Page 5 of Unhinged

"What?" I ask.

"It's time to get more cocktails. This conversation is too serious and this a holiday to forget about anything serious for one week." Kali sets her hands on her hips.

We all chuckle as she looks so stern.

"I'm not joking." She tosses her beach bag over her shoulder. "Come on, we're going to the bar."

She can be so bossy.

But we all grab our bags, following her off the beach toward the bar by the pool.

"What are you having?" Blake asks, probably because Luna and I have been trying out the bar since eleven this morning.

"Margarita, of course. They're damn good."

"Seconded," Luna says.

Blake nods and glances at the bartender. "Three margaritas, and... What do you want, Kali?"

"I'll have a shot of tequila." She glares at me and Luna. "Got to catch up with these alcoholics."

We all laugh.

"And a tequila shot, please," Blake finishes.

The bartender nods his head and goes to get our drinks. We all gaze around the restaurant. It's our first day here, and it seems quiet. There are few men for Kali and Luna to flirt with. Blake and I don't often concern ourselves with hooking up with random guys, and I've not been near a man for a long time. Blake has been helping me get some perspective on my intimacy issues, even though she doesn't know the root cause.

"Where've you gone to?" Blake asks, nudging me.

I shake my head. "Nowhere," I lie, hating that she'll probably know I'm lying because she's a damn good psychologist.

She's about to speak when a loud noise that sounds worryingly like a gunshot pierces the air.

"What the fuck was that?"

And then there's even more noise that is unmistakable. Machine guns. I stare at the bartender. "What the fuck is going on?”

His eyes are wide as he quickly rushes out from behind the bar. "Run for your lives."

"Shit!" Blake says. "This way." She takes off down toward the beach, and we all follow her, running away from the source of the shooting.

"So much for the resort being safe!" Luna says as we sprint side by side.

I swallow the bile rising in my throat, wondering if we're going to die here in Mexico. It would be a ridiculous price to pay for a cheap holiday. When we get down to the beach, Kali screams. And that's when I see ten men approaching the resort from the beach, all wielding machine guns.

We move to run, but they call out. "Freeze! Or we'll shoot."

We raise our hands above our heads, turning back to face the gunmen. Four of them approach us with their guns lowered while the other men keep them trained on us. They clap handcuffs onto our arms, speaking to each other in Spanish.

I catch some words. Two of the most concerning are'putas perfectas,'which means perfect whores. My stomach twists with sickness.

I can't believe that paradise just turned into a nightmare at the flick of a switch. Never ignore your gut, as I had a bad feeling about this holiday before we booked it, and now I wish I'd listened to that feeling. We won't make it home alive.

3

TAREN

The men march back into the house with solemn expressions. Most of these guys don’t serve Ileana by choice, much like me.

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