Fat Louise (5 page)

Most of the group stood then walked out of the room with worried expressions. However, Killyama stayed where she was, giving him a glacial stare that nearly curled his balls in fear.
 

“You let Fat Louise’s mom and that bitch of a wife treat her like shit. If anything happens to her, that bitch won’t be the only one I come after.”
 

“You’re not going to wait to hear from me, are you?”
 

“What do you fucking think?”
 

Benedict was left staring at the empty doorway. He almost felt sorry for Mexico if that woman was headed their way.
 

Chapter 4
 

“Wake up!” The command was followed by a brutal punch to her ribs, startling Jane awake. Her frightened eyes lifted to the soldier staring down furiously at her. Despite the pain in her side, she jumped to her feet. Seeing another soldier in the doorway raised her alarm even further.
 

Jane saw Carina and Teresa standing in their bedroom doorway with terror on their faces.
 

“
Que haces aquí
?” She couldn’t understand a word he said. Her sleep-fogged mind couldn’t translate the words fast enough.
 

Frowning, he repeated the sentence in English. “What are you doing here?”
 

Jane thought quickly. “I’m visiting my cousin.” She gave a nod towards Carina.
 

The two soldiers stared at her skeptically.
 

“I don’t see the family resemblance.” He took her face in his large hand, his grip hurting like hell, but she didn’t try to pull away.
 

“We’re, like, fourth cousins,” Jane lied. “I wanted to learn more about my heritage.” The soldier’s hand dropped away.
 

“Why have you been asking about the Silvas?”
 

“My mother mentioned them. I was trying to find out if we may have a familia connection.” The men talked quietly before bursting into laughter.
 

The one pointing a gun on her lowered it to his side. “That may be possible. The Silvas like to spread their seed.”
 

Jane didn’t like the way the two men were staring at her. She became aware of her thin nightgown, crossing her arms over her breasts.
 

“Grab your things. We will take you to meet more of your family.”
 

“I’ve talked to my mother. I had the name wrong. I’m related to the Villas.”
 

“I can see how you would be confused.” All amusement disappeared. “Get your things.”
 

Jane thought about getting her backpack with the gun in it yet didn’t like her chances. Instead, she swallowed hard. “I really don’t want to go with you.”
 

“I don’t give a fuck what you want.” The man who had woken her by punching her pushed her towards the doorway. All of them came to a stop when they saw the man standing bare-chested in the doorway.
 

“Don’t have anything better to do besides trying to kidnap a woman out of her bed, Luis?”
 

“Cade!” The bastard took a step forward, holding out his hand for Cade to shake. “Where have you been, you hijo de puta?”
 

“Been busy, but not as busy as you.”
 

Jane tried not to stare at his chest. She should be scared shitless; instead, she had to force her eyes upward, her arousal spiking.
 

He didn’t even glance her way, keeping his attention focused on the soldiers.
 

“Her? She was just going to be a plaything for Javier tonight. He gets bored easily.”
 

“He must be for you to take her to him. From what I remember about him, she’s hardly his taste.”
 

Luis turned back to stare pointedly at Jane’s breasts, which were easily visible under the sheer gown.
 

“He’s right.” The one holding the rifle lifted the bottom of her gown to her thighs with the barrel of his gun. “She doesn’t have enough meat on her.”
 

“Let’s get a drink.” Cade moved to go back down the steps.
 

Luis paused before motioning for the other soldier to leave. The gown fell back down her
thighs.
 

“You should search somewhere else for your family ties,” Luis’s harsh warning had her trembling.
 

She nodded her understanding, sinking back down onto her bed. Carina ran forward slamming and locking the door.
 

“
Estúpido perra
! I told you to be careful,” Teresa hissed at her, not moving from the bedroom doorway.
 

“I’m sorry. I thought I was. I’ll leave.” Jane stood to her feet.
 

“You can’t. It’s the middle of the night,” Carina protested.
 

“I don’t want to put you or Teresa in danger.”
 

“We’re not the one in danger. Those men know they can have us, that our families are not wealthy. We would serve no purpose. You, on the other hand, could pose a threat to them with your questions, and they will eliminate any threats to their organization,” Teresa told her, going back into the bedroom and slamming the door closed.
 

“I’ll leave on the bus in the morning.”
 

Carina shook her head. “Give it one more day. We will try harder to get into Jorge’s office. Maybe you can find something to help you. He’s been in business a long time. Surely, he will have the address of someone in the Silva family.”
 

Jane gave in. She needed an address, and most of the legal addresses given were not the ones they lived in; using fake addresses as a way to keep their residence a secret from their enemies was common practice.
 

“Are you okay?”
 

Jane nodded her head, not mentioning the soreness of her ribs. The violence of the situation
had her shuddering. If Cade hadn’t shown up, she was sure the soldiers would have taken her. She had stayed too long.
 

“I’m fine, but I need to leave before they decide to come back.”
 

“I think so, too.” Carina agreed unhappily. “Tomorrow, we’ll find something to help you.”
 

“I hope so.” Jane lay back down on the bed after Carina left her. Covering herself with the blanket, she buried her face in the pillow.
 

She had never missed her friends more. In hindsight, Jane wished she had confided in them. Although she had made a mistake not doing so, she wasn’t going to call them to help her. She wouldn’t endanger her friends because of Bailey. Her sister was her responsibility.
 

“I’ll find her, and when I do, I’ll be able to go home,” Jane promised, brushing a tear away. She was homesick and scared.
 

Taking a deep breath, she brought images of her friends to her mind, which eased her anxiety. Even hundreds of miles away, they gave her strength enough to close her eyes and go to sleep.
 

*  *  *
 

Jane dressed for work in her borrowed clothes from Carina. She hurried, wanting to be downstairs during lunch since it would be the best time to search Jorge’s office. She went downstairs, going through the back door to the small kitchen behind the bar. Jorge didn’t provide much food to the bar customers, mainly items he bought from vendors that could be easily reheated.
 

She grabbed a tamale from the metal pan sitting on top of the stove. Taking a bite, she enjoyed the spicy flavor.
 

“Jorge will make you pay for that,” Carina teased, coming inside the kitchen to place some
dishes in the sink.
 

Jane made a face. “On my salary, I’ll owe him for letting me work here.”
 

“Do you need some money? I can lend you some,” she offered.
 

Jane shook her head. “No, I’m fine.” She wouldn’t take the money from her friend; she worked too hard for it.
 

Jane and Carina went into the barroom where Carina waited on tables while Jane worked behind the bar. When she had started working at the bar, she had been slow, but now she moved back and forth behind the bar with familiarity. When she returned home, she might take a part time job bartending.
 

She saw Teresa sitting at a table with Cade. He was wearing a black T-shirt, and his wet hair made it look as if he had just taken a shower. Every so often, Teresa would get up to refill his drink or get him food. Jane tried not to watch them as she worked; however, Cade was hard not to notice. She wanted to smack herself for staring at them.
 

Bringing herself back to earth, she started focusing on Jorge. He seemed tired today, moving slowly behind the bar as he helped waiting on customers.
 

Seeing his keys were on the shelf next to the glasses, she took several glasses and placed them carefully on the shelf. She glanced around quickly to make sure no one was paying attention to her, and then she slid the keys into her pocket.
 

“Jorge, I’m not feeling well. I need to go to the restroom.” Jane told him as he moved from one customer to the next.
 

He studied her face for a second before nodding. “Hurry the fuck up. We’re busy.”
 

Jane guessed fear of getting caught taking his keys had made her face pale, adding credibility to her claim.
 

“I’ll try.” Jane tried to give a make-believe sick look before disappearing around the corner where his office was. The bathroom was directly in front of it, and the room that Cade was renting was next to it.
 

Jane hurriedly slipped the key in the door after checking to make sure no one else was near. Slipping inside, she closed and locked the door in relief. She stared around the office in dismay. It was filled with papers and boxes. She would never be able to find anything in here before Jorge noticed she had been gone for too long.
 

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she began her search, making sure to place things back exactly as they were so Jorge wouldn’t know she had searched his things. Time flew and Jane was about to give up when she noticed a ledger lying on top of a box that was closest to his desk. Opening it, she saw several names with money amounts and addresses.
 

Jane ran her finger down the column, almost shouting when she saw the last name Silva. Jane memorized the address then closed the ledger.
 

Barely opening the door, she peeked outside, and seeing no one, she slipped back out into the hallway. She was about to close the door when she found herself jerked away as a hand reached out and snapped the door closed.
 

Jane stared up into Cade’s face as she was backed against the now closed door with Cade plastered against her.
 

“What?” Before she could say anything else, his mouth slammed down on hers. Jane’s hands pressed against his chest as she tried to turn her head to the side. A firm hand on the side of her face held her still as his tongue pressed against the seam of her lips. Unable to stop herself, Jane parted her lips, letting him enter. Her hands fluttered against his chest before grabbing on to his T-shirt to steady herself. His tongue slid against hers in an intimate way that had her wanting to
imitate the movement.
 

“What the fuck, Cade? You already have one of my girls. I need at least one to work. Carina’s upstairs with a customer. Either pick Teresa or Jane.” Jorge stomped back around the corner. When he moved, Jane saw a furious Teresa staring at her from the end of the hallway.
 

Cade took a step away, giving her room to move. Jane hurried forward, intending to go back to work, but Teresa blocked her path. Carina had warned her about Teresa’s fury.
 

“Teresa, come here.” The male voice behind her had a seductive pitch that had Jane’s head turning, but Cade wasn’t looking at her. His attention was on Teresa, who nearly knocked her over when she brushed by. Jane’s mouth dropped open at her rudeness while Cade’s arms slid around Teresa’s waist as she neared him, pulling her closer to him. When Teresa lifted her mouth to his, Jane spun around and left the two alone.
 

“Why am I not surprised he picked Teresa?” Jorge’s sarcastic comment had Jane’s blood boiling.
 

“Maybe because she’s a slut?” Jane snapped, handing a customer a fresh beer.
 

Jorge raised his brow at her yet didn’t say anything else. Jane tried not to notice that neither Cade nor Teresa immediately returned to the bar. She tried not to let it bother her, but somehow, it did.
 

It was over an hour before Teresa returned to the bar, shooting her a triumphant look, which she ignored. Setting down the bar rag, she walked to Jorge’s side. “I’m going upstairs for a break. I’m still not feeling well.”
 

“Go,” he snapped. “Make sure you’re back before six.”
 

“I will,” Jane lied. She had no intentions of ever stepping foot in the bar again.
 

She felt inexplicitly sad that she would never see Cade again, which made no sense,
considering she didn’t even know him.
 

“For Christ’s sake, I’ve never even talked to him,” she said to herself. Her anger at herself didn’t make her feel better, even though she told herself it did.
 

Before she walked out, Carina gave her a sad smile, somehow knowing Jane wouldn’t be coming back. Jane gave her a thumbs up in return as she passed. She would leave Carina a note, thanking her for her help. Jane would miss the friendship that had begun yet promised herself she would keep in touch.
 

As she headed upstairs, Jane looked down at her watch. She had twenty minutes to catch the bus for Peñuela. She was going to find her sister and get back to the life she had left behind.