Kiki shook her head and focused on the door Edgar stopped in front of. It didn’t matter what the man with the gun looked like. His presence squashed her escape plans, at least for the moment.
The door opened with a loud scrape of metal against cement. A shiver skittered up her spine and into her hair like a bunch of cockroaches racing along her skin. She stepped backward, her body revolting against the dark space revealed within. Edgar sneered and barked a laugh.
Be strong, Kiki. Don’t react.
Derrick rubbed his hand up and down her arm. Thank God that Derrick was here with her. What a horrible thought! Oh, that Matias would have left Derrick and Eva behind in the van. At least then they’d be safe, though Kiki doubted she’d be keeping it together if Derrick wasn’t holding her up.
“Your room, my friends.” Edgar bowed with a snicker as he extended his arm through the door.
She sniffed, put on her best spoiled rich girl facade she’d perfected in private school, and stomped past Edgar. What she wouldn’t give to slam the heel of her palm into his smug chin. She stifled the urge by holding tighter to Eva. The last thing Kiki wanted to do was to provoke the man and make their time here worse.
She skidded to a halt in the middle of the room. Four cinder block walls about ten feet long closed in around her. The only light shone weakly from a tiny barred window high on the opposite wall from the door. The barren space held a filthy double mattress thrown onto the cement floor, a clear jug of water, and a bucket in the corner that had streaks of brown on the inside and flies darting in and out.
Kiki closed her eyes and swallowed the vomit that hit her throat. The door slammed shut with another laugh from Edgar. Kiki flinched, and Eva sobbed as she buried her face into Kiki’s neck. God, why? Why was this happening?
Who was she fooling? Her father was somehow behind this latest disaster. Would her family ever stop hurting other people? Would she ever get away from the chaos and despair they created?
Derrick pulled Kiki into a tight hug, squishing a crying Eva between them. A sob ripped through Kiki, almost choking her as she swallowed it down. Another quickly followed. Derrick took Eva from Kiki’s arms and wrapped his arm even tighter around Kiki’s back. She gripped the hem of his shirt in her fists as sob after sob broke loose from her thin control.
Fifteen
“We need to take stock of our situation.” Derrick’s throat scratched as he swallowed and squeezed Kiki closer.
Then let her go, numskull.
He couldn’t though. The need to hold her tight, to feel that she was okay, burned almost as hot as the need to figure out how to get out of the hell they were in. Holding her wouldn’t help them, so he kissed her temple and set Eva on the disgusting mattress, trying not to think about what might be crawling on it.
“Okay, Eva-mine, we need to search for a way out and gather our resources, like a good soldier does in every situation.” He silently thanked God for Eva’s adventurous spirit and her love of playing pretend. How many of their “secret missions” they’d had back at the ranch, spying or rescuing the fair maiden, had helped prepare her for this?
“Yes, sir.” Eva’s lips trembled, and her salute didn’t hold its usual fervor.
“Okay, search the room for anything we can use. I’ll check the window.”
Derrick stomped to the opening and tested the bars. Solid. No worries. Loose bars were a pipe dream, anyway.
He pulled himself up to scan what was outside. A wall lined one side of a dirt yard. Embedded in the wall were hooks and loops like where prisoners were tied. On the other side of the yard was a covered sitting area with cushioned chairs, tables, and a bar. An auction house?
He pushed the anger down, not wanting emotion to override what he needed to accomplish. Beyond the small yard, the jungle waited. No fencing that he could see separated them from escape, so when he could figure out how to get them out of this cell—he refused to think of it as anything but that—then they could flee through the rainforest. He could keep them alive for weeks in the lush trees until they made it to safety.
“What’s out there?” Kiki stepped up beside him and touched his arm.
“Not much.”
He put his feet back on the ground and brushed off his hands, afraid to look her in the eye. She’d see the lie. He didn’t want her knowing the depth of evil they’d found themselves in.
She poked her finger into his bicep. “Don’t coddle me. That won’t help.”
She pushed between him and the wall and, before he could react, pulled herself up to look through the window. Her arms shook, so he grabbed her waist to hold her up. She was so small, barely bigger than a child. Could he keep her safe? He took a deep breath and leaned his forehead on her back.
She sucked in and let go of the bars. He didn’t want to let her go, so when her feet touched the ground, he kept his hands on her waist. She turned in his hands and placed her palms on his chest.
“Is that—” Her voice caught, and he nodded.
“What is it? I want to see.” Eva stepped up, grabbing Derrick’s hand.
“The jungle, pumpkin. Here, let me show you.” Kiki slid out from Derrick’s grasp and lifted Eva up to the window.
What was she doing? Eva was sure to see the wall and ask. He didn’t want to have to explain that to her. He rubbed his hand over his prickly head, missing the smoothly shaved feel he usually had.
“See the big leaves, trees, and those pretty red flowers?” Kiki asked as she lowered Eva.
Eva nodded. “Yeah.”
“We get in there, and Uncle D will help us disappear.” Kiki smiled like the thought excited her, and this was a big game. “We’ll get to smear mud all over ourselves and stick leaves in our hair and clothes so we blend in to our surroundings and trick these jerks.”
Derrick snorted. With his and Eva’s dark skin, Kiki was the only one who would need to smear herself with mud. He couldn’t squash Eva’s excitement, though.
She jumped up and down, clapping her hands. “I love hide and seek.”
“Me too.” Kiki peeked at Derrick, a spark of worry crossing her face before she shuttered it and turned back to Eva. “I need you to push on these blocks that are low. We need to see if we can find any that are loose.”
Eva saluted and got busy pushing on blocks. Kiki strode over to the mattress and bent down to it. Derrick followed, shaking off his amazement of Kiki’s ability to turn this captivity into a game.
Kiki pulled at the mattress edge. “There’s a wire in here. Could we somehow get it out and use it as a weapon or something?”
“Good idea.” He would’ve come up with the same plan, and that she thought of the same thing impressed him. It was obvious no one else who’d been captured had.
“I’m just not strong enough to rip the fabric. That’s probably why it’s still in there.” Kiki shuddered and pushed a shaking hand through her bobbed hair.
He gripped the mattress and pulled. For a ratty thing, its seams still held their strength. He lifted his shirt and touched his fake scar on his back. His preparedness for trouble didn’t seem such overkill now as it did the day before. He picked at the edge of the scar and peeled it up.
Kiki gasped, her fingers skimming his skin, shooting tingles up his back. “What?”
“It’s my escape kit.” He shrugged as he laid the fake silicone scar on the mattress. “Habit from my time in the army.”
Would she think he was crazy? What kind of person still glued razor blades and handcuff keys to their body after being out of the military for two years? It didn’t matter. His kit might just save their lives.
“Genius.” Kiki grabbed the scar that still had the blade and key glued to it and turned it over in her hands. “Amazing.” She turned to him. “You’re amazing.”
She leaned in and kissed his lips. Though her touch fluttered soft and tentative against his mouth, it sent warmth and determination coursing through him. He had to get her and Eva out of this, no matter the cost.
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br /> She leaned her forehead on his. “I’m a horrible person … I’m glad you’re here with me.”
Her words exploded his resolve to keep their relationship as friends to smithereens. He would figure things out, maybe purchase a ranch close to the Stryker place. Maybe him staying would be better after all. He gripped her fingers and brought her hand to his lips. He held her gaze, her eyes widening, as he pressed his mouth to the inside of her wrist.
“We’re getting out of this, and when we do, I don’t want us to waste any more time circling each other. Understand?”
She gulped, her gaze darting to his lips before she nodded slowly.
His mouth tipped in a one-sided smile before he schooled it. His words would give them both something to look forward to. First, though, he had to escape.
“Aunt Kiki, I found something,” Eva whispered from the corner.
Derrick jerked from Kiki and crossed to Eva. He pushed his worry aside and tucked it away. He needed to focus. Every minute he wasted was a minute that could’ve got them free.
Eva beamed at him and pointed to a low brick. This little girl was amazing, so much stronger than he’d ever imagined. He bent to the brick and pushed. It wiggled, but just a little. They’d have to remove a lot of bricks for him to squeeze through the hole, but if they got two loose, at least Kiki and Eva could run. Lessons in jungle survival would begin immediately.
Ripping pulled his attention to the bed where Kiki sliced the edge of the mattress and yanked the wire out of the fabric. Her focused expression galvanized his resolve. He’d get them out of this cell, even if he had to tear the bricks loose with his bare hands. Then he’d get himself free. If he didn’t have to worry about Kiki and Eva, he could escape much easier. He pushed his shoulders back, a plan forming in his head. Doubt had no space in his thoughts if he was going to get his family free.
Sixteen
Kiki sat on the edge of the mattress, relishing the soft snores of a little girl curled on the far side of the bed. Eva had helped Kiki strip the wire and fabric that had covered it. They’d braided the fabric into a long cord that they wrapped through Eva’s belt loops. When they’d finished that, Eva had collapsed onto the mattress with a sigh, her eyelids fighting a losing battle with sleep, while Derrick scraped away at the mortar around the loose block with a tool he’d fashioned out of some wire.
Kiki flexed her fingers, stiff from feeding a length of the mattress wire along the wire already in her bra. After Derrick had hidden the razor in her shoe and the handcuff key in the hem of her shorts, he told her to hide the wire in her bra. Apparently, special ops members liked to conceal all kinds of useful tools in their clothing and on their body.
She’d balked at taking the razor and key. Would she even know how to use them? Derrick had insisted and shown her his other scar that held the same tools.
She shook her head and smirked as she finished pushing the rest of the wire through. He proved more industrious than she’d imagined. She pulled her arms into her tank top and put on her redesigned bra. It pushed uncomfortably against her skin. She shifted it before giving up with a huff. It definitely wouldn’t win any designer awards.
The sun had gone down a few hours before, and Kiki had struggled with pushing down the panic that darkness brought. Shortly after the colors faded from the sky, a full moon rose above the treetops, bathing the small space in a pale light that eased her building fears. It was silly, really. What grown woman was afraid of the dark?
Okay, so the newest circumstances had ramped that deeply hidden fear to the top of her subconscious. All the scary movies her friends had forced her to watch growing up bubbled to the surface of her memory, combining all those horrors that had given her nightmares for years with the new terror that two people she loved would have to endure them. She wrapped her arms around her belly, her skin clammy with the panic building in her.
Derrick’s arm jerked, and a hiss filled the air, pulling her thoughts from the selfish spiral they’d been heading down. Kiki stood and crossed the few steps to Derrick. His motions were slow, like he was tired out. It wasn’t like they’d probably be here long enough to escape through the opening, especially since they’d need to scrape several loose for Derrick to fit through. He didn’t need to exhaust himself on a pointless endeavor.
She touched his arm to stop him. “Let me see.”
He pulled away. “I’m fine.”
She rolled her eyes. “Derrick, please. Eva’s asleep. You can stop pretending to get us an escape route. You need to save your strength for when we escape.” She laid her hand on his, hoping he’d stop.
“If I can push this out, you and Eva could get to the jungle.” He shook his hand free, and, with renewed vigor, rubbed the wire against the wall.
He wasn’t planning on going with them? Her blood froze as she balled her trembling hand into a fist. Is that why he’d been drilling them on jungle survival? She couldn’t make it without him, especially with a kid in tow.
“What are you saying?” she hissed at him, not caring that her worry came out as an angry tone.
“I’m getting you out of here.” Derrick’s cheek muscle flexed in the pale light. “Besides, I can escape easier if it’s just me.”
She flinched. Of course he could. Why was she always so selfish, only thinking about herself? Was it a family trait so engrained in her DNA that she’d never break free from it? Her father and mother certainly were. She’d known from an early age that her brother was completely self-absorbed. She’d tried so hard to be different, to be someone others would like, but it seemed there was no getting away from the egotistical Payne genes.
She stood and took two jerky steps back. “I’m sorry.”
She pushed her fingers through her hair and pulled to focus on something other than the tears stinging her eyes and the weightiness in her chest. When that didn’t help, she squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn’t look at her niece curled up on the disgusting mattress—couldn’t look at the slump of Derrick’s shoulders as he scraped for a freedom he couldn’t join them in. Why had she ever thought she could dodge her family’s sins?
“Hey.” Derrick’s rough hands rubbed down her arms.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I keep bringing trouble your way.” She buried her face in her palms, her stomach twisting with guilt.
“This isn’t your fault.” His hands stilled on her arms.
“It is. I should’ve never stayed. I should’ve never thought a Payne would be good for Eva. Good for anyone.” Her disgust with herself compounded with the guilt, and she stepped back to put some space between them.
“Don’t say that.” He tightened his grip on her biceps.
Kiki twisted her arms and broke his hold, not caring that her anguish wet her cheeks. “I can’t ever get away from what my parents have done … what I was a part of.”
“You didn’t know what they were up to.” He reached for her, and she pulled her arm out of reach. How could he possibly want to be with her when she was so naive?
“That makes me even worse.” She crossed her arms, hugging herself as the pain she’d struggled to get over rushed back to the surface. “All the signs were there. I should’ve known.”
He snaked his arm around her back before she could move away. His thumb skated across her cheek, drying her tears. If only she could allow his earlier declaration to come true. The more she thought about it, though, the more she realized she couldn’t let anything develop. If they ever got out of this mess, she’d run as far from the ranch as she could, taking the pain of her family with her.
“Oh, sugar, stop blaming yourself. You aren’t them.” Derrick’s rough voice closed her throat as she stifled her whimpers down.
“That’s just it. I’m still the selfish person I always was.” Kiki pushed on his chest.
“No, you aren’t.” Derrick pulled her close, his hands spreading heat across her back. “You are the most unselfish person I know.”
She shook her head.
&nbs
p; “Who else would endure hours and hours of movies they hate without saying a word?”
“I just liked being around y’all.”
“Who else takes on extra work to help a friend make money, for nothing in return?”
Her muscles relaxed as he speared his fingers into her hair.
“That was a fair trade,” she whispered.
“Who else will drop everything to watch her niece, even though they have a lot to do?”
“Every single one of you.” She turned her head to look at the slight form on the mattress. “Lot of good that did. She might never see her parents again, and it’s all my fault.”
“It’s not. It’s these men’s fault, maybe your father’s, but not yours.” Derrick cupped both his hands on her neck and forced her to look at him. “I’ve watched you. From the moment you came bloodied and bruised to the ranch, I’ve seen who you are inside.” His voice dropped lower. “You’re brave and caring. You have one of the most tender hearts I’ve ever witnessed. You’re strong, and I saw the joy you found in Eva and our family.”
His words planted hope in her chest and made her lightheaded. He claimed her mouth softly, heating her already warm body to boiling. She grabbed his forearms to steady herself as he kissed a trail to her ear. Could what he said be true? She should think about it, ask him what he meant, but all thought evaporated from her brain but him.
His breath blew hot against her earlobe, sending shivers down her back. “You’re amazing, Kiki. I think I might be losing my heart to you.”
He captured her lips with a desperation that rivaled her own. Could this amazing man love her? It couldn’t be true, but the soft moan he sounded and how he gently pulled her tighter to him said it was.
She dragged her mouth from his, amazed to find her arms wrapped around him. She peered into his face, seeing the truth of his words in his eyes. She swallowed down the overwhelming joy that threatened to choke her with unshed tears.
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