Little Doll (23 page)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Aiden

In a matter of hours we would
be back on the road but at that moment all I cared about was the sight in front of me. Laila looked so beautiful curled up on the couch. She was sound asleep, her chest rising and falling gently with each breath. Asleep, she looked innocent, naïve – like the world had not yet tarnished her. No doubt her dreams probably told another story. Dread filled me as I thought of the nightmares she had most likely experienced since this ordeal began for her.

The sun was about to rise and I could feel myself relaxing knowing we were safer
during the day. Being able to see our surroundings miles in each direction eased the anxiety that had been building since we left the mansion.

Danny had gathered all
we required for a safe transition and now we awaited nightfall before once again making our move. I needed sleep, desperately. Fatigue had struck me hours ago, but I had to discuss the finer details with Danny to ensure no mistakes were made. Jorge played sentry while I got some rest.

Reluctant to leave Laila
alone, I lifted her off the couch. She groaned a little at the movement, but her eyes stayed closed and her breathing remained steady. Her head lolled against my shoulder and I couldn’t help but smile. If she could only see herself now, she would go berserk.

I took her to the spare
room upstairs and lay her down on the bed. Her arm immediately hooked around a pillow, pulling it closer, her face nuzzling into the softness. I crawled gently onto the mattress behind her and resisted the urge to spoon, instead deciding on a somewhat safer distance. Knowing Laila was close to me was refuge enough.

Wrestling with my thoughts kept me awake longer than desired. What would I do if my plan failed? I needed a backup. But more urgently, h
ow could I ever get this woman to forgive me?

Chapter
Twenty-Eight

Laila

The
brilliant sun shone through the curtains illuminating the room.

I had no idea what time it was but
the sun sat high in the sky, which meant it had been some hours at least since I fell asleep. Light snoring and warm breath on my back brought me crashing back to the present. My body immediately tensed at the sound, my eyes widening in horror. How could I have allowed myself to be so vulnerable? For the last month I had learned to sleep with one eye open, always maintaining my own security as best I could. The last forty-eight hours had been quite taxing on me mentally and physically and I was evidently letting my guard down.

Slowly
turning onto my back, ignoring the dull ache in my body, I saw Aiden on his side facing me. He looked so much at peace with both of his hands tucked under his cheek. In a strange way, he lying next me actually felt normal. What we shared had only been fleeting, but incredibly passionate. Since then, however, things had changed, and what we once shared had become nothing more than a lie, a deceitful, cunning lie where there had been a winner and a loser.

I refused to be the loser in this equation. I had been lying here feeling nothing but sorry for myself that I was allowing time to take away the opportunity staring me in the face.
The thought struck me so fiercely I forced my body not to react with obvious joy. Slowly and surely, I made my way to the edge of the bed, being careful not to rock or dip the mattress. Aiden didn’t stir at my movement and my confidence only continued to mount as I walked past the bed and through the door. Although the floor was tiled and wouldn’t creak under my weight I still found myself tiptoeing in an attempt to quiet my movements. Descending the stairs, I saw my target in sight.

The door would soon be within my reach and beyond
that my freedom awaited. I’d be damned if I allowed Aiden to simply palm me off to the next pervert in line. My hand reached the doorknob, my heart pounding with anticipation and sheer excitement at what lay beyond.

“Leaving without saying goodbye?”

Shit
... seriously?

I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. My hand fell from
the knob, shoulders slumping, my forehead resting against the wooden door. God truly did hate me. Why he didn’t just strike me down with lightning was beyond me!

“I know at least one other person would be upset
without a farewell,” Danny said.

“Shh
,” I hissed and turned urgently to quiet him. My eyes flicked to the landing up the stairs. I didn’t want Aiden to stir. “Don’t talk so loud,” I pleaded. Then I noticed Danny was stripped to the waist, his ripped muscles on full display.

Jesus Christ, he was well put together!
A blush colored my cheeks, but I held his gaze, albeit a little shakily.

He eyed me suspiciously
, ignoring my embarrassed reaction to his semi-nakedness. “Why are you trying to sneak out without Aiden knowing?”

“Why do you think?”

I thought it was obvious, yet he looked surprised by my question.

“It’s not totally fair on
him.”

“I don’t owe him anything!” I replied bitterly
.

“Oh
, I think you do.”

“What would you know?”

“Enough,” he said matter-of-factly crossing his arms, causing his biceps to bulge.

I remained silent knowing
it was expected Danny would have Aiden’s back so there was no point in arguing.

“It’s not for me to say
–”

“Then don’t,”
I interrupted.

H
e ignored me. “He's done things the way he has to make things better for you.”

I scoffed. “How so?”

“You've come this far with him; he should be the one to tell you. Besides, you are not quite out of Hector’s reach yet. You're very trusting, Laila, but of the wrong people.”

I didn’t know what to say to that so I said nothing.

“I can see what this has done to him," Danny continued. "He isn’t the same man. Whether that’s guilt, remorse, love, I don’t know, but he isn’t the same.”

“Love?”

“Even Aiden has a heart.”

“
Monsters don’t have hearts.”

He considered me for a moment before continuing.
“Look, all I can tell you is soon he will be in a position to explain everything. Right now though, his brother and father have put a bounty on Aiden's head and all because of you, so come into the kitchen where I've been slaving away all morning making breakfast and cut the man some slack, would you?”

I did as I was told
, resigned to the fact my escape plan had been thwarted. Danny’s talk of Aiden and ‘love’ only incited more rage deep within. I couldn’t afford to get swept up with emotions like that.

Danny placed
a comforting hand on my shoulder and led me in the direction of the delicious aromas.

“You will soon
realize, Laila, that while Aiden is fighting your demons, he is also fighting his own.”

Chapter Twenty-
Nine

Aiden

Night had fallen and we were back in the car travelling to our next destination. Before we left, Danny had packed me a few items of his sister's and hooked his arm around my neck in an endearing manly hug goodbye.

Aiden had left me
alone for most of the day. I didn’t dare broach the topic of him sleeping next to me in the same bed and Danny kept quiet about my attempted escape. Everyone appeared to be more or less focused on the task and I kept my distance. I absently watched the three men spend a considerable amount of time cleaning their various handguns and knives. I didn’t know what they were expecting once we left the house, but it set my nerves on edge.

I hadn’t been privy to the information
about the night’s operations and, in a way, I no longer cared.

The landscape passed
, but I couldn’t see anything in the pitch blackness. Instead, I watched ahead from the back seat as moths fluttered around in the headlights seconds before getting smashed against the windscreen.

“Laila,”
Aiden began tentatively. He looked at me through the rear view mirror. “We are about to approach the border. I’m only going to tell you once. Keep your mouth shut. Do you understand?” He was an arrogant prick when he talked business, but I didn’t care for that either. I was now just excited we were crossing the US border.

“This is important
, Laila,” he said, growing frustrated at my silence. “Do you understand?”

I heard a click from the passenger s
eat where Jorge was sitting. He turned to face me, his pistol pointing above the seat toward my body. I swallowed hard, my mouth dry as fear racked my body.

“Don’t fuck
this up,” Jorge warned. “I’m not prepared to go down for you.”

Even in the dark of the cab I could see Aiden’s face reddening. “
Put the fucking thing away.”

J
orge’s unkind eyes lingered on mine, ensuring the warning had been made clear.

“
Laila, some of the men at the border work for Hector. We can only hope he thinks we are staying in Mexico and not crossing the border. If they have been informed, it will make our mission a lot more complicated. It will be in your best interests if you remained calm and didn’t draw attention to yourself.”

He waited until I nodded.

“Just so you know, the name on your new passport is Sarah Anderson. Don’t forget it.”

Aiden eyed me exp
ectantly in the mirror. Again, I gave a short nod of acknowledgment.

Half an hour passed before lights ahead welcomed us with an ominous undertone.

“Get the paperwork out,”
Aiden instructed Jorge, “and let me do the talking."

H
e paused.

“Lai
la?”

“I know,”
I said, but somewhere inside my head a voice called me a liar.

The car slowed to a crawl as we lined behind a few
vehicles already being inspected by border officers. The tension within the cabin was palpable. Jorge was chewing his fingernails nervously while his foot tapped relentlessly on the floor. Aiden cleared his throat more than ten times within a one minute period, the muscles in his throat and jaw twitching with anticipation. I remained still in the back, observing my surroundings and trying to collect the million thoughts running through my head.

The car edged forward,
ours now the only one waiting under the bright lights. Two officers approached once we pulled to a complete stop, moving to either side of the car to peer inside.  They looked American, but after Aiden’s warning earlier, I couldn’t be sure of their allegiance.

“Evening,”
the officer on Aiden’s side greeted us.

“
Evening, officer,” he replied calmly. The man on Jorge’s side remained stoic and unreadable as he looked around the front of the car.

“
Where you travelling to?”

“San Diego,”
Aiden replied with confidence.

“Where’s your paperwork?”

Jorge handed the paperwork to Aiden who then passed it to his officer. He made a show of reading and handing back the first two passports, until he got to the third. The officer paused; standing straight, he studied the document before reaching to his utility belt for his flashlight. Shining the torch past Aiden, I squinted against the glare.

“What’s your name
, sweetheart?” he asked. I knew immediately I was being baited.

“Her name is on the passport.” Aiden butted in before I could reply.

“If you want to cross the border you best keep your mouth shut.”

His tone
was harsh as he addressed Aiden. Turning his attention back to me, the man's scrutinous gaze caused my body to heat like a furnace from the inside out. “I believe I asked you a question, ma’am.”

“Sarah.” I spat the name out so quickly I barely heard it myself.

“No… you don’t look like a Sarah.” He was reeling me in further and I had no idea how to slip the line. “You know what she looks like, Pete?” The officer turned to his colleague who stood as still as a statue, the barest hint of an amused smile playing on his lips. “She looks like Mexico’s most wanted.”

He smiled
smugly while shining the flashlight back in my face. “Yeah, that suits you better, don’t it, sweetheart?”

Both Aiden and J
orge sat straighter in their seats at the revelation these
were
Hector’s men. 

“A lot of fuss over one girl isn’t it
?” the man mocked. “Though I can see why.”

I felt sick at his leering. Aiden’s jaw once again went in
to twitch overdrive. It was fair to say he was mad.

“I tell you what,”
the officer began. “We have orders to shoot and kill if we see you, but quite frankly the paperwork for shooting to kill around here is a bit of a bitch, especially when the incentives are so low. So how’s about a blow job for each of us and we pretend we never crossed paths?”

Both officers laughed at their proposal. I wanted to vomit.

“Sorry bro, but I don’t do men,” Aiden mocked, his comeback quieting the officers.

“
Luckily I’m not talking about you, sweetheart,” he replied before shining the torch back at me.

“But she will do.
Get out of the car,” he ordered in a frighteningly authoritative tone.

I wasn’t sure what
my move should be. Aiden had warned me to keep quiet, but this was an entirely unplanned scenario that came with no instructions. The sudden thought chilled me to the bone. Aiden hadn’t thought this would be an issue which meant he didn’t even have a plan.

“Are you d
eaf? I said get out of the car!”

T
he officer walked to my door, throwing it open. Instinctively, I slid to the far side of the back seat, but he had already grabbed the inside of my thigh, his fingers digging painfully into my skin. Having dragged me over to the door, the officer set me on my feet. His hand grasped the back of my neck, turning me around before slamming me against the trunk of the car. He was handling me like a common criminal and I was torn between feeling embarrassed by the treatment and once again fearing for my life. My pained ribs screamed to life at the continual abuse they suffered, every inhale only adding to the agony.

Aiden was out of his seat
, rounding on the asshole restraining me. In the commotion, I could see the officer on Jorge’s side yelling and pointing his pistol over the roof of the car.

“Sir, get back in the car,”
he ordered in a no nonsense tone yet Aiden ignored him, his focus unwavering from the officer next to him.

“Have this instead,”
Aiden opened his jacket subtly to reveal a brown paper bag on the inside.

“I’ve got
what I want, sit the fuck down,” the officer barked.

“Get back in the fucking car,”
the other one yelled again.

“
Five hundred dollars, take it, but give me the girl back unharmed,” Aiden urged.

The place was deserted except for a few
other officers lurking around their stations cautiously minding their own business.

“Fine
, but I’m going to need that wrapped in something else other than a brown bag. Don’t want the camera’s picking up any sign of this shit, you know what I mean?” He now sounded like a dodgy drug dealer trying to seal a deal.

“I understand,”
Aiden agreed. “Here, take the jacket,” he shrugged the leather jacket off his shoulders being careful not to let the package fall and handed it to the officer who released me from his hold.

“Get in the car,”
Aiden ordered. I didn’t hesitate to put distance between me the offending officer.

“Don’t let me se
e you cross this border again,” the officer announced, somewhat distracted as he studied the contents within the jacket without looking suspicious.

“Don’t plan to,”
Aiden replied under his breath.

Content with what he saw
within the jacket pocket, the officer put on a dazzling smile as Aiden lowered himself to his seat.

“Pleasure doing busine
ss with you, sir. Enjoy your evening.”

T
apping the side of the car, the officer indicated for us to drive across the border. Only when the border lights disappeared behind us did we all breathe a desperate sigh of relief.