Never Trust a Bad Boy (The Never Trust Series)

by Kira Adams

  “We didn’t throw her back into shark infested waters…she wasn’t ready to work with us and go against her father. The FBI tried to convince her for a long time before we had to let her go. Suspicion would have been at an all-time high, if not. But in actuality, everything worked out the way it was supposed to. She ended up being the bait without even knowing it or agreeing to it. It was a win-win for everyone.”

  Her cell phone rings and she hurriedly answers it. “Agent Tanasbourne.” It’s too quiet to hear what they are saying, but judging by her intense stare, they’ve found Mikhaela. It seems like an eternity as she receives the information and then finally hangs up.

  All three of us stare her down impatiently. She shifts focus between everyone. “Good news, they found Mikhaela. Bad news, she’s not in the best shape. We need to go to Emanuel Unity Hospital…now.”

  My eyes widen in disbelief. “He hurt her?”

  Laura glances at me, sadly. “That’s what we were trying to get her away from.”

  Rage builds inside of me thinking about what he might have done to her. How scared she must have been. When she begged us not to turn her back over to her father, none of us understood the extent to the horrors she endured throughout her childhood. The scars littering her arms and legs gave us a brief glimpse into the pain, but we had no idea.

  “Let’s hurry up then. Is anyone with her at the moment?” I ask.

  Laura nods. “She is being protected.”

  Unsure of what to expect when we get there, my mind prepares for the worst.

  By the time we arrive, Mikhaela is sitting on a bench in the front of the hospital, with an agent. My eyes roam over her face and body, inspecting it. Finally, they land on her right hand and notice the bandages.

  “Are you okay?” It’s a silly question given the situation, but it’s all I have.

  Mikhaela looks up through tear stained eyes. She doesn’t have to say anything; her eyes tell the story.

  “Should we get going? I don’t think it’s good for us to be out and visible.” Ammo is always looking out for our best interest.

  “You guys have nothing to worry about. We’re clear. We’ve patrolled the area multiple times since arriving. You’re safe,” another agent chimes in.

  “We’ve got a car to take you guys to a nearby hotel while we get your travel arrangements made. It should only be a few hours, but we should be able to have you off the ground soon.” Laura reassures us.

  “Is it in our best interest to split up?” Stefano is the one posing the logical question this time and he’s right. Isn’t safety in numbers?

  “We still have the tracker on Mikhaela, so we will be able to keep tabs on you at all times. The agent driving you to the hotel will be waiting right outside. This is our job, just let us do it,” she says.

  A black sedan pulls up and they open the back door, allowing Mikhaela, Ammo, and Stefano to pile in. Opening the passenger side, I pause. “Thank you for everything. I know we are far from the home stretch, but thank you.”

  She tilts her head to the side. “You’re welcome.”

  Climbing in, my head falls back on the headrest as soon as the door closes. It’s been a long few weeks.

  After what feels like an eternity, my eyes flutter open. My head feels groggy. My gaze adjusts to the surroundings. We are still driving. Looking around the cab of the car, everyone else is fast asleep. It’s only the driver and me. “How much further?” When they put us into the sedan, they made it seem like the hotel was close and we wouldn’t be there long before the flight, but my body feels like I’ve been asleep for hours. What time is it?

  The driver doesn’t even acknowledge me, instead remains still and quiet, driving in silence.

  “Hello, I’m talking to you, pal. How far is the hotel from here?” This time he slowly turns his head in my direction, but still no answer.

  Something feels wrong about the way he is interacting with me. A regular FBI agent wouldn’t be mute, if addressed, but the driver is avoiding talking. I glance back and Ammo is stirring. Poor fucker can’t sleep through confrontation if it killed him…which probably works in my favor today. Our eyes lock and because we have been friends for so many years, we communicate without any words exchanged. Subtle movements like itching our brow or pursing our lips speak mountains between the two of us. Instantly, he’s awake. He kicks Stefano, jarring him as well, which is like a chain reaction for Mikhaela who is also now wide-eyed. She looks at me with confusion, but doesn’t dare speak.

  The next time he slows the car, we are going to have to make a run for it. The problem is, I’m unsure how to communicate that to everyone in the car without any words. Thankfully, Ammo understands what the dilemma is and thinks quickly on his feet. “Do you guys remember that game Chinese Fire Drill?”

  Stefano and Mikhaela give him odd stares, unsure what he is getting at. “That game was ridiculous,” I say, attempting to make the conversation feel natural. “What about you, Mikhaela? You ever played?”

  Mikhaela locks eyes with me through the rearview mirror, shaking her head back and forth. “No.”

  “It’s basically where you come to a red light and have to play musical chairs with everyone until the light turns green,” Ammo explains.

  “That sounds stupid as fuck. People actually did that?” Stefano drones, still not catching on.

  I nod. “Yeah, they still do it. It’s actually pretty fun, man. You should try it sometime.” My eyes shift to the driver, hoping he’s still as naïve as ever. His eyes are still on the road, so I think we are safe.

  Unfortunately, we have been on a freeway going nearly seventy miles an hour since waking up and there has not been any opportunity to make a jump for it. At some point he’s going to have to get off the freeway, and when he does, we’ll be ready.

  Mikhaela

  Something is happening, but I’m unsure of what. Bo is acting strange and Ammo is right there with him. They’ve had their own language since I met them, so it’s not surprising they are feeding off each other’s energy.

  The driver makes a sharp exit off the freeway, throwing us against the right side of the car. As the car rolls down the exit ramp, slowing down, Bo turns around, looking us all in the eyes, one by one. ‘Now’ he mouths, and all hell breaks loose. Ammo and Bo both reach for their door handles at the same time, throwing them wide open. The driver, startled, fights to stop the car, but all four of us have already jumped, rolled, and are now running on foot. He hops out of the vehicle, cursing and yelling at us. So, he does have vocal cords.

  Running as fast as our legs will carry us, we continue without a destination. My knees are torn up from the asphalt, but we can’t stop…if we do, Eduardo and Carlos will find us. And then everyone will be dead except me who will be brought to the brink of death before thrown into life as a peon. It’s wild to think that these guys, the same guys who abducted me are now the only ones protecting me. The world is a crazy place.

  “How do we get ahold of Laura? We need to warn them that their operation was hijacked,” Kevin exclaims, out of breath.

  “I can just about guarantee you that if they were able to pull this off, Agent Tanasbourne may not be alive any longer.” The words feel like poison leaving my lips, but it’s the truth. We need to be realistic about the danger we are all in.

  “Mikhaela, what did they say to you when you were there? What did they do?” Stefano asks, his stride slowing so we are in pace together.

  The horrific memories come washing over me. No one should have to relive that, ever. “He wants his money back and he wants to make me a peon. When I wouldn’t give him the information he was asking, he took my right pinky finger.” Technically, he didn’t take it, when he let me go it was still attached to my hand by tendons. The doctors said the bones were crushed beyond repair, so they amputated instead.

  All three stop in their tracks, their eyes wide. They’re surprised he would do that to his own daughter, but they forget that I’m adopted. I’m not actual
ly his flesh and blood, which I think justifies it a little in his mind.

  All their attention turns to my right hand, which is quickly pulled behind my back from their view. It’s not the time or place to feel like a circus freak, we need to keep moving. There are headlights coming toward us and Ammo motions to stay down. Sure enough, it’s a police car and with so many corrupt officers, we can’t be too careful. Eduardo has been able to turn half the police force in six neighboring counties. It’s one of the reasons he’s on the FBI’s Most Wanted List.

  “Let’s try to call Laura, yeah?” Bo suggests. “Anyone have her card or number?”

  All of us look like deer in the headlights. My phone has been gone since the day of the abduction and who knows if they had the wherewithal to ask for her number when they were with her.

  “That’s okay,” Bo says, calmly. “Your tracker is still active which means they can find us anywhere we go. Let’s just try to get somewhere safe and stay there.”

  Loud engines roaring catch our attention and we see police car after police car whizzing past us with their lights on.

  “What do you think is going on?” Stefano inquires, his head poking out from the tall grass.

  “Carlos probably called the police departments from the bordering towns. They put out an APB for all of us. I don’t think we should stay together, it’s too obvious at this point.” Splitting up is not something I want to suggest, but it is what feels the safest. “I think we need to ditch the phones, too, and get new ones.”

  The guys don’t look thrilled with this option, but they begrudgingly pull them out and then stomp on them before throwing them in the river. Underneath the bypass, we hear more sirens and know our time is running thin.

  “Stefano, you go with Kevin, and Mikhaela will come with me. Let’s meet at Bel Café in Ontario within a weeks’ time. We will be there Friday at 4 p.m. Stay low and stay in the shadows.”

  The guys nod in understanding before quickly patting each other on the shoulders and then breaking apart and running in the opposite direction.

  Suddenly it’s just Bo, me, and the sound of the crickets that fill our ears. He says its best to stay off the main road, so we stick to the woods. The temperature drops with the setting sun and goosebumps rise all over my arms and legs. Luckily, the original sweatshirt they gave me is tied around my waist, so I quickly unwrap it and throw it over my head.

  “I’m sorry about what happened,” Bo says, seemingly out of nowhere. “If we had been quicker with the passports, we would have been able to avoid all of this.

  I grab his arm, catching his attention. “I don’t blame you for any of this, I hope you know that.”

  He swallows, his eyes drinking mine up. “I wish I could believe that, but we both know that isn’t true.”

  “Look, you did what you had to do at the time, and I don’t blame you for it. You took me out of the hell that was my life and gave me a second chance, unknowingly. It was only a matter of time before Eduardo threw me into the peon side of the business. Do you know anything about the role of a peon?”

  He shakes his head and stares back at me intensely, focused on my lips.

  “It’s a slave. You don’t get a say in anything. Every single piece of freedom you have is stripped away. You are forced to live with one of the industry bosses, cook, clean, take care of the household, and there is no one to protect you.” I pause, shuddering. “Most of the peons end up carrying multiple children for the family. Children that will never be recognized as theirs and children they rarely get to see.”

  “Why would he want to do that to you?” Bo asks, naively.

  “Eduardo cares about one person – himself. He adopted me because his wife, Maria, wanted a baby and would not stop bothering him about it.”

  “Shit, I forgot about Maria. That poor woman. Do you miss her?”

  A pang of sadness rushes through me. “More than you’ll ever know. Besides Tito, she was one of the only people in my corner. She tried her best. The police say the investigation is active, but it feels cold as ice.”

  We keep trudging along through the mud and high grass.

  “Well, it’s not like we need much of an investigation to tell us what happened. We know he hurt her.” Bo replies, with a shrug. “Do you remember much of that time?”

  “One day she just never came home. I kept asking Eduardo where she was, but each time I asked he would give me the belt.” It didn’t make sense why she would have left me with him. After too many of the beatings, her name ceased leaving my lips. It didn’t mean that she wasn’t on my mind or in my heart, but that had to be kept quiet. In the beginning, the only thing he strived for was making Maria happy, but overtime things changed. He changed. He grew colder and more heartless.

  We continue on foot for another couple of hours before finally feeling safe enough to stop for the night. Temperatures are lower than before and the sound of my teeth chattering fills up my eardrums.

  “Here, let me try to find some wood to make a fire.” Bo races about finding random sticks and pinecones he may be able to use and then gets to work. He doesn’t have a lighter or matches so it takes longer than either one of us anticipate. When the fire finally catches, we blow on it for a few minutes to make sure it isn’t going to burn out.

  At first, we both just sit near the fire, our hands out to the warmth radiating from it. The silence wins for a long while until eventually Bo breaks it. “When I was a little boy, the idea of sleeping under the stars used to give me a hard on.”

  “And now?” I ask.

  “Now, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Not that we’ve slept just yet but judging by our surroundings I can say it’s not as comfortable as my bed back home.”

  I giggle. “Yeah, I think that’s a safe bet.”

  “Hey, you didn’t snort,” Bo says, accusingly.

  I shrug. “So. It’s not something that happens on demand. It’s something I can’t control. I have to be laughing pretty hard for that to happen.”

  He tilts his head and I can see the mischief in his eyes. “No! Bo, No!” There isn’t enough time to scramble away before his fingers are attacking both my sides with tickles.

  The snort comes out as usual when my laughter grows to a certain level. This excites Bo even more who keeps trying to repeat the magic. It’s nice to be able to have this break from the danger. Laughter is always the best medicine.

  After some time, the flames are large enough to help keep our body temperatures warmer. Lying down near the fire, my eyes finally close for the first time in what feels like forever. It’s been an intense few weeks, month even. My entire body feels as though it’s been through battle…and maybe it has, in a sense. Although the warmth from the heat is helping, the goosebumps are aggressive and still covering much of my skin. Not to mention the visions I get whenever I close my eyes. I’m back in that room and Eduardo is torturing me, except each time he gets closer to the kill. For what feels like an eternity, I lie awake, staring at the night sky until finally my mind pauses.

  I’m unsure of when it happens, but sometime during the night when the flames die down to a flicker, the tremors follow due to the cold temperatures. The sound of my teeth chattering is loud like a lawn mower. Arms reach around, pulling me in to a firm, warm body.

  At first, my body jolts from the unexpected touch.

  “Are you okay?” he asks, pulling away.

  He is positioned behind me so there is no way to see his facial expression, although his tone reads worried. “Sorry. My body reacts kinda crazy now, ever since…”

  His arms tighten around my body. “It’s called PTSD and it’s common after a traumatic experience.”

  I know what Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is, but never assumed it would be a descriptor of me. “Am I going to be like this for the rest of my life?” My voice cracks from the reality of it all.

  His hands rub up and down my arms, soothingly. “There is nothing wrong with you. There is something wrong with the worl
d around you. You don’t need to justify your feelings or actions to anyone, anymore.”

  His words help and it makes me thankful to know there is someone in my corner.

  “Go back to sleep,” he whispers in my ear. “It’s not too much longer before sunrise.”

  After he envelopes me in his warmth, it’s inevitable that sleep will take me over quickly and effortlessly.

  Bo

  After spending two nights in the wilderness, we finally manage to steal a car, trade the plates, and make our way toward Canada. We are meeting with our helicopter contact, Sergei because we need a quick and painless way across the border. He’s done the same for countless other illegal aliens.

  Being out there with nothing but my thoughts really puts things into perspective. What will my life be like after this is all over? Will I finally be able to settle down and live like a normal person for a change? Being on the run for as long as we have has not been easy and is not what I envisioned for myself at this age.

  My entire life has been weaved with violence. It wasn’t something that was sought out, but something that found me. My calmness in the face of danger is what drew the monsters to me. Eduardo tried recruiting me long ago, back before he fully grew into the devil he now is. Back then, I was still a novice; his world still turned me on. But lately, living the simple life seems like a better option moving forward. At the end of the day, if no one knew my name, I’d be fine with that.

  On the third day, a call comes into the phone in our motel room and it’s a British male voice. “Bo Drake?”

  “Speaking.”

  “This is Agent Lattiser from the FBI.”

  “Where is Laura?” I ask, shortly.

  “Unfortunately, Mr. Drake, Laura was involved in a car bombing two days ago. She didn’t make it.” My eyes dart to Mikhaela’s. She can’t hear what is being said, but by my reaction, her eyes widen.