by Kira Adams
“How long ago?” Maybe we can catch up to them. Get to her before…
“About ten minutes ago. They are not too far ahead. We have an advantage because her cousin came out of hiding to get her. It’s the first time they have done anything like that since knowing the FBI is tailing them.”
“That isn’t a good sign,” I say. If they are willing to risk being caught by the FBI to obtain Mikhaela, then we are in for a harder fight than we thought.
“Exactly, which is why we need to get out of public eye. Eduardo could be anywhere watching and none of you are safe,” she responds.
I never thought in a million years we would be working with the FBI, especially with our extracurricular backgrounds, but when we got here, they handed us folders filled with documents about our crew. Anything and everything you could imagine was in there. They knew about every carjacking, every robbery, even down to my first battery charge. With the new identity they are promising all of this goes away. Every bad thing we’ve ever done, vanished. It’s a master reset of sorts.
“Eduardo Ramirez has been one step ahead of the FBI for the past twenty years. He comes out of the shadows only when necessary and his soldiers are loyal to him. He is connected to four robberies, six home invasions, three murders, drug and money laundering and countless other petty crimes. He is our white unicorn. We need you to go in and retrieve both him and Mikhaela alive. If you can do that, we will wipe all your slates clean, get you new identities and you will be on your way.”
It’s the easiest and hardiest request all wrapped into one. It will be one of the most dangerous things any of us have ever done in our lives, but honestly, with the pile of evidence they have against us, we have no other choice. If we don’t help them catch Eduardo, if we refuse and simply go on our way – they will arrest us for everything they have enough evidence to prove. We would be put away for years. It’s a form of blackmail. They really hold all the power.
“What makes you think you will be able to find them? You say that Eduardo has been able to evade the FBI for this long. How do you know that he hasn’t taken Mikhaela into the deepest lair he can find where she will never be seen again?” Stefano has all valid points.
“Eduardo has been evading us, not her cousin, Carlos. He operates in a very different way than her father. He doesn’t watch his back, never covers his trail. We are hoping he will lead us straight to Eduardo. We still have eyes on him right now, but we need to be careful. If our cover is blown, Mikhaela could be in a lot of danger.” She pauses. “I was able to slip a tracker onto Mikhaela before we parted ways, so as long as that’s active, we have a marker to where she is.”
Stefano has been in pain, understandable. But why did he leave her? This could have all been avoided if he would have stayed as I asked or at the very least, he could have defended her. It feels weird to think that she is back in the hands of the people who marked up her body so badly.
She thought we hadn’t noticed, that she was doing a good job of hiding it, but when you live in the same quarters with someone for weeks, you pick up on things. At first, I saw the ones on her ankles and legs when she was putting on socks. Another time, her back and shoulders were exposed after climbing out of the shower. How someone you are supposed to call family could do that to you is beyond me. It’s a fucked-up situation for sure.
It’s also a trip to think that a couple of months ago we didn’t know this girl from Adam. We had heard of her, but she was more like a myth. Never in a million years could we have pictured any of this. Even though we have only spent a short amount of time together, she feels like a part of our group. She could never take Trinity’s place, but she fills her own little spot. Even though traveling with a female is more difficult, I’m still open to it because of the time we’ve spent with Mikhaela.
“What’s the plan?”
Mikhaela
“Do you remember this song?” He hums the melody along to the Bluetooth speaker.
Nodding, my eyes jet around, looking for a way out of this.
When Agent Tanasbourne dropped me off back at my car, she had no idea my cousin was already in the backseat waiting for me. As soon as I climbed in, I caught his reflection in the rearview mirror – his slicked back, dark hair and his unfriendly stare. He was faster than I was and ended up injecting me with some kind of paralyzing agent. I couldn’t move anything except for my eyelids and lips, for the last few hours. It’s only beginning to wear off.
They have me tied to a metal chair, my hands and legs restricted.
“Welcome back to the land of the living,” Carlos says, circling me in a prey-like fashion. “We’ve been looking for you everywhere.”
When we were kids, he and I were super close, even though he was two years older than I was. We spent countless hours together during daycare, preschool, and even kindergarten. We were lucky enough to always be put in the same classrooms and have the same teachers. Going into elementary school was when things began to change between us. Carlos began hanging out with Eduardo more and wanting to play with me less and less. We haven’t been close since.
We are in some rundown looking building in the middle of bum fuck Egypt where no one will be able to hear my screams. Eduardo is going to get me back for all of it. My heart is racing, pounding against my chest.
“Help me understand what happened…these guys rob tio and take you as collateral at the same time?” He scrunches his face up as the words leave his lips. He’s calling my bluff. “And they’ve been holding you hostage ever since?”
My head bobs up and down in agreeance. “You don’t know how scared I’ve been.”
His cautious stare does not subside. “Interesting, because when we finally caught up to you, you were alone. If they were worried about you trying to escape, they never would have left you. Not to mention if they really were holding you against your will, why wouldn’t you have run when you had the chance? Something is fishy here and I’m going to get to the bottom of it.”
Carlos, for better lack of a term is a tool, a meathead. He’s huge, buff, looks like he could tear me apart in one tug, but, he isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed.
A door opens, light spilling into the concrete structure. Eduardo stands on the other side of the door, tall and powerful. His dark grey suit looks crisp and new.
Thump. Thump. Thump. My heartbeat echoes in my ears, my hair standing on end.
He enters the room, his presence sucking the air out of it. He holds his head up, his lowered eyes casting over the abandoned space. “How are you doing, Mija? Did they treat you okay?” He reaches his hand out to my face, caressing the side of it.
His concern is not genuine. This is his favorite game – make me think that he actually cares about someone other than himself and then shatter that as soon as a few moments pass. The only thing I can do is nod silently.
He crouches down so that he is eye level to me. My heart pounds against my ribcage. He tucks some of my hair behind my ears like a doting father and then takes a deep breath. “Where’s the money, Kail?”
For a moment, his words don’t even digest. My focus is on his faux fatherly gestures that were always something I yearned for, but never got. Even as a baby, he probably held me a handful of times. Eduardo could never be described as loving.
“I don’t know,” I respond, breaking eye contact.
He stands up, pacing back and forth. “I think you do know where my money is, but you are covering for them.”
Then you would be correct. Pursing my lips together, my eyes avoid his.
“Baby, I don’t think you understand what is going to happen if we don’t get that money back.” The way his words come out so softly is disconcerting. He’s terrifying. “You see, that money was not mine and I think you know that. The money they took is money that I am going to have to pay back, and soon.”
He nods with his head toward Carlos, and there is a silent exchange between the two of them. My cousin quietly exits the room. Being left alone with E
duardo is frightening. He paces about at first, not saying a word. He looks contemplative, almost as if he is trying to work something out in his head.
It’s hard to know how to react in this situation. He’s not stupid. He knows that the abduction didn’t go down the way it appeared. He knows there is something more to it. If I grovel, it will appear as though I’m in the wrong and if I don’t, then it will seem like I don’t care. It’s a lose-lose. Staying quiet seems like the safest route to go.
“Baby, I don’t want to hurt you,” he says, his eyes locking with mine. His pupils are dilated, making them appear fully black. He looks high on cocaine.
“Then don’t. I’m your daughter. Don’t do this.” My eyes plead with his. This is his blueprint: physical torture. It was inevitable.
“You know I don’t like doing this, but you are not being honest with me. We are just going to give you a little motivation.”
Carlos returns, a set of tools in his hands. Pliers, shears, hammer, wrench. Unfortunately, for me, they are planning to use those on me. My heartrate spikes, the adrenaline rushing throughout my body.
“Please, please, you know I didn’t have anything to do with your money. I don’t know where it is. You don’t have to do this. I’m your daughter and your cousin. Please.” My eyes dart between both Carlos and Eduardo. Surely, one of them must have an ounce of compassion left in them.
It’s as if my pleas fall upon deaf ears. They lay out the tools in front of me, as a power play. Eduardo runs his fingers over each one, the tension in the room growing.
Closing my eyes, my mind replays the last few weeks. Although for some of it I was considered a prisoner, it was the freest I’ve felt in my entire life. Being able to experience the world and life outside has been so rewarding. I wouldn’t change a thing.
Something grips my pinky finger and my eyes snap open. Eduardo is rolling it between his two fingers, eyeing the different tools. I’m going to be sick.
Carlos is a dangerous predator, but he’s family, and seeing me in this predicament is tougher on him than the person I am supposed to call my father. He squeezes his eyes closed and turns to face the opposite direction. Although we were thicker than thieves growing up, he was recruited by Eduardo early on to help with the family business and it shaped the person he became. He’s never put me in danger before today.
Eduardo reaches for the pliers, making the blood rush throughout my entire body. He’s already damaged me past the point of being on the frontline for his business, but he could still get away with throwing me in as a peon for the highest bidder, a modern-day slave. A good portion of the women who have been overworked in the industry are shifted to peons once they hit the five-year mark. Once in, the women never get to live a normal life, ever again.
Being a peon means no freedom of choice. It means being raped repeatedly and having to consider it your job. Having to birth babies for these terrible families, giving them up immediately, and then never getting a chance to raise the baby. It would mean hell on earth.
When Eduardo realized that his lashings left me scarred for life, it was inevitable he would eventually make me a peon. Which is why Tito decided to help me escape. He knew it wasn’t any kind of life for me.
“Kail, I’m giving you one last chance to tell me where my money is. Think about your answer because you may not like the repercussions of lying.” He positions the pliers around my pinky finger, making me nauseous.
A father is supposed to protect his daughter from the dangers of the world, not inflict them. My eyes stare directly into his, speaking to him with intensity. He’s fucked up, but maybe somewhere buried deep down inside of his thick chest there is a heart. A tear trickles down my cheek knowing that if he actually loved me, he wouldn’t do this.
After a few, brief, silent moments, he shakes his head as if he is disappointed in me. It all happens so fast; he clamps the pliers and the bone of my finger snaps. “Ahhhhh!”
My finger falls backwards, the bone shattered. The pain is unlike anything I have ever experienced. At first, it hurts so bad it makes me want to scream, cry, hiss, moan, and kick things all at the same time. Then the numbness kicks in, my body going into shock. The finger dangles backwards and tears spill from my eyes.
Sickness is taking over me and the room begins spinning. My head falls backwards, my vision blurry.
“Do you think that I really wanted to do that?” Eduardo asks, exasperated. He throws the pliers across the room, but the only thing my eyes can see is his outline. Fighting to stay awake, I blink repeatedly. My eyelids become heavier and heavier with each close.
Hot breath tickles my face. “My sweet, Kail. Here’s what’s going to happen. We are going to let you go, and you are going to lead us straight to them. You are going to lead us straight to the money.”
Weakness wins, taking me over completely. My eyes can’t even open any more.
The music is so consuming that his presence in my doorway isn’t noticed. But his eyes burn into my skin enough to send chills throughout my entire body. Turning around, he’s there, staring, just like it felt. He is biting his bottom lip as he watches my body sway back and forth. Instantly my hips stop moving, conscious that I’m not dancing on my own anymore.
“How long have you been standing there?” I ask, embarrassed, my cheeks instantly burning up.
“Just for a moment,” Tony answers, taking a step inside of my room. “How come you don’t dance like that more often?” The way his question is posed isn’t right. He’s older than me, more intimidating. He’s five years older and much more experienced being out of high school.
I shrug, too embarrassed to answer his questions. “What are you doing here?” He doesn’t need to answer for me to know. My father has been recruiting boys from the grades around me, to work for him. He said it had something to do with building his empire as quickly as possible.
He’s only let me down into the basement a couple of times, but he’s running a few different businesses out of it. One of them has to do with skimpy looking women that come through on a daily basis to visit my father. Normally, they come looking rough and sleep-deprived with a bundle of cash in hand. He says he’s helping them reach their full potential. Tito tells me not to worry about it.
The second business brings a lot more men who look like oxen with weapons. At first, the weapons really scared my mother and she asked that they not be present inside of the home. After a few times of begging, it stopped. The weapons are still around, but she isn’t. My father says she is staying in the city for a while.
“Hello?” Tony waves his hands in front of my face, reminding me he is still here.
“Sorry,” I mumble, making my way to my bed and sitting down. He follows and then plops down directly beside me.
“What’s on your mind?” Tony asks. This is his usual MO. The past few weeks, when he comes to work for my father, he makes it a point to drop in on his way out. He hasn’t missed a day yet. It’s nice to have the company as opposed to always being alone, but it’s confusing when it comes to figuring out what his motives are.
“Nothing.” Because of how much older he is it feels like we are worldly different. I’ve never been allotted friends growing up, so connecting with others is not my strong suit.
“Mikhaela, have you ever kissed anyone before?” he asks, his eyes fixated on my lips.
My heart begins racing because I’m only thirteen years old. Of course it is something that has crossed my mind. “No.”
He scoots closer, tipping my chin up to look him in the eyes. “What would you think if I was your first kiss?”
Before he gives me a chance to answer, his lips are on mine, stealing one. It catches me off guard, making the moment that much more confusing. My eyes aren’t closed, and my door is open. If my father catches us, Tony will never see the light of day again. This was not what I envisioned for my first kiss.
He pulls away, our lips parting. “How was that?”
I’m too much of a pe
ople pleaser so I just nod politely. If only he knew he just stole my first kiss and the opportunity of it being magical. It’s something I’ve been dreaming about since I was a little girl. Fairytales were my go-to, especially because they allowed me a chance to dream of a world where I could be free, one day.
“You should probably go. If my father sees you…” I don’t even have to finish the sentence before Tony is up and off my bed, headed toward the doorway.
He gives me a smile that would be endearing if he hadn’t just taken something without asking, and then he disappears.
Falling back onto my bed, my emotions are all over the place. It finally happened…and it was not what I expected at all, more messy and wet than anything. Aren’t first kisses supposed to be magical and life altering?
Bo
“I don’t mean to be Captain Obvious here, but is anyone else thinking that this sounds like the biggest trap?” Kevin asks, pointing at the beeping monitor tracking Mikhaela’s position.
“Of course it is, but we are going in with a lot of backup.” Laura says, tucking her thick blonde hair behind her ear.
She was one-step ahead when she slipped the tracker onto Mikhaela, but knowing that she is in danger makes me anxious. She’s been with us for quite some time now and after what happened to Trinity, we don’t want anyone else getting hurt.
“I don’t think you understand how heavily protected Eduardo is. You need to be giving us actual figures. How many are you sending in? What kind of weapons are being used? I need to know everything.” My tone is not the friendliest, but the clock is ticking.
“You forget we have had him under surveillance for years now. We know how dangerous he is.”
“And if that were correct, you wouldn’t have thrown Mikhaela right back into shark infested waters. You are underestimating him.” It’s hard not to be skeptical. They have been hunting the damn guy for years without any success. They should just leave it up to us.