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I laugh. “I guess you don't value your life.”
“If I tell you, I'm as good as dead anyway.” He holds his arm tightly to his chest, panting heavily. The scents of urine and mold saturate the air.
I bend down so my eyes reach his. “At least this way you'll get a head start.”
He swallows hard. “I just know he took him to a warehouse. I don't know where.”
I pull out a pair of pliers from my back pocket. “How about we make sure? How attached are you to your fingers?”
He widens his eyes in fear. “Please. I'm telling you the truth.”
I kick him further to the ground, placing my foot in the center of his chest. “I don't think you are.”
His knee bends, moving toward my other foot and I shoot it. He hollers in pain again. “I wouldn't do that again if I were you.”
I bend down and pick up one of his hands. The cold pliers touching his fingers have him yelping. “Okay, okay. I don't know which one he was taken to, but I do know it was a warehouse and Santiago only has two.”
“Now that wasn't so hard, was it? Tell me the locations of the warehouses and you're free to go.”
“You'll really let me live?”
“I am a man of my word.”
Thankful for my good memory, I don't need to write the addresses down. They remain stored in my head. I keep my word and he's barely hanging on to life by the time I drop him back off at the back of his establishment. I never did say what condition I would leave him in. I only agreed to let him live. I doubt it will be for long. I hurry back into my car while messaging my brother.
Me: I think I found where Santiago is keeping Mateo.
Angel: Please tell me you aren't going alone.
I toss my phone in the seat and pull up to the first address on the list. I prefer my brother not come after me. I already have a target on my head, he doesn’t need one too. The warehouse seems empty with no guards around it and no cars in sight. They wouldn't leave Mateo unguarded. I know it has to be location two, which requires me to get my hands on a boat last minute. I need to hurry and form a plan. I only have a day or two to come up with one. The longer they have Mateo, the longer I'll feel like my heart is about to explode. The only comfort I have is knowing they can't kill him yet. It won't work well for Santiago's plans if they do.
Twenty-seven
Mateo
I've come in and out of consciousness several times. I have no recollection of time. Every now and then I'm being kicked awake and getting food shoved in my mouth, or sprayed down by water. Sometimes I'm taken to a toilet, but most of the time they let me lay in my own piss. They let me keep the gag off for a while until I started screaming lyrics to random songs. I think “I'm A Barbie Girl” is what finally got the last guy.
There is loud panting and shifting happening nearby, telling me someone is in here watching me. They know better than to touch me. The last guy who tried got his hand cut off by Santiago. No one will even breathe near me now if they can help it.
I shift on the floor to get more comfortable, but nothing about the cold, hard concrete is pleasing to my skin. My hips ache and my throat is raw and dry. I'm not even sure when the last time was that they offered me water. I don't bother opening my eyes because I'll be met by the same black cloth. I wouldn't stop screaming against the gag, so they took my blanket away as punishment.
The door creaks open and there's some low mumbling. Clearly things are being said that I'm not supposed to hear. “Well, isn't that a nice surprise? It's a good thing we don't need him anymore then. Most of the forms have already been signed. Once the wedding is over, I can sign the last one and everything will be mine soon, including Mateo. She and I have an agreement after all.”
“She.” Santiago is working with someone else. I know my aunt felt cheated when my father cut her from the business after my grandfather died, but we hadn't seen her in years. She disappeared and my father always counted on her coming back to cause trouble. Maybe she has finally decided to make an appearance. Footsteps move my way and I recognize Santiago's cologne and the tangy orange Tic Tacs I always hoped he would choke on someday. I've never been that lucky though.
“Seems like no one will be coming for you now, my precious pet. Not your father and not Gabriel. It's impossible to do with them being dead and all.”
There's a loud ringing in my ears and my heart sinks. He's lying, he has to be. He lifts the blindfold off my face and his eyes grow dark. His smile is wicked. “Looks like the big bad wolf finally got beaten at his own game. I hear it wasn't pretty either.”
My eyes grow wet and tears leak down my face. “Ah, don't worry, mi amor. I'll be here to take care of you now. Looks like you get to live after all, and I can't stop thinking about all the fun we're going to have.”
He pulls down my gag to press his cold, hard lips to mine. I grit my teeth until it's over. “I have to go now, mi amor. Be good for me and make sure not to fight too much. I'd hate for you to use all your energy before the big day.”
Before I can say anything he shoves the gag back in my mouth. And right when he's about to cover my eyes with the blindfold again, he is interrupted by one of his men. “Boss, I have a gift for you delivered by a friend.”
He hands Santiago a white box. He smiles when he lifts the lid and pulls on the contents. “Ahh, a few special pre-wedding gifts for you, mi amor.” He tosses a severed finger to the floor. It has my father's ring on it. I remember our last conversation before I left his office, and how that same red stone appeared bright against the gold liquid in his glass. I gasp, staring at a piece of my father sitting on the floor in disbelief. “Oh, I'm not done. I'm feeling quite generous today, actually.”
He holds out a familiar gold chain covered in blood. “I think I may keep this one for myself.”
