Chapter 3

Alicia

T his man who liked to play hero seemed nice enough. At first, I thought he was Mexican like me, but his long braid suggested that his Native heritage was from here, rather than south of the border. There’s no denying he was handsome, but I tried to keep my distance because he was a biker—if the leather vest he was wearing was anything to go by. I was trying my best to get away from a bunch of outlaws and certainly not interested in starting up any kind of friendship with a bunch of outlaw bikers.

He had a fancy security system on his cabin that seemed out of place with the rustic building. I was happy because it added an extra layer of protection between us and my father’s cartel thugs.

That pet wolf of his trailed us all the way back to his place. He walked right into the cabin behind us and trotted off to another room like he owned the place. It was strange to see wild animals acting like domesticated ones but again I button it up because I was a guest here and it wasn’t my place to judge.

I tried to make polite small talk as I stood dripping all over his rug. “You have a lovely place, here mister.”

“My name’s Mace. And this cabin belongs to my club. We all take turns visiting when we need a break from the stress of our normal lives.”

“It’s very scenic, what with the river flowing by so closely and all.” What the hell was wrong with me? I’d narrowly missed being attacked by Alejandro and here I was talking about the damn surroundings like I was a tourist and not on the run.

He gestured towards the stairs. “There’s a shower upstairs, if you want to get cleaned up. The hall closet has towels and there’s a bunch of donated clothing for anyone who needs it.”

I glanced at the stairs, wondering if it was safe to get naked in the same house with a complete stranger. After Alejandro talked about raping me and putting a baby in my belly, I found that I was feeling overly cautious.

He must have seen the worry on my face because he added. “There’s a lock on the door, but I promise not to come upstairs until you come down. In fact, I’ll shower down in the basement.”

“Alright. Thank you. I didn’t mean to drip all over your floor.”

“No worries,” he responded. Today was a weird one-off situation.

We went our separate ways, and the upstairs was just like he described it. Everything looked really nice, like it was recently renovated. I grabbed some clothing and towels out of the closet and got into the shower. The warm water felt so good after walking around in wet clothing for hours. I’d not had a hot shower since we’d left Mexico so that was especially luxurious after bathing in cold water.

After my shower, I dried off, got dressed in an oversized t-shirt and a pair of leggings and found a comb to take the tangles from my hair. I then plaited it again. I smiled as I did it, we were like hair twins. I usually have my long hair loose, but after living semi-wild for weeks it was easier just to keep it tied back. I glanced in the mirror, I looked okay even if I said so myself. I might have my father’s black hair and coloring, but I had my mom’s features and a variation of my mother’s green eyes, only mine were hazel. That was a blessing because I didn’t know when I’d see my mom next, so at least I could be reminded of her when I looked in the mirror.

I’d not seen my full-length reflection since my father had taken me here. I’d lost some weight, but that wasn’t surprising, seeing as how much work I was doing. I tried to make myself presentable but not too attractive because I didn’t want to draw his interest in a sexual or romantic way. Not that I didn’t think my rescuer was attractive, with his lithe muscular body, long black hair, and dark eyes, he was my idea man. He also had a nice disposition, polite but serious. But right now I didn’t need a man, no matter how gorgeous he was. I just needed to be able to get on with my original plan now I was free of my father.

I pulled on some clean socks and put my shoes into the shower to dry out. I put my wet clothing in the trash. I’ve been living rough with my father and his men for coming up on three months. After wearing all the things I packed multiple times, and cooking over a campfire every night, the smell of smoke was never going to come out of them. A quick rinse in the river did nothing but add new and unpleasant odors to my things.

By the time I made it downstairs, Mace was preparing food. I realized in that moment that I had never seen a man cook. The exception was tending the gill. But as far as a man making a meal for me, this was a new experience.

He glanced up and smiled, making him seem even more attractive. “Did you find everything you needed?”

“Yes, thank you. Do you mind if I ask what you’re making? It smells delicious.”

“Deer steak, baked potato, and vegetables. Is that okay with you?”

I nodded. “I’ve had deer before. Although it tastes different from other meat, I like the taste.”

“It’s much healthier because it’s lean and doesn’t have all the shit you find in farmed meat.”

I couldn’t help but smile at him, because he’s not wrong about that.

“Do you like to hunt deer?”

He shrugged. “Sure. I like to hunt as much as the next guy. Some of my club brothers live for the hunt and keep our freezers full. I tend to eat what’s in abundance at any given time.”

I sat down at the kitchen table he’d already prepared with plates and flatware. “That makes good sense. Where I come from in Mexico, we mostly buy our meat, but we plant a lot of our vegetables and fruit.”

“Fresher is better,” he commented as he plated our food.

I took a bite of the vegetables, and they were delicious. As well as regular seasoning he added a bunch of fresh herbs and chilies.

I praised him on his cooking, and we talked for about half an hour about foods we liked and then Mace brought up the topic I’d been anticipating.

“Want to tell me what your father and his men are doing out there in the wilderness, and why they brought you there?”

I ignored the part of his question that I didn’t want to answer and focused on the part that didn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. “My father thinks it’s time for me to get hitched. Alejandro insisted that my father was giving me to him as a wife, whether I agreed or not. But I want to think my father is intent upon me accepting Alejandro first. That will never happen. I don’t want to tie my life to a criminal.”

He stopped eating and stared at me like I had two heads. “So, they’re engaging in some kind of criminal activity out there in the woods? Is that what you’re saying?”

Crap, crap, crap, and double crap. I wasn’t going to talk about that because talking about the cartel is dangerous. The last thing I wanted to do was to drag another person into this situation. “Like I told you before, they don’t really tell me anything. From what I could see they could possibly be doing illegal stuff.”

His expression turned doubtful. “Okay, you don’t want to talk about. Got it.”

I glanced away because this intelligent man was clearly onto me.

“In that case, let’s brainstorm how to keep you out of their clutches. Do you have any relatives nearby that you can stay with?”

I had secrets that I couldn’t talk about with this man. In fact I felt like my life for the last three months had been nothing but secrets. I told him what I could, “I do have some distant relatives on my mother’s side in Texas. Unfortunately, my life is complicated right now. I wouldn’t want to draw problems they wouldn’t otherwise have to their doorstep.”

“Do they know what your father does for a living?”

I shook my head slowly, trying to figure out a way to explain how different my father’s family was from my mother’s side. “Look, I’m not even sure what he does for a living. They wouldn’t have a clue how to deal with my father. He doesn’t really listen to anyone and pretty much just does as he pleases regardless of the laws of the land.”

“Has he been abusive to your or your mother.”

My fork froze halfway to my mouth. “Define abusive.”

His expression turned grim. “I’m gonna take that as a yes.”

We were silent for a bit and then he said, “You need to report anything to the cops?”

I must have gasped without thinking because he looked at me with a quizzical look, “Nope.” I couldn’t tell him what my plans were, that I was here illegally, but if everything worked out then that issue might be overlooked.

He chewed for a few moments, and I held my breath, hoping he wouldn’t push the issue.

After swallowing his mouthful, he made me an offer that I didn’t think I could resist, “My club is not going to tolerate interlopers setting up base this close to our property. If you cooperate with us in helping them decide to move on, I can talk to our club president about extending the protection of ours to you and helping you get back on your feet.”

That was an amazing deal. Too bad I had already made it with someone else. As I sat there looking at him, I realized he hadn’t denied being a criminal himself. He just kind of skimmed over the whole issue. If I accepted his offer, that could drag him and his club into the spotlight as well. Then again, I literally had no place to go, and I was worried about getting double-crossed by the very people I worked out a deal with earlier in the week.

It was a tough choice but I finally nodded, “I really need help. I’m just not sure how helpful I could be in unwinding this whole situation.”

After taking a drink of his water, he finally answered one of my first questions upon arriving at his cabin. “I think there is high probability your father will eventually find this cabin. It’s the only one within fifty miles. I’ve got weapons and good security, but even so. We’d be sitting ducks.”

I started to panic inside. “I can’t go back there. Mace, I can’t let them find me, not ever!”

He sighed. “A few years back one of my club brothers rescued a woman who was being held hostage by an honest to goodness serial killer. He had an underground bunker with cells. After he was caught our club took responsibility for the bunker. We keep it clean and maintain it, it has its own off-grid generator. It’s not a luxury hotel but I can promise you that your father could walk right over and never know what was there.”

“Wait. How do I know that you’re not a serial killer and that’s your bunker?”

He sighed all over again and pulled out his cell phone. He tapped on a name and waited for the other person to answer. A pretty, middle-aged, Native woman’s face came up on the screen. “Huri, what’s going on? Are you okay? You found anything yet?”

“Don’t get excited, Ma. I met a woman in the woods, and she’s worried I might be a serial killer.”

She raised her eyebrows. “My son a serial killer? I should say not.”

He held the phone out so we could see each other. His mother looked stunned and appalled. “Why? Why would you think this?”

I leaned closer. “He’s a stranger. I’m not saying I think he is one. I’m just worried that he might be. I don’t make a habit of going to strange men’s homes in the middle of the forest.”

“Is that because he’s prospecting for those bikers?” Turning to look at Mace she said, “I told you this would happen. People don’t see you, just the leather vest and they assume the worst.”

“I can’t help what people think, Ma. Maybe you could talk to her about my background. Like did I abuse animals, steal, or beat the women I’ve dated.”

An older woman shoved her face into the frame. Her gray hair was in a braid, and she wore a floral housedress, “Huri hit a woman? I never thought I’d see the day when our Huri would do something like that.” She pointed her finger at him and announced, “If you hit this woman, I will hit you.”

He smirked just a tad. “You already hit me, for not eating enough, not moving fast enough and letting my laundry pile up.”

The woman’s mouth fell open and she huffed. “You are my grandson. It’s my job to keep you on the straight and narrow.”

The mother intervened. “Don’t worry Ma, this one wants to know if he’s ever hit a woman. She’s not saying he’s hit her.”

“Oh, that’s different,” the older woman stated disappointedly. It almost felt like she was hoping he did something wrong so she could berate him for it. By the respectful way he was talking to his mom and grandmother I think I had my answer. He was a good man.

As if to echo my thoughts his mother’s indignant voice rang out, “Huri would never hit a woman or do anything to hurt a woman.”

I stated chipperly, “Thanks for talking to me. Your son seems really sweet, I’m sorry if I worried you, I just wanted to be sure.”

Before they could get worked up again, Mace cut the call.

I told him, “You’re absolutely shameless, but I believe you.”

“That’s strange. They seemed a little more crazy than convincing just now,” he said with a grin.

“ La familia is everything. Your mother and grandmother seem really spirited. I like that. What about your father? Where is he?”

“My birth father died when I was twelve, but my stepdad is in his man cave if he’s smart,” Mace quipped.

“I’m sorry about your father.”

Mace’s lips quirked in a wry smile, “I miss him, but my old man would be proud that I went and rescued such a bonnie wee lassie.”

I raised my eyebrow, my English was excellent, but I wasn’t sure what that meant, hopefully it was something complimentary.

“My dad was Scottish, that means a pretty young woman,” he explained with a grin.

I smothered back a smile. This man was a strange mixture of brave, smart, and clearly had a quirky sense of humor. “Okay, if you want, we can go to the underground bunker. I just don’t want to be locked in.”

“I wouldn’t lock you in unless we were surrounded, and I needed to maintain security. As long as you keep your word to help us get rid of your father’s gang, I’ll prioritize your safety above my own.”

My mouth fell open in shock. Was that really necessary? I blinked and then blinked again, thinking it over. I guess in a dangerous situation, someone had to risk themselves for the safety of all. It hurt to think this handsome, funny man might get shot or killed protecting me. After talking to his mother and grandmother, I knew they’d be devastated if anything happened to him.

I stammered, “Maybe I should just go, so you won’t be in danger. If you take me to the nearest city I could head to LA or something.”

“We’re already in danger with your father and his gang so close. You leaving doesn’t change that.”

I frowned. “I just don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”

He sat his glass down and looked at me intently. “You didn’t seem all that bothered that Alejandro got shot.”

My expression turned cold in an instant. “I’m okay with the bad guys getting shot, just not innocent people.”

Mace came to his feet and shot me a dark look. “Remind me not to get on your bad side.”

I opened my mouth to object, but he turned his back and started washing the dishes, leaving me to deal with my own inner thoughts about who I was okay having violence visited on.