Page 69 of Crash and Burn
33
Marley
“Eduardo, Paula, leave the room,”Rodrigo demands. His eyes are on me, even when he talks to them. “Did you enjoy your time with those dirty bikers?”
His words hit me in my gut. I shouldn’t be surprised by him knowing where I was.
“Surely you didn’t think I wouldn’t keep tabs on you?” He laughs. “Killing that prospect was simply a means to get you away from that clubhouse. You don’t belong with them. You belong here with me,tome.”
“I don’t belong to anyone,” I grit out under my breath.
“¿Qué dijo?What did you say? Do you forget who you’re talking to?” He moves so he’s standing directly in front of me. I hold his stare, but inside I’m shaking to my core. I won’t let him see my fear.
“You’re the fucking Devil.”
He laughs maniacally. A bone chilling laugh.
“No,Preciosa, I’m not. But he is a close friend.” He grabs my hair, yanking my head back. Licking up my neck, he takes a deep breath, inhaling my scent.
“I let you get away once. Trust me when I tell you, it will not happen again.” He shoves me to the floor and turns to walk away. “Maria!”
An older woman walks into the room.
“Take her to her room. Make sure you lock the door.” Rodrigo walks out of the room.
“Come,niña.” She lightly grabs my arm, guiding me upstairs and into a bedroom. “I will be back in the morning.Buenas noches.”
She closes the door and the lock clicks into place. I glance around the room. There’s a queen size bed, an end table and a dresser. It’s clean, but plain. There’s a second door adjacent to the first. I open it, expecting a closet but instead finding a bathroom. It’s a full bathroom with a shower, no bathtub.
Closing the door, I move to the dresser. I find a t-shirt and some sweats. Both are about two sizes too big, but I change into them anyway. They’ll be more comfy to sleep in than my jeans. Plus, I can pretend they’re Rascal’s, even though his clothes would be even bigger.
Thinking about him makes my heart ache and brings tears to my eyes. I choke back the tears as I climb into bed. It’s surprisingly comfy, but too lonely. I close my eyes and imagine I’m laying next to Rascal. His arms wrapped around me, keeping me safe and warm. I fall asleep, only to dream of him.
I’m sitting in the living room with Maria when Rodrigo storms into the room, grabs my arm and drags me out to the garage. I gasp when we walk out and sitting in a chair in the middle of the garage is Rascal. His hands are tied behind him, his feet tied to the chair and his head is hanging down. He’s unconscious.
“Preciosa, I wanted you to be here for this. To show you that you belong to me and only me,” Rodrigo says. Eduardo moves behind me, taking hold of both my arms while Rodrigo moves toward Rascal. He waves something under his nose that makes his head jolt up.
“Rascal!” I try to take a step forward but Eduardo is holding me in place. Rodrigo is standing behind Rascal holding his head up and holding a knife in his other hand.
“This is for you.” Rodrigo’s eyes are locked on mine as he holds the knife to Rascal’s throat, slowly dragging it across.
My eyes shoot open, sitting up, tears pouring down my face. I look around, it’s still dark. It was just a dream. Scratch that, a nightmare. I lay back down. There’s no way I’m going back to sleep after that. I spend the rest of the night tossing and turning.
Morning comes all too soon. A knock on the door startles me. The click of the door unlocking has me sitting up in bed.
“Buenas días,” Maria greets. “Oh my! Did you sleep at all?”
“I had a nightmare in the middle of the night that kept me from falling back asleep,” I tell her. My eyes are swollen and my head is pounding.
“Let’s get you freshened up and fed.” She helps me out of bed, shooing me into the bathroom.
I go through my morning routine and go back into the room. Maria made my bed and laid clothes out for me.
“Get changed and I’ll be waiting in the hall for you,” she tells me.
I nod my head and she walks out. I change into the clothes she left for me. They fit perfect. I follow Maria into the hall. Without a word, she walks downstairs with me right behind her. This house is so cold. There’s nothing here that makes this place a home. Everything is plain, the bare minimal.
Walking into the kitchen, my nose is assaulted with all the amazing breakfast foods and coffee. Maria motions for me to sit, I comply and watch her move around the kitchen, making two plates of food, bringing them to the table and setting one in front of me. Then she makes two cups of coffee and sits at the table with me.
