Little Doll (19 page)

A dense blow
from his fist to my ribs left me winded beyond comprehension. Wincing with pain and coughing for air, I barely felt Carlos’s weight lift from me as he towered over my body. With his tongue safely back in his mouth and albeit with a pained expression on his face, he stood on the step before me. I wasn’t blind or too ignorant to see the revenge now glistening in his beady eyes. What I didn’t see was his steel-capped boot smash into my already pained ribs. The dull thud was sickening, the impact winding me beyond comprehension. The force of the blow sent me some four feet across the staircase on my stomach.

I
watched with dread anticipation as he prepared to take another swing. My body tensed and my eyes squeezed closed against the impending pain. I waited and nothing happened.

T
entatively opening my eyes, I saw Carlos falling down the stairs, his arms and legs flailing about mid-air. He landed just as hard as I did, an agonized groan sounding from his twisted snarl. Confused by what was happening, I propped myself up on my elbow, wincing as pain flared down the side of my body. Raul was crouched on the floor, both hands covering his mouth and nose, dark blood leaking from between his fingers as he moaned in agony. To the right, a furious Juan loomed over a sprawling Carlos, his boot firmly positioned under Carlos’s chin, crushing his windpipe.

“Mantener sus manos fuera de ella
!” Juan yelled, his anger reverberating through the halls. “If you fucking left a mark on her body so help me God you fucking asshole, I will slit your throat like the fucking pig you are!”

Carlos’s
puffy face turned a sickening shade of purple, his wheezy breath struggling to get into his lungs. Acknowledging his warning from Juan, Carlos blinked rapidly, his legs shaking and kicking in desperation. Juan turned in my direction, his dark expression a frightening sight. Without taking his gaze off me, he released the brute who rolled onto his side coughing and clutching desperately at his throat.

J
uan advanced up the stairs, he remained silent until he reached me, bending at the knees, his arms extended forward.

“Stay away from me,” I said weakly
.

“Not going to happen.” He shrugged off my hostility.
“Come,” he said, scooping me up off the hard marble stairs. I didn’t have the strength to struggle. I ached and hurt like never before. I was certain his reasons for saving me were purely so that my body remained in perfect condition for Alexsonov. The beating I had just received would most certainly leave deep bruising, possibly even a few fractured ribs.

Weak and exhausted, m
y head lolled into Juan’s chest where I cried audible sobs. He responded by tightening his hold, the small show of affection only encouraging the tears. So much had happened to me, my body and my mind tormented for so long, but losing Ethan had been the most devastating blow. Juan pushed open the bedroom and carried me to the bed.

“Shh
,” he comforted. “It is ok now, bonita.” Lowering me onto the comforter, I witnessed unexpected sincerity in his eyes. I wanted to believe him, but I knew he wasn’t the one to promise me safety. Juan stroked his thumb over my cheek, catching stray tears, his intent gaze remaining on mine. He was pissed off, that much I could tell. His brows creased together and his jaw set in a grim line.

Juan wasn’t as handsome as Aiden, being more
a pretty boy compared to Aiden’s manly ruggedness, but his features were undeniably striking. I had often thought it was his eyes that contained so much evil and made him unattractive. That and his treatment of women. However, now, as he sat on the edge of the bed, I saw a different side. His eyes no longer speared mine with wickedness, instead they were filled with concern.

“Thank you,”
I gasped, all I could manage as more tears flowed.

“Roll over,” he instructed gently. “Onto your side.”

Turning my back to him was not a wise move so I remained still.

Juan sighed heavily, looking rather exhausted himself. “Laila, turn on your side.”

Swallowing hard, I did as he said and his hand came to rest on my waist.

Despite it all
, I was thankful that Juan’s hand was soft and tender as his fingers splayed across my ribs, feeling for swelling and checking for bruising. The gentle touch I received both threw me off-guard and had me re-questioning his motives. In all surprise, I found myself enjoying his rhythmic movements that soothed my aching body. I never thought I would see the day I would allow him to touch me so intimately after what he had done over a week ago.

He was being careful not to hurt me
and I was eternally thankful for that. Why he felt the need to be that way with me, I didn’t care, as long as he wasn’t participating as one of my abusers anymore. Moving my face away from the sodden pillow I turned to face him, his grim expression that of concern.

“Thank you,”
I murmured again.

“You have al
ready said that,” Juan replied, his eyebrows pulling together in contemplation.

“I mean it.” A part of me hoped I could instill some humanity into the man who had played a major role in my
downfall. He gave a small nod in acknowledgement.

“
Aiden didn’t tell you he was going to kill Ethan did he?”

No
, he hadn’t!

My heart ached, h
is question striking deep within my soul and sending a barrage of emotions bubbling to the surface. My little brother was gone. There was no way to bring him back. No way to even dignify his life with a proper burial. I had no idea where his body was or if anyone would ever find it!

I shook my head, closing my eyes tight against the pain that consumed my
very being and allowed more tears, tears for my brother, to spill down my cheeks.

“I’m sorry
,” Juan said. He was either truly sincere or a damn good actor.

“Why are you sorry?” I asked
, tentatively.

“Because you trusted him.”

I remained silent for a while contemplating his words and reflecting on my brother’s life.

Juan interrupted my thoughts.
“I will send Sophia in with some ice. You will need it.”

“You’re leaving?” My voice sounded like a needy teenager,
yet in all honesty, I didn’t even know why I even cared he was leaving. I shouldn’t even want this man anywhere near me.

Juan stood from the bed
facing me, his pants tenting at the groin revealing his true feelings. My face shot away in embarrassment and panic.

“
Mamasita, those assholes have done enough damage to you. If I stay and do what I… want to do, then I run the risk of worsening your injuries.”

I remained silent
, not knowing what to say. I didn’t want to give Juan any attention that might be misinterpreted as interest. My body didn’t relax until I heard the door close and lock behind him.

Safely on my own
for the time being, I sobbed until my chest hurt and the violent tremors that racked my body from grief settled me into a drowsy coma.

Piece by piece my heart broke.

Chapter Twenty
-Three

Laila

My eyes
flew open in fright, pitch blackness and a sense of dread meeting me head on. My palms were damp and a trickle of sweat ran down my neck. The tiny hairs on my arms stood on end, alerting me to a potential danger. Someone was in my room and it was making my skin crawl. I felt like the situation was out of my control before I had even woken. My whole body remained rigid in bed, too afraid to move an inch, although my mind was screaming at me to run, but to where?

I waited for what felt like forever in silent agony
, attuning all senses to identify any noises or movements around me.

Nothing!

I forced my aching muscles to relax, allowing my shoulders to settle back on the mattress, chiding myself for my hyper-paranoia. Closing my swollen eyes, ignoring the vibes still haunting me, drowsiness again came knocking.

And that’s when I breathed in his cologne
.

A dip in the mattress next to me sent
me off-kilter until a strong hand clasped over my mouth stifling my scream with a cloth. My attempts to buck him off thwarted by the upper hand he had from the beginning. He lowered his large body onto mine until he encased me with his limbs. I was trapped underneath, the weight of him pressing into my sore ribs.

Seconds
later, my mind became foggy and the world faded around me.

***

The
relentless jostling motions woke me from my heavy sleep. My head was pitifully sore and my body felt weak and ached all over. It was dark in the small space that surrounded me but I could still make out I was in a vehicle of some kind. It was almost a month ago I had been in the same position I was in now, except this time my hands and feet were not bound and a pillow lay under my head. Sporadic street lights offered some break from the darkness but only momentarily.

My mouth was pasty and I c
raved water desperately. I knew there was little chance of finding any so I swished the small amount of saliva I had around in my mouth. All I could do was lay silently staring at the roof of the vehicle hoping for answers as if they might suddenly appear. Memories of what could only have been a couple of hours ago flooded my mind.

I recalled feeling
a presence in my room, then a heavy body on top of mine pinning me down. And that fragrance! A fruit orchard with a hint of spice.

Did he not feel he had
done enough damage to me already, that now he was resorting to drugging me in the middle of the night and kidnaping me from a place where I had already been kidnapped to? My mind rushed through the various theories that could apply to this situation.

Only two reasons seemed plausible. Since Aiden w
as responsible for the death of my brother there could be no reason why I shouldn’t become his next victim. Wanting to dispose of bodily evidence would account for the use of a vehicle. Or he was double-crossing the very men he considers family and orchestrating the transaction with Alexsonov all by himself. Both thoughts were difficult to stomach. I wondered how Juan and Hector would feel knowing the man they had raised and taken in as their own had only backstabbed them and undermined their whole operation.

Turning on my left side, flinching from the pain of Carlos’s
earlier attack, I studied my surroundings closer. I was in the back of a truck-like vehicle which meant there had to be a door latch somewhere. I felt around the lined paneling, but to no avail. There was no lever or handle, which struck me as odd, though a protruding bolt-like fixture in the center of the panel hinted that at some stage there had been a latch.

T
ypical!

My fingers inched higher above the
bolt where I could feel a window pane, the cool hardness the only thing between me and the freedom I longed for. The options were limited in terms of escape routes. Any motion over the back seat could safely be ruled out as there was no way of assessing who else was in the vehicle without running the risk of being seen. Escaping from the rear door was a possibility, but without the latch, timing was everything. But I couldn’t do it on my own. I searched the carpeted floor of the trunk corner to corner but found nothing to assist me. I had nothing on my person except the torn negligee I had been wearing before I was taken… for the second time. Reaching up to touch the ripped strap, I felt some relief, finding that it had been tied in a knot. At least he attempted to protect my modesty for me.

Slumping back on
the pillow and close to acknowledging defeat, sudden hope dawned on me. Reining in my excitement, I flipped onto my tummy, my ribs protesting with the thoughtless motion. I began clawing at the edge of the carpet in the corner of the trunk. If my assumptions were correct, and I prayed with all my heart and soul they were, there would be a spare tire in a wheel well and if so, by rights there would also be a jack kit. My heart pounded with anticipation as the corner of the carpet folded over revealing the metal base underneath. I shifted and maneuvered my body to roll the carpet underneath me just enough to feel around near the wheel well for the jack. My hand passed over the warm tray and then over the rubber of the spare tire. That simple discovery assured me I was on the right track. I couldn’t feel a jack kit on that particular side so I once again shifted my way down to face the other end. Repeating the same process, I peeled the carpet from the edge and under my body. My fingers trailed the metal tray to the tire and surrounding edges.

And there is was. That beautiful, blessed
lifesaving piece of metal at my fingertips. My heart pounded with excitement at the discovery. Finally, something worked to my advantage. Finally, fate was smiling down at me. There it was, only inches from the tire. My weapon to freedom.

***

The vehicle began to slow and move off the smooth tarmac to the rubble on the side of the road. I had already resumed my position of feigning sleep, just the way I had been left.  My heart was rapidly pounding at the thought of what was coming and I willed myself to relax and hoped my rigid body wouldn’t deceive me.

“Check on her. I’m going in
.”

I
t was the first time I had heard anyone speak. It was Aiden’s voice. There was at least one other person travelling with us, and now they were separating.

Perfect!

Two car doors
opened and, moments later, both slammed shut. Remaining perfectly still in the darkness, I honed my listening to the sounds of footsteps crunching the gravel as the person neared the rear of the vehicle. He was inches from me, only separated by the door and window. The anxiety and nervous tension I was experiencing created a sheen of sweat down my front. The lever on the outside turned and the glass lifted high, allowing a cool breeze to flow through caressing my skin.

I could hear the
man’s breathing from where he stood looking down at me. My own breathing had stopped during that time and only recommenced when I heard his boots crunching the gravel when he walked away. This was my time. I needed to act swiftly if my impromptu plan was to work. I sat up quickly, keeping my head low enough not to be seen, but just high enough to peer over the metal side. I recognized him immediately, even though his back was to me. His face was staring into the darkness, a cigarette in hand. It was Jorge, the man Aiden instructed to look after me while he was gone. I had once considered him a protector and he had never given me the impression he would hurt me, which made what I was about to do even harder.

Grabbing the
tire iron I had hidden under me during the inspection, I got to my feet and bent through the opened rear door. Stepping onto the gravel felt like both heaven and hell. It overjoyed me knowing I was almost free, but at the same time, I was pained as the sharp-edged stones stabbed into the soft pads of my feet.

J
orge was still staring into the darkness, but I noted with some urgency his cigarette was almost down to the butt. I had to move fast. Through gritted teeth, I hobbled over the sharp gravel with stealth-like precision. I was closing in on him but I knew almost anything and everything bad could potentially happen in those few short moments.

And it did.

Only two feet away and Jorge turned a few degrees in my direction and I froze. I was so close, I could launch at him and hope for the best, but I couldn’t. My body refused to move. Jorge exhaled the remainder of smoke from his nose and mouth and dropped the cigarette butt on the ground before stomping on it. In a split second, he turned that fraction more to see me standing behind him. I don’t know who got more of the fright, him or me, but we both jumped from the shock. In that same second, his eyes shot up to see the tire iron mid-air, his hands instinctively flying out to grab my arm. It was too late. I had already begun swinging during the moment of shock. The iron smashed against his temple with a sickening, gut-churning thud, opening a gash from which blood gushed. My victim fell, unconscious.

I don’t know why
, given the circumstances, but I felt awful about what I had just done.

***

Running
around to the front of the car I checked for keys in the ignition. They weren’t there. I looked frantically around at my surroundings, but given the darkness there was not much to see. Aiden had gone into what I could only determine was a tiny convenience store, Mexican-style set off the road about fifty yards. He would be back soon and, in all honesty, I was not convinced of my strength and feared that Jorge would come around sooner than I had hoped. My only option now was to run and pray for some divine intervention.

I looked
in the direction we had come, if Aiden were to come after me, he would determine I only went forward. Staying behind my enemy made sense to me. I took off in a sprint down the road, disappearing into the pitch blackness, ignoring the taunting thoughts screaming at me that nothing good ever comes from darkness.