbled with the button on my jeans while I balanced the phone between my shoulder and ear.

  “Happens sometimes. Not so much with me anymore. I’m quite used to it. I take it you’re still coming?”

  I grabbed a black T-shirt and slid it on. No use dressing formal. My sole purpose of this trip was to rescue Elle. Too bad I hadn’t been able to plan it out like I had wanted.

  “Go ahead and eat dinner. It’s already almost six. I’m in the city so it’s going to take me some time to get there.”

  “No hurry,” he said, lazily. “Elizabeth and I are just lying in bed watching a movie. We’ve been snacking all day, so we’re not too hungry. Take as long as you want.”

  My eyes narrowed, my internal radar telling me something wasn’t right. “I take it you calmed her down?”

  “Always do,” he said, almost purring. Laughter sounded in the background. Elle’s. I blinked, confused. Her slurring voice spouted something that was unrecognizable. If anything, she sounded drunk or high.

  “I’ll see you soon.”

  I hung up, nearly crushing the phone in my palm. I’d never wanted to kill anyone so much in my life. Marco Garza deserved to die for everything he’d done. Killing my brother, human trafficking, drugging Elle….I put my gun into place and walked over to my bag. No way was I going in unprepared. I grabbed two more and my knife. One, I strapped into my ankle holster, the other I put behind my belt, against my stomach. As I walked out the door, I called Crux. He answered almost immediately.

  “You get the call?” What sounded like dishes clinked in the background.

  “Have you ever killed anyone you weren’t supposed to? Someone you were only meant to be getting intelligence on?”

  The line went silent and I pulled it back to see if the call dropped. It hadn’t.

  “Crux.” The demanding tone I used had him taking a deep breath.

  “Only if you can get away with it. Accidents happen all the time. It is what it is. You’d be doing a service. Just watch your back. If he�
�s tied in as high as we think he is, he’ll have people wanting answers. He’s definitely not at the top of the food chain, although I don’t doubt he’s close. So, what’s the plan?”

  I jogged through the parking lot, climbing into my car. One I wouldn’t have for long. “I’m going in and taking her,” I started it, resting back in the seat.

  “Just you?”

  “Might have back-up, but there’s no guarantee. Doesn’t matter, I’ll manage. I do need something from you. An ID, for her. I really don’t want to have to deal with Customs.”

  “I’ll make a call. What’s her stats?”

  “Long blonde hair, five-seven, hundred and thirty, maybe forty, pounds.” Too damn skinny, in my opinion, but I was sure Marco maintained her weight. Once she had full reign to eat whatever she wanted, she’d look healthier.

  Scratching sounds told me he was writing it down.

  “You do plan to report you have her. Right?

  “Of course. Doesn’t mean she leaves my side. It’s too risky so soon after taking her. She’ll be known in his world. Someone might fear she’ll leak the information she’s been exposed to. Hopefully, that’s not the case, but I’m not risking it.”

  “You’ll want to dye her hair when she gets to where you’re going. Cut it, even. Make her unrecognizable. At least for the first year.”

  Year…holy shit. Was I really doing this? Taking responsibility for someone I’d spent my life hating? I could easily hand Elle over to authorities and wash my hands of her. Yet…I couldn’t. Something deep within twisted at the thought of letting her out of my sight. This wasn’t good. I was conflicted.

  “I’ll get it taken care of.”

  “Agent, wait. Are you sure you want to do this? This woman, she’s going to need healing. Tender care. You sure you can give her that? You might be better off letting her go to someone who can really help her. I don’t get the impression your intentions are good.”

  I leaned my head back into the headrest. My intentions weren’t good. Not at all.

  The hallucinations of fucking Elle roughly, savagely, took over my vision. But with them, came possessiveness. I may have wanted to hurt her, but the thought of anyone else doing it had me ready to unleash the dark creature I held inside. They’d die. Every single one of them.