Branding & Saving Lily Box Set: Books 1 & 2 (Jacob and Lily's Duet)

by Gracin Sawyer

  My arms ached to be released from their position behind me, but all I could do was cry. Silently, I let the tears fall. It wasn’t just the pain but also the fear that I’d never see Jacob again. And if these guys got their way, I wouldn’t be just Jacob’s woman anymore and he wouldn’t want me. I could never face him if that happened.

  No. I wasn’t some small child anymore. I could fight back. To hell with these men, because the first chance I got, I was running.

  Knox came back with a first-aid kit and patched up his cheek. He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t need to.

  I turned away from him and looked out the small window into the black abyss. An insistent urge to go to the bathroom continued to press on my bladder. I was surprised I needed to go at all being so dehydrated. “I need to use the toilet.”

  Knox chuckled. “And what the fuck do you want me to do about it? You bit me.”

  “Can you please untie me so I can go?” I smirked. “Unless you want me to go right here all over the seat of your friend’s plane.”

  He sneered. “One of you guys take her to the restroom. But don’t underestimate her. She might bite you too.”

  The guy who helped me to the seat earlier grinned and came over to unbuckle me, pulling me to my feet.

  I winced. Everything hurt.

  He marched me to the back of the tiny plane where the toilet was inside a room smaller than my closet at Jacob’s house. He flicked out his pocket knife and roughly turned me around to cut the rope.

  He leaned in close to me. “Leave the door open. I want to watch.”

  The moment my arms were loose they dropped to my sides in agony. I wasn’t sure I could pull my jeans down. The small space made it even harder to move. I went to shut the door but the guy slammed it open, holding it against the wall.

  “I told you to leave it open.”

  I was nearly ready to mess my jeans and didn’t have time for his twisted game. “You’re sick if you get off watching someone pee.”

  “Seeing you will be well worth it.” He challenged me with a wicked smile while his eyes roamed over my body.

  I shuddered in disgust but I couldn’t wait any longer. I yanked my jeans down and found the seat just in time. But, woe to him, I’d had years of going to the bathroom in front of Knox and his buddies. I was well trained in how to hide myself from peering eyes. And his crestfallen face let me know I had doused his dreams of seeing what he wanted.

  I would take any victory, no matter how small.

  Lifting my jeans, my shoulders protested the movement. Before he could tie me back up, I held my hands out, crossing them in front of me. Hopefully, he wouldn’t think about it and tie me up this way instead of behind my back. I didn’t think I could handle another minute of that position.

  He reached for the cut piece of rope and frowned. “Knox, you got more rope?”

  “No, why? What the hell did you do?”

  “I cut it off her.” He held it up to make a point.

  Knox rose from his seat and tossed his arms in the air as the plane hit another air pocket. “Shit. Now what are we gonna do?”

  I remained quiet, not wanting to ruin any good luck that might be coming my way.

  “She can sit with me and Brad. We’ll make sure she doesn’t escape, or bite you.” He said the last part with a bit of a chuckle.

  “Fuck you, Jude.” Knox sat back down. “Do whatever you want, just don’t lose her. She’s worth a lot.”

  It was like a piece of luck had befallen me after all. No gag, no bindings, maybe once we landed I could find a way to escape after all.

  Chapter 5

  Jacob

  The four-hour flight to the city just east of the capital was the longest hours of my life. Knowing Lily was only thirty minutes ahead of me kept my adrenaline rushing.

  The kid sent to follow her sat across from me, staring out the window. He might have been young, but he wasn’t some scrawny kid either. His silence was welcomed, as I wasn’t sure I had the patience to deal with him yet. Fox had a background but I also knew there was more to him than just getting into fights. I didn’t get to be who I was without following my instincts.

  I watched out the window as the city spread out under us like a blanket of crammed houses and buildings. The outskirts of the city where we were headed was run down with a high poverty rate, but the perfect location to make a transfer. I’d been here many times. Some missions I got lucky and others would haunt me forever. I prayed I wouldn’t find Lily like I’d found some girls.

  I shuddered. No. Those girls had been there a lot longer than Lily.

  The plane landed and my phone dinged alerting me to a missed call. I didn’t recognize the number, but it was a Nevada number so I called it back.

  “Cardosa,” the man on the other end answered.

  “Who the hell is this?” I stood up as the plane taxied to its assigned station. Parked next to us was the jet that carried Lily. I couldn’t get off fast enough.

  “It’s Jose. I have some information for you.” His Spanish accent was thick.

  The only Jose I knew was Jose Cortez, the right hand coyote for Angel Martin. “I’m listening.”

  “There was a meeting last night. Some pendejo named Knox brought in a woman he claimed was yours trying to sell her.”

  I clenched my jaw. “What do you know?”

  “Once Angel and a few others found out she was yours they backed out. They figured it would give them a pass for the next week, yeah?”

  “You want me to look the other way while you smuggle a few women, is that it?” Fuck. Lily was worth every single woman to me, but my conscience fought me. However, I’d have to fight with it later, her life was at stake.

  Jose laughed. “We wished. But we figured you wouldn’t be so kind to us holding your woman over you like that. Just a free pass for a few kilos.”

  Shit, that was it? Hell, I didn’t ever get into their drug business. Why would they use that as their bargaining tool with me? It didn’t make sense. “I don’t fucking care how many drugs you pass through, you could send the entire fucking stash for all I care. Tell me what you know.”

  “Agh, la chingada, you’re not understanding. You have the cops working for you, they have to turn a blind eye too, amigo.”

  Aw, there it was. It wasn’t me, it was the police they wanted off their backs. Shit, I didn’t care if I had to pay off the entire country to turn a blind eye, I’d do it. “Deal. Now tell me what I need to know.”

  “There was a cabrón who made a deal. He isn’t worried about pissing you off. I think it was a challenge for him. You are old friends, yeah? I think you know him.”

  “Who the fuck is it, Jose? I don’t have time to play games.”

  “Red.”

  My world flipped and I couldn’t see. Of all the people Knox could have sold her to, Red was one of the worst. We went way back, and none of our meetings ever ended on friendly terms. The last time I had killed a handful of his men saving a young girl. But I could never get close enough to kill him.

  Not only did I cost him loyal men, but also an income the girl brought in. But it wasn’t the first time. I’d rescued more than half the girls I was hired to find under his control. Our hatred for each other ran deep.

  And knowing Lily was mine, would bring out a side to Red that I’d never want to see. He would use Lily in ways I couldn’t imagine just to get to me. My stomach rolled and all I could think was my sweet innocent Lily being tortured.

  “I’ll let Angel know we have a deal. One week, my amigo.”

  I shoved the phone into my pocket and unlocked the cabin door, I didn’t care that we were still moving. I needed to get the fuck off this plane.

  “Wait, sir,” Amy, my private attendant, cautioned.

  “I don’t have time to wait.” I pushed the door open as Amy began yelling for Jay, one of the pilots, to stop the plane.

  The plane lurched as Jay hit the brakes. With the stairs pushed out, I jumped down them to
the tarmac, running for the other plane. It wasn’t likely Lily was still there, but I couldn’t not see for myself.

  I could hear the others running behind me. After years of hunting together, we were like one.

  The stairs on the jet were still lowered, I climbed up them in one leap and pushed my way through the short entrance to an empty cabin. “Damn it!”

  I held my face and rubbed down my chin. A couple pieces of cut rope lay on the floor near the back and a few drops of blood splattered the rear left seat.

  Everywhere I chased after Lily there was blood. It wasn’t the best sign, but at least I knew she was still alive. And the price Knox was probably getting for her wasn’t an amount he’d be willing to lose with a dead woman. Red probably had never paid so much for a woman either.

  “I’m sorry. I should have helped her when I had the chance.” Fox stood at the top of the stairs, his gaze locked onto the blood.

  “Hell, kid, I wish you could have too, but like you said, you aren’t good enough and you’re right, you could have gotten her killed.” It might have been a dick move, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to make him feel better.

  He winced and stepped backward down the stairs as I pushed forward.

  Diesel stood near the stairs with both his bag and mine hung over his shoulders. “I got an idea.”

  Fox stood beside him and let me off the steps. “I’m all ears.”

  “Well, I think we should send a motherfuckin’ fox down a hole.” He grinned and looked from me to Fox and back to me.

  “What? You want to send him to get information? They’ll sniff him out and he’d be dead in less than an hour.”

  Fox raised his hands in protest. “Heck no. I can’t do that. If she dies because of me, brah, I don’t think I can handle it.”

  My patience snapped. Lily was slipping farther away from me with every second. “First of all, I’m not your brah, second, Diesel might be right. They don’t know you and you aren’t exactly what they’d be looking for. You don’t act like one of us.”

  “Just because I don’t cuss at everyone and everything doesn’t mean I’m not a man.”

  Bear laughed. “It has nothing to do with being a man. But you’ll get there. You’re still a young pup. You probably don’t even know what you got yourself mixed up in.”

  Fox tensed and his entire attitude shifted like a secret about to burst out from him. “I know what you guys are. I’m not stupid. I asked to be here.”

  Diesel groaned. “Why the fuck would you do that?”

  Fox glared at Diesel, almost challenging him silently. “Look, are we gonna send me in or not?”

  I reached out for Diesel to hand me my bag and slung it over my shoulder. “Alright, stop your pissin’ match. Fox, you think you can go in and find her?”

  His face was still stern, but he nodded. “I’ll find her.”

  The kid was growing on me. His confidence would go far in this business. I strode to the gates to find a truck. “Let’s go hunting, boys.”

  Chapter 6

  Lily

  The van that waited for us when we landed clunked down the rough road. I had no idea where we were, but the fact that they were driving me away from the city didn’t evade me. The countryside was gray and dusty, with run down brick and clay homes dotting the sides of the roads.

  Dark tinted glass filtered the scenery, keeping me shielded from anyone we passed.

  Not that they could help me. The men that picked us up carried guns and ammo as a part of their attire. I knew Knox had at least one too, as well as the other two guards.

  It sure was a lot of security for just restraining me. But if Jacob found me, they’d need it. I almost smiled at the thought.

  Almost.

  But the bigger fear that Jacob could get hurt because of me twisted my heart. Maybe he should just forget about me.

  We stopped outside a gate to a stone wall surrounding a small house where the driver honked the horn. I wasn’t sure I could even call it a house. The cabin where I was held the last few years looked safer.

  Another man armed heavily with guns opened the gate for us to come in and then shut it behind us. Escaping would not be easy.

  As soon as we stopped, the side door to the van opened, filling the bright sunlight into the interior. I blinked, trying to let my eyes focus in the brightness.

  Knox grabbed my upper arm and yanked me up before shoving me out the door.

  I couldn’t find my footing fast enough and fell to the hard dirt. It didn’t take me long to stand up, despite the aches of my body. I wasn’t about to be careless and unaware of everything happening around me. I needed to keep my guard open and be ready for the slightest chance to run.

  Callous laughter erupted as my ever present guards, Jude and Brad, grabbed my arms, holding me close to them.

  “Lily Ramirez.” The man’s voice held a smooth lilt. “What a treat to have you here.”

  The well dressed man walked to me flanked by heavily armed men. His white attire looked out of place among the dirt and ruins. He stepped up to me. His crooked smile revealed gold teeth as he grabbed my chin, staring into my eyes. His breath was rancid, making me gag. “So you are Jacob Cardosa’s woman.” He let go of me roughly and laughed. “Not anymore.”

  With the two men still holding my arms, I did the only thing I could and spit on him. It wasn’t much, being dehydrated I barely managed to spew out any moisture, but the gesture was enough to make my point.

  The man glared at me and swung his hand, backhanding me across the face. Instantly, my ears rang and black dots spotted my vision. “Gag her. And somebody tie this bitch up before she tries anything else.”

  Men from all over encircled me, making it impossible to move or breath as they did as the man said. I bucked and squirmed as much as I could, but it was useless. The gag was tighter than the last one and while my hands were tied in the front, the thin wire cut into my skin drawing blood.

  Knox walked by me slowly, heading back to the van. “I’d like to stay and take the pleasure of fucking Cardosa’s woman, but I have a paycheck to cash.”

  “Fuck you!” I tried to scream at him, but the words were so muffled all he did was laugh at me. I’m sure he got my meaning.

  I kicked out at him, barely missing his leg, but was caught by Brad. “I guess we’ll have to tie these pretty things to the bed so she doesn’t try to use them against us.” He snickered and picked up my other leg, while my torso was carried by Jude. I continued to resist, bucking and fighting them, but their grip was tight.

  They carried me into the rubble of a home and tossed me to the dirt floor. I scrambled to get up, but was kicked back down by one of the guys now encircling me.

  Each time I tried to recover and stand, I was pushed back down, followed by laughter, until the man in white intervened. “Enough.”

  The way the men listened to him scared me. It was the way Jacob’s men listened to him. The authority behind his tone made my hair stand on end.

  He crouched down beside me as I attempted to stand again. “It always amazes me how much spirit a woman has until I break her.” He grinned. “But breaking her is my favorite part, and knowing I’ll be breaking Cardosa’s bitch excites me even more.”

  He stood and dusted off his pants. “Strip her and tie her to the wall.”

  I screamed and thrashed when strong hands grabbed me and began ripping my clothes off me.

  They dragged me, completely naked, to the wall where mounted into the stone were hooks. Raising my arms above my head, they tied them to the hook. Forcefully, they spread each leg out and tied them to separate hooks near the floor.

  Being so vulnerable and open to these men made me sick. My heart had never beat so fast as I watched in horror wondering what would happen next.

  The boss slowly took me in his sight and gazed over every part of my body. “I don’t usually do it like this. I like to fuck my women, but you’re special. I’m going to fuck you over and over and then let my m
en use you until there is nothing left of you. I won’t sell you,” he came close enough to whisper next to my cheek, his body close enough to brush against my bare skin, “I’m going to kill you.”

  Chapter 7

  Jacob

  “Let me out,” Fox said, nearing the outskirts of the airport.

  I looked over my shoulder at him. “We need to get into the city. We have to get closer to Red before we split up.”

  Fox shook his head. “Naw, you see these people?” He gestured out to the crowded corner mart. “They saw something. They had to. It was within the last hour. Let me go see what I can find.”

  I wanted to protest. I couldn’t waste any more time than what we already had. The longer we stopped, the farther Lily got from me.

  I’d tracked women to Red’s many compounds before, they were always in the city. He liked the women he bought and controlled to be easily accessible for his clients.

  “Please, Jacob. I’m actually pretty good at this. It’s how I found you.”

  I wasn’t sure what that was supposed to mean, but the confident look in his eyes wasn’t about to be overlooked. I released a deep breath that came out more of a growl. I’d never forgive myself if there was a lead here and missed it, but then again, I’d never forgive myself if I waited too long and missed my chance to find Lily. “Fine. You have two minutes.”

  Fox opened the door and bolted out before I finished speaking. He was hard to follow as he blended in with the locals and mingled with a few old men. I watched intently, my hand resting on the handle of my pistol. Fox left the men and laughed with a couple small boys with bikes. In the two minutes I gave him, he seemed to talk with everyone at the mart and rushed back to the truck, slamming the door.

  “Drive east.”

  “But that’s heading away from the city.” Flapjack looked at me. “What do you want to do, boss?”

  I grimaced. “How do you know to go east?”

  “The boys saw a white van about forty-five minutes ago that usually holds girls going that way,” he said pointing to the east past the airport landing strip.