Nobody's Dream (75 page)

Cassie walked solemnly down the aisle as they left the sanctuary, as was the custom, but there was nothing solemn about the stirrings in her heart. Elation best described her feelings. She could have floated down the aisle with her husband by her side.

My husband.

She had just turned a page in her life—no, more accurately, she had started a new book entirely.

When had she fallen in love with this man? For truly, this must be what love felt like. When Lucas looked at her with love in his eyes, she saw herself as the beautiful bride he saw. Nothing would stop her from putting forth every effort to be a true bride to him this time, no matter how long it took.

Tears blurred her vision but she saw
Mamá
and
Papá
waiting near the back of the church, and she fought the urge to run into
Mamá’s
arms. Emotions overwhelmed her, but her place was at Lucas’s side now. When they reached the narthex at last, he turned her toward him and cupped her face once more. Kissing him was becoming her favorite activity.

She smiled up at him, but as he leaned down, she closed her eyes. Rather than be as brazen as she was in front of
Padre
Rojas and those who witnessed their first kiss as a true husband and wife, she waited for him to come to her this time.

Hurry up and kiss me, Lucas.

When his lips did not meet hers, she opened her eyes and quirked her brow in question.

He smiled. “That’s better.” He closed the gap and met her lips. Rather than a chaste kiss like before, his tongue brushed across her lips lighting a flame in the pit of her stomach warmer than the unity candle they had lit during the ceremony. Without thought, she opened her lips to him, but he broke off the kiss with a groan when everyone surrounded them offering their congratulations.

He leaned closer to her ear. “We’ll take up where we left off tonight—in bed.”

The words sent shivers throughout her, but she did not think they signaled fear. Something else. Anticipation perhaps? How far would he take her tonight? He had promised to take his time. Besides, they were in her parents’ house.

Yes, she had agreed to more intimacy, but how quickly did Lucas intend to move?

No time to think about such things as the wedding party moved into the hall for the celebrations. The evening passed in a blur of faces, but whenever she became overwhelmed, she sought out Lucas and he calmed her with merely a glance.

Food and drink abounded. They toasted with the traditional
pisco
, but she did not partake of more than a sip. Their guests enjoyed the cases of beer and the
chicha morada,
a sweet, fruity punch made from purple corn.

Because there had not been time to instruct Lucas in the native dances, she asked
Mamá
and
Papá
to exclude them from that portion of the fiesta. In truth, the thought of dancing publicly again after where it had led to with Pedro and his accomplices almost made her sick.

Do not think about them now.

Lucas must be overwhelmed by how different this wedding was compared to his first one with Maggie, although he embraced each thing as he came along. The monetary gift-giving ceremony made him a bit uncomfortable, but they could use the money for their animals or anything they wished. They did not live extravagantly at all.

Hours later, the crowd began to thin out and Cassie thought it time to prepare to bring the reception to a close. “I am going to the ladies’ room, then we can go back to my parents’ house.”

He kissed her. “Hurry. I’m ready for bed. I’m looking forward to holding my bride in my arms all night long.”

To have and to hold.

“I look forward to that, as well.”

She walked down the long hallway to the restroom, her thoughts lost in what would transpire tonight while she and Lucas were in bed together.

A hand closed over her mouth, stifling her scream while a strong arm clamped around her waist. The familiar voice spoke into her ear in Spanish as his hand groped her breast.

“No screaming,
puta
. We leave now.”

Diego?

She had expected Pedro to show his face, but not this man who was not even from her village. She fought against him, but her jabs and kicks were unsuccessful at hitting any vulnerable areas. Remembering her training, she let herself go limp and managed to duck from his grasp and run for the back door. She would go around to the front of the reception hall and get help, but her first thought was escaping the man who stood between her and Lucas at the moment.

A blast of cold air hit her in the face when she opened the door, temporarily blinding her. When she bolted outside, she ran into another man.

“Finally in my arms again, my betrothed.”

Pedro. Before she could react, he had her in his arms, her back to his chest. Something glinted in the moonlight—a deadly-looking knife—that he placed next to the skin of her neck. Some of the beads from her chin-strap pinged to the ground as he cut through one of the strands.

“Make a sound,
puta
, and your blood will be the next thing spilling to the ground.” She found herself facing Diego again. Even in the dim lighting of the alley, his black eyes bore into her soul.

Her heart hammered as bile rose in her throat.
No!
If she let them take her away from here, she would be raped again and probably would not be allowed to walk away this time. Sweat broke out on her forehead. The frigid air pierced her dampened skin as Diego came forward and squeezed the joint of her jaw until her mouth opened and he stuffed a smelly cloth inside.

Why had she not screamed when she could have? Who would come looking for her and how soon? Lucas for certain, but he might not begin to worry for many minutes. She needed to find a way to let him know where they had taken her.

But how? The last time he had tracked her, he had Picasso. Would he be able to find her on his own?

*     *     *

Luke had asked her Aunt Sofia to check on Cassie in the ladies’ room when she hadn’t returned after almost ten minutes. Was she sick from the food or drink? No, she hadn’t had more than that potent
pisco
toast and barely sipped that.

Worrying that something more sinister might be wrong, he had entered the hallway to the bathroom himself when Cassie’s aunt came out of the bathroom clutching her hand to her chest.

“¡Ella no está!”

What did she mean she’s gone? Luke ran for the nearby exit, calling over his shoulder, “Call the police!”

Pedro, you fucking touch her and I’ll kill you with my bare hands.

How could he have let down his guard when the possibility this snake would slither into her life again was so high? He should have been standing guard outside the bathroom.

In the alleyway, he looked up and down, but saw no movement.

Sonuvabitch
.

When he pivoted around to go inside to retrieve Eduardo and other men who knew this place and could aid in his search for her, his boot skidded on something. He looked down to find more than a dozen pearl-like beads—just like the ones on Cassie’s hat strap.

The door opened and Eduardo ran out. “Where is she?”

“No clue. She could have been gone for as long as ten minutes already.” Luke continued to scrutinize the beads and noticed they didn’t just litter the ground here, where they indicated a struggle, but the moonlight captured a trail of them. “Look! She’s left us a trail to follow.” Which meant she was still alive.

Luke set off down the alley.

“Where are you going?”

Luke didn’t bother to glance back at her brother. “I’m going to find my wife.”

Eduardo caught up and cast a beam from a small LED flashlight that helped them illuminate the darker areas and continue to follow the trail. On the street, the beads veered away from her parents’ house.

Luke saw scuff marks halfway down the street, near another alley. “There are at least two of them.” There had been a struggle. Had she been hurt? He didn’t see any blood, but the thought of their hands on her…

How could they have taken her from under his nose? He should have protected her.

Focus. Kick yourself later, but right now you need to find her.

Clearly they hadn’t gotten into an automobile so most likely she was still in the village. He picked up the pace as fast as he could without missing clues to her whereabouts. He hoped they didn’t catch on that she was leaving a trail of beads.

Inside the narrower alley, the trail ended abruptly. Eduardo shined the light on a red object near the entrance to an animal shed.

Cassie’s hat. His heart hammered in earnest. Further signs of a struggle. Looking around, Luke recognized the shed from their walk the morning she agreed to marry him again. He pointed it out, down the darkened alley. “Cassie used to play with alpacas in there.”

“Pedro did, too. At least I found him there with her sometimes when I came to walk her home.”

Pedro had been part of her childhood? His betrayal and attack had to have been even harder if they had been friends. Luke had just assumed it had been an arranged marriage to someone she didn’t even know.

“Fucking asshole.”

Eduardo stared at Luke. “You are certain Pedro is the one who took her?”

Enough family secrets. This man needed to know the stakes here. “Pedro and two of his friends raped Cassie that night she went out.” His voice shook with emotion. “This time, they may not want to leave a witness.”

The man turned off the flashlight, hiding any emotion he might be feeling. His breathing became labored.

“Look, keep your head on straight. I’m only telling you this because we aren’t going to let them hurt her again. She needs us.”

The agitated clicking of the alpacas inside increased when he heard a muffled scream. Cassie! He ground his teeth. They approached the shed with as much stealth as possible. Another scream and Eduardo charged forward, but Luke stopped him.

“We need a plan of attack, or we’re going to get her killed.”

At least she was still alive. The thought of those bastards touching her made him sick. Under his breath, he whispered, “I’m coming for you, darlin’. Be strong for me.” Of course, she couldn’t hear him. Luke’s hands shook as he crept slowly toward the shed. They needed to assess the situation before going in guns blazing—man, he wished he had his revolver. Upon further inspection, he found a slit in the boards. The scene before him revealed Cassie held against one man who had a knife to her throat. Another groped her breast knowing she wouldn’t move for fear of having her throat cut. A third man moved two alpacas out of one stall into another as if readying a place to…

Get your fucking hands off my wife.

How could he rescue her when her life was hanging in the balance with that knife? One wrong move and she would bleed out.

The man holding Cassie whispered something in her ear. The terror in her eyes curled his stomach, but also gave him the resolve to put an end to her suffering. They couldn’t wait for the police to show up. He had no clue how fast the authorities moved down here. Cassie didn’t have time on her side.

He turned to Eduardo and whispered, “Is there any other entrance?”

“Not that I remember.”

Luke remembered the ptarmigan whose birdcall Cassie had found so fascinating last week up at her cabin. Seemed like forever ago. Surely they didn’t have them here. If she heard that sound, would it give her the comfort to know he was here so she could be ready to move when they burst inside? Might as well try.

“Sweet-sweet!” He made the sound a few times, then looked inside again. The men hadn’t noticed, but he saw Cassie scanning the door, hope in her eyes.

He stepped away and in a whisper informed Eduardo what the situation was and their plan of attack. “One has her at knifepoint. He’s mine. You take the one standing in front of her. When we go in there, we need to surprise and distract them. We only have a second or two before they’ll react. I’ll give a rebel yell—”

“A what?”

Eduardo hadn’t grown up in the American South. “Just listen and charge toward her when you hear it.” Luke prepared, trying to take a deep breath and regain control of his shaking body. Rage gave him the courage to go in there. He just hoped Cassie didn’t get hurt.

Remember your self-defense training, Sweet Pea.

He just needed to give her enough warning to twist away so he could take the man down. God, he hoped he could neutralize the arm with the knife quickly.

And if you even nick her pinky, I’ll use that knife to cut off your goddamned dicks.

*     *     *

Diego’s hand squeezed her breast harder. Bile choked the back of her throat. Was this real or another visualization with Abigail? She had been enjoying the celebration of life and love with Lucas and her family only moments ago, hadn’t she? This could not be real.

Then the blade of the knife touched her throat and she pulled away, closer to Pedro who laughed at her fear. No, this was very much happening.

“
Mi chica
will not whore herself with that
gringo
on her wedding night. We will remind you what a real man feels like, Casandra.”

Escape!

Cassie kicked behind her at his shins and elbowed him, but the other two soon overpowered her and the back of her head smashed into the beer-soaked felt on the pool table. Hands pulled at her skirt and blouse. The sound of a knife cutting through the material made her stop fighting for fear she would be cut as well.

“Don’t stop fighting,
puta
,” Diego ground out. “We like it better when our girls give us a challenge.”

“I am not one of your girls. Let me go now or my brother will make you regret the day you were born.”

Cassie blinked. Had she just kicked at Pedro? There was no pool table here. The past and present became jumbled in her mind.
I must escape!
But how? Pedro had not loosened his hold on her since he grabbed her in the alley behind the church. She had run out of beads before they reached their destination. Had there been enough dropped for Lucas to find her? If he did not see the trail of beads, he might not realize she was in danger. Would he go to her parents’ home looking for her, losing precious time?