Explosive (A Bleeding Scars MC)

by McCarthy, Abby

  "Let's go!" I grabbed Jana's hand, and we used the window climbing up a flight on the narrow escape. We were only able to move down one floor.

  "I know a way," Jana whispered as an entire family lay asleep in a bed in the apartment we climbed into.

  "Show me." I followed her, exiting the apartment and closing the door as quietly as we could to not disturb the sleeping family. We moved down a hallway to a narrow stairwell.

  "We should go up," I whispered to Jana. My gut said that they'd expect us to go down.

  "No. Trust me, Ace, I know a way."

  I followed her. We moved down two flights of stairs, down another hallway, then down another flight of stairs.

  "There's an escape ladder through this room. Come."

  I kicked the door open, and we rushd in. Men surrounded us. Guns were trained on us in every direction. I was hit in the temple with the butt of a gun. I didn't pass out as they had hoped. I watched as a man praised Jana. "You did well."

  I looked to Jana, blood dripped into my eye. "I'm sorry. They have my daughter. I'm sorry."

  Jana had betrayed me, but she was still beautiful. I could see that they had used her. These men were the worst of the worst. I saw the pain reflected in her eyes. She might've been a whore, but she wasn't that to me. She was a woman in a war zone, doing what she could to survive.

  Her eyes begged me for forgiveness.

  The man she led me to, pulled out a gun, aimed it at Jana's head and shot. I couldn't get out a sound before I was hit again with the butt of a gun on my head.

  I woke up, and I was drowning. Water poured over my face. Again, and again, they drowned me trying to get information out of me. I was stabbed and beaten. They shot me for kicks, but I wouldn't break. I wouldn't give them intel. They videotaped me, and it was my only hope that I'd be rescued. Someone would know I was alive. As the days grew into months, I feared I'd starve to death or worse, I would die from an infection. There'd be times when a fever would take me, and I'd think I'd see Jana begging me for forgiveness. She wasn't to blame. I'd talk to her in those fits. Tell her it was okay. She was my beautiful companion in those lonely nights. She was who kept me sane—a ghost—an apparition.

  When they saved me, I was skin and bones. The doctors couldn't believe I had a pulse. I'd overheard them say, "I can't believe he's breathing." Sometimes, I wonder if I’d been in hell, and I died on that floor along with Jana.

  Chapter Seven

  Alejandra

  Ace finished his story and was quiet. During his recounting of his horrific tale, he became detached. I didn’t know where he had gone. I found myself unconsciously grabbing his hand and rubbing the pad of my thumb over it. His confessions felt heavy; full of pain in its tortured beautiful agony.

  He seemed to snap out of his memories, noticing my hand on his. There was such vulnerability in the way he looked at me. It was unnerving. I didn't understand it; the way it made me feel. Besides my books, I'd never experienced real-life compassion. It scared me and made me pull my hand away.

  "Don't." Ace grabbed my hand, stopping my retreat. "Don't pull away."

  I sat with him for several minutes, understanding that he needed this. He needed the connection. It felt heavy and was more than I could take, but I held on anyway. I realized I'd let my posture become more relaxed, and snapped myself back into place. I was conditioned, for so long, to be someone different, I couldn't change that quickly.

  "Is this where I'm supposed to share?" I sounded high strung and bitchy. I knew I did, but I did this on purpose. I needed to push him away, not because his confession scared me, but because I did want to share.

  "Princess, this is where you drop your guard. I'm not like the men you've grown accustomed to. You share with me when it feels right. Not because I did, but because it feels like the right thing to do."

  I ripped my hand away as if his kindness burned me. He was right. I was unaccustomed to all of this. The part of me that had been used for sex—the part that knew sex was power—wanted to turn on my charms. I knew I could seduce him and make these feelings go away. I could be sex and steel. I could take him and stop the intensity that was brewing.

  I didn't.

  I stood and moved to the window, peeking through the drawn curtains. "I'm sorry for what you've been through. No one deserves to be tortured."

  "You're right. No one deserves it. At all."

  I sighed. If only he knew.

  I stood staring at nothing outside. Ace heard it before I saw it, because he was behind me in a flash. A black SUV approached.

  "Don't move the curtain. It could be nothing, but we need to wait and see."

  There was the slightest slowing of the vehicle and barely a tap to the brakes, but Ace noticed.

  "Shit, let's move." He grabbed my hand and dragged me behind him. We moved swiftly as he grabbed weapons on our way out the back door of the small home.

  "Stay low," he clipped, moving us through the overgrown garden, a dense bush that was next to a large avocado tree that provided coverage for us. Ace pulled me against him as we crouched low. He put his finger to his lips, shushing me. Ace spoke in a hushed voice, "I'm going in. Stay here. Do not move. Do you understand?"

  I nodded, shocked at how quickly those few minutes passed by. I couldn't wrap my head around how one minute I was looking out the window, and another second I was hiding in bushes with Ace, who was about to head back inside. "Be safe," I whispered.

  I stared at the house and looked for any sign that Ace was okay. I didn't hear anything, and then I did. I listened to a quick succession of gunfire, followed by more silence.

  That was it.

  Silence.

  I counted the seconds until they turned to minutes. There was no Ace. If he was okay, he should've been back by now.

  I couldn't hide any longer. What if something had happened to him, and he needed help? Carefully, I made my way from my hiding spot. I looked over my shoulder the entire way. My eyes darted around frantically, looking for any signs of danger. The air was still, as if it too was waiting for another bullet to go off. My feet felt heavy in the soil. Each step brought me closer and closer to Lord-only knew what. Fragrant plumeria flowers, native to Colombia, carried on the wind.

  I crept to the small house and let out a gasp when I saw a man whose head was twisted unnaturally, laying in the doorway. I stepped over him, and cautiously looked over my shoulder. The house was quiet, too quiet.

  I moved through the kitchen, tiptoeing quietly. My feet crunched against broken glass, and I paused, mentally cursing, hoping it wasn't heard. I wouldn't be that lucky.

  A crunch on the same glass, had me turning my head. Quicker than I could move, a man grabbed me and held a gun to my head. "Quiet, you stupid bitch."

  A shiver of fear ran up my spine. It would only take a second for this man to pull the trigger.

  "I know you didn't come all this way to kill the boss's granddaughter." Ace leaned casually against the door frame.

  "I don't really care what happens to this stupid cunt."

  "See, I'm betting that you're not being very honest."

  "I..."

  The man shifted his foot a small amount. It was the only word he got out. Ace pulled a gun from out of nowhere and shot the man. I could feel the heat of the bullet as it whizzed past me, mere centimeters from my face. I screamed as the man fell, and blood sprayed across my face. Ace quickly moved to me and grabbed my hand, hauling me away from the dead body.

  "What part of ‘stay pu’t did you not understand?" He was furious with me. His eyes looked black, and he was breathing hard. "Do you know what could've happened to you? Do you?" He pressed himself close to me, the carnage around us faded into the background. His hard, brick-like body was flush to mine. The small of my back cut into the counter. I could feel his anger coming off of him in waves. "I asked you a question."

  "I thought something happened to you," I bit back.

  "So, you thought you'd come into a situation without any
weapons, not knowing what you'd walk into, and save me? Jesus, Alejandra. Have you got any damn sense of self-preservation? What were you thinking?"

  "I told you! I heard a gunshot and thought you might have been hurt." I practically screamed in his face. My reaction was far from a normal response; I was losing control. I didn't do that.

  I watched the rise and fall of Ace's chest. Unexpectedly Ace leaned down, and before I knew what was happening, he was kissing me. It caught me off guard. It was demanding, and passionate, and full of force. His lips were on me, his tongue swept into my mouth, making this second kiss far better than the first. He was so delectable and demanding in the way his mouth worked mine. I became aroused, which was a feeling I wasn't unaccustomed to. I moaned into his mouth, the sound shocking me. I pulled away, just a small amount, but it was enough for Ace to stop kissing me. A stunned look passed his features before he wiped them clear.

  "Wash the blood from you. We need to leave. Now."

  I looked down at myself and saw that I was indeed covered in blood. That was our second kiss, and I was covered in a dead man’s blood, yet he still kissed me. What was happening here? I was always wanted, but wasn't that because I was made to be beautiful? How could a man like him want to kiss me covered in blood?

  I made haste in the bathroom, cleaning off the blood off as quickly as possible. My shirt was covered. I took it off and did a quick rinse in the sink, twisted it to remove the water, then put it back on, figuring it would dry quickly in the hot Colombian sun. I spent about two seconds fixing my hair then Ace called through the door, "Are you about finished? We need to hurry. More may be coming."

  I wanted to try and call Hades and ask him why we were being chased, but I had the feeling that it was all Grandpa. If I died, then no sweat off dear old Dad's back, and if I made it through, then he got to use me how he saw fit. I hated him.

  I stared daggers at my bag, hating what it represented. The bag holding the phone was my link to Hades. Reluctantly, I finished in the bathroom and noticed that in the quick few minutes I was in there, somehow Ace seemed to have cleaned up as well.

  "We need to leave now." He grabbed my hand and dragged me outside to the SUV that the men came in, which was parked close by. Ace took a device and moved around the car.

  "What are you doing? I thought we were in a hurry?" I questioned.

  Ace glared at me for a second and continued around the SUV. He reached under the driver's side wheel well and grabbed a small round disk.

  “What is that?" I peered over his shoulder.

  "Tracking device. Get in. Start the car. I'm throwing the bike in the back." He handed me the keys, and I stared at his retreating form as he walked around the back of the cottage where he stored the bike. I got in the large SUV, started it, turned on the air, and then put the seats down in the back. He was there in an instant, opening the SUV and cramming the small bike in the back.

  A second later, Ace got in the driver's seat and took off at a slower speed than I'd expected.

  "What are you doing? Why are you not driving faster?"

  "The windows are blacked out. If whoever alerted them that we were here saw us racing away, they might know it was us, and not Santos' men."

  It took me a second to understand what he was saying. When it dawned on me, I nodded, and watched the tiny houses become closer and closer together. We were heading back to civilization.

  "Now, what are you doing? We should be getting as far away as we can, not going back. You're not returning me, are you?" I asked with a small tremble to my voice.

  His eyes darted to me like that was the most absurd thing he could think of. "No, of course not! We're moving back this way because that is what they would expect if we were Santos's men. We need his eyes off of us. People don't want to look, if they think it's him."

  I noted it wasn't as busy of a town as before, when Ace pulled into a narrow, but deep alley. It was so tight there would be no way I'd be able to open my door. Ace barely had enough room to open his side. He squeezed out, and I sat watching in awe as he climbed to the top of the SUV, grabbing clothing from a clothesline that hung high over our heads.

  He climbed down and leaned back into the SUV. "You going to get out, Princess?" He stretched his hand out for me. I took it as he helped me out then handed me a scarf. "You need to cover your hair. With hair that beautiful, we'll be noticed in minutes." I made haste with the scarf, trying not to think about the fact he called my hair beautiful. As I fiddled with the scarf, I watched Ace as he managed to take the bike from the back. He then pulled the sheet down and covered up the back of the SUV. I figured he did this, so if someone was passing by, they wouldn't be able to see the plates.

  I clutched my bag close to me, then grabbed his bag from the SUV, which weighed way more than I would've expected. I mean, sheesh, he was carrying that around? He took it from my hands and strapped it on, then threw his leg over the bike. "Get on," he ordered, in what I was learning was an abrupt Ace way.

  I did as he said, and climbed on behind him. As if we weren't running, Ace pulled out of the alley at a slow, natural pace. We drove away from the town by a different route than which we came. He stopped to get gas, and from what I could tell, we were doing a much better job of blending in. Ace's Spanish was surprisingly good. He sounded nearly as good as me, or any other native, for that matter.

  We drove through the dense jungle. Eventually, we made it to the coast. Despite all of the different times I was forced to entertain on yachts, I felt like I'd never seen the Caribbean before. The salty breeze from the sea was thick in the air. My skin felt sweaty and cool at the same time because of the breeze on the bike.

  Ace slowed the bike and turned down a small dirt road. I was surprised because it looked like nothing, but the sea was down there. At the end of the road, my assumption was proven correct. There were large, sharp, protruding rocks, and sandy beaches that looked pristine against the cerulean blue backdrop. Waves lapped at the shore. I watched the repetitive movements transfixed. It took my breath away. I'd been on the water. I'd seen beautiful places, but nothing as spectacular as the untainted beach around me. Ace stopped the bike, and the first thing I did was take my shoes off. I wanted to feel the sand between my toes.

  The water took my breath away. You'd think I wouldn't have been able to stop and appreciate the beauty, but it was so large compared to everything else, it was impossible not to.

  There was a lot I didn't know about what the future held, but one thing was sure. After everything we'd been through, and with everything I no doubt still had to endure, this place was peace. It was a feeling I wasn't used to. It was a feeling that could become an addiction. I wanted nothing more than to feel this tranquil calm for the rest of my life. One way or another, I was going to make that happen.

  Chapter Eight

  Ace

  Alejandra was as still as a statue standing in the sand. I wanted to watch her. I wanted to see her face as she took in this breathtaking view. I'd seen a lot of places, but I had to admit that this was possibly the most beautiful. Or maybe it was that I knew by her body language that she thought it was the most beautiful place that made me think this was the most spectacular place I'd seen. I had to interrupt her, and I hated that, but there was work to do.

  I tapped her shoulder, "Princess."

  "What?" She asked, confused. I knew she was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't hear maybe she hadn't even realized I was there.

  "We got things to do, doll."

  "Oh, okay." She quickly followed me. I moved the bike behind a large rock that jutted out.

  "We're going to make a fire and stay the night tonight outside. I need rest, and I'm guessing your ass can't feel great after being on that bike—for forever."

  "We were?"

  "Yeah, it's been a few hours since we got gas."

  "Hmm, I guess it didn't seem like that long."

  "I think this is far enough from the road that a fire won't be seen. Can you look for
sticks and twigs while I look for bigger stuff to burn? It's warm out, but it might get a little chilly overnight."

  "It shouldn't drop below seventy."

  "Even so, have you slept outside before? A fire will help us with the bugs too."

  "Okay." she acquiesced.

  Alejandra moved along the beach, and I pulled out my phone to check in again. Gunner wasn't thrilled that we kept taking fire, but he trusted me to keep her safe. Everything for tomorrow was ready to go. We'd be on a plane, and far away from this place. Putting my phone back in my pocket, I found several pieces of driftwood that had long ago washed up on the shore. I also found a spot between the rocks that would shelter us if any strong winds came from the water.

  I finished hauling more wood to our makeshift shelter, then grabbed palms and created a few walls by placing them between the rocks. I hoped they would help with making sure the light from the fire was hidden entirely and protect us from bugs.

  It didn't take me long, but I noticed Alejandra was not back yet, so I went to look for her. She was sitting on the beach, and she'd unwrapped her hair and took it down. Long dark tresses billowed behind her. I could see her profile.That lost look in her eyes was back, or maybe it never left? Thinking she needed some alone time, I found a pile of clumps of seaweed along the beach. It was dry to touch, and I thought it would burn nicely. There were also more twined up branches that had washed ashore too. I started a fire within minutes and unpacked a few things to make us as comfortable as possible. The sun was beginning to set, and the sky had started to turn. I returned to where Alejandra was still sitting in that contemplative way, absently staring out at nothing.

  I sat behind her with one leg on each side of her. It was intimate, more so than I deserved, more so than I should've taken. We'd shared two kisses—one she took because she was proving something to herself and the other I took because I was proving something to her. Who was I kidding? I was scared out of my mind that something could've happened to her because she didn't listen to me and didn’t stay put. I had no other choice than to kiss her! I wanted—no; I needed to feel her lips against mine. It was either that or turn her around and spank her. She should've done what I told her. There's no way she should ever put her life in jeopardy for me. If something had happened to her... No, I couldn't go there.