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We carry on driving in silence for a while. I stare at the red dot on the screen, worried that if I look away it might disappear and we won’t find her.
“You truly love her?” Alejandro’s voice breaks through the silence.
“Yes. With every fiber of my being.”
“Why her though, Jax?”
“You’re seriously asking me that?” I frown at him. He, of all people knows how incredible she is.
“Yes. I know she is beautiful and smart and kind, and amazing. But you have dated hundreds of women. Why decide my twenty-one year-old daughter is the one for you?”
“I don’t know why it’s her, amigo,” I tell him honestly. “It just is. I think about her every second of every day. When something good, or funny, or anything happens, she’s the first person I want to tell. When I’m not with her all I can think about is getting back to her. The thought of never seeing her again makes me feel like I can’t breathe. I would die for her happiness—I know you know what love like that feels like.”
“I sure do,” he sighs.
“I’m sorry that I betrayed your trust, amigo. You are my brother and I love you, but I can’t imagine a life without her.”
He shakes his head in exasperation but he doesn’t say anything further and we get back to focusing on finding our girl.
CHAPTER 46
LUCIA
Ow! My temples throb. Why is it so dark in here? I lift my head and cry out when it smashes against something hard. I try to stretch my legs but I can barely move. My hands and feet are bound. Oh, God! Where the hell am I?
My heart races and there’s a rushing sound in my ears that makes it hard to think. My mouth is so dry. I try to shout but my voice is little more than a croak.
Think, Lucia!
The last thing I remember was going for burgers with Dolos. We bought some, didn’t we? And I got an iced coffee too. I was drinking it in his car and then…
That’s it. I don’t remember anything else. Damn! That asshole has drugged me. The rushing noise in my ears is the sound of a car moving at speed. I’m in his goddamn trunk. I kick out and scream but the car keeps on moving. My breathing gets faster as the blood thunders around my body. What if I don’t have enough oxygen? What if I die in the trunk of this shitty car?
Matthias!
Jax!
My mom and dad!
What if I never see any of them ever again?
I close my eyes and suck in a deep lungful of air. Just breathe, Lucia. You got this. It’s Dolos. He’s your friend. You can talk your way out of whatever this is. I feel around for something I can use as a weapon, but the trunk is empty. Shit!
I lie in the trunk, listening for any signs that we are stopping or there is someone else in the car. All I hear aside from the engine is the muffled sound of the radio. I wonder how far we’ve traveled—how long since I was knocked out. At least Matthias is with Jordan. She’ll keep him safe and then she’ll alert people when I don’t come back for him. Then my father and Jax will find me. Everything will be just fine.
I don’t know how long I’ve been lying here but the car comes to a stop and the engine is switched off. My arms and shoulders ache from the pressure of having my wrists tied behind my back.
When the trunk opens a few moments later, I blink as the sunlight almost blinds me.
“Hello, chica,” Dolos sneers as he reaches in and stuffs something into my mouth. It’s some kind of rag and it tastes of greasy burgers. I retch and the bile burns my throat, making my eyes water.
He grabs the top of my arms and pulls me from the trunk. I stumble forward and he catches me. “Steady, chica,” he chuckles. “Don’t want you to hurt yourself now, do we?”
I look around frantically, desperate to see someone who might be able to help me, but we’re in the deserted parking lot of a boarded up diner. He’s parked his car beneath some trees so it won’t be so visible from the road.
I try to scream but the sound is muffled by the rag.
“Oh, I love a screamer.” He leers at me. “I’m gonna make you scream, chica, and no-one will hear you out here.”
