“Shall we go down, I’m starving?”
“We shall. I’m famished.”
Walking into the restaurant, our mom and dad wave to us at a table outside.
“Morning,” I greet my parents and give them both a kiss.
“Morning, girls, how did you sleep?”
“Amazing,” Paige, answers.
“What she said,” I agree.
My dad smiles and points to the buffet “Get yourselves some breakfast, the omelets are great.”
Paige and I head to the buffet and start stacking our plates with food. I look up and notice that Pepe from yesterday is outside, talking to another guy whose eyes are on us. Pepe’s not in his uniform today. Instead, he’s wearing khaki shorts and a white polo top. It must be his day off. Paige looks up and smiles. Pepe waves, and she waves back.
“He’s so cute,” Paige says as I continue to add some bacon to my plate. I look up again, and when I do, I find that Pepe is on his cell speaking to someone.
I turn around with Paige and head back to our table. Mom and Dad talk all about the plans they have for us as a family, and I listen to how they have organized for us to go hiking to see the waterfalls and a bus tour to the village.
Paige and I agree and decide today we will head out to the waterfalls.
“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Ambers, are you enjoying your breakfast?”
We look up at the familiar accent and find Pepe is smiling down at us all.
“Yes, we are. Thank you.”
“That’s very good. I wanted to ask your daughter, Paige, if she would like to do some sightseeing with me today? If that’s okay with you, Mr. and Mrs. Ambers.”
“Oh… um...” my mom says then looks at my dad, who is also a little taken back by his offer to take Paige out.
“That’s very nice of you, Pepe, but we have already made plans,” Dad states.
“Dad, please, we can see the waterfalls tomorrow. Please, can I go?”
My dad looks at me with a blank look then back at Paige. “I really don’t think it’s a good idea, Paige.”
I look over at her, and she looks as if she’s on the verge of tears. Feeling sorry for her, I offer, “I’ll go with them, Dad.” I can’t help but feel bad for Paige. She’s at that age where boys are the center of her universe. It should be for me too, but that’s just not going to happen for me anytime soon. Plus, I can keep my eye on them because we don’t even know this Pepe.
My dad turns his eyes to me and links his fingers placing his hands on the table. He then looks back up at Pepe. “Paige can go as long as Alexandra goes with you.”
“Sure, Mr. Ambers. How do they say in English? The more, the merrier?” Pepe’s eyes then turn to me, and I sense a feeling of annoyance, but then the look is soon replaced with a smile. “What time will you ladies be ready? Say an hour?” he asks, looking at his watch.
“That will be perfect, Pepe,” Paige answers, and I look at my watch thinking it will be ten o’clock by then.
“Okay, good. I will see you both out front. Enjoy the rest of your breakfast.” Pepe smiles at Paige, then turns and walks out of the restaurant.
There’s something about him that’s off, but I can’t figure out what it is.
“Well, looks like our plans have changed. We will do the waterfalls tomorrow. then.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I say.
We continue to eat our breakfast, and then I look at my watch. “I’m going to go and get changed into something else now we’re leaving the resort.”
Paige and I stand and kiss our parents, then go to turn when my dad grabs my hand gaining my attention. I look down at our hands then back up at him.
“Take care of your sister, Alexandra. Stay together and call us to let us know where you are. You’re older and have a good head on your shoulders.”
If only you knew how wrong you are, Dad.
I nod and agree.
Dad lets my hand go, and I catch up to Paige to go back to our room to change.
***
Heading out front of the resort, I spot Pepe in a yellow roofless Jeep. The guy he was talking to earlier is there too, and I hold Paige back.
She turns to me. “What are you doing, Lex? Pepe’s over there.” Paige points to where he and his friend are waiting.
I reply, “I’m not sure about this, Paige. I mean, who is that guy with him?”
She shrugs her shoulders and looks back. “Don’t know, but he’s cute, too. Now we both have dates.”
Something doesn’t feel right, so I keep her still. “I don’t think we should go,” I say.
She turns to me with wide eyes. “What do you mean? Why are you ruining this for me? Mom and Dad said we can go. Why are you being like this, Lex?”
I sigh and let out a breath. “I don’t know. It’s just a gut feeling, I guess.”
“Ladies, ladies, are we going?” Pepe joins us, and I look for his friend who’s in the driver’s seat of the Jeep. Paige smiles at Pepe then looks at me with a hopeful look on her face.
Oh, Paige, the things I do for you.
“Um…”
“Yes, we are,” Paige takes over the conversation. “We’re going. Come on, Lex. Let’s go.” I take her outstretched hand, and we walk together over to the Jeep.
“This is my good friend, Mario. Mario, these are the girls I told you about. This is Lexi, and this one here is Paige.”
“Nice to meet you both,” he adds, his accent is strong and thick, even more so than Pepe’s. Mario has dark curly hair with a bit of scruff on his face. His eyes are green, and his smile shows his beautiful white teeth. Maybe in my past I would have been happy to be going on a drive with someone like Mario, but today, I’m not feeling so sure. I place my shoulder bag around my body, so the handle is across my torso, and get into the back of the Jeep after Pepe forces the front seat forward. Paige then joins me, and Pepe sits in the front with his friend, Mario.
Mario looks at me through the rearview mirror and smiles. I force a smile, but at the same time, I feel uncomfortable being in his car. Pepe turns into a tourist guide as he explains the history of the island. We pass some huts and a village and then head out a little further, driving alongside the ocean. I reach for my cell and pull it out of my bag seeing if my parents have tried to call and find I have no reception.
Shoot!
I place it back in my bag and look at Paige—she’s hanging off Pepe’s every word, and he knows it too. I look to the side of the Jeep trying to settle this bad feeling that is rising in my stomach and try to enjoy the scenery of the ocean. Now and then, I catch Mario looking at me through the side mirror and just smile.
An hour must pass when Mario parks the car on the side of a road where a Mexican food stand sits. There are a few chairs and tables scattered around. Pepe decides we need to try the enchiladas as they are the best you can ever taste, and we agree. While Pepe and Mario are at the food stand, Paige and I stand and look out at the ocean.
“It’s really beautiful here,” I say to Paige, and she agrees with a nod.
“Lex?”
“Yeah?
“Thanks for coming with me. Dad wouldn’t have allowed me to go on my own if you didn’t come.” I shrug it off. “Sure, anytime, you know I will always have your back,” I reply, smiling at her.
“Here you go. Two enchiladas and two sodas.”
Pepe asks us to follow him to one of the tables where Mario is sitting. He’s already delving into his food, so we take a seat and begin to unwrap ours.
“This smells delicious,” I say as the scent of the enchilada makes my mouth water.
Pepe smiles. “I told you. Wait till you taste it.”
As I bite into it, I notice Pepe has stopped eating and is looking at something behind us.
Just when I’m about to ask him what’s wrong, a loud bang sounds from beside us, and I notice that the enchilada stand has rolled down their window and is locking it causing a large bang to sound out.
All of a s
udden, out of nowhere, a black van with tinted windows flies down the highway, then stops right in front of us, causing dust to storm everywhere. Before I even know what’s happening, I’m being dragged by someone who has his hands linked under my arms. I begin to scream and kick and cry out, but they don’t stop.
I can hear Paige beside me screaming too and calling my name, but it’s no use, all our efforts are for nothing because they are too strong. I kick some more and try to get my feet to dig into the dirt, but then another person lifts my feet to keep them together.
I cry out like a wild cat, begging them to let Paige and me go.
Abruptly, I’m thrown into the back of the van with Paige, where two men are there waiting for us with duct tape. They quickly bind our feet together to keep us still then do the same with our hands tied behind our backs.
As one of the assailants gets close, I reach out with my head and bite down hard on his ear. He screams until I can taste blood in my mouth and then let go.
“You fuckin’ puta.” His hand comes out and slaps me across my face with so much force, it makes me fall back and hit my head hard. I groan in pain and immediately feel my cheek burn with the hit.
“Lexi, are you okay?” Paige cries out.
I sit up slowly trying to balance myself with my tied hands, ignoring the pain in my cheek, then beg, “Please, let her go. Take me, but please let her go.” Desperation reaches my voice, and I try hard to be strong and not cry. They don’t respond, continuing to bind us and place us up against the van wall.
Paige cries, breaking my heart that I can’t comfort her, and I focus on her trying to gain some control. “Paige, look at me,” I demand, and she does. “Focus on me, Paige. Only me.” Paige continues to cry as tears stream down her face, and when she finally focuses on me, I say, “It will be okay, I promise.”
“You talk too much, bitch.” I hear a man say behind me with the now bleeding ear.
“Shut them up,” a voice says beside him.
It’s so dark, I can’t make out his face, but his voice is familiar, it’s Mario. Before I can say anything further, he wraps a cloth around my mouth and ties it behind the back of my head. I try and scream, but it’s too muffled, and my words don’t come out clearly. I watch on as they do the same to Paige and cover her mouth.
I try to be strong for both of us, but it’s so damn hard. At this point, I’m freaking out and trying to work out what’s going to happen to Paige and me and what their plans are for both of us.
Dammit! I knew there was something off with Pepe, but rather than listen to my instincts, I decided to make my sister happy and go with her. It was either that or let her go alone. I knew, either way, she was going to go, and if I was with her, then I thought I could protect her.
Boy, was I wrong.
Why was I so stupid?
The van takes off at full speed causing the tires to screech. We roll around on the floor with nothing to keep us balanced. I can hear the men talking in another language, and I’m guessing it’s Spanish. One of their cells rings, and Mario answers.
I’d give anything to know what they are saying.
Two men are squatting at the back of the van, and I can just make out guns tucked into the inside of their jeans.
My God, who are these men?
Are they going to kill us?
One of them reaches out and rubs the back of his hand down Paige’s cheek causing her to flinch. Trying desperately, she pushes herself backward, but all it does is corner her to the back of the van.
The man laughs and says, “Pepe did good. You will bring us good money.”
Wait! What? Good money?
Oh my God, they’re going to sell us.
Fear hits me hard in the pit of my stomach as I imagine being sold to a total stranger. Paige cries out when the man reaches into his belt and unbuckles his blade. He traces the point of it against the side of her face and down her cheekbone.
I try to scream to leave her alone, but no one can make out my words. The man with the blade looks at me with a snarly smirk. I notice a scar on the side of his face, and one of his eyes looks odd. It’s a strange color making me think it’s a glass eye.
“Don’t worry, puta, I’m not gonna hurt your sister. I just want a look.”
A look? Oh no, oh no.
His blade comes under her chin then travels further down her neck to her cleavage. Paige cries out—I can tell she’s afraid.
I keep trying to gain her to focus on me, but all she can do is look at the blade. He then places the tip of it between two buttons on her dress and cuts, revealing her breasts in her white lace bra. Paige’s eyes widen as his hand comes out and cups her left breast, the men in the van laugh as he continues to squeeze it.
Paige screams and tries to pull back, but she has nowhere to go.
I feel so helpless. I want to stop them, but I can’t. I simply can’t move. All I can do is try and get her to focus on me to forget what’s actually happening to her.
“Yesss, puta, we will get good money for you. Are you pure?” he questions with a slick tone pinching on her nipple causing her to cry out in pain.
I attempt to undo my wrists, but the duct tape is way too tight and sticky. I attempt to yell at him to stop, but he ignores me again and continues playing with her breasts.
“I think you are, aren’t you?” His knife then travels lower to her bare thigh. I hold my breath when I watch as the blade travels up between her thighs. She’s sobbing, and I scream, but it's all for nothing because you can’t hear my cries.
“Scar, that’s enough,” a voice sounds from the corner of the van.
This man’s voice holds a sense of authority, and I catch a quick glimpse of him, but this voice doesn’t have an accent—he has an American accent. He’s been quiet all this time sitting in the corner, and now he’s finally decided to talk. I’m glad, though, because it seems this Scar man listens to him and pulls his knife away from Paige’s body.
Scar swallows hard and narrows his eyes. Something tells me that Scar doesn’t like taking orders from the stranger.
“Clemente said not to touch them. So, don’t fuckin’ touch her.”
“I was just playing.”
“She’s not yours to play with, now leave her the fuck alone.”
I sigh in relief when Scar sheaths his blade and places it back in his belt. I try and glance to the man beside me, and I can just make out dark hair and the silhouette of his body. One thing that stands out about him is that he’s wearing a white shirt and tie.
The van suddenly comes to a stop, and I can make out the sounds of a gate opening. We take off again, and the road becomes rough like we’re traveling on a dirt road as we are shoved from side to side with the movement.
Finally, the van comes to a jolting stop, and the doors are opened and then slammed. The two doors at the back of the van are unlocked and then pulled open. Pepe pushes them wider as two men step out of the van, then drag Paige’s body out, one holding her arms while the other holds her legs. Then Mario and Pepe grab me, and once again, I try to fight them off, but then figure out early that there’s no use using all my energy when I’m never going to get out of the clutches of these two let alone these ties and run for the hills.
I’m carried out of the van, and the sunlight causes me to close my eyes as I try to adjust to it. When I look up, I notice we’re at an airport. I scream not wanting to fly anywhere, knowing that if we get on a plane, we may never come back. I struggle as Pepe and Mario grab my arms and legs and carry me through gates and then up the stairs of a private plane.
My head is in turmoil—I can’t get on this plane, I can’t.
I keep begging them to let me go, but my words don’t come out, and even if they did, I doubt they would listen to me. I’m dropped unceremoniously into a seat. I immediately try to get up to run, but I’m held down by the two men.
Mario gets in my face and says, “You try to run, and I’ll fuckin’ kill you on the spot.” He pulls out a
gun from the back of his jeans and points it at my forehead. I freeze, scared for my life that he will pull the trigger, and then I’m held down as Pepe injects something into my arm. I cry out at the sudden sting but almost instantly feel myself becoming drowsy.
The last thing I remember is blacking out.
***
I wake up to us in the air, and the first thing I see is the black sky out of the window and realize we must have been in the air for a few hours. My mouth gag has been removed as well as the tape on my ankles and wrists. I try to look around to find Paige, but I’m so drowsy, I can barely keep my eyes open. The drugs they gave me are doing a number on me. Slowly, so as not to cause dizziness and nausea, I turn my head trying to locate Paige, and see her fast asleep in a chair on the other side of the plane. They must have drugged her too. My eyes feel heavy, and as much as I’m trying to fight it, I fall into a heavy sleep again.
I wake to being lifted into someone’s arms, and I turn to the man who’s holding me and recognize Mario.
Mario, the reason we are here.
“Let me down,” I scream and wiggle in his arms.
Mario doesn’t respond. He keeps his eyes forward, and I follow his line of sight and take in the mansion we are walking into.
It’s a white three-story house with double wooden doors at the front. I look up and notice a balcony that’s spread out surrounding the entire house, and there are men in camouflage gear and shotguns who are standing in each corner with their eyes looking out into the distance.
I glance back trying to see where Paige is and find her asleep in Pepe’s arms. I can’t help but glare at him, then turn to face forward when Mario climbs the front stairs.
At the entrance, there are two armed guards dressed similarly to the others on the balcony above us. As soon as we step in, Mario removes his arms from around me, letting me slide to the floor. I’m a little unstable but soon get myself together.
I look around, and the first thing I notice is a large staircase that leads up to different levels of the house. Marble tiles are on the floor, and the walls have many tapestries hanging on them.
Lexi, Property of Rhyder: A Motorcycle Club Romance (Blood Brothers MC Book 6) Page 8
