Page 11 of Saving Blood

“Please don’t hurt me,” she pleaded. “I promise if you let me go I won’t tell a soul what happened. I’ll leave California, and you’ll never see or hear from me again.”

“This is what happens when you’re not paying attention,” the older man said. “Or when you’re too concerned with getting your dick wet.”

“I needed the woman to distract Manuel, and she wouldn’t leave without her friend,” Rafael countered. “I had it all planned out. I drugged her drink in the club and?—”

“You drugged my drink?” Chastity tried to twist out of his hold.

“I figured she’d sleep long enough on the patio for me to get rid of all of them, but when I went back outside, she was gone.”

“And instead of doing a thorough search, you acted without thinking. It’s this kind of sloppy work that trips you up every time.”

“Manuel is dead, and that’s what you wanted.”

“Yes, but now the cops have seen her.” The older man flicked his hand at her like she was an annoying gnat.

“So, we have enough LAPD on the payroll to make them forget what they saw.”

“Again, your arrogance gets in the way.” The father shook his head in disgust. “Since it was a random 9-1-1 call, they sent cops we don’t own. They were honest cops who will certainly remember a young girl if she turns up dead in some deserted lot a few days from now. A young girl who can be traced back to this house and to us.”

Chastity’s knees weakened and then threatened to buckle under her. “Please, please, don’t shoot me.”

They reverted to heated Spanish, and Chastity guessed by their inflections the future wasn’t good for Rafael or her.

“I can make her disappear in a way they will never find her,” Rafael offered in English.

The two men talked about her like she wasn’t in the room. Like a piece of damaged furniture to be disposed of out of inconvenience.

“I can’t depend on you to do the job right.” The older man frowned. “And since I can’t afford to take that chance, I will have to take care of it myself.”

Chastity gathered up all her strength in a last effort to save her life. “I’ll do anything you ask. Anything you say. Just don’t kill me.” Chastity’s eyes darted between the two men.

They exchanged a look, then the older man walked around Chastity, appraising her. “She might be useful in another way.”

The two men shared a deadly smile. “Exactly what I was thinking.”

“We could ship her down to Rosarito tonight with the others,” Rafael said. They reverted back to Spanish, and as they babbled on, Chastity’s mind spun, trying to make sense of what would happen to her. Then Rafael tightened his grip on her arm and forced her to the back of the house. He stopped by a door, punched in some numbers on a keypad, released the latch and pushed her into a small square room.

“From now on, you’ll be Hector Rodriquez’s problem.” Rafael threw her a look she couldn’t determine, then turned and left.

As the door slammed behind him, Chastity found herself locked in a room measuring eight by eight. A hysterical bubble of laughter threatened. Once again, she was helpless and locked in a closet, but instead of the usual fear, she experienced anger. An anger so fierce, so potent, it buoyed her up and gave her strength. She was no longer a child without power. She was a grown woman, and if she made it to Rosarito alive, she vowed someday she would get her revenge.

Her oath energized her. If nothing else, she’d fight back for Tiffany. Her heart stuttered at the thought of her murdered friend, but in the end, Tiffany was right—both their lives changed tonight, making two revelations drastically clear:

Life as Chastity knew it was over and?—

From this day forward, she became the property of Hector Rodriquez.

5

BLOOD

Maxine storms away from me on those long, curvy legs, and I call after her, “Hey, did you hear me?”

She keeps walking, probably figuring I’d give up or get pissed off, but it takes much more for me to back down when I want something, and right now, I want sassy Maxine to turn around and talk to me.

My long strides put me right next to her. “I said you did good.”

“I know I did good. I won.” She keeps walking, her gaze centered on the gym door in the distance.

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