by Kay Marie
I gape at my phone. I was beginning to think I was never going to hear from her again.
To Wren: I’ll be there.
I stand from the table, grabbing my coffee and purse.
“Cali, I gotta go. I’ll see you back at the house,” I call out to her as I walk out of the bakery. I hop in the car and head straight for the mall, calling Shade on my way.
“Hey, my sweet whiskey girl,” he says when he answers his phone. “What’s up?”
“I got a text from Wren,” I tell him.
“What did she say,” he asks.
“She told me to meet her at the mall,” I say. “I’m headed there now.”
“That’s awesome. I’m glad she finally reached out,” he replies. “Let me know what she says.”
“I will,” I promise and we hang up.
I pull up to the mall and park my car. Walking to Starbucks, I send Wren a text.
To Wren: Walking toward Starbucks now. Be there in 5.
Once I get there, I look around for her. When I don’t see her, I check my phone to see if I missed a call or text from her. Nothing.
To Wren: How far out are you?
I turn around and walk straight into TJ.
“Oh, shit. I’m sorry TJ!”
“No, I’m sorry, hermosa,” he says. “Funny running into you here.”
“I’m supposed to be meeting with Wren,” I explain to him.
“Well, why don’t I wait with you,” he suggests. Something about him is different than the first time I saw him. I can’t put a finger on it, but I have a bad feeling in my gut.
“She actually just texted me telling me she can’t make it,” I tell him. “So, I’m just going to head home.”
“Ah, hermosa.” He grabs my arm and ushers me out of Starbucks. “Now, why would you lie to me?”
“Why do you think I’m lying?”
“I don’t think you are. I know you are.” He laughs. “Stupid girl. It wasn’t Wren texting you. It was me.”
“What? How did—”
“She thinks she lost her phone.” he shrugs. “I stole it, so I could get to you.”
“You have my number. You could call or text me whenever you want,” I say, confused.
“Not when you have your legs spread for some Savage piece of trash,” he whisper-shouts. There’s anger in his eyes. I’m trying to hold my composure, but with his grip on my arm and that gleam in his eyes, I’m freaking out on the inside. He shakes his head, regaining his own composure. “I’m sorry, hermosa. That was out of line. Now that I have you, everything will be okay.”
He wraps an arm around my shoulders and ushers me out of the mall. When we reach his car, he opens the passenger door, shoves me in and takes my purse that has my cell phone in it. He climbs into the driver's seat without my purse.
“Where’s my purse,” I ask him.
“You won’t be needing it where we’re going,” he tells me.
We drive for roughly thirty minutes before we pull up to a house. He gets out and walks to my side of the car, opening the door. I hesitate.
“Get. Out,” he orders. I hurry to get out and follow him into the house. It’s cold and eerily quiet inside. It makes me wonder who lives here. We go straight to the kitchen.
“Sit,” he demands, pointing at the kitchen table. I comply. He shuffles around the kitchen in search of something. I glance around the room. There’s next to nothing on the walls making it feel so empty. Before I know it, TJ is back at my side.
“Here, drink this.” He hands me a small bottle of water.
“I’m not thirsty,” I tell him.
“Drink. The. Fucking. Water,” he grinds out. I take it from him and drink half of it in two gulps. “All of it.”
I chug the last half. I barely get the bottle set on the table when I start to feel dizzy.
“I feel funny,” I tell TJ. The last thing I remember is an evil grin on his face, and then everything goes black.
When I come to, I’m lying in the backseat of a car. It’s a different car than the one we got in at the mall. I try to sit up and instantly regret it. My head is spinning.
“You’re awake,” TJ says. “We’re almost to our destination.”
“W-where are we going,” I stutter out. My head starts pounding and I lay back down.
“Somewhere no one will ever find us,” he says in a frightening tone. I start dozing in and out of consciousness. Sometime later, the car comes to a stop.
“We’re here, hermosa,” TJ tells me as he puts the car in park. He climbs out only to open the back passenger door. He scoops me up and carries me toward a Mexican colonial looking house. My heart damn near pounds out of my chest.
“A-are we in Mexico?” He lets out an evil laugh.
“Close. We’re on the outskirts of Laredo,” he tells me. “This house belongs to mi papa. One of many.”
The front door opens as TJ walks us closer as if someone was watching out the window for us. An older woman is standing in the doorway with a smile painted on her face.
“Hola, mijo. Como es este?” the lady says.
“Hola, Rosa. This is my girlfriend, Sienna,” TJ replies. I’m not sure I heard him right. It sounded like he called me his girlfriend. My head is still spinning, causing me to close my eyes and lean my face into TJ. He starts walking again and this time when he stops, he lays me down on a bed.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Shade
When Sienna called to tell me she was meeting with Wren, I decided it would be a good time to pay Zack a visit. I pull up to his house. From what Tech could find on this guy, he and his family have quite a bit of money. This is a pretty nice neighborhood for someone who just graduated from college a year ago. I walk up to the door and knock. When the door opens, my jaw drops.
“Shade?” Wren is looking at me like she’s seen a ghost.
“What are you doing here,” I ask her.
“Me? What are you doing here?” she shoots back.
“Shouldn’t you be meeting Sienna at the mall right now?”
“What are you talking about? I haven’t talked to her since we had dinner at your house,” Wren tells me. “I mean, I’ve thought about reaching out to her, but I lost my phone a few days ago.”
“Fuck!” I grab my phone and call Sienna. It rings and rings. No answer.
“Shade, what’s going on,” Wren asks with a shaky voice.
“She called me about twenty minutes ago saying you texted her to meet her at the mall,” I explain. “I came here to have a talk with Zack.”
I scroll through my phone to Buster’s number and hit call.
“We have a problem,” I say when he answers his phone. “Meet me at the clubhouse. We’ll need Tech’s help.”
“I’ll be there in fifteen,” he says and we hang up. I call Sketch next.
“What’s up, brother?” Sketch says.
“I need you to keep an eye on Wren,” I tell him. She’s gaping at me.
“Shade, I don’t need anyone keeping an eye on me,” she snaps at me. I shoot her a glare and she shuts up.
“I’ll update you as soon as I find out what’s going on,” I tell Sketch.
“You got it. Shoot me the address and I’ll be there.” We hang up and I text him Zack’s address.
“You know Zack will keep me safe,” Wren tells me.
“Yeah, well, for my peace of mind, Sketch is gonna come keep an eye on you too,” I tell her. She looks to her feet. “Wren, you don’t have to talk to him. He’ll stay outside.”
“You really care about her, don’t you,” she asks me.
“What do you mean?”
“Sienna. I’ve never seen you like this over a woman,” she explains. “She’s not just some fling for you.”
“No, she’s not,” I admit to her. “Are you okay with that?”
“I didn’t want to find out the way I did, but yeah. I am okay with it,” she tells me, looking into my eyes.
“Neither of us wanted you to
find out that way either. We both have been beating ourselves up about it, but wanted to give you whatever space you needed,” I tell her.
“Go find her. We’ll talk later,” she replies, shooing me to my car. I give her a quick hug.
“If you need anything, let Sketch know,” I tell her before I jump into my car and take off.
I pull up to the clubhouse and park next to Buster’s car. He’s sitting at one of the picnic tables outside.
“What’s goin’ on,” Buster asks as I walk up to them. I explain everything to him in record time.
“Fuck, man. Let’s go talk to Tech. I’m sure he can trace her phone,” he tells me. We head inside, going right to Tech’s room. I knock three times. There’s a muffled female voice. I look to Buster, who’s looking at me grinning. Tech has a lady in his room in the middle of the day. That’s not normal for him. He finally cracks his door open.
“Now ain’t a good time, fellas,” Tech informs us.
“I need you to track Sienna’s phone,” I tell him and explain what happened to him.
“Fuck. Give me a minute.” He closes the door. A couple of minutes later, the door flies open and a cut bunny shoves past Buster and I. Buster chuckles and I shake my head.
“Come on in,” Tech tells us. He sits at his desk and types away at his computer. “So she told you she was meeting Wren at the mall?”
“Yeah. Wren found out we slept together and hadn’t spoken to us in a couple of weeks,” I say to him. “We both thought this was Wren finally reaching out to talk things out.”
“But Wren doesn’t even have her phone,” he states.
“No, she doesn’t,” I confirm. He types some more.
“When I ping either of their phones’ locations, it shows them both at the mall,” Tech tells me. “Best bet is for you to go check out the mall and I’ll hack their security cameras.”
“Yeah, alright. Call me if you find anything,” I tell him. Buster and I head back out to the main room. I stop at the bar and glance around the room.
“Rascal, Hollywood, come here,” I call out to them.
“What’s up,” Rascal asks as he walks up to us.
“We need your help. Something’s going on and Sienna is missing. Tech is hacking the mall’s security cameras now. Buster and I are headed up there to look around and see if we can find anything,” I explain to them. Rascal nods.
“I’m in. Let’s go,” Hollywood says. With that, the four of us head outside to our cars and bikes.
“We should all start in different areas of the mall,” Buster suggests.
“Good idea,” I agree. We decide where each of us will go first and take off. I’m on the East side of the mall looking around when I get a call from Tech.
“Did you find anything?” I say when I answer the phone.
“She was at Starbucks when she ran into a guy. I don’t know who he is, but he looks really similar to Torres,” he tells me. “I’ll send some screenshots to your phone.”
“Thanks, brother,” I tell him and hang up. I call Buster to let him know.
“Tech sent me some screenshots. Looks like she was grabbed by some guy that could be part of the cartel,” I tell him. “I’m gonna go show Wren and see if she recognizes the guy.”
“Sounds good, brother. I’ll call Hollywood and Rascal. We’ll head back to the clubhouse,” he tells me. We hang up and I drive back to Zack’s house.
I pull up to his house and climb out of my car. Sketch is sitting on the front steps. He gives me a chin lift as I walk by him. I pound on the door and this time, I come face to face with Zack.
“Can I help you?” he sneers.
“Where’s my sister?” I demand.
“She’s not interested in talking to you. Now leave,” he tells me.
“Fuck that.” I shove him out of my way. “Wren!” She comes running out of the kitchen.
“Did you find her? Please tell me you found her,” she practically begs.
“We haven’t found her, but Tech found out who she was last with.” I pull out my phone and show her the pictures Tech sent me. She snatches my phone out of my hand and studies them.
“Is that . . . ? Zack, look at this.” She holds the phone up to his face. “Is that TJ?” Zack’s face twists in confusion.
“It’s hard to tell, but I think so,” he admits.
“I need to know everything you know about him,” I demand.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Shade
Surprisingly, Zack tells me everything he knows about TJ— which in reality isn’t much. They went to the same college but never had classes together. They met from being in the same fraternity. Zack never met any of his family, due to TJ’s family living too far away and being too busy with their family business. Once Zack is finished telling me everything he knows, I head outside to talk to Sketch with Wren on my heels.
“What’s the word,” Sketch asks.
“I need to get back to the clubhouse and talk to Bull,” I tell him. “We have a Cartel problem.”
“Shade, what does TJ have to do with the Cartel,” Wren asks.
“TJ looks identical to the Capo,” I tell her.
“What’s that?”
“The Capo is the head of the Cartel,” Sketch says. “And as far as we knew, he had no children. The fucker has never been married.”
“So, TJ is what? A love child,” Wren questions.
“Looks like it. Who knows how long Torres has been keeping him a secret,” I say.
“Wren,” Zack calls from the front door. He’s standing there with his arms crossed over his chest.
“I’ll be right there,” she says over her shoulder to him. Looking back to me, she gives me a sorrowful look. “Keep me updated, please.”
“I will,” I promise. She jogs up the stairs toward Zack. He lets her pass him and shoots us glares before going inside.
“I don’t like that asshole,” Sketch says.
“Me either,” I agree.
“Do you think he told you everything?”
“Probably not, but we’ll cross that bridge later,” I tell him. “I’ll call you after I talk to Bull.”
“I’ll be here,” he says.
When I get back to the clubhouse, I head straight for Bull’s office. I knock on the door and wait a beat.
“Come in,” Bull shouts.
“Torres has a kid,” I tell him.
“Tech updated me. He’s digging into whatever information he can get on Torres and the kid,” he says.
“The kid’s name is TJ. At least, that’s what he’s been going by with Wren and her boyfriend,” I inform him. “And he has Sienna.”
“Have you claimed her as your Ol’ Lady?”
“No, but I will if that’s what it takes for us to hunt this asshole down and get her back,” I admit. “I wanted her and I to work things out with Wren before talking to her about it, but now that’s too late.”
“You’re not gonna like this, but I’m calling Church for first thing in the morning,” Bull tells me. I clench my jaw so I don’t say something I’ll regret. “Tech is gonna work all night to get any information we need to track her down. We’ll need that information in Church.”
“I understand, Prez. Thank you.” I stand from my chair, turning to walk out of the room.
“Shade,” he calls, stopping me in my tracks. “We will get her back.”
I head to my room, not wanting to face anyone and not wanting to go back to the house. She has stayed with me for almost two weeks and has her things all over my room. On top of that, my bed smells like her and I can’t handle that right now. I shoot Sketch a text.
To Sketch: Church first thing in the morning. You should be here.
I toss my phone on the side table and lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Sienna
I startle awake, sitting upright quickly. I glance around the room and calm down a fraction. I run through the events of the day in
my head. TJ lured me to the mall, kidnapped me, and brought me practically to Mexico, but why? On top of kidnapping me, he drugged me. I would imagine he did that so I wouldn’t know exactly where he brought me. The bedroom door opens and I turn to see who it is.
“Hermosa, you’re awake,” TJ says. “How are you feeling?”
“Hungry, but better,” I tell him honestly.
“Good. Rosa made us some dinner. Why don’t you come eat,” he offers.
I nod my head and climb off the bed. TJ holds his hand out to me. I hesitate but end up taking it. I have a feeling it will be beneficial not to piss him off. Walking into the kitchen, my nose is assaulted by spices. My stomach growls at the smell.
“What did she make,” I ask TJ, not seeing Rosa anywhere in the kitchen.
“Chicken enchiladas, some rice, and avocado tomato salad,” he tells me.
“It smells amazing.”
“Sit,” he orders. “I’ll make you a plate.”
I sit at the table and wait while he puts a plate together for me. After a few minutes, he brings a plate over, then goes to the fridge for a couple bottles of water for both of us.
“Go ahead and eat, hermosa,” he tells me as he walks back to the counter to make his own plate.
“This is amazing,” I announce after I’ve tried a bite of everything. TJ smiles at me as he sits and starts eating. We don’t talk the rest of the time we eat. When we’re both done, TJ takes me back to the room I woke up in.
“You can watch cable or Netflix. There’s an attached bathroom with a shower and the closet has clothes that should fit you,” he explains to me. “Make yourself comfortable, but don’t even think of trying to run. This place is surrounded by men with guns and they won’t let you get far. That I can promise you.”
TJ shuts the door, leaving me to myself. I check out the closet. It’s a walk-in and it’s full of clothes. I can’t help but wonder if they belong to someone else or if he bought them in preparation for bringing me here. Either way, it’s fucking weird. I sit on the edge of the bed, staring at the black screen of the TV. I glance at the clock on the side table. It’s a quarter to seven. Shade and Cali have to know something’s up by now.
