25. Twenty-Five

These last few days I"ve felt lost and broken, so I step outside hoping it will help me breathe easier. Santiago has been busy taking care of business and I"m thankful for his absence. My father has men standing guard around the whole house, all except one spot that I can"t help but gravitate to. The air is still and not even the trees are moving around me. The sound of my feet crunching against the dirt are drowned out by the loud pounding of my heart. The moon is nothing more than a sliver in the dark sky and not a single star shines tonight, making the world appear darker around me. I reach the fountain where Gabriel and I first met, and he isn"t there. I don"t know why I thought he would be when I told him to stay away from me.

Finding out who he really was, and why he made such an effort to see me, didn"t make me want him less, like the way it should. I was used to people disappointing me, but I was hoping Gabriel could be the one person who didn"t. I was too wrapped up in the way Gabriel made me feel to see anything else. I got lost in the way he touched me, in the way his lips grazed my skin, inching so close to my mouth that I could nearly taste him. Only he never let me.

I shuffle my feet in the grass, pressing my palm into the rough bark. I try to imagine I"m not standing here alone. As rain drops start to fall against the ground, I close my eyes, taking in the smell of wet grass and dirt. Allowing the memories of Gabriel"s sharp scent to wrap around me like a blanket of comfort. The way it always did. Slow, heavy steps move behind me. I smile and my eyes flash open. "You"re here."

Before I can fully turn around, a thin piece of cloth is being shoved against my mouth and I am fighting against the strong arm wrapping around my waist. My eyes start to close, and my head becomes foggy, and then everything grows dark.

I am greeted with more darkness when I open my eyes, feeling groggy and exhausted. There is a soft, thin piece of fabric covering my eyes and the air is saturated with the smell of metal, mildew, and blood. When I attempt to move my wrists, they are heavy and restrained behind my back by a thick rope that rubs roughly against my skin. I try to lift my legs, but they are also confined to the chair I"m sitting in. "Hello," I shout, hoping there will be someone here to answer. "Gabriel?"

Someone"s moving toward me and their shoes make shuffling sounds against what sounds like a smooth surface. "Who"s there?"

"Remember, they feed off your weakness. They will use your fear against you. Whenever they think they"ve won, lead them astray." My father"s words are loud in my ears. "We are Juventinos, we remain strong until the very end."

What if this is my very end? And what if I was naive enough to believe Gabriel? I tug against the ropes again. A familiar voice has my blood going cold.

"There"s no use in wasting all your strength, mi amor. You will need it for our wedding day. I want to make sure you"re strong enough to watch me strip the life from your father and take what should have always been mine."

I shift against the chair again, hoping to loosen the ropes, but fail. "Santiago. You won"t get away with this."

His laughter is mocking. "I already have, sweetheart. Everything is already going according to plan and it"ll keep going that way. I won"t have you ruin it because you think you"ve found true love. You think anyone could actually love you? Your own father doesn"t even love you. You should see this as me doing you a favor. You were nothing but a mark. Gabriel was only using you, and maybe, if I"m lucky enough, he will do all the work for me. Your father will be dead before the wedding and all that"ll be left for us to do is say, ‘I do.'"

His hand cups my face and I cringe, disgusted by his touch. "What if, instead of killing my father, Gabriel kills you?" I spit out.

"I don"t have to worry about that happening, I made sure no one will be coming for you. Your father already has his men searching for who he thinks is your captor. I made sure they found all his letters and roses, along with the hit sent from Gilbert to have Gabriel end your pathetic life. I have a feeling Gabriel will have his hands full very soon. It didn"t have to come to this. If only you had stayed away like I told you to."

"You piece of shit. You better hope I never make it out of this chair."

He laughs and his sounds are wicked and harsh. "Or what, you"re going to kill me? That"s really cute. You know, you should be nice to me. And maybe once we"re married, I"ll even consider keeping you as a pet."

I spit in the direction his voice is coming from and his hand comes down hard across my face. My jaw aches and the loud ringing in my ears makes it difficult to focus. "You won"t win. I won"t let you."

He laughs again, yanking me by the hair and tilting my head back. "That"s where you"re wrong. I always win."

His steps move away from me and a door slams shut so hard it sounds like the walls are shaking around me. Feeling defeated, I let my head fall forward and close my eyes, trying to imagine being anywhere else. That doesn"t last long when the door opens again, and the smell of food permeates the air. It keeps getting closer until nearly being shoved in my face. The blindfold is ripped from my eyes and there is an unrecognizable face looking back at me. The man is tall, bigger built, with a strong jawline and crooked smile. His blue eyes hold a darkness I"ve seen many times before. "Santiago says you need to eat, little lamb."

"I"m not hungry."

"Well then you better get hungry. He told me not to leave until you"ve eaten every last bite. So open wide."

Before I can part my lips, the nameless man is covering my eyes again and shoving a spoonful of beans and rice into my mouth, and I am nearly choking on the large amount forced down my throat. Food falls from my mouth and my coughs are loud and violent. That doesn"t make him stop though. He laughs and does it again, getting way too much enjoyment out of watching me in pain. I swallow down every bit as best I can, trying not to let it come back up. "That"s a good boy. Just a few more bites."

He walks away and I sigh in relief. The relief doesn't last as I hear the door open again. So far that door opening hasn"t been a good thing. "Time to get you cleaned up. I can smell the piss from outside. I brought you some fresh clothes."

I must have been so out of it, not to realize part of the wretched smell was coming from me. How long have I been in here?

He unties me just enough to lift me from the chair, but still keeps me restrained. My body is tossed on the ground like a piece of discarded trash and my whole side is screaming from hitting the cold pavement too hard. I kick and thrash against the floor as my clothes are being tugged off and I am left completely naked on the floor. I won"t plead or beg because that"s what he wants. I won"t give him more than he"s already taken from me.

Before I can wonder what will happen next, I am splashed with cold water. The pressure is so hard against my skin that it feels like my flesh is being ripped to shreds and, maybe it is. I lay there as still as I can, waiting for the tortuous pain to end. If I was given an option, I would have preferred to remain soaked in my own piss. The room goes quiet and the water is no longer hitting my body, but my skin still feels like it"s being covered in pins and needles.

I can"t keep my teeth from chattering and my body shivers violently underneath a large towel. He roughly rubs it over my skin in short, quick motions before tugging off the ropes and sliding a pair of clean underwear on me. I recognize the smell of laundry detergent and home when the shirt pulls over my head; these are my clothes. At this point, I"m too weak to struggle and my limbs feel completely useless as I try to kick and swing to no avail. He ties up my ankles and wrists and leaves me in a dry spot on the floor, draping a thick scratchy blanket over me. I close my eyes, needing an escape from my current nightmare.