by Kara Parker
“So you’re their lead driver. How many drivers do they have?” Marco asked.
“Right, like I’m gonna tell you that,” I spit at him. “But I am their lead driver. I’m their best driver and you holding me is a terrible idea. They are going to come for me and they’re going to make you pay.”
“How did you get to lead driver?” Marco asked. “What made them finally trust you with a rig?”
“I was helping out on a job,” I said. “We were out in the middle of the desert moving some expensive jewelry across the border. I was in the passenger seat; it was supposed to be a straight run right to Mexico through the desert. But it was a long and boring trip and the driver hated to drive alone. So I went with him.” That was partially true. I was only leaving out the fact that the driver had been my boyfriend at the time and we were still in the honeymoon phase and couldn’t stand to be apart. “Then we passed this rock outcropping and suddenly there were a dozen guys on us trying to run us off the road. We had an escort with us and they got to work picking the attackers off one by one.
They weren’t a real gang, just a bunch of kids who thought they could play the game. They were easy to deal with, but we were way outnumbered. Then the driver got hit in the shoulder and he lost blood fast and was in a lot of pain. Suddenly the rig started jerking on the road and he lost control. So I grabbed the wheel and even though it was all sticky and covered in blood I took it, and I slid over him and he slipped under me and, the next thing you know, I was driving. He bandaged himself up and aimed a gun at the head of one of attackers. He aimed and shot, popped the kid’s head right off. We ended up taking them all out and continuing on; we didn’t lose a single man in that ride.
After that, they saw that I had talent and they made me a driver and then after years of hard work they made me the lead. I planned the heists, I plotted the routes, I figured out the traffic. You think that just happens? You think people can just drive one these things without any planning. No wonder you have to steal from us; you could never do what we do. That’s why you have to live off of our scraps.”
“You think we live off your scraps?” Marco asked with a laugh. “You don’t know the half of what we do.” I looked at him confused. Los Desperados were known for stealing from other gangs but I had never really heard of them having their own operations. It made sense, though. This bar was huge, there were apartments above it, the bikes out front had been nice, and that stuff doesn’t come cheap.
“Well you don’t do what I do. I’ve moved tens of millions of dollars worth of merchandise in from Mexico. Cops have stopped me and I’ve sweet-talked my way out of searches and tickets. I’ve driven down hundreds of miles of empty desert and up and down mountain paths. Trust me, whatever you do, I do it better.”
“So why don’t you tell me what your routes are, who your shippers and dealers are?” Marco asked, leaning forward on his desk.
“I’ll never tell you anything, ever.” I was breathing hard. I felt tense all over, like a coiled spring that could burst up at any moment. I could sense Julian move closer to me like he could tell I was liable to do anything at that moment.
“Why did you let her live?” Marco asked calmly, but while he was looking at me, he was talking to Julian. “She won’t tell us anything, she said so herself, so what’s the point in keeping her alive? She’s nothing but trouble right now and we don’t need any additional trouble.”
I froze in place. It had been one thing when it was just me and Marco, but now it was up to Julian to defend my life. He had to give his boss a reason to keep me alive.
“It didn’t feel right killing a woman,” Julian said. I looked back at him, but he refused to meet my eye; he was looking at Marco. He shrugged his shoulders and looked away.
“But she’s not just a woman. She’s a full member; she’s said so much the entire time. We shouldn’t treat her any differently just because she’s a woman; isn’t that what you want?” Marco asked, turning to me.
“She is good, Marco.” Julian said. “She was driving alone and she gave us a run for our money. She knew what she was doing. She almost lost us at one point. Good drivers are hard to find. You know that better than I do. We shouldn’t just throw a good one away.”
“Julian says you’re good,” Marco said to me. “That’s a rare compliment. You must be very good.” He looked at me and I stood tall under his gaze.
I refused to let him see me cry or beg or do anything. I needed to stay strong, it had gotten me this far, and it might actually get me out of this
“It’s up to you, Julian,” Marco finally said, turning to the other man. “Either convert her to a Los Desperados and keep her line, or kill her.”
My heart stopped in my chest. I actually felt it stop. I would live or die by Julian; my life was in his hands. I turned around to face him and watched his expression harden. He nodded at Marco and I felt his hand as it encircled my upper arm and he pulled me back and out of the office.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“Where are you taking me?” I asked Julian as he pulled me out of the office and across the bar. I wasn’t really fighting him, not yet anyway. But he was taller than I was and his long strides easily outpaced mine. I was hurrying to keep up with him, my arm locked in the strong grip of his hand. The people in the bar were staring at us as we hurried past. I could see them all giving me dirty looks and shaking their heads and I knew any one of them would kill me if given the chance.
Julian was silent as we walked through the bar and towards a door in the corner. He pulled the door open and pushed me through and as my eyes adjusted to the darkness I heard him close and lock it behind me. Finally I could start to make out shapes and sizes and I saw a flight of stairs in front of me. Where was he taking me? He still hadn’t said what he was going to do with me. I hoped he’d kills me; I hoped he’d make it quick.
He put his hand on the small of my back and I jumped forward and away from him. “Where are you taking me?” I demanded again, my voice clear and strong. I balled my hands into fists and got ready for what might come next.
“My apartment. It’s upstairs,” he said. “Now move.”
“No,” I said, “If you’re going to kill me, do it here. Don't drag me upstairs.”
“I’m not going to kill you. Like I said, you’re a good driver and useful to keep around.”
“You’re not gonna hurt me?” I asked, my hands were still in fists. I had no way to trust anything he said.
“Are you going to behave?” he countered. I didn’t know what to say. The answer was no, but, at the same time, I couldn’t say no; he had implied what would happen if I did. “Go upstairs,” he said again. “I’m not going to hurt you.” I still didn’t move but I also didn’t fight him as he took my arm again and led me up the stairs to another door. He pulled out a key and opened the door and pushed me inside his apartment.
It was nice. There were hardwood floors and, to the right, a spacious kitchen. In front of me was the living room with a large flat screen TV and leather couches and there was a hallway to the left of the living room that must have led to the bedroom and the bathroom. Once inside with the door locked Julian walked past me and into the kitchen where he got himself a beer and opened it taking long swigs before finally putting the bottle down to look at me.
“You live above the club?” I asked him.
“Yep,” he said. “I’m the boss's right hand man. I’m always on call.”
“Well, this is a waste of your time. I will never become a member of Los Desperados, ever. I would rather die.”
“Really?” he asked, putting his beer on the table and walking towards me. He was so tall he was almost on top of me in three steps. He stood right in front of me and towered over me. I barely came up to his shoulder and I had to lean my head all the way back to look into his eyes. “I can do that. I’ve killed before and if you cause me more trouble than I think you’re worth, I will kill you.”
He was right in front of me and I was breath
ing hard, my breasts moving up and down and almost grazing his chest. We were so close our hands were almost touching. He looked down at me and for a moment I was sure he was going to kiss me, but he changed his mind and turned his head away from me.
“Why would I ever work for you?” I asked him.
“Because you don’t have a choice,” he said, looking down at me. “I’m not letting you leave here until you agree to drive for us, so I suggest you get comfortable.” He walked back over to get his beer and then moved towards the living room.
“You can’t keep me here,” I said. “People are going to know I’m missing and they’re going to come looking for me.”
“Here?” He asked. “Who knows you’re here? The Bandits will have no idea who took their truck and they’re not going to call the cops. Face it, sweetheart; you’re stuck here, so you might as well get on board.” He put his beer down and then took off his leather jacket. He was wearing a tight black t-shirt underneath his jacket and I could see the tight six-pack he had and the strong muscles of his arms.
“So I’m your prisoner now?” I asked him. “How long do you think you can keep me here.”
“Oh, I don’t think you’ll make it very long,” he said with a smug smile. “Look at you, you’ve been in this apartment for less than five minutes and you’re already itching to leave. You’re not a girl who can stay in one place that long. One day, two tops, trapped in this apartment and you’ll be begging me for a set of keys.”
“You underestimate me,” I said to him. I was still standing at the entrance to the apartment and I wasn’t sure what I should do. I couldn’t make a run for it; there were two locked doors and a bar full of Desperados behind those.
Julian was standing there with his arms crossed watching me with a smirk on his face.
“Why don’t you come in and sit down,” he offered.
It didn’t seem right. I couldn’t relax and be comfortable here, and I didn’t want to be that close to Julian. I wondered if he could sense it yet, if he had caught the glances I had made at him. I couldn’t help it; he was so tall and strong and handsome. Even as my body was pulled towards his, my mind rebelled and held me back. But the truth was, I wanted to see what he could do with those strong hands of his.
But I couldn’t. The Bandits would never forgive me; they would never welcome me back home if they found I had slept with the Los Desperados who had captured me. It would somehow be an even worse betrayal than if I drove for him.
“What are you thinking about, Daniela?”
Goosebumps spread across my skin as my name slipped through his lips. “Where am I going to sleep?” I asked him. It was late, well past three in the morning, and I was exhausted.
“Why don’t you sleep in bed with me?” he asked with a cocky grin.
“I would rather be shot,” I spit at him and I meant it. The words coming out of his mouth had made the whole thing too real. He was so strong and tall; I knew I would never have a chance against him.
“Are you really going to make this that difficult?” He asked me. “Just join us, Daniela. We make a lot of money in Los Desperados. You could do well with us.”
“Please, you don’t make half of what The Bandits make,” I said.
“We do very well,” he said, but his voice was dark and it was tinged with malice.
I had to be careful about insulting his club. It would be too easy to go over the line and really insult him, and that could make him very mad. This was a dangerous game I was playing. I needed to keep Julian happy so he would keep me alive, but I also needed to make sure I didn’t let him get too close or get any ideas.
“I have to use the bathroom,” I said, needing something to say to break the tension. Every time I glanced up he was looking at me and there was something in his eyes that made butterflies flutter in my stomach. I was worried about his closeness and the two of us sharing this apartment. There were too many opportunities for me to do something I would regret.
“This way,” he said leading me down the hallway. The bathroom was on the right and he flicked the switch and walked in before me. I watched as he grabbed his razors and then with a smile ushered me inside. “You have one minute. I’ll be counting and if I hear you rustling around in there and looking for a weapon I’m gonna come in.”
“Fine,” I said. He let me in and I closed and locked the door behind me.
“Sixty seconds,” he called out. I did my business quickly and then ran the tap in the sink and quietly opened the cabinet doors and looked inside, hoping maybe there was a spare razor or something I could use as poison, but there were only extra hand towels and cleaning supplies.
“Five seconds,” he called out. I scowled and looked around desperately, but while I saw soap and toothpaste, and towels, there was nothing sharp I could use.
“I’m just washing my hands,” I called out. I washed my hands and looked at my face in the mirror. It was me, but I looked tired and there was a swipe of dirt across my forehead. I could see the freckles splattered across my stubbed nose and my bleach blonde hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail. I had no idea how I was going to get out of this. I splashed water on my face and then walked back out into the hallway before Julian came busting in.
“Living room,” Julian ordered and I walked where he said.
I headed over to the couch and watched as he walked over to a cabinet and pulled out some sheets. Then he went over to a low dresser and I heard something clink and watched as he pulled out a pair of handcuffs and shackles. I only had a moment to wonder why he had those and then it occurred to me why he was bringing them out.
“No,” I said, backing away.
“You think I was just going to let you sleep out here unguarded. Do you think I’m an idiot, Daniela?” He asked me. There was something about the way he said my name that made my toes curl. He said it like we had known each other for years instead of two people who had only met a couple of hours ago.
“Why don’t you just kill me?” I said to him. “I’m never going to join you so just get it over with.”
He moved towards me with the shackles and handcuffs in his hands. “I don’t want to kill you,” he said, and I thought he was going to elaborate, but instead he said, “sit down on the couch,” and I felt my knees go weak and I sat back and looked away from him.
He put his hand on my calf. His skin was rough and warm and I gasped a little as he moved it up and down my leg. He ran his hands down to my ankle and lifted it up, putting one of the cuffs around my ankle. He attached the other cuff to the shackle and the shackle to his radiator. I had about maybe three feet of movement. I was trapped.
“What if there’s a fire?” I asked him searching for any excuse to be untied.
“Then I’ll unlock it,” he said getting up.
“What if you’re not here?”
“Then I guess you’ll die,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders. “Or you could join us and we skip over all this nonsense. My bed is far more comfortable than this couch.”
I looked at him. He was sipping his drink and watching me. I could see myself going to bed with him and enjoying it. Our arms wrapped around each other, his strong hands grabbing mine. And then what? Would I try and kill him in his sleep without him waking up or to try and sneak out? Either way, I wasn't liable to get far. I could see his eyes on me and I wondered if he knew what I was thinking. Finally I looked away, out the window that showed nothing but scant trees and bare low hills as far as the eye could see.
“You don’t have to sleep on the couch,” he said.
“I’d rather be out here than in your bedroom,” I said without turning around.
“Fine,” he answered and he the lights all the lights out and I watched as he walked down the hallway to his bedroom. I wondered what his room looked like and what side of the bed he slept on. I wished I were at home in my own bed. I had been so close to making it and now here I was captured with no idea of where I was. I needed a plan, but I couldn’t even
think of where to start. I had no weapons, no money, nothing to convince Julian to let me go.
Silently I put the blankets on the couch and lied down on top of them. I closed my eyes sure that the adrenaline that had been pumping through my system would keep me awake but I was exhausted and I could barely keep my eyes open. I was too tired to plot my escape and I let sleep overtake me and I was out within minutes.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“Rise and shine,” a voice called out.
