Page 33 of Sold Blood
I wake up alone in bed in a clean pair of underwear and it takes a while for the events from last night to come flooding back to my mind. In some way it's almost like Carlos is still touching me. It's as if his hands had imprinted on me somehow and nothing about what we did felt wrong when it should have.
It’sbecause you were doing what you had to do to survive.
Thinking about Isaiah only has my stomach tying in more knots. He's the only one who's supposed to set my body on fire. Last night I’d played a part so well that at the end I forgot it was only an act.
I rub the sleep from my eyes, releasing a yawn so wide my jaw aches. My throat is dry and my body aches all over, especially my left arm.
"Good morning, Little one. Did you rest okay?" The deep voice has me settling against the headboard instead of jumping up in bed like last time. "Yeah, I just hurt everywhere and could use some water."
He turns around, opens the fridge, and pulls out a bottle of water. I immediately take it when he hands it to me, and the cold water is soothing down my throat. I swallow down a few more large gulps of water. "Last night—"
"Don't worry. It shouldn't have to be repeated. I'm sorry it had to come to that and if there was another way—"
I shake my head, clutching tighter to the bottle. "I know. It's just…if we have to do it again…" My words trail off as I struggle to finish the sentence. The truth is if it happens again, I'm not sure I'll be able to stop myself and keep from wanting it again. What's happening to me?
Isaiah and I had invited a few men to our bed many years ago, but they never meant anything more than a bit of fun. Neither person was ever missed or given a second thought. In the end it was always me and Isaiah. After the third one, we’d never visited the idea of having others join us again, because none of them ever felt as right as we felt with each other.
But with Carlos...no…it's this place. That's all it is. I am not developing some type of attraction or affection for my husband's old lover. I barely know the guy and yet we’d already experienced more together than most people would have in a whole lifetime.
His long fingers running through my hair don't help with the war I'm having with myself. "Don't worry, Little one. I think they will be leaving us alone from now on. If anything, it got me invited to an earlier slot in the auction which I'll be attending alone."
My eyes grow wide. "It worked?"
"It did." He sighs. "But it's also caused us a small problem too."
"What kind of problem?"
"With Cornel, Mr. Williams. He is doing anything he can to try and sabotage the remainder of our stay. I saw his goons trying to break into my car this morning."
"Did they—"
He cuts me off before I can finish my question. "No, and even if they did get into the car and went through it, they wouldn't find anything. I got rid of the maps and any other type of evidence that led me here. There's nothing in the car. My other weapons are buried out in the woods across the way. They will only find a gun in the glove box which isn't out of the ordinary for a man like me to have and we won't be completely at a loss if they were to take it. We need to stop wasting time. Look, Joey, about your friends, if we need to come back for them later…"
I nod, staring ahead. "I understand. We will be no good to them if we are caught and killed before getting to them."
"Exactly. Trenton will be delivered today, and you will stay in this room with him, you hear me?"
I nod again. "Yes, and after the auction?"
"I'll try my best to save who I can, and we will get the hell out of here. My priority is to get you to safety and then to get them to the safe house. Our plans may change depending on today's events."
"What do you mean?"
He leans in closer to me. "Miguel and Isaiah are making sure one of the delivery trucks doesn't make it to the drop off. Their auction will be short a few men and women. People won't be happy about it. Ivan will make sure whoever is responsible pays. The man who's supposed to make sure everything goes smoothly is the Gatekeeper, the man with the scar on his face. He is one of Santana's main men and was caught on camera at a few clubs meeting up with Veronica not long ago."
"Veronica's involved? But why? After all these years you'd think she'd be over it."
"Not marrying you changed her life tremendously and not for the better. Her parents didn't make things easy for her after you disappeared. Isaiah is more than sure she’s involved, but doesn’t have proof yet. He is looking more into it, but won't make any kind of move until we're out of here, because if he does it could cause problems for us here."
"And the delivery truck being intercepted won't?"
"No. There's a plan set in place to make it look like the driver had a change of heart and decided not to turn the truck around, abandoning it at a gas station. If anything, it may offer us the distraction we need and maybe a few of our problems will be taken care of for us."
"Good. So when is this auction?"
"In a few hours. It's already late in the afternoon. You've slept a lot of the day away, but you clearly needed it."
"I did," I agree, shoving the covers off my legs. "I could use some food and a hot shower to help me not feel worn down."
