“You look like you’ve seen a ghost, Javier.”
I don’t speak. There’s nothing I can say. Men like this can’t be reasoned with.
“Where is my brother’s body?”
Chapter 19
Cara
“Stop,” I hiss, grabbing a hold of Amanda’s arm as she tries to wiggle another board free.
We only have two more that need to be pulled away before it’s big enough for us to fit through.
“Was that a gunshot?”
Penny whimpers once again. All she’s done since Amanda and I started working on clearing a way out of here is cry and plead with us to stop.
“I think so,” Amanda answers me. “We need to work faster.”
“We need to be quiet,” Penny whispers. “Please stop. If the men Angel warned us about hear us, we’re as good as dead.”
I agree with her reasoning and realize Amanda does too as she pulls her hands away from the board she was working on.
Another shot rings out, this one easier to hear now that we’re listening instead of trying to escape. We huddle together, something we have never been able to do because of the separate cages in the basement. We’re all shaking, terrified, questioning every choice we’ve made in life as we wait.
I know that we’re sitting ducks if anyone finds us, but we have to trust that Angel did this to keep us safe.
Each second drags by, the minutes add up with only the sounds of our breath swirling around us.
“They’re leaving,” Amanda whispers when she hears a vehicle crank.
“That’s only one,” I reply. “We heard two drive up, remember?”
I have no concept of time as we wait, but there hasn’t been a sound come from the house for a very long while.
“What’s that?” Penny cries when the sound of footsteps draw closer.
They aren’t as heavy as the ones we listened to when Angel walked away, and I can’t question right now why I’m hopeful that it’s Javier.
Only when the lock is released and the door swings open, it isn’t either of those men standing in front of us under the moonlight.
“What happened to you?” Penny whispers, her hands going to cover her mouth.
Lola is covered in blood. It’s on her face, her hands, her chest, and the front of her legs are nearly solid red.
“We need to get back inside the house,” she insists, taking a step to the side so we can walk out.
We’re all reluctant to follow her. Going back seems like the last thing we need to do. It’s counterintuitive, and I know we’re all feeling the same way because not one of us steps forward.
“Whose blood is it?” I ask.
“Everyone’s. They’re all dead.”
“Y-you killed them?” Amanda asks, a hint of awe in her voice.
“No. Juan’s brother came back looking for revenge. He k-killed Angel, then the guy that was supposed to buy me. Then they went through the house and killed all the staff. Well, not Miguel, but I’m sure that piece of shit left with them.”
“Javier? They killed Javier too?” Do I ask because I want proof he’s dead or am I hoping that he’s still alive?
I blame every event I’ve been through since getting abducted on my unclear feelings. It’s been too much all at once, and my brain just can’t work through the information as adequately as it used to.
“I don’t know. I can’t find Javier either.”
“We can leave,” Penny says, her voice filled with more hope than it has been since we were escorted out here.
“There’s transport coming soon,” Lola explains. “At sunrise.”
The sky is already turning pink and orange behind her.
“More buyers?” Amanda asks with a gasp.
“Not buyers, help.”
“How do you know all of this?” I ask, desperately needing her to confirm the suspicions I’ve had for a while.
“I overheard them talking. Come on. I just need you to trust me.”
I’m the first to stand, my emotions a confusing whirl in my head. I want to escape, and I want to be free, but I’m freezing. My clothes are damp with sweat from trying to pull the boards away and then again from fear after hearing the gunshots. Staying outside isn’t something I want to do either.
“Come on,” I urge the others as I step out of the shed. “Let’s at least go in and pack some clothes and food. We can be gone before those other people ever show up.”
Penny and Amanda stand, and I sense them following as Lola and I walk back toward the house. The air is still quiet, even the birds around this eerie place refuse to sing songs in delight of daylight coming.
I cover my mouth to trap a cry when I see Lupe’s lifeless body, eyes open and focused on nothing. Her throat is slit, the blood surrounding her darker than I realized blood actually got.
“Just don’t look at her,” Lola says with no emotion in her voice as she steps over the cook’s corpse.