“Hola.” I’m in pursuit of my bedroom when I hear Sergio break out in a long string of cuss words.
Living in Mexico, I learned to speak Spanish—not as well as I should have—but I can still carry on a conversation. English is Damian’s first and preferred language. He only speaks Spanish if the person he’s talking to can’t speak English, which is probably why I’ve made English my preferred language as well.
Most of Damian’s men can speak rapid-fire Spanish, including a long list of words my father would cringe if he heard them say in front of me, which is exactly what Sergio is doing. Unfortunately, he’s speaking too fast, and I’m only able to pick up every couple of words.
Shots fired.
Being followed.
Hiding.
My chest tightens with fear.
“Tenga cuidado de todo.” Sergio hangs up his phone. “Get your shit, we’re leaving.”
“Leaving?” I repeat as panic sets in.
“Yes, leaving. Now get your shit and do it quick.” I scurry away to my room and grab the few things I’ve taken out of my suitcase then quickly return to the main room where I see Sergio already waiting for me by the front door.
“What’s going on?” I’m already frustrating him by speaking in English, but I know whatever he was told on the phone is the real reason he’s being an asshole.
“Princess, we don’t have the time to talk about it over tea. Now move your ass.”
“Fuck off,” I reply just has harshly. I start pulling my suitcase out the door when Sergio grabs it from me and starts rushing me toward a dark SUV parked at the very back of the hotel.
“Get in.” I hop in without another word, and the two of us take off. After we’ve been on the road for a while, Sergio picks up his phone and starts reading something. After he sends a text, he throws his phone into the cup holder but remains silent.
I was doing my best to keep the dread I’m feeling from showing, but once we drive up to Border Control and pass into the States—without my father—a rush of fear and confusion takes over.
“What are you doing? Why are we crossing over without Daddy?”
The second the word Daddy passes my lips, an evil smirk forms on Sergio’s face. “Daddy will be fine, princess.” He rudely laughs at my expense.
I hate being treated like a child, and then I go and open my mouth and act like one. Starting today, no more Daddy. It’s Damian or Father.
“When will Damian join us?” I respond softly.
“Not anytime soon, princess. Shit got real tonight, and it’s not safe for anyone at the moment,” he firmly adds, causing another wave of panic to set in.
Sergio has already told me more than my father ever would have, and I’m hoping if I ask him questions that he’ll continue. “Are we going to hide out until it’s safe?”
“We aren’t going to do anything, but you are,” he barks back. I sigh then look out the dark window of our moving vehicle. Lights from a city start to brighten the skyline and a short time later Sergio is pulling into the San Diego airport.
He parks the SUV and proceeds to get my suitcase out. Without a word, the two of us walk into the airport.
“Follow these simple instructions, Belle. Do exactly what you’re told. Are we clear?” he questions while searching my eyes. I glance down as he hands me a sealed envelope. Sealed. Meaning whatever is in there is something that was planned.
“Belle!” he shouts, causing me to jump.
I snap out of my thoughts. “Yes. I’ll follow the instructions,” I tell him, but Sergio doesn’t act like he believes me. “Show them your ID. You have a one-way ticket to San Francisco waiting for you.” He nods his head toward the counter when I make no attempt to move. “Now, Belle,” he says under his breath but loud enough for me to hear.
I take a deep breath...San Francisco? Who or what is in San Francisco? Instead of asking Sergio, I turn and walk up to the ticket counter where a ticket is waiting for me. I hand over everything Sergio gave me and moments later I’m checking my bag and boarding a plane.
As the plane takes off, I glance out at the lights below as an awful feeling takes over. I’ve never traveled alone before, and I know that means something horrible has happened.
Belle
After the flight attendant announced we’d be landing soon, I forced myself to open the envelope Sergio gave me. Inside was American money and a letter from my father, which causes my heart to sink.
Belle,
Something’s happened, and I need you in a safe location. When you arrive at your destination, a letter at the ticket counter will await you. Do exactly as you’re told and I will come for you when I can.
Love always,
Dad
I allow myself a few tears then I put the letter away and set out to make my father proud. I’ll probably never have another chance to prove to him that I’m capable of handling more than he thinks. For that reason, I plan to do exactly what he’s asked of me.
****
After my stop in San Francisco, I quickly boarded another flight headed to Kansas City. I stayed in Kansas City for two days before I boarded my next flight to Daytona Beach, Florida where I stayed for three days.
After that, I boarded a flight to Memphis, Tennessee where I stayed for one night. Then I took a flight to Denver, Colorado where I was instructed to take several cabs before stopping at my final destination...Kate Reynolds home, which is where I’m standing right now.
After almost a week, I’ve heard nothing from my father. Not a word. Even after I promised to make him proud, I’m still angry as hell that he sent me here of all places without even discussing it with me first.
I’m not sure if something went horribly wrong or if this was his plan from the beginning. I was under the impression that whatever happened was unexpected, but a written letter left with Sergio before my father left that night says otherwise.
After the cab driver helps me remove my suitcase and is paid, he quickly drives away before I have ensured anyone is home.
Crap.
Without a phone, I’ll be stuck here until someone shows up if that’s the case. After a deep breath, I walk to the front door then knock before I lose my courage.
Seconds later, the door opens, and I’m greeted with a gorgeous blonde with the same remarkable, green eyes—my father’s eyes.
Looking at her renders me speechless. I suddenly have no idea what I should say.
She tilts her head. “Can I help you?” I blink several times before shaking my head, clearing my thoughts.
“I was told to come here. That you’d help me.” My voice is barely a whisper. Kate’s eyes scrunch before she looks at me with an odd expression.
“Who are you?” Who am I? That seems to be an exceptional question these days.
I nervously bite my lip and look away. I hate that Damian has sprung me on her without any warning. I take a deep breath and glance back. “My father said it was dangerous for me right now and that I should come here and stay with you until I’m told otherwise.” Her mouth drops open. “I’m Belle.”
My announcement has startled her. She blinks several times with her mouth gaped open. Apparently, Damian has kept her in the dark as well.
“Belle? Belle Paasch?” Kate questions.
I nod my head in silence. “Oh, well...come in, please,” Kate nervously replies as she moves out of the doorway, allowing me to step inside.
I look around the entryway and see several boxes. “Sorry for the mess. We just moved in.” Kate peers at me without saying anything else. I hear a few voices and what sounds like water splashing.
“This is quite a surprise,” she adds, which brings my eyes back to hers. “Is Damian coming?” she politely asks as she steps into the living room.
I glance around her beautiful living room before I shake my head no. Kate’s eyes instantly darken. “Oh. I have to say this is very unexpected. I’m delighted to have you here, but you were the last person I was expecting when I answ
ered my door.” An eerie feeling takes over as I watch her talk. There’s something about her—something that has nothing to do with the color of her eyes—that reminds me of Damian. Whatever it is, I know it’s something I’ll never be able to compete with.
Minutes pass as we stand here watching each other until voices from outside cause Kate to smile. “Let me introduce you to my boyfriend and his daughter. Oh, and his best friend, who’s living with us for the time being.” Without giving me time to react, Kate grabs my hand and pulls me into her beautiful home and outside to the backyard where I see two magnificent looking men and one adorable little girl, who are all swimming in a gorgeous pool.
“Hey,” Kate shouts, causing all three of them to stop and look at us. “This is Belle,” Kate announces as my eyes nervously dart between them.
Their easygoing smiles disappear the moment Kate says my name. Even the little girl who was being tossed between the two men acts displeased. Apparently, everyone here knows exactly who I am.
“The real Belle has brown hair like me, not yellow like Kate,” the little girl hollers. I have no clue as to what she’s referring.
Kate chuckles. “Callie, she’s not the Belle from Beauty and the Beast, but she does have the same name.” Her sweet, little face morphs from unhappy to infuriated in a matter of seconds.
“Daddy! You told me it’s against the law to name little girls after real princesses.” I can practically see the steam coming out of her ears, and it’s almost impossible not to laugh.
“I...I...that’s...what I was told,” the man who must be Kate’s boyfriend stumbles to reply.
“Elsa, let’s get out of the pool and dry off then we can visit with Belle,” Kate says. All three of them climb out of the pool, leaving me in a state of confusion. I’m unsure of what the girl’s name is or who she’s mad at. After they dry off, I follow them through another door that leads to a sublime kitchen. Boxes line the walls, but what I can see is impressive.
After my eyes finish scanning the room, I take in the four people before me. Kate is grinning as if she’s almost happy I’m here while the other three are staring at me as if I’m a heinous person sent here to corrupt their lives.
“I’m still in shock that you’re here. I had no idea that Damian planned for you to visit. I wished he would have told me. I would have put a little more effort into the spare bedroom,” Kate says with a smile in her voice.
Whatever I do, I need to tread lightly. If this is the real Kate, then it might take some work on my part to actually hate her, and for the time being...I have nowhere else to go.
I nervously clear my throat. “I don’t think he meant for me to visit you without him, but knowing Daddy, anything is possible.”
Both men chuckle under their breath and then it hits me. I called him Daddy...again.
Damn, this might be a harder habit to break than I thought. Kate, however, glares at the two of them, and they quickly straighten up. I feel a tug on my arm and look down to the little girl.
“My daddy told me real girls aren’t named after princesses. How come you are?” My eyes scrunch at her odd question. I glance over my shoulder, wondering what I should say, only to see Kate’s boyfriend struggling to come up with an answer.
“I live in Mexico,” I tell her before anyone else has the chance to speak. “The rules there are different from here in the United States. But my daddy always said he took one look at me and knew I was Belle.”
The little girl’s face lights up. “My name is Callie, but I like it when people call me Elsa,” she says with a sense of innocence.
“Nice to meet you, Elsa,” I reply with the first genuine smile I’ve worn in a very long time.
Callie starts jumping up and down and clapping. “Now we have two princesses in the house!”
I look away from Callie, and my smile starts to dim. The men standing by Kate share an annoyed expression, one that appears to be aimed at me.
“How long are you staying?” Kate questions.
I shrug. I don’t want to be here, and the urge to leave is getting stronger by the minute.
Kate tries again. “What’s going on? I can’t believe Damian actually allowed you to come here, especially without him.”
“I have no idea how long I’ll be here. Damian said something about taking a trip, and then after we left home, he mentioned the possibility of seeing you, but something happened, and I ended up here...alone.”
“What happened?” the delectable looking man who isn’t Kate’s boyfriend asks.
“Oh, sorry. Belle, this is my boyfriend, Gavin Loman,” Kate says pointing to the dark haired man. “And this is Gavin’s best friend, Kiran Clark.” Kate points to the dreamy blond standing on the other side of Gavin.
Gavin is without a doubt an appealing man, but Kiran is fascinating on a whole other level. Maybe it’s the fact that I know Gavin belongs to Kate. Whatever the reason, my heart speeds up when my eyes lock with Kiran’s.
Kiran is tall, probably well over six feet, with sandy blond hair, and radiant blue eyes. His arms are huge, like he works out regularly. Pair all of that with the stubble on his face and some of the sexiest tattoos I’ve ever seen and he is utterly irresistible.
“Hello? Belle? What happened?” Kate asks. I blink a few times, trying to snap out of my ogling. However, when I glance at Kiran, I can tell he noticed exactly what I was doing.
I take a deep breath, willing my longing thoughts away before glancing back at Kate. “We were in Tijuana. Damian left with a few of his men, I have no idea where Dad—” I stop myself from saying Daddy. “Damian never tells me where he’s going or why, and if it involves his business, then I prefer it that way.” I nervously glance around in time to see both Gavin and Kiran exchange a look.
“I was with one of Damian’s men when he received a phone call. I’m not sure what he was told, but he became anxious and insisted that we leave. Next thing I know, I’m boarding a plane in San Diego.”
“You thought it would be a good idea to come here?” Gavin harshly questions.
I’m already shaking my head. “No, I didn’t,” I clarify.
“Elsa, why don’t you go put a movie on and we’ll eat dinner soon.” Callie was already looking bored with our conversation so she gladly takes Kate’s suggestion and leaves the room.
“Then where did you go?” Kate asks with concern once Callie is out of earshot.
“A few places. I left Tijuana a week ago. Damian might be many things, but stupid isn’t one of them. He wanted me to come here, but he also wanted to ensure I wasn’t being followed.”
Kiran laughs without humor. “I love it. Every awesome story starts out with ‘We were in Tijuana?’ Fuck, I need to go there and create my own memories.” There’s an edge to his voice and his blue eyes appear furious.
Tijuana is nowhere near my hometown. I actually hate that city, but I understand his comment. I’m the daughter of a drug lord, and I brought my problems to their doorstep.
“Cut it out, Kiran,” Kate says with a harsh tone of her own before looking back at me. “You have no idea if Damian is okay?” The fear in her voice is clear.
“No,” I state as Gavin shakes his head and Kiran sighs in annoyance. Coming here wasn’t a good idea. I don’t want to bond with my sister, and I hate what these two men already think of me.
“I text Damian the other day, and it was the first time he didn’t respond immediately. I just thought it was a fluke, but now that I think about it, he still hasn’t text me back.”
I cast my eyes down to avoid anyone noticing my fragile emotions. I text Damian all the time, and sometimes he answers me in a reasonable amount of time, but often that’s not the case. His darling, Kate, however, is a different story.
“If you would rather I not stay here, I can call a cab and go to a hotel.” I square my shoulders and try to project more confidence than I’m actually feeling.
Gavin perks up and starts to nod his head yes when Kate speaks up. “Damian
wants you here with me, correct?”
The note I was given when I landed in San Francisco was clear. I was to board the next flight then continue traveling until I was told otherwise. When I left the last hotel in Memphis, the note the hotel clerk gave me said I was to go to Denver and then take multiple cabs until I arrived here, at my sister, Kate’s, home. I’m supposed to stay put until Damian or one of his men tells me otherwise.
“Yes.” My voice is weaker than I intended.
Kate nods her head. “Then you’re staying here. End of,” she firmly adds, looking between the two men. She sighs before taking my hand and walking us toward the staircase. “I’m sorry, but right now all we have is an air mattress. We’ll go out and get you a real bed tomorrow.”
My heart plummets to my stomach. This is the moment where my hate—or maybe it’s only anger—becomes evident. I need to stop directing it at Kate, who in reality is just as much of a victim of this horrible scenario as I am, and keep it directed at my father. I’m sure Kate wasn’t excited to find out Damian was her father, and she can’t control his reaction to her.
“An air mattress is fine. Please don’t go to any trouble just for me,” I quietly say.
“Nonsense. We’re family. Oh, speaking of that, is it okay if I call Alex and tell him you’re here?” My eyes dart to hers.
Alex? Thankfully, I keep that thought to myself. She’s talking about David and Shelley Johnson’s son, technically...my brother.
I have no idea how to answer that. I read the article that stated that the Johnsons had a three-year-old son at the time of my abduction, but reading the article online, I felt very removed from the situation.
“Um,” I respond as I gather my thoughts. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” Kate stiffens but holds my stare. “Can I be honest with you?” I wait until Kate nods before I continue.
“I know Alex is technically my brother, but that’s not how I see him.” Kate’s eyes thin as she processes my statement. “I’m Damian’s daughter, not Alex’s sister. The two worlds colliding doesn’t feel right.” I nervously swallow. “It could be very dangerous.”
Locked Away (Living With Lies Book 2) Page 2
