Page 57 of Velvet Deception

“He’s not here.”

I jumped at Ramon’s voice. He came out of the kitchen, snacking on an apple.

“Wait. Where’dyoucome from?” I looked at my watch. “You’re still supposed to be in school.”

He shook his head. “The times were wrong on the schedule. I think it was a typo.”

“Oh. But didn’t Diego pick you up?”How could he have when he was told the later time, when I thought he’d need a ride?

“No. Señora Vasquez was, though. She brought me home.”

“Where’s Diego?” I asked.

He shrugged, furrowing his brow. “I don’t know. I walked over from Juan’s house about ten minutes ago and he wasn’t here.”

A knock sounded on the door.

“Why would he knock?” Ramon wondered aloud as he approached the door.

“Wait,” I said as I spun, reaching out to stop him. “Let me get it.”

“I’m closer.” He reached for the doorknob.

“But you don’t know who?—”

Ramon’s small hand spun the knob. Too late.

The door flung open, smacking back against the wall. An already dented-in cave of drywall deepened more with the ball of the knob hitting in the same damn spot from the force.

Men stormed in, and I choked on air. My heart thundered and my lungs constricted. All through my body, with the tension in my muscles as they locked, I suffered the physical effects of adrenaline charging through my system.

No!

I reached for Ramon, pulling him back with me as I tripped and fell, retreating further into the house.

Men filed in. Several of them let themselves inside my home, forcing me toward the corner. I held Ramon with me, not letting go for a second.

Because this was it.

My worst nightmare was coming true.

The Cartel had found us. And they were inviting themselves in whether I wanted them to or not.

No!

I screamed it in my head and I roared it out loud as I backed up with Ramon. He pushed into me, almost wanting to run away through the wall.

Panic kicked in, and I resisted locking down. My trauma was here, in real time, a repeat of what I’d always feared and what I’d survived once.

The last time I’d seen Sebastian was when I escaped after his rape. That time, Ramon had been safe inside my womb, just starting to be implanted after I had been taken against my will. This time, Ramon was a growing, strong boy. I couldn’t protect him with my body again, but I tried to tuck him more behind me, to block these Cartel men from reaching him.

They’d have to get through me first.

They’d have to kill me first to reach him.

“Get out! Get out!” More screams—without any words or making any sense—they all left my lips as the men rushed through my home. For the second time too soon, my safe haven was violated and invaded.

“There he is.” Sebastian strode through the room as his lackeys destroyed it all. Shoving things over, crashing things to the floor. Their laughter rose up, and with their glee and amusement over ruining my home, just for the sick fun and hell of it, I was taken back to how they’d partied and laughed that night I was raped. How they’d made fun of my cries and how I clawed to get away.

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