by Brook Wilder
If Diesel got out of there, he would be a wanted man. Either way, he was dead. Not even Diesel Jacobsen could stand against that much firepower.
Lights flashed in my face, and the motorcycle slowed to a screeching halt beside me. I began to panic, but I was frozen to the spot as Diesel jumped off the bike and ran over to me. He grabbed my shoulders. “Fucking hell, Amber! What the fuck are you doing out here?”
“I…” I had to resist the urge to throw myself at him. I fought back the tears. “You shouldn’t be here, Diesel.”
“Damn fucking right I shouldn’t be! And you shouldn’t be out here either. The Cartel have arrived, and they’re going to grab you if you don’t come with me now.”
They were going to grab me if I went with Diesel. I felt my stomach starting to flip again. Grimacing, I managed to shrug him off and stepped back.
“What makes you think I’m safer with you?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re dangerous, Diesel. And you’re in the middle of a war. I don’t have any guarantee that you’ll be able to keep me safe.” My hands went instinctively to my belly. “The stress of being chased isn’t good for the baby.”
Diesel was staring at me like I had lost my mind.
“What the fuck’s the matter with you?” He shook his head and grabbed my arm. “Just get on the bike. We’ll discuss this later. The Cartel are in my home, and they’ll catch up to us pretty quickly.”
I had to stop myself from immediately following him. We would be caught pretty quickly, and I knew I couldn’t let myself be put in a position where I risk losing my child. Diesel might have been willing to do it, but I wasn’t.
Somehow, even as every part of my body wanted to go with him, I managed to pull away, backing out of reach.
“I can’t.”
“What?”
“I can’t.” I could feel the tears stinging my cheeks as I stared up at Diesel’s stunned expression. “I’m sorry, Diesel.”
“You…” Diesel looked dazed. I couldn’t have done worse if I’d hit him over the head. “You’re turning your back on me?”
“No. Not you. Just the world you live in.” I tried not to sob, but it didn’t work. “I need to think about my baby’s safety. And it isn’t going to be safe in the middle of a war.”
Diesel’s face was already looking pale in the moonlight, but now he looked positively ashen. He approached me, and I was unable to move away as he cupped my face in his hands, looking desperately into my eyes.
“I wouldn’t let anything happen to you or the baby,” he croaked. “You know that.”
“After you killed Carlos like that, I don’t know what to think,” I pointed out. “I’m thinking about the baby now, not us.”
It was then that the light dawned in Diesel’s eyes. I saw the moment the penny dropped, when he realized what I had done. His hands dropped from my face and he backed away. “You’ve sold yourself out, haven’t you?” he accused. “You’re going back to Khloe.”
“Khloe can keep me safe. The brothel is neutral ground.”
“You think so?” Diesel snorted. “Amber, Khloe doesn’t want a baby around. She’ll kill it. You know she will. It’s just a question of whether she’ll do it with the baby inside you or not.”
My stomach was starting to hurt more. Swallowing back the pain, I squared my shoulders. “I’ve made up my mind, Diesel. I’m sorry.”
Diesel was still staring at me. I could feel him emotionally withdrawing. And that broke me. I wanted to go to him, to promise him that I was making sure I stayed safe, but Diesel looked as though he would push me away. I didn’t know if I could take it anymore.
Then we could hear cars and the roaring of engines. Diesel didn’t look around, but I could see headlights on the track to his house. The Cartel had finally figured out he had gone, and they were giving chase. Diesel took a slow step back towards his bike, his expression so cold I couldn’t help but shiver.
“I’ll come and get you another time,” Diesel said woodenly. “I won’t leave you to the wolves.”
Before I could respond, he clambered onto his bike, revved the engine, and turned it around. Then he was gone in a flash, sending up dust and dirt in his wake.
I shrank back and collapsed to the grass as the Cartel sped past me, heading off after Diesel. I drew my knees up to my chest and hugged them tightly, burying my face against my knees as I rocked. My stomach hurt, my head hurt, everything was starting to hurt.
I couldn’t look. Right now, all I wanted was to run away. Go somewhere that wouldn’t kill me or my baby, where nobody would bother me. No gunfights, no threats of death, nothing.
Fat chance of that happening.
“Amber.”
I looked up. I hadn’t heard the car pulling up. Khloe had stepped out from the passenger side and walked over to me. Kayla was in the driver’s seat, her hands tightly on the wheel as she stared straight ahead. She looked terrified.
Khloe knelt beside me, touching my back. “Come with me, Amber. We’re going now.”
“They… They’re going to kill him.” I sobbed, wiping at my tears. “What have I done?”
Khloe didn’t answer. She simply pulled me to my feet, picked up my backpack, and led me towards the car.
Chapter Thirty Five
Amber
As soon as Khloe had settled me into the front passenger seat while she took a seat in the back. I thought that unusual, but I was too depressed to think about it much. I looked at Kayla, but she still hadn’t acknowledged me. She was staring ahead, even as she put the car into gear and started driving. Something was wrong with her, but I couldn’t put my finger on what.
All I knew was that Kayla was barely keeping herself together.
I turned to face Khloe, who was settled in the back like she was some VIP. She was even dressed like one with a silk grey skirt and red blouse, a fur jacket finishing off the outfit. Her hair and makeup had been delicately done.
Why had she dressed up like she was going to a fancy dinner, just to pick me up?
“I thought you weren’t going to come.”
“I decided to go with Kayla.” Khloe gave the back of Kayla’s head a pointed stare. “Make sure you didn’t change your mind about coming back.”
“Did you think I would change my mind?”
“You’re pregnant, Amber. Everything ends up being driven by hormones and emotions that are all over the place.” Khloe turned back to me. Her expression had barely changed, but there was hardness in her eyes. “You don’t think clearly when you’re pregnant. So I needed insurance.”
I didn’t know what to say about that. But I did feel like I was under guard.
I turned back to Kayla. Now I could see the white-knuckle grip on the wheel, and I was shocked to see a tear trickle down Kayla’s face.
Then I saw the bruises. They weren’t easy to see in the dark, but now that I was looking, they weren’t hard to miss. Bruises ran along Kayla’s jaw, some on her neck, and the area around her eye was swollen. Amber reached out and brushed Kayla’s hair away, watching as Kayla flinched.
“My God, Kayla, what happened?”
“Nothing,” Khloe said sharply. “She tripped and fell down the stairs.”
I knew that was bullshit. I touched Kayla’s shoulder. “Kayla?”
“It’s like Khloe said. I tripped and fell down the stairs.” She whispered.
Kayla sounded more like a robot than a person. I looked back at Khloe. Had she done this to Kayla? Or had one of the Russians? Now I felt sick at the thought that I had left the other girls to be fodder for those sadistic bastards.
“Leave her be, Amber,” Khloe said. “Kayla’s embarrassed enough as it is.”
Then I saw the gun. It sat on Khloe’s lap as if it were a cat. I knew Khloe had a gun, but I never saw it displayed so prominently. I was starting to feel like I had been duped—that I was in more danger now than before.
Why hadn’t I gone with Diesel when I had
the chance?
“What will they do with Diesel?”
“Teach him a lesson.” Khloe shrugged. “As expected.”
“Expected?”
Khloe snorted. I eyed the gun as Khloe stroked the barrel obscenely. It was almost like she was stroking her lover’s cock. This was a side of Khloe I had never seen before, and I did not like it at all.
“Come on, Amber, you’re not that stupid. Diesel killed Carlos. The Cartel will have found his body by now, and they’re going to be furious. They’ll be out for blood. So, Ruiz is going to deliver his own style of justice.” Khloe giggled. “Punishment to fit the crime and all that.”
She was actually finding it amusing? I felt even colder. In the time since I left, Khloe had turned into a psychopath. I always knew her as a ruthless businesswoman, but this was something else.
And I didn’t like how much glee Khloe was getting out of telling me this. I swallowed. “They’re going to kill him, aren’t they?” I whispered.
Khloe snorted. “What do you expect? It’s a war, Amber. No one’s going to get through this without scars of some sort.” She paused and giggled again. “Quite a few will lose their lives in the war. It’s to be expected.”
I glanced at Kayla, who was still staring out the windshield as she drove. A little whimper came from her, and Kayla gave me a fearful glance. She didn’t need to hear any of this. I looked back at Khloe.
“Carlos fed Diesel the wrong information. His team were killed. Diesel was angry about that, and he went the wrong way about it.”
Khloe sat forward so suddenly that I jerked back and hit the door. The gun was pointing at my face, and Khloe waved the barrel inches from my nose.
“Are you trying to justify what the bastard did?” Khloe hissed.
“No, of course not.” I was surprised to not hear a waver in my voice as I stared her down. “I just understand why Diesel pulled the trigger.”
We stared at each other. I refused to back down. Already, this was the wrong thing to do, and I wasn’t about to lie down and roll over for my former boss. Khloe had once had her girls’ best interests at heart, but now that was gone. She was all for herself, and she had gone completely cold as a result. I needed to keep her cool if I wanted to get past the madam.
I watched as Khloe peered closer at me, and her eyes widened in realization. “You saw what happened, didn’t you?”
I said nothing, but I didn’t have to. Khloe could read me easily enough. Her mouth dropped open before she sat back with a disbelieving snort.
“Well, fuck me running! I never thought Diesel would be that heartless to let you see his nasty handiwork.”
“He didn’t know I was there.”
“Bullshit, Amber. He knew. Diesel always knows when someone is watching.” Khloe smirked and licked her lips. “He gets off on it.”
“No, he doesn’t.”
“Oh silly girl, believe me, he does.” Khloe crossed her legs and ran her hands down her thighs with a moan. “I should know. I’ve watched him many a times.”
“What?”
“Not with you. Before you came along, Diesel liked to have people watching him while he fucked my girls. He got off on it. With you, things changed. He refused to let anyone in the room, or even tape it for later.” She sighed. “Which was such a shame; you won’t believe how many orgasms I got watching him. That big cock of his… I wish I’d sampled it before now.”
“Shut up!” I clamped my hands over my ears. “Shut up!”
I didn’t want to hear anymore. Khloe was trying to put me on the back foot, surely? Diesel had never done that. I had never asked about his previous girls, and I didn’t want to know. That wasn’t something I needed to know. I didn’t believe Khloe about any of that; the madam would never get involved like that.
But a small part of me started believing her. It made me feel sick. I didn’t want to know what Khloe had seen. All I wanted was to get out of there. But that wasn’t an option anymore.
I was trapped. And in an even worse position than before.
Chapter Thirty Six
Diesel
I hadn’t got very far before I was caught. Even though I changed direction several times in an effort to lose them, the Cartel managed to stay on my tail. I had taken a bullet to the leg, but I couldn’t stop and sort it out. That just wasn’t an option.
Then one of the bullets made my back tire explode. I tried to keep the bike under control, but it was no use. It would not respond, weaving wildly across the road. I barely had time to react before it crashed and tossed him up through the air.
I lied on the ground, ears ringing and head spinning. My leg burned, and my body did not seem to respond.
I had to get out of there. I could hear tires screeching, car doors slamming, and footsteps pattering towards me. I looked up, reached for my gun, only to have pain explode in my face and the world to go black.
I had no idea how long I had been out, but when I came round, everything hurt. My leg felt like it had shattered, and my jeans were stuck to my wound. My nose throbbed, as did my eye socket. Something wet was around my mouth, and it hurt to breathe. And my head… It felt like someone had tried to crush it.
As I came to my senses, I realized that I was lying on a cold, hard floor that was moving, rocking me from side to side. My legs were tied together, and my wrists were tied behind my back. I rolled with the motion of the truck, trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey. Sitting against the wall, smirking like he had won the lottery, was Fernandez.
I snarled and tried to go for him, only to howl in pain as my bad leg bent the wrong way. Fernandez chuckled as he shook his head. “Will you relax? Such a temper. That’s going to be the death of you one day.”
“Fuck you!”
My lips were dry, and my voice was croaky. A brief moment had me wishing that I could have a beer. I pushed the thought from my mind. Now was not the time to think about drinking. Even if it would dull the pain.
“I’d rather you didn’t.” Fernandez sat back, stretching his legs out. He looked like he was on his way to a Caribbean vacation. “You’re not my type. Cock has never been on the menu, and neither have bikers.”
“Pity.” I sneered and tried to roll onto my side with the rocking of the truck, managing to catch myself before I fell flat on my face again. “Because I’d split you in half with what I carry.”
“I’m sure Amber and the other girls love that, but leave it for them.”
We could exchange insults all day, but it wasn’t going to get me anywhere. I needed to get out of there. Amber was back in Khloe’s clutches. That was dangerous, more than Amber realized. She wasn’t thinking clearly, and by the time she figured it out, it would be too late. I needed to find her and get her away. No matter what she said, she was going. There was no way I would let Khloe get her hands on Amber’s baby. My baby..
I had lost one child to a sociopathic bitch. I wasn’t about to do it again.
The floor bumped and shuddered again. I slid across to the far wall, taking a moment to look at my surroundings. From what I could see in the very dim lighting, Fernandez was the only other person in there. Chances were that was by design. Fernandez was either very cocky or very stupid. I could easily take him on any normal day.
Today was anything but normal.
I managed to use my elbow to push myself up and my body screamed at me. My knee was on fire. Finally, I got myself to a sitting position, and faced Fernandez, eyeing the gun in his hand.
“Herrera got what was coming to him, Fernandez,” I croaked. “He gave us false information and my people were killed as a result. Your Plan B sucked.”
Fernandez sat forward. Shadows covered half of his face, but I could see the curl of a snarl on his mouth. “Are you trying to justify to me why you killed one of my men?” he hissed.
“He was going to die sooner or later,” Diesel shot back. “At least it was quick.”
Fernandez snorted. “You’re lying, Jacobsen. I know your methods
. You spent years refining them. Your style is long and slow torture. It would have been quick at the end, but that would be a long time to wait for.”
“Nice to know you’ve followed me on Twitter.”
Fernandez growled. Then he pointed the gun at my other leg and fired. I felt my leg explode, the shin shattering. I screamed, breaking it off abruptly and gritting my teeth hard. I wasn’t about to show that this was going to break me. Fernandez got off on screams when he tortured. Like hell I was going to give that to him.
