by Laura Morgan
“This guy. Him and me were fooling around and he made me feel good—special. He told me I was more than good enough for Leo and that I should make my move tonight, so I did. After everything kicked off here, I called him and begged him to pick me up. When I went outside to meet him and told him what’d happened, I expected him to hug me and tell me it was okay. Instead, he punched me straight in the temple,” Suzie told Brian between sobs. “I fell down and he punched me again. I’ve never seen someone be so violent for no reason before,” she explained. Tears fell from her eyes, and while Brian was still being attentive, Leo’s heart was sinking.
“What was his name?” he asked, his voice grim.
“He said his name was Joaquin,” she replied, sniffing and wiping her eyes on a tissue. “Joaquin Grayson.”
Leo fell to the ground. His knees hit the floor hard and he doubled over, grabbing his hair roughly in his hands while tears forced their way out of him. He howled as he rocked and curled into as tight a ball as he could, desperately trying to forget the words that had just been said.
After what felt like forever, Leo unfurled his weak body and stumbled back over to his chair. He retrieved his cell and sent a text to Roger’s phone. He knew Grayson must have it. There was no way he could have Cassie and not have taken out her bodyguard first.
Leo: I know you have her. Bring her back and I’ll let you walk away, name your price and I’ll pay it. Please, Grayson. Don’t let them ruin her all over again.
Chapter Eighteen
“Aww, how sweet. Your boyfriend thinks he can bribe me into taking you back.” Grayson’s voice filtered through what’d been deafening silence until then, and Cassie started to wake from whatever sedative he’d injected into her. As her eyes fluttered open, she took in the room around her. Grayson was sat in an armchair at one end of the small space, while she was lying on a bed on the opposite side. Cassie guessed it must be some kind of old motel or perhaps a disused hospital, and she contemplated screaming for help, but knew he wouldn’t be foolish enough to take her somewhere full of other patrons. Her hands were bound above her head tightly, and even though she and Leo had toyed with the roleplay, it made her feel like a prisoner again, and she hated it.
“Please, GG. Please let me go. What do you even want with me?” she pleaded, needing to know why he’d come all the way from Mexico to track her down.
“It’s not me who wants you,” he said, standing and going over to the window to peek out the edge of the curtain. “Did you really think you could murder Victor, put us all away, and then run off with his money? Are you that foolish you believed no one would come after you?” He was the same icy, hard-faced, Grayson she’d spoken with in the alley. Cassie had to wonder if what he’d said was true, and her Gentle Giant really had gone. “I’m taking you back to Mexico, where you’re going to settle your debt to the cartel. They’re ready to watch you pay for everything you did in blood, sweat, tears, and with that precious cunt Victor held so dear.”
“No! Grayson, please,” she cried. Going back to that hellhole was a fate worse than death, and Cassie felt as if she was going to throw up. She fought against her restraints, thinking she’d rather fight and risk it all than go back there. She’d barely made it out in one piece the last time she’d been dragged there to be Victor’s whore. “I’ll give you back every penny. The court gave it to me, I didn’t steal it. I’ll give it all back and run off properly this time. I’ll stay hidden.”
“Regardless of the details, that money was never yours, and you do not just get off with killing Victor. Everything crumbled after you murdered him, and you landed the rest of us in prison. Luckily, Eduardo had some sway even from across the border, but we’ve all had to sacrifice our humanity in order to survive. Now that he’s got all his crew back, and he’s got the cartel running at full power, he’s finally ready to make you pay.”
Cassie broke down in tears. She tugged at the bindings on her wrists and writhed on the bed, desperate to try and escape, but it was no use. Grayson watched her struggle without even a hint of compassion on his face. It didn’t matter to him how she was hurting, or that she was terrified. He didn’t even care that she was going back there to die or be swallowed up by Eduardo and his disgusting pimps. He simply didn’t care. She could see in his blank stare that his soul was lost. The part of him she’d once loved and had missed so terribly was long gone.
When she’d calmed down a little, Cassie stopped struggling against the ropes and stared back up at him.
“All that time you were caring for me, teaching me how to handle Victor’s moods, and how to survive in that god-awful place. And now you’re just gonna take me back there to be raped and whored out to Eduardo and his customers? I won’t go without a fight, and you can guess again if you think I’ll just let you walk me through airport security and onto a plane. I’ll scream and shout until my dying breath if it means I don’t have to go back there,” she said, spitting as much venom his way as she could muster.
Quick as a flash, Grayson was on top of her on the bed. He pinned her down and effortlessly forced open her legs, which he slid between. Cassie groaned in disgust at both how easily he could overpower her, and that he would even contemplate doing so. With a look of sick satisfaction, Grayson stared into her eyes from mere inches away. She squirmed against him, but he just pressed into her harder and she shuddered.
“It’s all in the detail, Cassie. We’ve been planning this for a long time, believe me,” he said, his voice almost a whisper. “I’ve got a private jet in a small airfield just a few miles away. Inside that jet is a compartment, completely invisible from the outside. It’s tight, smaller than a coffin—and completely soundproofed. You could scream and shout to your heart’s content, but you’d do nothing more than use up precious oxygen.”
“Who the hell are you?” Cassie whimpered. Her body and mind were in so much pain that she could feel herself growing desperate. The Grayson she’d once known had been kind and gentle. He’d been loyal to Victor, but he’d also loved her like a brother. That man had taken such good care of her that Cassie’s isolation atop Victor’s ivory tower had almost been bearable.
“I’m a heartless, ruthless gangster now. I fuck and beat whores who step out of line, and I don’t care about anyone other than myself. Isn’t that who you thought I should’ve been all along? You were always so surprised to find such a nice guy like me in Victor’s employment. Well now you can see what two years of fighting for your life every day does to a man. Prison ruined me. You wanna talk about rape? You don’t even know what I went through because of you and Leo.”
Cassie’s heart broke for him, and she went limp in his hold. Grayson truly had been beaten in many ways, and she knew she had to take some blame for where his life had taken him.
“I’m so sorry. I had no control over your trial. I barely had any say when it came to my own. I have no excuse, and I know you want to punish me for it, but please remember how we grew close and how you once cared so deeply for my safety. All of that can’t mean nothing now that you’ve been to hell and back?”
Grayson started laughing. It was an evil, cruel laugh, and it gave her chills.
“That’s exactly what you mean—nothing! You women, all the fucking same. I tell you a sob story and you go all soft, feel sorry for me, and even apologize for what happened. I’ve tied you up and am dragging you halfway across the world against your will, and you’re saying sorry to me?” he roared, laughing again. “Are you forgetting what’s gonna happen to you when we get to Mexico? Eduardo is finally getting his hands on the prize Victor kept hidden away. He’ll break every bit of free will you think you have, and before you know it he’ll own you in a way you never even thought possible. Eduardo will have his fun, and then when he’s had enough, he’ll throw you to the wolves. After we’ve all had a piece of you, it’ll be straight to work under one of his pimps, and believe me when I say you’re gonna be a bestseller. The one who got away. The pale-skinned prized possession of
our former overlord…”
Grayson pressed his hips against her thigh, giving her a nudge with the hard-on she couldn’t quite believe he could have given the situation. She cried out in panic. “I’ve seen what’s under here, don’t forget,” he groaned as he ran his hands over Cassie’s breasts, cupping each one roughly. He seemed to revel in her disgust of his heavy-handed touch.
Cassie saw red, and figured it was her turn to say her piece.
“All that time you were being a good little minion in the hope that Victor might shove his cock in you, or at least let you have a taste of it. And now, because you never got to be his bitch, you think by having me it’ll make you feel better?” Cassie let her anger rule her for a moment in a bid to hurt him too. “Let’s go then, GG. If you think you’ve got the balls, I’ll show you how a real woman fucks.” She arched her back, grinding against him, and grinned when she saw him recoil.
Cassie took the slap Grayson swung against her cheek without any complaints, and then it was her turn to laugh, even though things were far from funny. Grayson climbed off her in a heartbeat, stalking the length of the small room. He was trembling with rage, and as much as it scared her, Cassie was glad she’d gotten him good and riled up. Sick satisfaction bloomed within, and she realized he wasn’t the only one who’d changed.
“Do you have any idea the shit I had to do to keep you safe back then?” he bellowed after a few minutes of pacing. “Who was the one guarding your bedroom door when Eduardo decided he’d done waiting for his turn with you? Me! I had to take a beating off him and shove my gun in his face before he’d finally leave, and all because you’d given him such a good fucking show the night before.”
Cassie knew exactly what night he was talking about—the time Victor had gotten drunk and paraded her around like his prized pony at the club. She knew she’d caught Eduardo’s eye, but had no idea he’d been so determined to have a piece of her, regardless of Victor’s order that she was off-limits. “And how about this little nugget? Why do you think I had to prepare all your meals?” Cassie shook her head, too shocked to even fathom an answer. “After Lolita’s little tantrum the day of Luis’s funeral, she tried to poison your food. She wasn’t the only one either, and so I got the job of hand preparing your food for you,” he spat, and began pacing again. “I even had to save you from Victor on occasion. There were nights when he was in destructive, vicious moods, and I kept him away on purpose. I knew you’d be the one paying for his fury, so I did whatever I had to do to protect you from his wrath. How can you still be so naïve to what was happening all around you back there?” Grayson huffed as he slumped down into the chair at the other side of the room again.
A few dreadful minutes of silence passed between them, and Cassie heaved a deep sigh.
“I’m pregnant, GG,” she told him. “We’ve finally moved on and are making something of our lives. Please don’t take this away from me.”
Grayson said nothing. He simply stared at the ground for a long time, and Cassie let her last couple of sentences hang in the air between them.
Deep down, she knew some remnant of her old friend had to still be in there, even if it was just a tiny bit. He wouldn’t have told her all of that if he didn’t want her to know how much he’d cared back in Mexico, and she hoped the cold version she’d witnessed was all just a front he’d been forced to put up since they’d last seen each other.
Cassie had hated being locked away in that bedroom of Victor’s mansion day after day, but now, the alternative petrified her. If Eduardo had gotten inside and forced himself on her, Victor would’ve then seen her as tainted, and he would’ve discarded her. Also, if Victor had ever hurt her badly in a moment of rage, his guilt would’ve consumed him, and she’d have been tossed aside just the same. Her safety had been an intricate game played out on a knife’s edge, and she’d never realized just how close she’d been to falling. Grayson had saved her all of those times, and probably more, and she had to believe he’d do the same for her now.
After a long wait, he stood and stalked into the bathroom without so much as a backward glance at her. Cassie watched as he splashed his face with water and washed his hands methodically, as though still lost in thought. “Grayson?” she called out softly, hoping he might be ready to talk.
“Don’t, Cassie.” His voice was barely even a whisper.
“Fuck you. I’m not gonna make this any easier on you. I want you to look me in the eyes when you seal my fate, and the fate of my child. Joaquin Grayson, are you listening to me?” she bellowed, using every bit of strength and nerve she had left to scream as loud as she could for the world to hear. Cassie knew she had to get through to him, before it was too late.
He stormed out of the bathroom toward her, then turned and punched three holes into the chipped and faded door. His mighty fists flew and Cassie flinched on every impact. Only when he was bloody and panting did he stop. Grayson turned back and peered down at her, his gaze softer but still incredibly distant. He didn’t say a word. After a few seconds, he stalked back into the bathroom and grabbed at the roll of toilet paper to dab at his cuts.
“Yeah, I fucking hear you,” he said, clenching and unclenching his fists while clearing up the blood. “Either you’re telling me lies, or else you’ve got Leonardo Solomon’s baby in there.” He pointed at her stomach. “Maybe Eduardo won’t be so hard on you after all, because once he gets his hands on that little bastard, it’ll be the ultimate vengeance for what the pair of you did to Victor. He’ll probably raise the child as his own, and you’ll never get near it again. Either that, or he’ll cut his losses and drag you down the clinic to get rid of it,” he told Cassie with a sneer, and she felt her heart breaking at his awful words.
She couldn’t believe he was saying such vile things to her, and she turned her face away. Cassie could no longer bring herself to even look at him. Her Gentle Giant was so lost there had to be nothing of him left, and she despised the monster standing a few feet away. “I don’t even know you anymore…”
He didn’t so much as groan in response.
“I need some air. Stay put, Mrs. Sanchez. Our ride will be here in a few hours.” Grayson grabbed his jacket and pulled a cigarette from one of the pockets before heading outside, where she could hear him lighting up.
Cassie waited until she heard his footsteps in the distance before she began pulling and twisting her hands again in an attempt to pry them loose from the ropes he’d bound her with, but it was no use. Eventually, she decided to try breaking the wood of the old bed instead, and used her entire body weight to push against the headboard. It creaked and eventually broke apart after a few exhausting pulls, and she fell back onto the sheet, panting. Cassie jumped up and looked around, and she found Roger’s phone lying on the small table beside the armchair Grayson had been sitting in when she’d woken up.
Even with her hands still tied, she grabbed it and dialed Leo’s cell, hoping to God he’d answer…
“Listen to me, you asshole. You lay one finger on her and—”
“Leo, you have to find me,” she cut in, desperate to say what she needed to in time. “Can you track Roger’s phone?”
“No, I already tried, love. Please tell me you’re okay? I’m going out of my mind here,” he begged, and Cassie had to admit he sounded terrible. It was good to hear his voice, but she knew they had to hurry.
“I’m as okay as I can be, but I only have a minute before Grayson comes back. He’s not the same guy he was, Leo, not by a long shot. He says he’s gonna take me to Mexico where Eduardo will turn me into a whore so I can pay my debt to the cartel. God, Leo. I couldn’t bear it.” She knew she was rambling so forced herself to focus. “I don’t know where I am. He drugged me and I woke up here. It looks like an old motel or hospital, and I can’t hear any other people here so I think it must be abandoned. He said there’s a plane waiting to take us away, but in a private airfield.”
“Okay, Jellybean. I’m going to find you. I will not let that plane take
off with you inside, do you hear me?” Leo’s voice was powerful and determined, and she believed him. “I’m coming for you, Cassie. Please stay strong.”
Grayson stepped inside and glowered at her from the doorway. Cassie let out a shriek of surprise and threw the handset right at his head. When he reached up to rub the swollen bump she’d left there, Cassie tried to make a run for it, but Grayson was too fast.
“You think you can run from me? You think I’d just let you walk outta here? Not a fucking chance,” he growled, slapping her across the cheek before throwing her back down on the bed. Cassie sobbed and screamed, calling out Leo’s name while Grayson retied her bonds. “It’s about time you shut the hell up.” When he was done, Grayson stuffed her mouth with a rag from his pocket.
Cassie could hear Leo’s anxious, angry cries from the still-connected call, and once she was secure, Grayson retrieved the cell from the hard floor. He held it to his ear and grinned down at her. “I hope you just said your goodbyes, ’cause that’s the last time you’ll ever hear her voice.”
He hung up before Leo could answer, and then smashed the phone to pieces beneath his boot.
Chapter Nineteen
Leo screamed insults and murderous promises into his handset, knowing full well that Grayson had hung up already so wasn’t hearing them, but he couldn’t stop it. His brain had turned to mush, and he slumped back in his chair, rubbing his tired eyes. He wanted to tear that guy apart, rip him to shreds, and then piss on his corpse before torching it. Nothing would be left to identify him once he was done. Having been forced to listen in as Grayson hurt Cassie caused all kinds of old wounds to open up in him again, and he was quickly dragged under by the demons of his wretched past. He’d brought all of this upon her, and now once again Cassie was in the clutches of a monster.