She grabbed the lever door handle and pushed. The metal clanked, and the door lurched inward, hanging precariously on a broken hinge. She peered into the walled in area.
The villa was all whitewashed archways and columns. To her right, a little girl’s playhouse was left as if the child were about to return. Toys littered the grass. Raven frowned. She had an even worse feeling about this.
There weren’t any lights on to be seen, and not a soul moved. It was as if the villa were empty. But why would the boy bring her here? She glanced behind her, wondering if this was some trick, but she was alone.
The only thing to do was have a quick look around. If Matías was there, she hoped he’d make some sound, a noise, anything at all to let her know. She stepped through the awkward door and struck off to her left around what she assumed was the back of the building. There were a fewer small structures to that side. If she could avoid the house altogether, she’d prefer it.
The moon shone down, lighting her way, but she couldn’t shake the sense of foreboding. Did she continue? Or did she split?
Raven put one foot in front of the other, though her self-preservation instincts screamed at her to run. She couldn’t. Not yet.
Voices yelled, bouncing off the walls. She flinched and flattened herself against one of the columns. Her heart hammered against her ribs and she cursed Uncle Sam for not giving her any sort of protection. Granted, they’d expected her to sit where they told her to and not go running off.
Shit. What if they left her?
That was not a thought she needed in her head right now.
The voices didn’t come closer.
Raven took a deep breath and forced herself to keep going. She made it all the way to the corner of the building. It was better lit on this side of the house, with a large floodlight illuminating what seemed to be a delivery area. There was a military-style Jeep idling between the villa and the shacks that lined the wall. A few people clustered nearby, but they seemed more intent on a radio one of the men held than anything else.
Were the soldiers attacking the factory, too?
Victor slammed the door out of the last shed and stalked toward the Jeep. Instantly, the four men started speaking at once. They seemed alarmed, probably because their buddies were all being rounded up by the combined Colombian and American anti-drug forces. It was just a guess.
She watched the exchange, noting how Victor had someone with a rag ready so he could wipe his hands down. It was the kind of detail she wouldn’t have noticed before Matías.
The exchange stretched on. Whatever the soldiers were saying didn’t alarm Victor too much. He replied in a sharp tone and the three men loaded up in their Jeep. Victor watched them reverse and drive out of the open front gates, not moving until the dust settled. It was just the two of them now, and he had his back to her.
She didn’t dare breathe as he stood there, letting the quiet seep into their bones. An insect landed on Raven’s neck and she grit her teeth. Her skin crawled as she forced herself to quietly swipe it away.
A door to the villa opened and someone called out to Victor. He didn’t reply, but he did stalk into the house, leaving her alone.
She waited for a count of ten. Any more and her nerves would strangle her.
Raven bolted across the open space and pulled the shack door open. Light filtered in through the thatch roof and shoddy joint work, but she couldn’t make anything out. She did smell the coppery tang of blood mixed with other scents she didn’t want to think about.
“Matías?” she whispered.
A man groaned.
“Matías.”
Raven stepped into the shack, her hands outstretched, but there wasn’t anything there. She shuffled forward until she stepped on something soft.
Another groan.
“Matías, is that you?” She knelt and felt some bunched up fabric, slightly damp and sticky. She leaned forward, guided by touch, until she hit something solid. “Matías?” Her voice broke and if she’d thought it was hard to breathe earlier, it was near impossible now.
“Go away.” The voice was thin, breaking, and nothing like her Sir.
“Matías, is that you?”
“I said go away,” he said again, stronger this time, with a bit of that extra oomph that she knew.
Oh, hell no. She wasn’t about to leave him now that she’d found him.
“I’m going to get you out of here,” she whispered to him. She wanted to cry, to pound her fists into something. This wasn’t right. Matías shouldn’t be hurt like this.
Her hands traveled over his body, careful not to put any pressure on him. He seemed to be laying on his side, curled up with his arms behind him. She crawled around and explored the chains and ropes binding him into place with her fingers.
The ropes were easy to do away with. The chains presented a problem. He was handcuffed, but with what she couldn’t tell. They weren’t the normal cuffs with chains. It was more like a plate of metal with his hands thrust through.
It would take time to get him out of the chains. Time she might not have. She felt around until she came to the wooden post the chains were looped around. Metal, she couldn’t do much with, but wood, with the right amount of pressure, might just break.
As her eyes began to adjust, she was able to make out a table along one side of the hut. Several metal objects lay on the surface, their dull shine giving them away. She ran her fingers over them. One was a pair of pliers, another she couldn’t tell quite what it was, and the third a small hammer. What exactly had they done to Matías?
She pushed the question away and picked up the hammer and pliers. Not the best options, but she’d figure something out. Granted, it dashed her plan to break the post to pieces.
“Hang in there, Matías.” He was too quiet. Her mind painted an ugly picture of what he’d suffered, and she hated Victor a little more.
Raven knelt next to the post, pulling a length of the chain so it was just under each knee. She’d have to do this mostly by feel, which wasn’t ideal.
The chain links were a little smaller than the chain sold at her local hardware store and covered with dirt. Or rust. She hoped for rust.
She wedged the pliers as far as she could into a single link so that the tapered nose was tight against the metal. With her left hand, she squeezed the handle closed tight, while she hit the end of the pliers as hard as she could with the hammer. She felt the link. It had stretched and warped, but she didn’t know if it would be enough.
Did she keep fighting with the chain? Or go in search of another option?
She could fight with the chain all night and get them caught. On the other hand, she could waste time looking for a hatchet or something else.
Torn, she took out her frustration hitting the pliers a few more times.
“Raven?”
“Yeah? It’s me.”
“What are you doing here? You need to leave now.”
“Nice to see you, too.”
“Get out of here now. I mean it.”
“Only with you.”
Again she hit it and a metallic ping rattled off the wall. She put the hammer down and felt the chain. The pliers were driven into the ground, but the chain had given way. She gasped and yanked the two pieces apart.
“Matías, I need you to get up. I think I’ve got you free.”
“Can’t.”
This was not happening. She wasn’t going to find him and have him be the one to give up. She gathered the chains into two bundles and pushed them around either side of the post. One of them would have to carry the chains, and it would probably be her.
She crawled to Matías’ back, touching his shoulders gingerly. He hissed and flinched.
“Sorry. We need to get you up. There are people here to help us. We just need to get to them. Come on, Matías.”
He seemed to get a little more motivated and rocked forward.
“My ankles are still tied,” he said.
She scrambled around to
his feet. He was barefoot and had chains binding his ankles together, but the only thing tying him down was some rope.
“Okay, you’re going to have to walk with the chains on. Can you do that?”
“Maybe. Probably not. I’ll try.” There was something wrong with his voice. It was off, but she couldn’t tell why. He rolled onto his stomach and knees.
She grabbed his arm to steady him and he made a pained, gargling sound.
“Sorry.” She let go and hovered at his side.
“Arm. Out of joint,” he said through clenched teeth.
Raven couldn’t imagine the amount of pain he was in. Didn’t want to.
She gathered the chains and waited as Matías slowly got up. It was a painstaking process. He’d move, pause and heave a moment, shift and gasp.
What had they done to him?
He finally got upright and she wrapped her arm around his waist, the chains clutched in her hands.
“I’m sorry,” she muttered as he grunted. “We’re going out this door, straight ahead, and there’s a gate on our left. Okay?”
He swayed on his feet. She could feel his breath against her cheek.
“Are you real?” he asked.
“Yes.” Tears pricked her eyes.
“I’m not sure I believe you.”
“Trust me, okay?”
“Okay. Just don’t die.” He leaned on her.
“I’ll try not to.”
She took a deep breath and shoved her emotions down. They hobbled across the dirt floor to the door and she peered out. There were several people going in and out of the side of the villa now. She couldn’t tell much, but it looked like they were packing or something.
“Change of plan. We can’t go out this way.” And they might not be able to get around everything without being seen.
“Window.” He used his weight to turn them. Sure enough, there were two pieces of plywood acting as make-shift shutters.
She got Matías to the window and helped him to lean against the wall while she pushed the shutters open.
“Go,” Matías said.
“Like hell I’m leaving you. Come on. You can sit on this table and swing your legs out. I’ll pull you over. It’s going to hurt though.”
“You should go.”
She stopped and faced him, hoping he felt just how pissed off she was. “I left you once. I’m not doing it again. Now, if you don’t want me to get caught, get your ass on that table or resign yourself to both of us dying here.”
“You sure you aren’t a Domme?” He chuckled.
“You’re making a joke now?”
“Might as well.” He turned and set his ass on the edge of the table. “You might want to go through first. I’m not sure how high I can lift my feet.”
“I can pull them up by the chains. I’ll be careful.”
“Don’t be careful. Be quiet.”
There wasn’t time for it, but she had to. Raven leaned across, finding Matías’ mouth by touch and kissed him, quick and gentle. She could feel his swollen lips against hers and tasted blood. His. And she hated it.
She sucked down a breath and climbed through the window. Maybe once there’d been glass in the panes, but now it was just a wooden frame. She vaulted through and froze, peering around, listening for anyone coming closer. All the activity was on the other side of the shack.
Raven turned and pulled the chains over the side of the window.
“Okay, lift your feet,” she said.
He did as she asked, but didn’t get them all the way up. She leaned over, grabbed the chains and choked back a sob. His feet were coated in mud, but if she had to guess, that was blood mixed with dirt. He grunted and breath wheezed through his teeth.
“Little bit more,” she chanted, guiding his feet over the window sill until his knees hung over the edge.
They paused, each breathing harder than she’d have thought for such a little task. Her nerves were running her ragged. How had he done this for twenty years?
She gathered her composure. He needed her to be strong this time.
“Okay, I’m going to wrap my arms around your waist and try to get you through the window.”
“I’ve got at least a fractured rib, so grab me high. I can only use my left arm a little.” He was starting to sound more alert, but she wouldn’t put much stock in that.
“On three, okay?”
She reached through the window and wrapped her arms around his chest. It was either put pressure on his rib, or his dislocated shoulder. There was no way to avoid both. God, she hated Victor.
“One, two, three.”
Raven hefted and pulled. Matías groaned and she heard his teeth grinding together as she moved him just a few inches. He bent forward, rocked back and lurched toward her. She squeezed and fell backward, clutching him to her. She stumbled and they went down in a tangle of limbs, a strangled cry and a jangle of metal.
They lay panting on the ground, Raven still hugging him, partially unable to believe he was with her. Now, how to get them out of here?
“Come on, we need to go.” Matías shifted.
She got up and hovered while he once again got to his feet slowly, pausing as he needed to catch his breath.
“We need to go,” she said.
“I know.”
She gathered the chains, cringing when they clinked.
They shuffled forward, traveling as fast as Matías’ battered feet and hobbles let them go. But it wasn’t fast enough. Voices on the other side of the shacks grew louder and more urgent. Soon they were going to figure out their prisoner was escaping, and she still had no exit strategy.
Yelling from the other side turned violent as two Jeeps blazed into the villa walls. People screamed, and Raven froze. What was going on?
“It’s us. It’s our side,” Matías said as he collapsed on the ground, his back to the wall.
Raven gaped at him, but he was right. That wasn’t Colombian-Spanish—that was English. They were saved!
chapter Twenty
Four weeks later; Pecos Valley, Texas
Raven closed the door to the little trailer behind her. It wasn’t any cooler inside than out, but at least the sun didn’t try to bake her in here. She pulled out a bottle of water from the little fridge and pressed it to her neck. Calling it lukewarm was generous.
A couple more weeks crop dusting over the Pecos Valley and they’d have enough money for a better trailer. It wasn’t much of a dream, but it was all she had. After being dumped back on the reservation on her uncle’s doorstep, she’d packed up her truck and plane, and set off to find her dad.
It beat waiting around for a man who would never show up.
No, she wasn’t thinking about Matías.
He’d left her. The DEA had handed her an envelope of cash and a “Thanks for your service” note as they kicked her out. Nothing else. No one would tell her how Matías was, or who had her dog. She found it hard to believe that, even injured, Matías wouldn’t have found a way to see her if he wanted to. But she hadn’t heard a word from him. Not a thing. So much for promises and dreams.
Raven sucked in a deep breath as the ache spread through her body.
So much for not thinking about the asshole.
Matías strode down the rows of trailers, RVs and camp sites. His stride was shorter now, and his body was still on the mend. The rest of him was still in shreds.
Four weeks. Five countries. Three identities. A dozen arrests. His job was done. He wasn’t José, Raul or any of the other names he’d worn in the last two decades. He was Matías.
Site thirty-nine and forty were at the end of a dusty row surrounded by shrub. A trailer sat in one spot, and a flatbed trailer with a small plane occupying the other. Níłch’i wiggled under his arm, no doubt sensing his owner was near. Maybe it was wrong, but he’d kept the little dog close while he tied up the loose ends needed to start the next chapter of his life. It made him feel like he had a piece of Raven with him.
He bent,
grimacing as he set Níłch’i on the ground. The rib still gave him trouble. Níłch’i shot to the end of his leash, straining toward the plane, but Raven wasn’t in the cockpit.
Matías stood in front of the flimsy door, a dozen ways to break in coming to mind. And those were just the easy ones.
A trailer was not the safest place for her to be.
He lifted his hand to knock, and put it back down.
What did he say?
He’d practiced a hundred speeches, with detailed reasons why he’d made the choices he had, arguments for why she should believe him and plans for the future, but it all boiled down to three little words. I love you.
The door swung open, almost slapping him in the face. He grabbed it, blinking through the dust as long, silky hair coasted over his skin.
Níłch’i barked and clawed at the bottom of the trailer door.
Matías stared into the wide eyes of Raven, all those practiced words escaping him.
He’d thought she was a dream, a harbinger of his death when she’d come back for him. He hadn’t realized it was real until they landed on the ground outside of that shack and his whole body hurt so much it had to be real.
Her gaze dropped to the ground.
“Níłch’i!” She bent and picked up the wiggling dog, clutching him close and burying her face in his fur.
He watched them, words sticking in his throat. He’d been unsure of his reception for a dozen reasons. She had every right to hate him. He’d pushed her into a new world, left her, nearly gotten her killed. What sane person would want anything to do with him?
“I brought him as soon as I could,” Matías said at last.
Raven’s gaze slid toward him. She seemed apprehensive.
“Thanks,” she said.
He opened and closed his mouth. Where to start?
I learned who I was by being with you.
You made me remember who I once wanted to be.
I love you.
“It took a while to find you,” he said.
“Sorry? I thought you had my number.”
“I had the burner phone.”
“I still have it.” She said it like an accusation.
Entrusted: A Drug of Desire Novel Page 28