Page 18 of Bad Blood
The manager swallows hard. “My apologies, sir. I wasn’t aware you came to places like this. Are you here on business or pleasure?”
“Pleasure, but I am leaving now. Perhaps you should keep a better eye on your VIP members. Having money doesn’t give you the privilege to take whatever you want.”
He nods, glaring down at the man on the floor. “Out, you are no longer welcome here.” That guy may have been a VIP member, but my father and fiancé were way more important.
The man on the floor stutters on his words. “But this asshole stabbed me...”
“Be glad that’s all he did. You are no longer welcome here and don’t expect a refund for your membership.”
The man stands up, clenching his fists in anger before turning toward the staring crowd and pushing through the standing bodies, making his way to the door. “My apologies again, sir. Would you like me to call you a car?”
“That won’t be necessary, I’ll make sure he gets home safely. His car is already outside waiting for him.”
That same voice that causes my teeth to grind together comes from beside me. Santiago’s eyes are heavy with anger and disappointment, and I already know what’s in store for me. “Come on, Mateo,mi amor. Let’s get you home. Thank you, Toni for taking care of the situation.” Santiago knows everyone and he is very good friends with the owner.
Toni nods, straightening his tie. “No problem Mr. Morales. I apologize for letting it get out of hand the way it did.”
“I am too. See that that man never steps foot in here again. I will not have anyone touching what’s mine. I don’t want to have to call Marcus and let him know what happened.”
“Of course, sir. He will not be welcome here and neither will his friends. There is no need to call my boss. I will take care of the problem.”
“Good, and you, I’ll deal with you later.” He whispers in my ear, tugging hard on my arm. Dragging me through the club, his grip never loosens, and he doesn’t slow his pace until we reach the car. He opens the door, throwing me in the back. “You will not be coming back here either. I’ll meet you at the house.”
The door slams shut, and I press my body against the middle of the back seat, distancing myself from the loud thud. The driver pulls out of the parking lot and Santiago’s car follows closely behind us. There’s a white piece of paper tucked into the side of the door that I didn’t notice before. I unfold it, letting the paper rustle against my hands.
Meet me at the oak tree near the fountain at midnight.
There’s no signature but there doesn’t have to for me to know who wrote this letter. I ball it up in my hand, shoving it in my pocket, glancing at the time the car reads. It’s only eleven, and normally it would be plenty of time without Santiago’s punishments.
My car door opens, and Santiago drags me out, pulling me toward the house. My parents are nowhere to be found. They might be on another one of their business trips. Or my father may be visiting one of the brothels Santiago owns. He doesn’t think I know his little secret, but I do. I followed him once and my mother seems to just turn a blind eye to it. So I was supposed to do the same.
The house is silent except for our shoes stomping against the floor as Santiago forces me to move faster to catch up to his rushed steps. He sneers, shoving me through my bedroom door. “I sure hope you had your fun tonight and got it all out of your system.” His hand lifts in the air, coming down hard against the side of my face, causing me to yelp. His slaps come again, harder this time. Whack! He nearly knocks me off my feet. “You know better than to step into one of the clubs and cause a scene, and yet you went and did it anyway. Always defying me.”
“You don’t own me.” I spit in his face.
He raises his hand to strike again and I stand there staring at him, becoming motionless. Going to that place I always go when he hits me, escaping somewhere deep in my mind. “Don’t leave this room again. You are as weak as your father says you are. You can’t handle yourself out there. We are in the middle of a huge war and I won’t let you fuck everything up by being careless and stupid.”
Many threats have been sent to Santiago, saying if he didn’t back off and end the engagement, they would be mailing him the severed head of his little fiancé. He was seen as a bigger threat now than before. He doesn’t know I read the folded letters in his coat when he stepped outside for a call. He doesn’t care about me being dead. He knows if I die, everything my father has won’t ever be his. He can’t marry a corpse. The door opens and slams shut. Loud footsteps rush down the stairs and I hide outside the balcony, pressing my back to the brick wall. At least he didn’t ask me to kiss him goodbye today.
When I see no movement in my room, I run down the stairs and out to the fountain where the only man my heart ever surged for once waited for me before. Except this time, there is no one here but me. I allow the tears to spill this time, wetting my face and making the cold air sharper against my skin. “You’re late.”
I turn around to face him, wiping my face with the back of my hand. “So are you.”
He rushes toward me, pushing my curls away from my face and frowning at the new angry forming bruises on my cheeks. He grits his teeth together, snarling. “Someone ought to show that fucker what it feels like to be someone’s designated punching bag.”
“Is that someone going to be you?” I lift my eyebrows in curiosity.
A piece of bark breaks from the tree when he slams his fist against it. “If I get anywhere near that asshole, he will not live through what I do to him.” He wipes the tears from my face with a white handkerchief.
I wrap my fingers around the thin, soft fabric. “Do you always carry a handkerchief with you?”
He nods. “I’m used to cleaning bigger messes than this.”
I stare harder into his eyes. “Are you calling me a mess?”
“Yes.”
“And yet you keep coming back to it.” I shove his hand away from my face, missing the warmth.
