Little Doll (14 page)

“How do you know that?”

“Because he wouldn’t be so foolish.”

Silence.

“
Will they really kill him?”

“You have
my word. Ethan is a sitting duck but because Ethan is American, Hector is careful enough to distance himself from it. He doesn’t really want Ethan returned. Wherever they find him is where he will die. But the longer it draws out, the more trails lead back to Hector and his business.”

“What about the money
… or people… whatever it is that Ethan owes?” I asked in a daze.

“Long gone.”

So it was set in stone. Everything Aiden had told me two days ago was coming true, yet he didn’t seem at all bothered by it.

“Enough of that, you are her
e for training.” Aiden dismissed the conversation, his focus returning to business. “Stand up.”

I followed his order knowing I could never shake the dark cloud
that hung ominously over my life.

“Turn around,”
he ordered. I did as I was told. “Doing what you’re told without a fight or hesitation will get you a long way, even if it’s a menial instruction. Now close your eyes and unfold your arms.” I hadn’t realized that my arms were wrapped tightly around my waist as if they would be my protective shield.

A warm tingling travelled down my neck as Aiden’s breath caressed my skin
. This man had a way of both terrifying and soothing me, sometimes even simultaneously. His cheek pressed against my left temple, giving my stomach butterflies at the intimate position he had us in. His unshaven face against my smooth skin caused a sensation that both consumed and confused my body while my mind screamed at me to remove myself from his hypnotic aura.

Those emotions intensified as he
slowly slid his nose through my short hair, delicious shivers circumnavigated themselves around my whole body. He inhaled the fragrance of my hair before letting out a heavy sigh. Hector had done the same damn thing to me when I first met him. At the time, the act repulsed me. Now, however, it was sensual and made me crave more.

“You smell so
goddamn beautiful,” he said in a low husky voice that sent shivers to all the right spots.

I could feel
the soft pads of his fingers slowly running the length of my arms, my deceitful body lounging in the glorious aftermath of it. Aiden responded to my newfound approval and stepped closer, his firm bare chest and groin fitting perfectly within the curve of my back and round
ass
.

Even as I stood
rooted to the spot, allowing my body to respond in the most inappropriate ways to this man, I realized he wasn’t like the others. He had made his intentions clear. They were dishonorable intentions, sure… but at least he wasn’t throwing me to the ground and beating me into submission like the other men in the house were so fond of doing. I had to trust him when he said he didn’t want to hurt me.

Aiden brushed his lips pas
t my ear and down to the crook of my neck like a falling feather. The contact was so gentle and restrained his full lips barely even touched my skin; instead, they teased every nerve ending I possessed. This guilty pleasure was all too much. My body began to shake involuntarily, but not due to fear.

The soothing sensations of his trailing fingers turned into gentle massaging. My head lolled back against his chest exposing my neck to his mouth. Pain and pleasure blurred the invisible line as h
is hands flexed and gripped around my arms tightly. I was no fool, he was trying to control himself and the desire he was evoking, leaving the notion of teaching submission without dominance teetering precariously on the edge of failure.

Being
hypnotically drawn to the exquisite sensations Aiden was creating, I moved toward his lips still tentatively grazing my shoulder. I inhaled his scent which flared my senses to life. I hated him for how he made me feel. I loathed him for the way he made my body respond. But I couldn’t get enough. I was becoming an addict and I despised myself.

Aiden’s mouth lingered at the crook of my neck
with renewed intensity, my breath faltering as I attempted to swallow my desire. His touch held a magnetic force and I wanted him to travel further, to kiss me like he had done only nights ago.

“What are you doing?”
he said, his voice husky and strained.

My
eyes flew open to meet his, but I was too absorbed in how he made me feel to say anything.

“I didn’t tell you to move.”

The moment was broken.

“What
… I… I didn’t know…” Heat rose to my cheeks by the awkward situation he had placed me in. “I’m sorry,” I stammered. Had I been too presumptuous? Had he not felt the same connection?

By the look in his eyes
, I could see Aiden was battling his own demons. He ran a frustrated hand through his hair as he backed away, leaving me bereft at the distance between us. I couldn’t quite gauge his mood without seeing his face, but I could tell he was trying to compose himself. Perhaps he too felt the pulling force and the desire we both emanated. Either that or he was a very convincing actor.

“Sit down,” he ordered gruffly. I did as he asked without hesitation.
“Your role is not to seek your own pleasure. You are not to act on your own needs unless your master has allowed you too. And in this case, I didn’t.”

“
Alexsonov?”

“M
ost likely. I can't see any reason why he won’t take you as the replacement. You will need to address him as master.” He couldn’t have said the words faster if he had spat them. Did it annoy him that I would soon belong to this… Alexsonov?

“
Does that make you my master for now?” I asked, hanging my head low. I didn’t want to know the answer; it would only devastate me more. Somewhere in my warped justification I still believed Aiden could help me.

He
remained silent for what seemed forever, each passing second creating further distance between us. I dared to glance up at him only to find he wore a mask of indifference, yet his idiosyncratic twitches betrayed him.

“Go back to your room
,” he ordered, his voice ice cold.

“No, please
,” I stammered, “don’t be mad, I’m sorry. Just forget about everything that happened.” I was fearful he would grudgingly choose to not help me anymore and leave me in Juan’s hateful hands. I needed someone on my side, and Aiden was as close they came.

“
It’s not up for discussion. That was a direct order, now do it.”

Closing the space between us,
Aiden held out his hand to pull me to my feet. A chivalrous act, but in my current state of upset I was too numb to give him any of my energy. Pulling myself up off the sofa, I heard him curse under his breath at my rejection. At this point I didn’t care how he felt. Using his already outstretched hand to cup my left elbow, Aiden steered me toward the door. Outside, Sophia was waiting with her typical emotionless dead eyes.

“Take her
,” Aiden gently released me to Sophia, once again leaving me vulnerable to the evil that was the rest of the house.

Chapter
Nineteen

Laila

Aiden opened the door the next day before
Sophia had a chance to even knock, his timing of our arrival surprisingly accurate. It seemed no matter what the man wore, or didn’t wear, he was still a mouthwatering sight to behold.

Tonight
, Aiden was dressed in jeans and a tight black shirt that hugged his biceps possessively. He gestured for me to enter, all the while avoiding my gaze. There was no formal greeting, not even for Sophia, his mood instantly placing a dark cloud over the night’s proceedings. The atmosphere chilled some degrees and my hopes of reconciliation were silently dashed. I had left Aiden the night before feeling humiliated and dejected, but I had hoped he could have put the subject to rest. I still needed his help.

After returning to my room t
he previous night with an anxious stomach, I had been unable to eat the meal Sophia had left. Instead, I opted for removing my heels and climbing under the comforter still wearing my dress and underwear. For an hour I had cried until the tears no longer fell and my swollen eyelids grew heavy. Sacrificing my pride for the greater good was a hard pill to swallow especially considering his assurances of help were beginning to feel like false promises.

No
w here I was again in his domain and he couldn’t even bring himself to greet me. For a fleeting, beautiful moment last night I had thought something had changed between us, an obstacle been overcome, perhaps. I couldn’t quite place my finger on it, yet I was certain the air surrounding us had felt different and incongruous for the environment I was being thrust into.

Aiden had closed the door behind me before moving across the open floor space to his office desk, leaving me to stand alone
and unsure of my purpose.

Five minutes passed and nothing. Aiden hadn’t even deigned to give me a cursory glance over his shoulder. So I stood, waiting where he had left me, feeling foolish and finding myself staring at the way his
muscles moved rhythmically under his shirt. Unaware of the attention, he continued to scan and discard the many documents he had been holding.

When another
minute passed with no hint of interaction, I tore my eyes off his body and wandered over to an artwork that stood out amongst the rest. It was similar to the photographic nudes I had seen the previous night, however this one was of a more intimate nature than the others. It was of a woman’s torso with a man standing behind her, one of his muscular arms draped over her bare breasts, the other hand spanning over her hip. The darkness in the background crept forward enough to cast deep shadows over their entwined bodies. It was an incredibly sensual and sophisticated composition and just like the others, not at all lacking in class.

“
You are fond of this one?”

Aiden’s
close proximity and gentle voice next to my ear sent traitorous shivers of delight through my body. He stood behind me, his chest barely touching my back with each heartbeat.

“Y
es, but they are all stunning.” I replied softly. A comfortable silence descended upon us. I could hear his gentle breathing, dangerously distracting me from keeping a level head. If I forgot everything else around me, it would almost be as though we were in an art gallery and not in a Mexican cartel house. “Why do you have so much of this particular work?” I braved the question when I could stand no more of the tension building between us.

“That’s a good question
,” he stated. By the tone of his voice he appeared relaxed, a stark contrast to how he was when I first arrived.

“Perhaps it
’s to bring back some normality to my life,” he said at last.

“What do you mean?” I asked, a little perplexed.

Aiden
took a step forward so we stood side by side. He looked at me coyly and I was once again consumed by his viridian eyes and the need to feel the roughness of his face against mine. “Do you want the honest answer or a bullshit story?”

“Honest.
”

“
The truth of the matter is, you guessed the answer a few nights ago.”

“I
’m not sure I remember what I said.”

“It’s hard not to become as fucked up as the rest of the people in this house
, especially with how my father and brother are.”

My heart dropped.
“I hadn’t realized they were your family, I mean you are all so…”

“Different?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you
.” Aiden shot me grateful smile that made my heart skip a beat. He was so devastatingly beautiful when he smiled. “Sometimes it doesn’t feel like it.”

Prior to this revelation
, I hadn’t been sure if they were all related or not. There were absolutely no similarities between Aiden and Juan.

“So
, you play a part in what they do?” It was a daring question. I wasn’t even sure why I asked it.

He simply nodded before continuing. “
I do, but not how you may be thinking.” He studied me as if looking for any sign of doubt in my eyes.

“So how does this all tie in?” I gestured to the images around his room that had been the focus of our conversation.

Aiden massaged his neck with one hand while contemplating the nude I had deemed my favorite.

“
Well, it all stems from my fathers’ less than desirable business choices, I guess.” He shot me a quick glance. “Hector… he has been sitting on the golden throne of one of the largest international cartels for a long time now. In fact, he inherited the business from his own father.”

“
Such a long time to not get caught.” I should have perhaps filtered that thought before saying it out loud.

Aiden shrugged his shoulders
, seemingly unfazed by my comment.

“
A bloody Mexican history has been a good lesson for him. He has created a system that has him virtually untouchable by all government organizations. Hector’s power and money status enable him to control people, not just groups here and there, I’m talking about in the masses.

"
Over the last twenty years, it had been him alone who has created total dominance of the production and trafficking of cocaine and meth in both Mexico and Colombia. He is a figurehead for those who need to know him and nothing more than a myth for those who want his blood, but that doesn’t stop the layers upon layers of people who want in on his world.”

He wasn’t gloating about his father
's ‘achievements’, it was as if it was a story he had never told another soul before.

“What
is it like having him as a father?” I could only imagine the sick and twisted lifestyle Juan and Aiden had endured growing up.

“
He gave us everything we ever wanted. As boys we were ignorant of his occupation until he thought we were old enough to start learning the ropes.

"
One of the advantages of being raised by Hector Florez is that no one fucks with you. Fearing death is one thing, but fearing death at the hands of this man is a complete other story. You would think that being the kingpin of the drug world would be enough for him, but it doesn’t even come close.”

I
nodded as a way to encourage him to keep talking, although a part of me was still trying to comprehend his words. I had no idea that the asshole was someone of that magnitude. I guess I could find solace knowing that even Kings can be killed. History had proven that much.

“Doesn’t he feel the slightest bit of remorse for the lives he destroying?”

“A good business man doesn’t concern himself with the consequences. He saw and understood the cycle involved in the drug world.

"
If you provide the stuff people want they are always going to buy it. Take it away and they are still going to crave it and find it elsewhere.

"
Hector thought the same about women. But instead of taking it away, he saturates the market with them just like he does with his drugs. No point in letting some other fucker come into the game to steal your glory, he always said.” 

“How do these images come into play then?”
I didn’t want to talk about Hector anymore.

“Replacing
the ugly with the beautiful,” Aiden said, shrugging his shoulders.

“You don’t agree with what they do?”

“They? Laila, I am just as immoral and corrupt as the next person under this roof.”

“But you
are different, I can see that.”

Why had I felt
the need to convince him all of a sudden?

Aiden
didn’t respond straight away. Instead he looked at me as if he was seeing trying to break down the walls of my soul. Had I upset him?

“W
e are not blood-related,” he said, without a hint of agitation toward my prying.

I
was at a loss for words at what seemed a complicated life for someone brought into this hell.

H
is eyes twinkled as he turned towards the bar. I was perplexed not only by his candid confessions, but also the depth of relief in his eyes when I made the distinction between him and the others.

S
etting out two crystal glasses in front of him, Aiden poured tequila from the genie bottle. Turning back to face me, I saw the twinkle gone, replaced instead with a distant melancholy. Handing a glass to me, we clinked and drank in silence.

T
he whole time his eyes avoided mine.

Coughing immediately after swallowing, my
gut protested violently against the jet fuel. It clearly didn’t get better with experience and I knew I would have to build the courage to refuse more.

“Can I ask how you came to, um…”

“What do you want to know?”

“It is ok?” I was asking permission to continue with my question.

“Go ahead.”

“How did you end up being at this place, living with Hector and Juan?”

For a long time, he remained silent. His jaw was set in a firm line, eyes distant as if recalling a troubled memory.

“
I lost my parents when I was young, both in the same night. I was only seven when Hector brought me here. He had heard what happened to my family and he and Rosa, his wife, took care of me as if I was one of their own sons.

"
Then of course there was Juan. He was only young when he inherited me as his new brother. At first he was fine with the divided attention, but when Rosa died twelve years ago, he became a man hell bent on hurting and destroying people, even animals.”

A cold chill possessed my body at Aiden’s unexpected
and deeply personal insight into his life.

“
What’s going through that mind of yours?” Aiden asked curiously, startling me from my thoughts. His demeanor had changed. He seemed guarded so, erring on the side of caution, I opted not to share what was racing through my mind.

“I hadn’t expected suc
h a history, that’s all,” I partially lied.

“You asked for honesty
,” Aiden said flatly, though his eyes were now smiling. “You think I am like them, don’t you?” His gaze penetrated mine, a challenge evident which unnerved me.

“I expect the same from you.” Aiden said.

“The same, what?”

“Honesty,” he said simply.

“I don’t know what to say, I don’t even know what to think right now.”

He watched, studying my features for tell-tale signs.

“I don’t do what they do, Laila,” he switched from challenge mode to soft and humble. “I don’t prep girls for sale.”

I almost choked. He held up both hands in defense after seeing my eyebrows shoot up in disbelief. Really? What the hell did he call this? A romantic rendezvous?

“I have never been a part of grooming, prepping or selling. That is Juan’s job and h
as been since he turned fifteen.

“
Hector employed his birth son to carry out the dirty work and that included training the girls to not only meet the criteria of the men wanting to buy them, but be able to pleasure a man in such a way that the buyer would keep coming back for regular business.

"
Hector wasn’t interested in one-off sales, like I said, he wanted to flood the market with his branded girls. As for Juan, he didn’t care about the lives he was destroying, he only wanted Hector’s approval.

"
In a way, because he started so young, he knows no better. When I left to be a marine, the Florez family was only a coke and meth empire; when I returned, buying and selling women had been thrown into the mix.

"And s
ince Hector established his name in the human trafficking business, this place has required constant security to protect the ‘important’ men and woman who come to pick their girls and complete the transaction.”

“So, you trained as a marine and then you came back here? Why?”

“It was all part of a plan. I was the level-headed child who got sent away when I was old enough. Hector needed someone who could protect his kingdom if ever the walls were penetrated. So here I am.”