Chapter 10
1 hour later
I sat blindfolded in the torture room, tied to the metal bed. Every noise made me jump then my body quivered with fear as I waited for ... what, I didn’t know. Was Raul selling me off right now? Were one of those men going to own me? Kai? Would Raul have Alfonzo “train” me first?
The waiting was driving me senseless.
Never knowing when anyone was coming. Afraid of the creak in the floorboards. Of a distant scream. Of how the air in the room shifted.
The sound of Logan’s footsteps as he walked away echoed over and over in my mind. He’d left me. He gave me to Raul. He didn’t argue. He acted as if I was nothing to him.
He told me he would, but I always had this crazy, far-off idea that he’d defend me. He may have brought me here and kept me in this place, but he’d also protected me against it too.
I was wrong.
He’d walked away.
He didn’t care if I was sold or killed.
Logan walked away from me.
The door burst open, and I emitted a tiny scream, but I didn’t cry. I wouldn’t. No one deserved my tears in this place.
Hands grabbed my wrists, and I recognized them. Logan’s. It wasn’t Alfonzo or Jacob. Was he going to torture me? Was he the one taking me to a new owner? Could he be that cruel?
He took off the ropes on my wrists then tore off my blindfold and helped me stand.
Our eyes locked.
And somehow I knew. Whether I felt it or saw it in his expression, I didn’t know, but the man standing in front of me was the man I used to love.
“One chance at this. One. We aren’t ready, but there’s no choice. He’s selling you and ... Mouse, get changed. Now.” It was then I noticed the clothes on the bed. Logan grabbed the front of the black lace dress and ripped it off me then threw it aside. I stood dumbstruck, staring until his voice cut through my shock. “Clothes. Now.”
He picked up what looked like an oversized black T-shirt and a pair of jeans and tossed them at me, then walked back to the door. I kept looking at him as I changed, uncertain what was happening. There was a stern determination on his face, unrelenting and dangerous as he put his ear to the door.
I was doing up the zipper of the jeans when he strode towards me. “I needed you gone ten minutes ago—move it.” He grabbed my arm just as the door burst open again. Logan shoved me so hard behind him that I fell to my butt.
“What the ... Sculpt?” Alfonzo’s eyes went from me to Logan. “What are you doing here? She’s sold, Sculpt. I’m taking her to her new owner.”
“No.” Logan’s voice was steady and calm. “That is not going to happen.”
I climbed to my feet.
Alfonzo’s eyes kept darting between me and Logan. “Your father will crucify you, then her.”
Father? What? My eyes widened, and I staggered backward until my back hit the damp cement wall. Raul?
Oh God. Logan was Raul’s son? Logan was Raul’s son.
“Maybe. But I get to live with the satisfaction of what I’ve wanted to do for weeks.” Logan took two strides and swung hard and fast, his fist connecting with Alfonzo’s jaw and sending him back into the wall. “You. Are. Scum. A parasite.” Logan hit him again and blood splattered from his nose and upper lip.
Alfonzo grunted and tried swinging back, but he was no match for Logan, and as soon as he went for his gun, Logan kicked it from his hand, and it went sliding across the floor.
“You touched her. That was your mistake.” Logan continued to punch Alfonzo again and again until Alfonzo was lying on the ground unmoving. I was staring, watching, confused and not knowing what the hell was going on except that Alfonzo looked dead and Logan was covered in his blood.
I glanced at the gun then back to Logan who stood over Alfonzo staring down at the motionless form. I didn’t know what was going on, but I wasn’t letting the chance escape me.
I dove for the gun.
My fingers curled around the butt, and I jumped to my feet just as I heard Logan’s voice.
“Emily. Put the gun down.”
I shook my head back and forth as the gun trembled in my hand while I pointed it at him. “No. I’m getting out of here. And you’re not stopping me.”
He took one step forward, and I steadied the gun with my other hand then cocked the hammer.
“You’re right. You are getting out of here, but not on your own, and I think you know that. I’m going to help you.”
I backed up as he came forward. “No. I don’t believe you. Why would you do that? You brought me here. You’ve kept me here. He’s your ... he’s your father. That man is ...” I couldn’t say it again; it made me sick to my stomach to think I’d willingly slept with that bastard’s son.
“Put the gun down.” He held out his hand. “I never lied to you.”
I jerked the gun toward him as I spoke. “Bullshit. You lied to me every single day. Were the nights a lie too? Am I just like all those other girls? Maybe I’d be better off with a new owner, at least I know when he f*cks me I will hate him. Not like you. You made me love you then you wrecked me with it. Then ... then you gave me back piece by piece every night only to take it away all over again in the morning.”
“I’ve never lied to you. Ever.” He nodded to the gun. “You shoot that thing in here—we’re both dead. Every man in this place will be down here. I’m trying to help you, and this shit is about to blow up in our faces.”
I didn’t believe him. My trust had been destroyed, just like I was going to do to his heart when I shot him. “Stay back.”
“I can’t do that.” He dove for me.
I tightened my finger on the trigger and closed my eyes.
Then I felt the jarring pain in my back when Logan threw his weight on top of me and we both crashed to the floor. He grabbed the gun out of my hands and slid it in the back of his jeans.
Without a word he pulled me to my feet, slid his cell from his pocket, and snagged my hand.
He pressed a number on his phone and put it to his ear. “Deck.”
Deck? Georgie’s Deck? What? No, it couldn’t be.
“It’s now,” he said abruptly into the phone. “I don’t care if your guys aren’t ready. This happens. You sure your man has her safe? Good.” He nodded then his back stiffened as he listened. “Not happening, Deck. I’m not taking that chance.” Silence, except for the thumping of my heart and the blood rushing through my veins. Logan pulled me up the stairs. “Deck, I don’t care. You hear me? Change in plans. She goes. I’ll deal with Raul and the consequences.” He propelled me down a hallway, then out a side door that led us outside. He stopped, placed his hand over the receiver and said, “Dave.”
Dave appeared from behind the bushes. “We’re taking a risk meeting.” He nodded to the phone. “Taking a risk using that. It’s for the end game.”
“This is the end game. It needs to happen. Alfonzo is down.”
“Shit. Sculpt, that wasn’t—”
“We get her clear, and I’ll look after the rest. You got the signal?”
Dave ran his hand through his hair. “Yeah, but Sculpt. Jesus. Not a good idea. Deck says—”
“Do I look like I care? Do it.”
I was so confused having no idea what was happening except Dave was shocked, Logan was losing control, and Deck was yelling through the speaker. They were speaking to one another as if ... as if this was planned. Could it be true? Was Deck here? Could Logan be talking about getting me out of here? Why now? Why would he suddenly change his mind?
The flicker of hope was trying to emerge from beneath my fear. I was scared of what Logan was doing, of what would happen if he was caught, if we were caught. I was confused as to why Dave was helping and worried that this was some kind of setup.
“What?” Logan said into the phone.
I could hear Deck on the line, “Sculpt, you screw with this, you’re f*cked. I told you it will go down, but you need to wait. My men are on mission, I’m waiting on two more. We need them, Sculpt. We don’t have enough men for a complete take down of this place. You f*ck this now, he’ll know something’s up, and if he escapes, neither of you will be safe for the rest of your goddamn lives.”
“I’ll deal with Raul. Get her out.” Logan closed his eyes for a half a second then looked at me. The pain I saw there was so raw that my breath hitched, and I wanted to go to him to ease it. How could I feel this way? He didn’t deserve anything from me.
“Raul will torture you until you piss and puke blood. Then he’ll kill you,” Deck shouted over the phone. “Just hold the f*ck up. We know what we’re doing.”
“It’s too late for that. Dave’s bringing her out. Be ready.” Logan dropped the phone from his ear. He must have pressed the End button, because Deck’s shouts could no longer be heard. “You know what to do.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out what looked like a passport. “This will get you home.” He passed it to me.
My hand shook as I took it from him. Why was he doing this? It didn’t make sense. He’d made her fear him and threatened to sell her. He’d told her he’d not protect her if she misbehaved.
“Man. Deck is right. A few more days—”
“She doesn’t have a few more days, she has zero.” He was talking about me as if ... as if he cared what happened to me. “Deck will meet you. Don’t come back, Dave. Don’t ever come here again. What happened to your sister ... f*ck ... I’m sorry.”
Dave stiffened and nodded as if no more needed to be said, and Logan put his hand on Dave’s shoulder and squeezed.
Sister? What happened to Dave’s sister? Could she have been a slave? Was she one of the girl’s she’d seen? Had she been killed? Why did Logan care? How good of friends were they?
When Logan shifted, his eyes met mine.
The Logan I’d fallen in love with, not the cold man who held me captive, stood in front of me. I saw it in him, the way his eyes warmed, the way his fingers stroked the back of my hand.
And it terrified me. Because no matter how much I’d fought it, I still loved this man.
Dave tugged on my arm, and mine and Logan’s hands separated. I stared, unable to move.
“Emily. Go.”
Dave yanked, but I refused to budge. “Chiquita, we have to leave now.”
Then the coldness descended over Logan’s face. “Get out of here, Emily. This is who I am. Don’t think any different just because I f*cked you a few times.”
I gasped. Dave swore beneath his breath.
“Get her out of my sight.”
I glared at the man that just sucked the last bit of hope from my heart. “Why are you letting me go then? Just sell me, you bastard! Why take the risk?”
He shook his head. “I’m risking nothing. My father will be marginally upset, but I’m his prize fighter, and if I choose to let you go then that is my choice.” His tone softened, the hardness in his eyes remained. “Go repair from this place, Emily.”
“Sculpt.” Dave sighed and lowered his head, clearly unhappy at what was going down.
My response was automatic, as if the words were sitting on the tip of my tongue waiting to be spoken. “Some things can’t be repaired. You break them bad enough, they can’t be fixed.”
His body flinched. His jaw clenched, and I saw his index finger twitch against his thigh. He was angry, but I also recognized the pain in his expression. And I was glad he hurt.
I’d live. I’d survive.
I realized I didn’t have it in me to forgive him or to forget. But I’d find a place in me that could—live.
Dave yanked hard on my hand and we ran. The last vision I saw of Logan was him turning his back on me.
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Dave hauled ass through the compound, sticking to the shadows while dragging me behind him. I was too frazzled to do anything but follow him, and if it was true and I was getting out of here, then I’d do anything he asked of me.
He stopped behind one of the houses, his finger up to his mouth making certain I stayed quiet. I heard the steady patter of paws and feet and leaned up against the wall, holding my breath, praying they couldn’t hear my heart thumping erratically.
When the guard and dog passed, Dave gestured to me to stay put while he crept low across the yard. I saw the flash of his knife reflect against the moonlight as he unsheathed it. In one swift movement the guard standing near the wall fell to the ground.
Dave gestured to me, and I went running to him.
Suddenly there were three loud gun shots and lots of shouts as guards started running toward the main house.
“Fool.” Dave said staring off in the direction of the gunshots. “That’s our signal.”
He grabbed my hand again, and we ran the length of the wall. It felt like forever as I scrambled after him, trying to stop from ducking as more gun shots went off.
Dave stopped and dropped to his knees at a grate in the ground. He pulled several times before it gave way. “The ladder’s slippery. Careful.”
I slid through feet first and felt for the ladder rung then started climbing down. I stopped when I heard a clang of metal. “Dave?” I didn’t trust the guy, and I had no idea why he was helping me escape, but right now he was all I had.
“Don’t stop, Chiquita.” His voice carried down the damp sewer. “You need to hurry.”
“Are you ... are you coming?”
“No, Chiquita. Go quickly.”
Oh God, he wasn’t coming. I was all alone in a sewer with no money and somewhere in Mexico. I froze on the ladder, fingers tight around the damp, thin metal. I didn’t know what to do, where to go, or even how to get there. Maybe this sewer was a dead end? Had Dave even checked where this led? Was this a test? Was Sculpt testing to see if I’d leave if given the chance? Could all this be a cruel sick game to torment me?
“Emily?”
My body instinctively plastered against the ladder. The voice came from below me ... It was vaguely familiar, but I was so scared I didn’t trust anything my mind was thinking right now.
“Emily? Hell.”
Deck?
The rush of emotion hit me so hard I slipped down two rungs, and the sound echoed like a drum through the tunnel.
“Emily?” Deck called.
“Y-yes. Yes, it’s me.”
“Climb down, beautiful.”
I was sobbing hysterically by the time I felt hands on my hips, and then I was being lifted and placed on my feet. I turned in Deck’s arms and collapsed into them, my cheek pressed against his chest, and my arms holding him tight around the waist. I barely knew the guy, but he was the best sight I’d seen in fifteen days.
The relief was overwhelming, like I’d been pulled from being buried alive without hope, without breath ... alone with no one to trust—until now.
Deck stroked the back of my hair. “We have to move hard, Emily. You good to run?”
I nodded, sniffling.
“Matt’s here. We’re taking you home.”
“Oh God,” I cried. Matt. He’d come. Him and Deck. They hadn’t forgotten me.
I heard several more gun shots and jumped. I thought about Logan; I couldn’t help it. He had something to do with me getting out of here. Even though I’d never forgive him for what he’d done. He’d destroyed any innocence and tarnished it with mistrust and fear. He’d put me in a world that would live in my nightmares forever.
I didn’t know why Dave didn’t come with me. Logan had sounded like Dave was supposed to, but he’d opted to go back. For Logan? Did Logan need help? No, Logan was Raul’s son.
Deck squeezed my hand. “You’re safe now, Emily.”
Safe? I’d never be safe again. I knew I’d never be the same girl who walked into an illegal fighting ring and asked Sculpt to teach her how to fight. I didn’t know who I’d become or how I’d do it or where I’d even go from here.
What I did know was that I’d never forget.