One (32 page)

The thought is enough
to start my struggle. I might have been thinking about death moments
earlier, but now that I feel Braidon beside me, the only thing I
think about is fleeing.

"You'll never
leave me again, Jules." It's like he can hear my thoughts. It
makes me sick. Then I remember that
he's
the sick one, and
he'll turn me against myself until I'm weak enough for him to swallow
whole.

"What are you
planning to do with her?" I hear someone ask.

"She will stay
with me. Forever."

Silence greets his
words. My heart clenches painfully.

"And how will you
do that, nephew?"

Jose.
I picture
him in my mind: light brown skin, artificial white teeth, and small
brown eyes.

"The same way
father kept mother," Braidon replies in a flat voice. "She
was American just like Julianna. And father kept her in the house,
always she was with him…"

A prisoner.
He's
going to keep me locked inside a house somewhere, and I will never
see anyone I love again. Briefly, I wonder if his mother is still
alive. Was his father mentally ill as well? Did he rape her?
Instinctively, I begin to struggle, and that's when I realize my
hands are tied behind my back.

"Braidon,"
his uncle begins cautiously, "there are many women for you in
Mexico. Leave this one behind. She is not worth the trouble,
si
?"

"No!" The
word erupts with such force that I tremble. "No. There's no one
for me but Julianna. No one."

If crazy had a voice,
it was speaking right now. Braidon alternated from being flat to
emotional in moments, switching swiftly like Jekyll and Hyde. I'm
trying to move my body, and I'm able to shift a fraction of an inch,
slithering like a snake. I need my eyes to open. I need to search for
an escape route.

"There is no one
that will search for her,
tio
. She is all alone."

Pax face drifts into my
mind. I see Nat and Alex, Bill and Gail. I even see Anna. I send
prayers into the sky.
Please find me. Please come after me.
Please, please, please…

"What about her
American boyfriend? The footballer?"

I hear Braidon growl.
It's the sound of an animal. Every hair on my body stands.

"He will forget
her," Braidon dismisses. "Or he will die."

Grave silence follows
Braidon's declaration. My eyelids are heavy like cement curtains.
Even though I can't see, I slither an inch away from where I feel
Braidon. His presence fills me with anger and desperation.

"She is not well
enough to travel to Mexico," Jose finally says.

"We will leave
tomorrow then," Braidon replies. "Will you arrange safe
passage for us,
tio
?" he asks like a spoiled child.

There is a pause before
he answers. "Of course."

I hear Braidon move
away.

My eyes open.

The first thing I see
is a brown hardwood floor. It's shiny as if someone has just cleaned
it. If I look closely enough I might see my reflection. I try to lift
my head up. It takes a few attempts, but soon I'm able to raise my
head several inches, enough to scan my surroundings quickly. We're in
a living room. There's a white sofa to the left of me and further
down I see a small kitchen. Windows are everywhere, but it's
nighttime and darkness penetrates through. I'm in a corner, tied to
one of the columns. I see the back of a man move across my line of
vision. Jose.

He doesn't know I'm
awake. I try to move again, but the rope is taut and I'm immediately
pulled back. I hit my head hard against the column behind me. I cry
out, but the cloth around my mouth muffles the sounds.

Braidon's gagged me.

More panic rises. I'm
gagged and bound and my legs feel too heavy to move. I doubt I'd be
able to walk. My fingers flex, indicating they've returned to normal.
My hands will help me move.
I raise my head again, looking for
something sharp. I do a quick scan around my body, but I see nothing,
only a shiny floor underneath me.

Plan B then.

I scream. The sound is
muffled. I scream louder. I thrust my body against the floor. I use
my legs to kick-
hard
. I hear footsteps.
Good
.

"Julianna!
Julianna, stop!" Jose rushes toward me, his voice filled with
concern. For a moment, I let it calm me. Then I remember how he
promised to help Braidon take me out of the country, and I'm
desperate again, pounding harder on the floor. "Stop, Julianna!
No one can hear you. We are the only ones here. Please stop hurting
yourself!"

I shout words through
the cloth in my mouth: "I hate you! You both are psychotic, evil
men! I hope you rot in Hell!"

"Julianna, I can't
understand a word you're saying. Here." He does exactly what I
hope he's going to do. He takes off the gag. "Julianna…"

I stop yelling. I move
back, watching him wearily. "Jose." My voice is hoarse from
my screams, or maybe from the drugs Braidon gave me.

Jose notices and grabs
a water bottle from behind him. "Here. Drink."

The water is warm, but
I swallow it greedily, loving the way the liquid spills into my body.
"Please," I whimper, not hiding how weak I sound. "Can
you untie me so I can drink?"

Jose looks apologetic.
"I'm sorry, I cannot. I will hold it for you." I close my
eyes to hide the anger blazing there. I drink every sip, knowing I
will need as much nourishment as I can get. When I've sucked
everything I can, Jose steps back, holding the empty bottle in his
hands.

There is silence as I
breathe. I take time to gather my thoughts. Finally I speak. "I
heard what you and Braidon said." Jose doesn't respond. "He
is going to keep me his prisoner, isn't he? He will take me to Mexico
and I will disappear forever."

"
Si
."
He doesn’t bother to deny it. "It will not be a bad life,"
he adds. "You will have many servants."

I can't help it; I spit
on the floor. "I will be a
prisoner
, tied to a
psychopath. Tell me, Jose, how did Braidon's father kill his mother?"

He flinches, and I know
my guess is right. Braidon's mother is dead, murdered by his own
father. I want to vomit. "He will kill me, too, Jose. You know
that. He is sick! He needs help!"

"He will be safe
in Mexico."

What about me?
I
won't be safe anywhere Braidon is. I know it with every bone in my
body.

"Help me." My
voice is soft, and as childlike as I can make it. "You told me
your daughter is fourteen. I am only eighteen,
senor
. I don't
want to die. Please." He stiffens when I mention his daughter. I
press on. "What would you do if someone had Alondra like this?
Wouldn't you want someone to help her?"

"I would kill
anyone stupid enough to touch her." The venom in his voice
reminds me of Braidon and for a second I remain unmoving. My heart is
pounding loudly in my ears. It's the sound of desperation.

"
Senor
Jose, please, think about what you would feel if someone took your
daughter from you-"

"You are not my
daughter, Julianna," he cuts me off. "You are no one's
daughter."

His words make me
angry. I want to scratch his eyes out. I know the truth now: he will
not help me. He is as cold hearted as Braidon.

Plan C. The only option
left.

I will either die. Or I
will live.

"My boyfriend's
uncle will come for me," I whisper.

Jose sighs. "Julianna,
there is nothing you can say that will sway what will happen.
Comprende
? You are going to Mexico with Braidon. Your life
will be good. You will sleep and eat and play. There is even a pool."
He sounds irritated that I object to such a life. Time is running
out. Braidon will come back at any moment.

"He's a cop,"
I speak fast. "His name is Bill Paxton and he's already
contacted the FBI about the farm and the factory." I try to
think about what Bill told me. He mentioned undercover cops. "Someone
close to Gonzales is snitching, selling you all out. There might even
be undercover cops," I say, praying Jose believes me.

He becomes still as a
statue, listening to me. His dark eyes are cloudy and angry- very
angry. "You revealed the location of the drugs?" His hand
is clenched into a fist, and he takes a step forward.

"No," I lie,
shaking my head. "They found out about me. I told you: you have
a snitch. He's revealing former workers. The FBI got my boyfriend to
get close to me so that I'll reveal the location. I found out today.
I was crying and that's why I didn't hear Braidon come." I make
my eyes wide. "They want to take this operation down. They know
about the drugs and about… the other thing."

Jose is still,
completely motionless, shock evident on his face. No one knows about
the other operation. It's a secret; one I stumbled into. I wonder if
Grandma had seen it as well. I wonder if she died for it.

"How do you know
about that?" he asks with lethal softness.

"I overheard
them."

There is quiet as Jose
thinks. I can practically see the wheels turn in his head.
Please,
I pray.
Please…

"We need to go,"
he announces abruptly.

"Where?" My
voice breaks a little.
Please work…

"Gonzales."

My heart pounds.

Jose calls someone,
speaking in Spanish. He gestures a few times toward me as he talks,
becoming more animated by the minute. Anxiety and fear weigh on me,
making my body heavy like I'm covered in cement. There's no turning
back. I don't know what will happen, but I know my life will never be
the same again. Finally, Jose ends the call. "He will see you."

I should be happy.
Everything is going according to plan. I feel only dread though. The
only way this is going to work is if everyone does exactly what I
hope they'll do. What are the chances of
that
happening? I
start shaking.

Jose studies me. "You
should be afraid," he says almost sad. "Braidon wanted a
beautiful life with you, and now that chance has slipped away. You
will go to Gonzales and he will use you. You will pray for death
before he is done. You have sealed your fate, little one," he
shakes his head regretfully, and my heart races even faster. Fear is
evident on my face. I don't hide it; I couldn't if I tried.

"Uncle?"
Braidon calls out. His feet are light on the floor.

Jose's eyes catch mine.
He sighs tiredly, regret etched on his face. "Braidon," he
answers gently, as if speaking to a child. "Come here."

"Uncle, we will
need a passport for Jules…" Braidon voice drifts off as a
smile appears on his face. "You're awake, my love." He
walks toward me, bending down so his face is level with mine. He
touches my lips with a finger. His eyes roam over me hungrily, and
instinctively I shrink back. "You should not be afraid," he
says instantly. "I will not hurt you."

I want to bite his
finger. He drugged and almost
killed
me on the road. How can
anyone think this man is sane? How can no one love him enough to get
him the help he needs?

Braidon leans in
closer. He's going to kiss me. Bile rises in my throat. This man
shot
someone. He is a murderer just like Gonzales. I see Jose move
forward. If he doesn't stop this now, I will vomit in Braidon's
mouth. I won't be able to stop it. His lips drift nearer. I smell
something sour on his breath. I jerk, as my stomach starts to heave…

One moment I feel
Braidon's lips on mine, and the next air is kissing me. I watch in
horror as Jose's arms circle Braidon in a chokehold. Jose has a cloth
over Braidon's mouth, using the same trick that Braidon had pulled on
me. Deep in my mind, I know there's a poetic justice to what's
happening, but I can't appreciate it. I see an uncle choking his
nephew, and the sight is horrendous to witness.

Braidon is yelling and
Jose closes his eyes, a tear dropping from one eye. "I'm sorry,
nephew," he says in a choked voice. "But you cannot have
her. You can never have her now. She belongs to Gonzales." I
watch the drug take affect and Braidon goes limp, falling to the
floor with a thud.

A tiny part of me
remembers how he helped me when Grandma passed. It's enough to make
me feel a little empathy for Braidon. In some ways, he can't be held
responsible for his actions because he's mentally ill. In the end, it
doesn't matter. I only see a criminal when I look at him now.

Jose touches Braidon
tenderly. "You'll be all right. I love you. I'll never hurt
you."

Drugging and almost
suffocating your nephew to death shows that you
love
him? It
makes no sense, but then I shouldn't be surprised. I've been thrust
into a world of monsters.

Jose starts toward me.
Instantly, I move back, shaking my head frantically. "I'm sorry,
Julianna, but this is the way it must be. You can't see where we're
going-"

"Blindfold me,
please!"

Jose shakes his head.
"No," he says firmly. "We can't risk you seeing
anything. You need to go to Gonzales unconscious."

I'm breathing hard, as
if all the oxygen's been sucked out of the room. This isn't part of
the plan. I need to see where I'm going to find an escape route or
leave a clue, at least.

"Jose, please…"

There's no swaying him.
If he can drug his nephew without blinking, then I am even easier for
him to hurt. My body is trying to get away, unwilling to go down
without a fight. His hands are hard when he presses the same cloth
he'd used on Braidon, to my face. I can't breathe. I feel
lightheaded. Desperate, I picture Pax's face.

He is the last thing I
see before the darkness returns to claim me.

Something cold hits my
body.

I jerk from the impact.
It
hurts. Stop,
I try to say. The coldness lingers, creating a
sting so sharp I cringe. The blackness shifts to a dark violet,
sinister and gloomy. I'm scared in this place, but there's less pain.
I drift, floating over a purple fog. I hear something and then…
cold
.
It's accompanied by another harsh sting. This time the sting starts
from my mouth and travels through my body. I cry out. The fog
dissipates, and a bright light shines through.