Page 6

“Grace, you’ve got to go,” I said to her. “Take JR and the prospect, run out the side door where the office is and head for the trees. When you get there, call Sabre.”

“I’m not leaving you.” She dug her heels into the floor. If there had been more time, I would have laughed, pointing out her alpha male response.

“Ladies, we need to go. I would like my patch next year, and I can’t earn it while the two of you are sitting here chitchatting. Let’s go!” He tried to pull us up again.

“Take your first lady, prospect. She’s your priority,” I said to him. “Grace, go. I’ll buy you enough time to get to the trees, but you have to call Sabre for backup.”

“I won’t leave you.”

JR whimpered, sensing the tension in the room.

“They don’t want me. They want the two of you. I can hold them off until the MC arrives. Go!” The message finally sunk into her brain, and she stood from the table, preparing to run.

The prospect put her in front of him, but before they took off, he turned back towards me. “If you come, I can protect you both.”

“If they walk into an empty room, the trees are going to be the first place they look, and it won’t matter. Do you have a gun, knife, anything?”

He handed me a knife before nodding at me and guiding Grace out the side door. I could do this. I’d kept Pulse talking in the car before wrapping my belt around his neck. What were a couple of cartel guys?

I hid the knife in the side of my leggings and pulled Grizz’s sweatshirt over the top of my head.

I had on a crop top, but I didn’t care if my scars were showing.

If it deterred the cartel members from taking damaged goods, I was all for it.

This was going to end in a fight, and I wasn’t getting blood all over my emotional support sweatshirt. Fuck them.

I sat back down at the table. Pretending to draw, I lowered my head and made sure that the pen moved in my hand every now and again.

My heart pounded, and a sheen of sweat covered my body.

I had seen too many true crime shows and almost laughed out loud at the thought.

If I was sweaty, they wouldn’t be able to get a good grip on me.

I tightened my ponytail and waited for the battle.

I was drawing centerpieces for something to do when the front door opened.

I could hear their boots bouncing off of the tile in the front hallway.

Clipped Spanish flew around the open space, but I didn’t understand any of it.

Grace was going to have to soundproof the rooms if she wanted to have more than one event at a time.

The pen’s scratches kept me grounded to this moment as they opened the door to the ballroom.

“We’re not open yet. You’ll have to come back later,” I threw out, not looking at them, but I heard their feet stop right inside the doorway.

“Where’s your sister?” one of them asked.

“I don’t know,” I retorted, making scribbles on the page.

“Don’t be a bitch, even though it must be hard for you. Where’s your sister? Her car is outside,” he tried again.

“Don’t you know you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar?

” This time, I raised my head. There were two men that reeked of new-cartel smell.

They had custom fitted suits on with polished dress shoes that sparkled.

I didn’t know which was worse, the shoes or the gold jewelry that caught the light, sending fragments around the room. “No one’s here but me.”

One man was slightly in front of the other, and I assumed he was the leader of this kidnapping expedition. “Don’t be coy.” He pulled a gun out from underneath his jacket and pointed it at me.

“I’ve got enough feminine rage to really show you bitchiness.” I stood from my chair and faced them head-on. “Do you think that scares me?” I nodded at the gun. “I’ve already survived one kidnapping attempt. Why don’t you ask your buddy Pulse how that went?”

“No one cares about Peter. He thought Lopez was going to hand him everything, and that’s not how it works around here.” He motioned with the gun for the other man to head towards the side door Grace had run out of.

Grace and I had laughed at the sporadic amount of tables that were still set up in the main ballroom, but I thanked my lucky stars now. There was enough room that I could run towards the door, narrowly avoiding the leader. I watched as he walked closer, shifting my weight to my toes.

He pointed the gun back at me. “Where’s your sister?”

“We’re back to that? I told you she’s not here, fuckface.” I shifted to my left, hoping he didn’t catch the movement.

“You’ll remember something when I torture it out of you.”

“It’s always about Grace.” I copped an attitude as I shifted again. “I told you, she’s not here, and even if she was, no one’s going to let you get close to the baby. That’s who you really want.” I shifted again, tossing my hair over my shoulder. “Do you even know my name?”

“Doesn’t matter. All pussy is the same when you’re on your back.” He leaned forward, trying to grab me, but I took off running. I didn’t look back, afraid it would slow my progress. I could hear his steps chasing after me, but I only focused on the door.

Three steps.

Two steps.

One step.

As I reached out for the door handle, an arm wrapped around my waist. No!

I was so close, but I wouldn’t give up. I started throwing elbows and kicking my feet, hoping I’d hit something.

I didn’t stop. If one didn’t land, I was throwing the next one as he dragged me backwards.

My salvation was getting further and further away, but I didn’t give up.

I heard him grunt, and as his arm dropped, I took off running again.

I didn’t get very far, and he flung me backwards over a table. I went head first over the side, doing some sort of flip in the air because when I landed, I couldn’t get my feet underneath me quickly enough.

He stood over me, still holding the gun. “A bitch is better cold,” he said before smacking me across the face with his hand. My head swung to the side, and I reached up to make sure my cheek was still in place, clicking my jaw a few times. Blinking, I waited until my eyes refocused.

“This bitch doesn’t go down without a fight.” I reached for the knife the prospect had given me. In one smooth motion, I hit the button, opening the blade and driving the point into his ball.

“You fucking punta!” he screamed at me. “You’re going to pay for that. I’m going to fuck you to make sure my dick works until you’re nothing but a used-up whore.”

He was all talk, but I still couldn’t get my feet underneath me.

Pulling the knife out, I rolled underneath the nearest table.

I thought I’d be able to stand, but the man grabbed my ankle.

His hands were slimy against my skin. Kicking out, I heard a grunt, but he didn’t release his grip.

“Is that all you got, punta?” he said, breathing hard.

Being flexible had only been useful in two situations. Sex with Grizz was the first, and twisting my body so that I could drive the knife into the back of his hand was the second. He released me, and I crawled as fast as I could towards the front door.

He fired a shot, but I didn’t stop until I heard the one man who’d never let me down.

“Don’t fucking think about touching my wife.”

Grizz was here, and I laid on the floor, knowing I was safe.