50. Bianca

Istruggle to open my eyes. Stifling a groan as a full-on headache hits me, I try to bring my hand up to massage my temple, but I realize I can"t.

My hands are restrained behind my back. I blink twice and try to focus on my surroundings. Everything is still foggy. My mouth is dry, a cloth wrapped across it. And as I slowly come to, I remember confronting the car following me for a few days now.

And that man… Jimenez"s son.

My eyes finally get used to the room"s lighting, and I see that I"m inside what looks to be a cellar.

I turn my head around as much as possible, but there isn"t much to see. The room is entirely bare but for the chair I"m sitting on. There are no windows and only one door, right in front of me. There is, however, one camera directly above the door.

I shake my head ever so slightly, seeking to alleviate the discomfort I feel.

They must have drugged me. Fuckers… taking me by surprise. My muscles tense with the animosity I feel towards them. Just wait until I"m free. I"m almost tempted to break my non-messy rule and make them pay for daring to do this to me.

I wriggle in the chair, but my hands and feet are tightly secured. I simply can"t do anything right now. I must bide my time and take advantage whenever the opportunity presents itself.

I look straight to the camera, and with a jerk of my head, I push my feet into the floor with all my strength and propel myself backward. It works, and I fall flat on my back. I truly hope someone is watching that feed and that seeing proof I"m awake, they come in.

It doesn"t take long after my stunt to hear the door opening. Since I"m lying on my back, I can"t see who"s coming inside. But the sound of someone stepping inside is unmistakable.

"And she"s awake," the voice says laconically. I purse my lips, already knowing who it is.

"Mhmm." I make some sounds from behind my gag, hoping he"ll take it off.

"Naughty, naughty." He comes deeper into the room and within my field of vision. Crouching next to me, he looks at me with an eyebrow raised.

"You couldn"t help yourself, could you?" he asks, studying me. With a sigh, he helps me up so that the chair is now planted on the ground, straight up again. I paint my features into a scowl to show him my displeasure.

"Mhmm," I try to say something again through the gag, and he finally pulls it down. I immediately lick my chapped lips, wishing he would have at least brought some water with him. Well… kidnapping and a five-star hotel aren"t exactly synonymous, so I"ll just settle for having my mouth free for now.

"Really?" I ask him, ironically.

"You know… I really underestimated you." He threads his fingers through his hair. "At first, I was really pissed about the stunt you pulled. But then, the more I thought about it…, the more I realized how perfect you"d be."

"Perfect? For what?" I need to draw this out until I find an opening to make a move.

"To rule together, of course." He smiles at me before frowning. "I just have to get rid of your husband." The moment I hear that, a coldness that I"d never experienced before spreads through my limbs.

"You might want to start by telling me your name?" I change my voice so that it seems I"m actually interested in his proposition.

He gives me a challenging look, "Carlos."

"Nice to meet you, Carlos," I add sweetly, but not overly sweet. "Honestly, I couldn"t care less about my husband," I lie.

"I already have my people on him. But don"t worry. I"ll kill him myself. I won"t make the same mistake twice." He takes my jaw in his hands and tips it up so that I"m forced to look into his eyes.

"Twice?" I frown, but Carlos just smirks.

"He"s been a thorn in my side for too long. I should have known that sending someone else to kill him wouldn"t deliver successful results," he says almost pensively.

"Someone else? You sent those people to the lake house?" Until now, I"d thought all attempts on Adrian"s life had been made by Jimenez.

"Ortega was supposed to get rid of him when he sent Martinez for the meetup, but he failed. So, he sent some amateurs to finish the job. Of course, they couldn"t." He shakes his head. "If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself," he mutters, more to himself.

"But why? Just because he was inquiring about your father?"

"Why, you ask?" He laughs sarcastically. "It"s more than that… Martin had a deal with Jimenez to merge their businesses. The goal"s always been getting onto the New York market, and Martin was the perfect tool. A marriage between you and me would have cemented the alliance, and everyone could have profited. But Martin was a greedy bastard. He thought that someone in a position of legitimate power would serve him better than Jimenez… so he gave you to Hastings."

"Of course, it"s not only that. By also allying himself with the Italians, Martin thought he was getting the best of both worlds, legal protection and access to the Italians" resources."

"So, you gave orders to have Martin killed too?" Finally, the pieces are falling in place.

"Yes, but I had my father"s blessing for that. Martin was a treacherous dog. Jimenez was happy to get rid of him."

"So, if not for Martin"s machinations, we would have been married already?"

"Indeed," he answers smoothly.

"Then tell me, why would I choose you over him now?" I change my tactic, trying to seem as mercenary as Martin. He doesn"t know about my relationship with Adrian. Few people know. And from the outside, we"re the perfect high society pair. I can work with that. "Tell me, what are the perks for… joining you?"

"Why, you"d be a queen, of course. I"m going to take over my father"s empire. And you"d be by my side. We were already fated to be, if not for your father." The way he"s telling this, it"s like he actually believes his delusions.

"Hmm… tempting," I drawl seductively.

"You"re quite quick to throw your husband away." He strokes my cheek, and I have to keep myself from shuddering in disgust. I smile instead. "It was Daddy"s desire to marry Theo… I couldn"t say no."

"And you did everything your daddy told you, didn"t you?"

"Of course." I pout my lips. "Why would I marry that stuffy man otherwise?" I feel the bitterness of the words on my tongue as I say them.

"Indeed…" His lips stretch into a dangerous smirk. "You"ll have to forgive me if I don"t believe everything you say." Hmm, so he"s not that dumb.

Fine, I can work with that.

"I wouldn"t lie about it. I"m at your mercy, aren"t I?" I give him a tremulous smile, showing a hint of vulnerability. I have to make this as believable as possible.

"That you are…" He removes a knife from his back pocket and trails it up and down my cheek. "You"re so beautiful… unblemished…" His words are wistful as he focuses on my face.

"Tell me, does it bother you to look at me?" he asks, referring to the glaring scar on his cheek.

"Of course not," I reply, almost too fast. Shit. "I"ve always had a thing for bad boys," I amend my answer, hoping to stroke his ego a little.

"And you think I got this scar because I was a bad boy?" He chuckles derisively. "On the contrary, I got this because I was a good boy." His gaze moves above my head, and somehow, I know he"s not talking to me anymore. "You see… my father said I looked too much like my mother." He laughs at that. "And he couldn"t have that… no… not when he raped her so brutally for years that she finally took her own life to escape from him." Shit… that came out of nowhere. "He said I reminded him too much of her… of her screams. So, he branded me."

I don"t know how to reply to that, mainly because I don"t want to say something that might set him off. So, I let him continue with his soliloquy.

"But do you know what he did for that husband of yours? He personally trained him." I almost frown. Why is he suddenly mentioning Adrian? He clearly has daddy issues.

"You do know, don"t you? That your precious law-abiding husband used to kill people in illegal fights." My mouth forms a big O, and I try to show him my most surprised expression.

"What… what are you talking about?"

"So, you didn"t know, did you…?" He laughs. "I don"t know what he saw in him. I did everything my father wanted me to. I led his cartel. It was my plan to use the Gallaghers to take over New York. And how does he repay me?" He snickers. "He"s still more concerned about your husband. He told me to leave you alone because you belong to him."

He gets in my face, his lips a mere breath away from mine.

"And you know what? I"m done obeying. You are mine. The empire is mine," he spits out before his lips are on mine, the pressure almost unbearable.

For a second, I feel like I can"t do this, but then I remember his threats regarding Adrian. He hates him. He wants to kill him…

Saying I"m sorry to Adrian in my mind, I return the kiss. He needs to believe that I"m willing to readily switch sides if he"ll ever trust me enough to free me.

Then, it"s game on.

His tongue sweeps in, and I have to will my body to not gag as I respond. He seems surprised by my easy acquiescence. Ending the kiss, he slyly looks into my eyes.

"I almost believe you meant it."

"I told you," I say, and eyeing the cross at his neck, I immediately add, "I don"t owe my husband anything except my allegiance before God. After you take him out, I"m yours." I hope this will work. He takes a step back and regards me quizzically, as if he doesn"t know whether to trust my words.

"That so?" he muses. I take this chance to cement my position.

"Of course. I"ve only ever slept with my husband and only after our wedding vows." I"m banking on him being an honest thief at this point. But seeing that he hasn"t raped me until now, or when I was unconscious, I"m willing to bet there"s more to him than meets the eye.

He seems pensive as he takes in my words. I"m actively praying to that imaginary God I"d been invoking for him to believe me.

"Kill my husband, and then I"ll marry you. Like it was meant to be. I"ll be yours."

"Mine…" He tastes the words on his tongue, his lips curling into a wolfish smile. "I like the sound of that. Very well." Yes. One small victory.

He turns his back to leave, and my eyes widen. Wait, why is he leaving? I thought we were on the same page now.

"Wait. Are you going to leave me like this?"

"Why would I not leave you like this? I have to say, you"ve been convincing so far, but I"ve learned my lesson with you." He opens the door and leaves, locking it behind him.

Fuck this shit, I mutter to myself.

My efforts were in vain. I"m tempted to spit on the floor, just to cleanse my mouth of him, but I know he must be watching. So, I put on my best behavior. I have to think fast. I can"t do anything from here, and Adrian is in danger.

What could I possibly do now? My eyes frantically search around the room for any idea that might be helpful. But none comes.

Desperation grips me like a fine glove, so I do the only remaining thing.

I bite my tongue.

Hard.

Blood floods my mouth and pours down my lips.

Good.

The first step is done. Then I push myself backward again, making my body shiver uncontrollably, hoping to imitate a seizure.

Sure enough, he"s back through the door. He was watching.

He cradles my head in his hands and pushes my mouth open, taking hold of my tongue. I continue to make my limbs spasm. He"s trying to make sure I"m not swallowing my tongue. My eyes roll back into my head, and I pretend to be out.

He barks some commands in Spanish, and then he unties me.

Good… good.

I moan in pain, half-pretend, half-real since my tongue does hurt.

"Are you okay?" he asks me after I"m free of my restraints. I manage a nod before I make myself faint.

"Shit. Un médico!" he yells, and I hear more movement. He takes me into his arms and leaves the cellar with me, taking me who knows where.

* * *

Isurreptitiously open one eye, and I see that he"s rushing me to one of the more furnished rooms with a bed.

He carefully places me on the bed, and I do my best to seem out of it.

"?Un médico, pendejo! Ya te lo he dicho. ?Qué estás haciendo?" He yells out some more commands.

"Perdón, patrón." Some people apologize, and there"s more shuffling.

I"m lying on the bed with my eyes closed, and Carlos is still caressing my forehead.

His movements are… tender. I almost scoff at myself for thinking that.

It"s not much later that a doctor finally arrives. After having a chat with Carlos, the doctor examines me, shining light into my eyes and looking at my mouth.

"Tuvo una convulsión. Déjala descansar y la voy a examinar otra vez ma?ana. Le voy a dar unanalgésico por ahora," the doctor confirms my charade.

"?Doctor, está seguro que no es nada grave?" Carlos asks, making sure there"s nothing wrong with me.

"Si, claro. Quiero hacerla una prueba de sangre," the doctor continues, asking to draw some blood from me.

"Dale. Tengo algo que solver, pero mándame los resultados cuando los tienes." Before leaving, Carlos drops by the bed and fastens each hand to the bed frame, effectively limiting my movements. At least my feet are free now.

I"m left alone with the doctor, and I keep my eyes closed, waiting.

"You can stop pretending," the doctor says in accented English. I open my eyes and stare at him. My mouth is sore, and I can still feel the taste of the blood.

The doctor is a man in his forties, dressed in a regular black shirt and jeans. Seeing that he caught me in my ruse and didn"t expose me, I don"t know what to expect from him.

He looks me over before heading to the door and turning the lock so that no one can enter. I frown. He just needs to take some blood, right?

"Everyone was wondering what piece of ass Carlos brought over." He eyes my restrained wrists and smirks, his hands going to his jeans and unbuckling his belt.

Are you fucking kidding me?

"Carlos won"t like that," I say, my words distorted by my injured tongue.

"He doesn"t have to know."

His pants undone, he advances towards the bed and work on my jeans. Fuck!

I don"t allow him to do much else as I flex my legs and push. He loses his balance for a moment but jumps back on me. I"m prepared for him as I wrap my legs around his neck, applying as much pressure as possible.

"Bitch!" he spits out, his face already going red.

I don"t know how long I can hold him like this, so I bend my wrists and hold onto the bed frame with my hands, using it as an anchor.

Then I focus all my strength on my lower body, and I bring his head towards me, banging it against the board. His hands are trying to reach me, and it"s getting harder and harder to keep him in place. I breathe in deeply and bang his head once more, this time taking advantage of the momentum to toss him back and off the bed.

His head is bleeding pretty badly, and he"s looking at me with murder in his eyes.

My fists curl around the bed frame once more, and at one tug, I realize it"s wiggling. I frantically wiggle more and more, hoping to destabilize it enough to pull it from the bed.

The doctor slowly recovers, rising to his feet. The hit to the head must have been relatively good since he"s swaying a little.

"Fucking puta," he yells before jumping on me once again. Luckily, at this moment, the bed frame comes free from its hinges, and I manage to fling it at him, the panel hitting him straight in the throat. He releases a few choked sounds before crumpling to the ground, clutching at his Adam"s apple.

I sigh in relief and take a moment to compose myself. Realizing that Carlos could turn up at any moment, I get up from the bed, bed frame still attached to my hands.

I go directly to the doctor"s medical kit and look for a scalpel. I find one, but now cutting the rope holding my wrists prisoner to the board is still hard.

I grasp the scalpel in one hand and try to rotate it so that the sharp side can graze the rope. I do the movement a few times before I notice a cut forming. I continue my efforts on that specific area until my wrist snaps free. I do the same with the other wrist and then throw the frame on the bed.

I"m about to leave, but I give the doctor another kick in the balls just for good measure. He"s so far gone he can"t even voice his pain.

Now,thatfelt good.

I open the door and exit the room, not knowing exactly where I"m going. I hear a few people at some point and hide behind a wall, waiting for them to pass.

The more I walk, the more lost I am.

Until I reach an elevator.

Once inside, I notice I"m on the fourth floor. I quickly press zero to get to the ground floor, hoping there won"t be too many people getting in my way.

* * *

When the elevator doors open on the ground floor, an older man in a sleek, black, two-piece suit greets me. I slowly drag my eyes from his feet to the gun he aims at me, and then suddenly to his face.

"Jimenez," I say, the name slipping from my lips and eliciting a wince of pain.

"And look who"s here." He whistles, brandishing the gun around. I immediately put my hands up, hoping he"ll see I"m unarmed.

His face is thoughtful for a while, as he says, "You weren"t included in my plan. I guess I"ll have to make it work." He motions me aside, and he steps into the elevator next to me. He presses 3, and the elevator takes us to the third floor.

Jimenez forces me to walk in front of him and tells me to head to the corridor"s end.

"Father!" My head snaps to the side, and I see Carlos heading towards us, his eyes raging with fury.

"I gather this is your doing?" Jimenez asks in a bored fashion.

"She"s mine," Carlos replies, his jaw locked tight.

"No, she"s not. And you were about to ruin my plans." Jimenez pushes me as a sign to keep walking, but Carlos isn"t done.

"She was supposed to be mine," he emphasizes, and Jimenez laughs.

"She was never supposed to be yours. The deal was met, accordingly. Martin was a shrewd bastard." Carlos" eyes widen, and I can see that"s the moment he snaps. He charges at Jimenez full force.

I take a step back, hoping to avoid getting between them, but a few guards materialize out of nowhere and tackle Carlos to the ground.

They immobilize his hands and drag him in front of Jimenez, who looks at him with disgust in his eyes.

"I never should have taken you on. You"re a weakling, just like your whore of a mother was." He spits in Carlos" face, and he struggles against the hold of the guards. "But I did keep you because I needed an heir. Now, I need you no more."

Jimenez lifts his arm and aims the gun at Carlos" chest. The shot echoes throughout the hallway. Carlos" body goes limp, blood leaking from his wound.

"Dump him in the river," Jimenez orders the guards, and they haul Carlos away.

Jimenez slowly turns towards me.

"Now, let the show begin."

And I start walking once more.