Chapter 7

7

Tank

C larke was quiet the entire trip into Mexico, and eventually, she laid her head on Beck's shoulder and went to sleep. I'd silently laid my jacket over her, my heart giving one hearty thump at the thankful look Beck aimed my way when I did, which I chose to ignore and not look deeper into. Alejandro was quiet as well on the drive, only opening his mouth when Elaina, the woman he and Joey shared, called him to see when he might be coming home.

The way his tone softened for her felt too intimate to witness, especially when I only really knew him as a hardened, callous asshole.

Halfway through the trip, we stopped and got food at a fast-food chain restaurant attached to a truck stop. My bulky frame kept Beck and Clarke hidden from any of the workers. Clarke and Beck had both eaten their food in silence apart from whispering thank-yous to me for paying for their food.

Getting into Mexico was easy. Alejandro got out of the car and spoke quietly to the guard on duty. The one in charge also came over, and after a brief two-minute conversation, he nodded and told the guard to let us through. Alejandro slipped into the SUV a moment later, and then we were officially crossing into Mexico, where we spent even more hours on the road, only stopping long enough for gas and a bit more food for Beck and Clarke.

Finally— fucking finally —we reached the safe house. It was a small house overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, and it was within a few minutes' walking distance of any stores we may need while we were there. The home was white with blue shutters and a well-maintained, manicured yard. Trees gave it privacy on all sides except the back of the house, which faced the ocean.

Alejandro had chosen this safe house well. Hopefully, Beck and Clarke would feel more like they were on vacation rather than at a safe house.

"My men are already stationed around the home," Alejandro quietly told me, keeping his voice low so we wouldn't wake Clarke. Beck stared at us, making no move to hide that he was watching us and listening to our exchange. Despite how long we'd been on the road, he hadn't fallen asleep and had remained awake, his arms steady around Clarke as if he might need to grab her and run for their lives at any moment.

I couldn't really blame the kid. They'd both gone through hell—her enduring the trauma and him being forced to watch while trying to come up with a plan to save her.

I angled out of the SUV before leaning back in and looking at Beck. "Carefully hand her to me," I instructed. "We don't want to wake her—just get her inside and put to bed."

He tightened his hold on Clarke for a moment before reluctantly sliding across the seat and letting me gently scoop her from his arms. Alejandro already had the door open as I turned and headed toward the front porch that spanned the front of the house. I turned sideways and angled inside before heading for the master bedroom. There were only two rooms I could see and a bathroom, which meant Clarke and Beck would have to share… not that I thought they would mind that anyway.

The master bedroom had a bathroom attached, which meant they would also have their privacy, something I knew Clarke, at least, desperately needed after all the months she'd spent naked—being raped and tortured over and over again. I might not be able to get her and Beck settled into a home yet, but I could at least give them this—privacy and safety.

Beck followed behind me, his footsteps barely audible. When I laid Clarke on the bed, Beck immediately rounded the frame before sliding in on the other side and curling his arms around her. I stepped back, ignoring the way my fingers twitched with the urge to slide my fingers through their hair, whisper sweet nothings to them, and make promises I wasn't sure if I could keep.

How had these two come to mean so much to me in such a little amount of time? How was I falling this goddamn hard this fast?

"If you need me, come find me," I quietly spoke, making Beck open his eyes to look at me over Clarke's head. "I'll probably be in my room. You won't be disturbing me; I promise."

He nodded once before shutting his eyes again and burrowing his face in Clarke's hair. I turned on my heel then, forcing my feet to carry me out of the room, even if all I wanted to do was sit on the floor, my back against the bed, and guard them like that for the rest of the night.

But I wouldn't. We were safe here—at least for now. And they needed their privacy.

After quietly shutting the door behind me, I made my way back up the hall. Alejandro was standing in the middle of the living room, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his pressed slacks. "They settled?" he asked.

I nodded once. He cleared his throat before handing me a set of keys. "This is for the house," he explained. "You're the only one with these keys. My men do not even have copies. They're under orders not to enter this house unless it is under dire circumstances." I imagined dire circumstances would be if our safe house was compromised and we were under attack. "If your location is compromised," Alejandro continued, reading my mind, "you will need to get those two to safety until I can get to you to get you somewhere new. If you cannot get them to safety for whatever reason," which I assumed meant I was physically unable to do so, "my men will infiltrate the house at whatever point is closest to Beck and Clarke, and they will remove them and get them to safety, even if it means leaving you behind."

I nodded. "Good," I gruffly answered. I could handle being tortured, and I wasn't afraid of dying. I knew my brothers—my family—would continue to protect Clarke and Beck, even if I had to be buried six feet beneath the ground before all this mess was taken care of.

My life was a small price to pay in the grand scheme of things.

"When I take them into town, will we have protection?"

Alejandro nodded. "Yes. Some men will remain stationed around the house, and others will go into town with you, though you won't notice them."

I chuckled. I would notice them. I'd noticed five of them already just when we were walking into the house. A man with a history of abuse like me was good at picking people out of their hiding places. I no doubt would soon spot all of his men by the end of the day tomorrow.

"I hope I am not overstepping boundaries when I suggest this," Alejandro added, "but Elaina suffered as well from her own history of abuse, and normalcy helps. Even though Clarke and Beck know and understand they are not in Mexico for some lavish vacation, try to give them the normalcy they need. They both have a lot of healing ahead of them."

I nodded once. He took a step back and then turned on his heel, silently leaving the house. I sighed and grabbed a bottle of water out of the pack I found sitting on the kitchen floor before heading to the other, smaller bedroom to get some rest and figure out what to do with Clarke and Beck tomorrow so they could begin settling in and be free again.

I would do everything I could for them. And even though I knew it would hurt to eventually let them go, when it was safe to do so, I would release them back into the world.

I had to.

Sighing, I reclined back against the comfortable pillows on the bed and crossed my arms over my chest, my feet crossing at the ankles. I shut my eyes, allowing myself to finally fall asleep.

But sleep didn't last long.

Because a piercing scream ripped through the air. A scream that chilled me to my core. A scream that was full of horror and pain and trauma.

Clarke .