Authors: A.J. Sand
“Ramón, please…do anything you want to me! I’ll fight. I’ll fucking fight!” He’s still ignoring me. He’s just so focused on Drew, and suddenly what he wants clicks like a shock of electricity through my head. He wants
her
to agree, too.
“Or maybe
a whore for you to share!” he shouts over her screams.
“Fuck! Stop! Stop! I’ll do it! I
’ll fight! I’ll fight in Carlos’s place! Agree with me, Drew! Drew, say something! Say I’ll fight! Please, baby. Say it!”
“Yes, say it, Drew. Say, ‘He’ll fight in Carlos’s place.’”
“He’ll fight in Carlos’s place! He’ll fight!” she shouts in a teary voice.
“Tell Jesse that he has to fight,” Ramón demands.
“Jesse, you have to fight! You have to fight,” Drew says.
The hammer freezes about an inch above the back of her hand, and Ramón jerks it from her palm. She hangs her head and starts sobbing uncontrollably. I go limp in the guards’ arms, too, drained from the whole ordeal. I feel like I’ve been underwater, swimming to a surface I can never reach, and eventually decide to just let myself sink to the bottom. I want Drew to go home
now
, but I know even after all of this she still won’t go.
Satisfied, Ramón signals for her to be removed from his makeshift torture device. The faintest trace of regret flickers on his face as he walks to the bar for another drink. Or maybe my tormented brain is delusional enough to believe he’s not really a monster.
Drew slams into me, clinging to me, burying her face in my chest. I don’t think I’ve hugged her this hard before. Even after the robbery. Her trembles vibrate straight through me and shift the rate of my heartbeats. Ramón takes down another drink like we’re not even in the room. There’s a burst of rage curling in my core, but I just swallow it so that the situation doesn’t escalate.
“You happy now?” I ask him. “I’ll fight in your goddamn fight. Happy?”
Ramón spins on his heels, a critical, disapproving glance shooting our way. “Jesse, you are not the boy I met five years ago. That boy
loved
the fight. You’re still a fighter but a reluctant one. It’s a pity. You don’t have enough fight in you…and you…” He walks toward us with his eyes pinned on Drew. I hug her tighter against me, wrapping her in my arms like they’re powerful enough to keep him away. “
You,
Drew,
have too much. I like the strength I saw in you that night in Glory. The strength, the bravery,
the fire
…it is what I admired about you when we first met. It is what fascinates me now.”
“Don’t fucking touch her…” I warn him as he lifts his hand to drop
onto her shoulder. Ramón acquiesces, but he chuckles because he knows I can’t really do anything to him.
“But one must know when to
bend
, my dear. Lest. You. Be.
Broken.
” He lilts out the last four words. “I wouldn’t feel good breaking you. But I would, break you.” He motions to his henchmen. “Get their room keycards. Have someone go get their things and bring them here. Phones and passports are to be turned over to me.” He looks at us. “Room number?”
“Three Oh Six,” Drew says.
Ramón claps twice. “Now, you two should go enjoy the house. Ask Gabe any questions you have. He doesn’t get much company out here, so I’m sure he’ll be happy to chat. Pick rooms; though, I must insist on separate quarters. My fighter needs to be focused. Tomorrow, we’re dining on the water. I’m sure someone around here can get clothing for you because it’s a fancy thing. Hope neither of you gets seasick. You’ll be safe here. It’s only when you attempt to leave or do anything stupid before what you’ve agreed to is done that we’ll have a problem. I
really
hope you’re not too cross with me, Drew; this was nothing personal. But I do recommend heeding my advice.”
****
I’ve never been in a more beautiful prison. Ramón’s property spans several acres, and there are other buildings on it. From up here, the view of the city, as it comes alive in the morning, rivals the nighttime one. I’m up after a mostly sleepless night anxious to find Drew. And it’s a very annoying task given how fucking big this house is. It’s like one of those horror movies where the hallway keeps stretching out in front of you even when you swear you’re almost at the end. One of the guards finally tells me she’s on the loft level pool deck, where I find her lying on her stomach on an outdoor chaise lounge staring off into nothing. Her contemplative look drains into a sweet smile when she sees me approaching, and she sits up and adjusts to make room for me.
“Nice swimsuit,” I say, kissing her cheek. She’s in a black bikini. The minute her hand lands on my chest, my lips linger longer than they should
, and I slide them up to her ear, my fingers trailing. The guard watching us from the far end of the pool deck turns his periodic glances into an all-out stare. I don’t care. I missed her last night. Sleeping alone sucks. “Is this Ramón’s apology?”
“Probably. It was waiting for me outside my door this morning. I was pacing the room, wondering how the hell we’re going to get out of this. I figured if I was going to worry, why not do it out here…”
“I’m so sorry I got you into this mess.”
Drew hugs me. “Jesse…that’s the last time you’re going to apologize to me for any of this, okay?” She pulls back and cradles my face on one side. “Look, you said something to me when we were hiding in that closet at the hotel. You told me you would risk your life to save me, and the thing is
, I would—”
“Don’t even fucking say that shit to me, Drew…” I pull her hand off my face
, guilt and irritation swirling together in my stomach.
She squeezes my hand as that defiant look I hate just as much as I love
hits her face. “I’d do the same thing. So I’m here until this is over. Come what may. Hate me all you want. But you can only do it if you’re alive.”
“There is
no
come what may. I get you home. No matter what. That’s how this ends. That’s the only end to this.”
“Do you think he’s really going to let us just leave after this fight? What if he’s trying to replace Carlos with you? For real? For good?” She lowers her head to my chest.
I spent a lot of last night thinking about it. I’m having a hard time believing Ramón is just going to open the door and send us on our way. “We need leverage. We need something we can use against him. Something so big that if he knew we had it, he’d have no choice but to let us go.”
She nods like she already knew that’s what I was going to say, then she sits up. “Do you trust me, Jess?”
“Yeah, of course. Why?”
“If I had to do or say some things to make sure we got out of here, do you promise not to hold them against me? Ever?”
“Like what?” I try not to let my eyebrows hit my hairline as I aim a peculiar look at her.
“
Not that.
” She gives me a quiet laugh before her eyes narrow.
“
Just things that you have to swear you won’t ever judge me for.”
“I’m in no position to judge you for anything you do.”
“Good, because sometimes you’ve got to dance with the devil…if only to show off your technique.”
“Do you see why I prevented you from sleeping together? How is he supposed to focus?” We both turn to the sound of Ramón’s voice as he walks out of the loft. I frown, wondering how long he’s been behind us, how much he may have heard. He’s shirtless and wearing linen pants. He’s covered in ink, all the way to his waist, arms and all. As Ramón walks to the pool deck, Gabe waves from the doorway. “Come. Brunch is ready. We have a full day ahead of us.”
He isn’t kidding. After we eat he shoos us off to our respective bedrooms, and Gabe comes in a while later with a huge shopping bag of
men’s clothes, chattering on about summer suits and lightweight suits. Whatever. He leaves a khaki one and a white shirt on the bed. After I shower, a woman comes in with a massage chair and rubs me down completely. She even offers me a happy ending, which I immediately decline. Ramón’s barber gives me a much-needed haircut and a clean shave before I get dressed.
Nice work, Gabe,
I think as I look myself over. I look good, probably the best I’ve looked in weeks. But not for one second does any of it blur the cage, the blood, and the carnage associated with this lifestyle.
Drew and Gabe, all dressed up
too, come downstairs from another far-off wing a few minutes later, chatting, and arm-in-arm. The first thing I notice is the length of Drew’s exposed leg as it shoots out from the slit of a long black gown. It fits like it was made for her: tight in all the right places. The material dips down into a V in the front, leaving the middle of her chest bare. Once Ramón gets ready we’re all whisked away to a port on the Bay of Acapulco, and we embark a cruise ship brimming with well-dressed people. This really doesn’t look like the crowd we’ve seen at fights. In fact, most of these people look like the most they fight over is why they have to pay their housekeepers a living wage. No wonder Ramón had to pretty us up. Everyone’s wearing diamonds and plastic surgery.
As Ramón hands us champagne glasses, I ask, “What is this?”
“My associate is hosting a gathering. You’re fighting his guy. He doesn’t know that yet, though. So we must schmooze and woo.” The ship pushes off into the Pacific, and Acapulco looks amazing from the water—towering hotels hug the curved shoreline, with hazy rolling mountains serving as the backdrop.
“If you need anything tonight, make sure you let
Ramón’s men know, okay?” Gabe whispers to Drew. It’s a subtle way to tell us that we’re being watched. We’re not jumping overboard, so I’m not sure how much watching they’ll need to do.
We enter a softly lit, gold-accented dining room with an enormous crystal chandelier. People are already seated, there’s a light murmur of voices under the soft music, and the smell of dinner is wafting out from the kitchen. As Ramón leads us to our table, my gaze falls on the profile of a dark-haired woman flirting with an older man; a beautiful dark-haired woman who induces a cold sensation that flares up from my stomach and chills the rest of me. I slow my steps and turn my head to get a better look at her.
Holy shit.
“No way,” Drew whispers after a gasp, her gaze cast where mine is. “
No way.
”
Alejandra Bautista is here.
“You know someone else? And here I thought
I’d
be stuck chatting with you all evening,” Ramón says, walking back to where Drew and I are still standing.
“That
woman over there, Alejandra Bautista,” I say.
“You know Al
e?” he asks, eyebrows raised.
“Unfortunately,”
Drew says. “Crazy bitch.”
“Hey
, that could be my sister!” Ramón laughs. “Well, that would still make her a crazy bitch, huh? There will be plenty of time to chitchat. Come.” He continues taking us toward one of the few tables that isn’t full, and there’s a balding, heavy set, beer-bellied man, his trophy wife, and a young bruised-up guy in a suit at ours.
“Just
one
fight, Ramón,” I whisper with resolve before we reach them. I hold out my hand, desperate that he takes it. I can’t be Carlos for him. “That’s the deal, right?”
“This will be your only fight for me, if that’s what you
really
want.”
“It
is
what I want. I’m not fighting anymore. I’m done with this. Give me your word. Please.” He presses his palm to mine and shakes my hand firmly.
“Okay. Done,” he says. “Only this one, and you can be on your way.” The words come
without hesitation, but that doesn’t make them believable. We still need a plan.
The people at the table stand as we approach, and Ramón introduces e
veryone to each other. The man is Hector Peña of the Ortiz-Peña Cartel and is the son of the eponymous deceased founder. The other guy is Victor Santiago, my inherited competitor. Ramón and Hector go off to talk in the corner, presumably for Ramón to convince Hector that I’m worthy enough to replace Carlos.
“Did the swimsuit fit?” Gabe asks Drew.
“Yes. Thank you,” she says.
“He won’t come out and say it
, but he feels terrible about what he did,” Gabe says with an apologetic stare, “especially after I shared what you told me about your father last night. He did not have a good relationship with his, either. Emmanuel Vega was an abusive and hateful man. He used to find ways to make him
man up
, and I think he thought he could beat the gay out of him. He threw him out of the house many times. Ramón spent many nights with my family. He often had nowhere to go. All of that has made him someone who needs to be in control one-hundred-percent of the time.”
“You two have known each other for a long time?” Drew asks.
“Yes. Since we were teens. We lost contact years ago, but reconnected while he was in Phoenix visiting Elena.” Gabe looks over his shoulder at Ramón and sighs. “When he started working for Francisco, he brought me to Mexico and promised to take care of me, for everything I’d ever done for him. There’s a kind soul under there. He doesn’t reveal it often…but it’s there.”