She couldn’t stop herself from leaving her hiding place to steal across the yard until she was scrunched down next to the small house where she peered through a side window. Her hand pressed against her mouth to stifle her own scream of revulsion. Raul was standing over the helpless woman removing his pants, Jane saw more of her brother-in law than she ever wanted to see, he had a tattoo of two pistols framing his cock. Jane felt like scrubbing her eyeballs to remove the picture from her mind.
The pretty little house on the outside hid the ugliness within. It was one large room with several beds the men were making use of as they raped many women. The one Raul was raping must have been giving him too much trouble, because the guard was holding her down for him. The one Jane thought was Javier was standing, watching his men commit the atrocities against the helpless women.
Fuck it; she couldn’t watch any longer. Jane raised the gun, pointing it at Raul’s thrusting ass, when a hand covered her mouth, jerking her backward and dragging her away from the house. Terrified, she struggled to bring the gun up to shoot whoever was carrying her into the dark shadows.
“Stop fighting me,” Cade hissed. “I’m trying to save your ass.”
Tears of relief flooded her eyes. She had managed to escape herself, but it was nice not being alone.
“We have to go back and help them!” Jane whispered furiously.
“We can’t help them without getting ourselves killed.” Cade took her arm, leaving her no choice except to walk away from the house of horrors.
“I can’t leave them!”
“We have no choice. Do you see a swat team to back us up? Javier has turned his house into a military stronghold. I had to call in a favor or I would never have found this place.” Cade dropped her arm. "If you try to help them, you’ll get them killed. At least they stand a chance of surviving when he sells them.”
“He sells them?”
“Javier sells everything. He’d sell his own mother if he thought someone would buy her.”
“Where are we going?” Jane asked, hating herself for leaving those women behind.
“We’re going to get your sister and get the fuck out of here.”
Chapter 8
“She won’t want to leave. She’s completely blinded by Raul.”
“Then we’re going to enlighten her. I haven’t busted my ass for half a payday.”
Jane tried not to let his words bother her, but it stung being reminded the only reason he was there was for money.
“Do you always have to be such an ass?”
“Yeah.” He held up his hand, motioning for her to be quiet. “Follow my lead.”
Jane watched as he peeked around the corner then began to maneuver across the grounds. She followed on his heels, dodging into the shadows of trees and staying still until he moved again. She was relieved when they were behind the house Bailey had described as hers. They went to the back door where Cade knocked quietly.
“How do you know she’s alone?” Jane whispered.
“I scouted here first before I went to Javier’s house.”
He tapped on the door several times before Bailey appeared.
Her frightened eyes saw Cade first. When Jane could tell she was about to scream, she stepped out from behind Cade.
“Let us in, Bailey.”
Bailey’s eyes widened, opening the door wider yet blocking the doorway with her body.
“Jane, what are you doing here?” She didn’t try to lower her voice.
“Shh! Let us in.” Jane wanted to reach out and shake her sister when she hesitated, but then Bailey moved back, letting them walk inside.
“What are you doing here?” she repeated as soon as Jane and Cade were both inside. “Who are you?” she asked Cade.
“I came to get you out!” Jane snapped. “He’s Cade. Dad sent him to help us.”
“Are you crazy? I’m not leaving my husband,” Bailey hissed.
Jane’s mouth dropped open. “You’re serious? You wrote Dad…” Jane had held out hope that her behavior at Javier’s house had been because they might have been overheard. It appeared her sister had been serious, though.
Bailey shrugged. “I was scared at first. Now, I’m not. Raul has assured me everyone is very friendly toward American women, and I’ve even made several friends,” she boasted.
“Are you fucking insane?” Jane was almost yelling at her sister then regretted her words. Bailey was difficult to deal with under normal circumstances, and she never liked to feel as if she was in the wrong.
“I’m not leaving. You both need to leave before Raul gets back and finds you here.”
“Fine. Let’s go,” Cade said, moving toward the door.
“I’m not leaving without Bailey,” Jane refused.
Turning back to her sister, she implored, “How can you want to stay here? Are you deaf as well as blind to what’s going on around here? They are hurting women!”
The screams from the women couldn’t be heard inside Bailey’s home, but sound traveled, and the men didn’t seem worried about quieting the women’s screams. The houses were close enough that Jane would bet Bailey had heard them before.
“Raul explained that to me. It’s their culture. They admire power, and violence here is an expected response to challenges of power.”
“The women they are holding hostage in that house aren’t challenging them. They just want to get away from their rapists.”
“They’re not raping them; their courting them.” Bailey waved her hand. “Raul explained it to me.”
Jane’s mouth dropped open. At that point, she almost left her sister. If not for her father and stepmother’s anguish, she would have.
“Those women are being raped! They are being used as sex slaves. No woman in their right mind would believe anything else.”
Bailey paled. “But Raul told me—”
“Is Raul courting another woman?” Jane interrupted. “Because I saw him go inside the house and rape a woman who barely looked eighteen.”
“You’re wrong. Raul wouldn’t have touched those women. Maybe he was trying to stop them.”
Jane shook her head. “No. I saw Raul drag one back who was trying to escape, and then he had a guard hold her down while he raped her. Believe me; I saw more of him than I wanted to. Does he really think a tattoo of two pistols framing his dick is sexy?”
Bailey sat down on one of the chairs at her kitchen table. “I need to think,” she whispered.
“There’s no time. We need to leave,” Cade said unsympathetically.
“Please, Bailey, come with us. You know you can’t stay here.” She saw from the expression on Bailey’s face that she didn’t want to leave her husband, despite knowing he was a rapist. “Dad said, if you don’t come back, he’s going to stop your allowance. Do you think Raul is going to want you without that ten thousand placed in your checking account every month?”
Jane knew she had her there. Bailey shakily stood up, and they followed her to her bedroom where she began gathering her things.
“We can’t take much,” Cade warned her.
Bailey dropped the few items she had gathered onto her bed. “Let’s go, then. You’re not leaving me a choice either way.”
Jane glared at her angrily before picking up a few of Bailey’s clothes, thrusting them into a small overnight bag. Then they went back through the kitchen.
“Wait,” Jane whispered, turning back to her sister.
“What?” Bailey asked.
“Do you have any candy bars?”
“Yes.”
“Get them and any other food you can.”
Bailey went to her cabinets. Several minutes later, she had placed a few items in a large cloth bag. She handed Jane the bag as they went out the door.
“You’re worried about a candy bar? I know you’re a food addict, but you’re freaking crazy.” Bailey threw her a scornful look which Jane ignored, holding the food items close to her chest.
“How are we going to get
out of here?” Jane asked Cade, who was staring at both sisters contemptuously.
“I have a truck parked up ahead. I want to get as far away as we can before daylight.”
“You two go ahead. Show me the direction you’re headed, and I’ll catch up,” Jane told him.
“What? Where do you think you’re going?” Cade shifted his body closer to her.
“I’m going to release those women then catch up to you.”
“No, you’re not,” Cade informed her. “There’s no way you will be able to catch up to us.”
“I will.” Jane firmly took a step away from him. “I’m not leaving them behind. I’ll catch up.” She opened the palm of her hand, showing the key’s to Raul’s SUV that she had stolen from Bailey’s kitchen counter. She had seen the vehicle parked in the driveway.
“Look, I feel bad for them, too. But it’s either them or us.” Cade tried to sway her, but self-preservation had never been her strongest personality trait.
She took another step back. “I won’t leave them.”
“Dammit to hell. You’re going to get them and us killed.”
“I think they would prefer death to what they’re going through now,” Jane said sadly. “I’m sorry. You two go.”
“Fuck.” Cade pointed to a palm tree. “Bailey, go hide over there. We’ll be back in ten minutes.”
“Wait, you can’t leave me alone,” she wailed.
“Go!” Cade ordered.
Her sister fled at the cold hostility in his voice.
“Let’s do this.” He moved off into the darkness, and she followed, carefully trying to be as quiet as he was.
He stopped not far from where the guard was once again positioned in front of the small house. Another soldier had appeared since they had left, probably changing shifts.
“Stay here,” he ordered before stealthily moving closer to the men who weren’t paying attention as they talked to each other.
A sharp sound of something thrown had both men turning, leaving Cade the perfect opening to jump them from behind. He stabbed one in the back, bringing him down, before struggling with the other one for his rifle. Using the rifle strap, he strangled the soldier.
Jane bit back her scream of protest, reason telling her it was either the guards or the women. It was a no-brainer.
Jane ran forward when Cade motioned for her after looking through the window. He hid the soldiers at the side of the house while Jane slowly opened the door.
The large room held five women who started to scream when they saw her enter, but Jane spoke to them softly in Spanish to make them understand she was there to help them.
“Does anyone understand that I’m here to help?” Jane asked hopelessly when they remained on their beds. She saw she wasn’t getting through to them. They were too traumatized from their recent attack.
“I do.” A woman with her face bruised and bloodied stood. Jane knew instantly it was the woman Raul had drug back.
“Great. Tell them I’m going to help them escape, but we have to be very quiet. I … I can’t promise you we’ll make it, so if they aren’t sure, they should stay here.”
The woman turned and quickly repeated her words in Spanish. Many of the women spoke up in agreement, and then the woman told Jane, “We all want to leave rather than stay with the monsters who have stolen us from our homes.”
With that, Cade opened the door, motioning for them to exit. They filed from the room, following Cade through the night as he skirted the houses until they were back at Bailey’s house.
Cade opened the door to Raul’s SUV. “Get in.”
The women climbed into the large vehicle with Jane helping those who had trouble. The one who had spoken up got behind the wheel when Cade asked who could drive.
“We’re not going with them?” Jane asked.
“No. We have to split away from them.” Cade, seeing her stubborn look, gave her an aggravated sigh. “It helps them, too. If they get caught with us, they’ll immediately be killed. Instead, they’ll probably be brought back here.”
Neither scenario made Jane happy, but she nodded in understanding.
Going to the back window, she handed a woman the cloth-filled bag of food, keeping a couple of the candy bars for herself. Once the young woman gave her a timid smile, Jane moved away.
“Are you ready now?” he asked sarcastically.
“Yes.”
“Then stay here while I go get our ride.”
He turned to the woman who was going to drive. “As soon as I pull in behind you, drive in that direction.” Cade pointed in the direction opposite from the one they would be going.
The woman nodded, gripping the wheel tightly.
Cade took off at a fast-paced jog. As soon as he was out of view, Jane saw headlights heading in their direction from the main house.
“Shit.” What were they supposed to do now? She really became frightened when she saw it was two pairs of headlights.
Javier’s men must have discovered they were missing.
Cade pulled up next to her from the opposite direction in a newer model truck than the last one he had borrowed.
He rolled the window down to yell, “Get in!”
Jane knew that, if they tried to run, they would be caught since there was a vehicle to follow each of them.
She reached in her pocket, pulling out the weapon she had found in the ammunition room, then took a step toward the cars that were almost on them. They were close enough that she could make out Raul’s furious face.
Cade jumped out of the truck. “What are you doing?”
“Get Bailey.” She hit the back window of the women’s SUV. “Go!”
She pulled the pin, throwing it at Raul’s car before running to the side of the truck, crouching down just before the explosion filled the air.
“What in the fuck did you just do?” Jane’s ears were ringing from the deafening blast of the explosion, but she caught the drift of what Cade was saying as he dove for cover, barely missing being decapitated by a flying tire rim.
The SUV with the women took off with a wrenching of gears when several guards came running out of the second car. Fury blazed through Jane.
“Give me a minute,” she told Cade, pulling out the other grenade. She looked at it quickly then pulled the pin.
“Have you lost your mind?” Cade yelled.
Jane threw the grenade toward the men who were running toward them, watching as the soldiers ran for cover. They were rocked off their feet, thrown back by the explosion. She didn’t feel the least bit sorry for them as they lay in their own blood and body parts. Bailey had said the men respected violence; well, let them respect that a woman had beaten them at their own game.
“Okay, we can go now.” She turned to look expectantly at Cade.
He waited for a second before coming out from behind the truck.
“Do you have any more?” he asked from between clenched teeth.
“No, that was it.” Jane lied. The way he was looking at her was kind of scary.
“Bailey, move it!” Cade yelled, opening the truck door for her. Bailey ran forward from her hiding spot and climbed into the truck without stopping, and Jane jumped in behind her, sitting next to the door. Cade got behind the steering wheel, peeling out just as a disheveled, bloody Raul ran toward them.
“Bailey!” His scream had Bailey turning around to look out the back window.
“Let me out.”
“No way. We’re going home.” Jane jerked Bailey back around, flipping her future ex-brother-in-law off.
Chapter 9
“Where did you get those grenades?”
“I found them.” Jane thought she heard his teeth grinding.
“You could have killed Raul!”
“I tried hard enough.” Jane stared back at her sister, refusing to feel guilty. Those women deserved their freedom more than Raul deserved to be alive.
“Where are we going?” Jane asked a still angry Cade.
“T
o a friend of mine’s house. He’ll hide us for a couple of days until we can get out from the roads or have a plane flown in to meet us.”
“How far away is it to your friend?”
“Not far. Still, not only will Javier’s men be searching for us, but because of your stunt at the hotel, I had to ask around if anyone saw you, so Carlos has found out I’m in town, and his men are looking for me.”
“So, we have two separate gangs trying to kill us?” Bailey squealed.
“Yes.”
Jane had to bite back her smile, because it was obvious Cade had reached his limit with her and Bailey, and Bailey looked like she was about to cry over her lousy excuse of a husband. Jane was the only one taking everything in stride. Of course, she was the one causing them all the problems.
“What’s so fucking funny?” Cade snarled.
“Life is looking pretty damn good right now.”
While the cab filled with a strained silence, Jane leaned her head against the window and closed her eyes. She hadn’t had very much sleep since she had left the States, and it was catching up with her. Her bones ached she was so tired, and she almost fell from her seat when Cade came to a sudden stop.
“What’s wrong?” Jane tried to blink the sleep from her eyes.
“Nothing. We’re here.” Cade turned off the truck then stared at the house a few feet away.
“Then why aren’t we getting out?” she asked, confused.
“I’m waiting for a signal,” Cade answered, continuing to make no move to get out.
Jane looked at the house and saw a light suddenly come on in the front window.
“Everything’s okay.” Cade opened his truck door, stepping out.
Jane fumbled with the door handle, almost falling out, but Cade managed to catch her before she hit the ground.
“I didn’t realize it was so high up,” Jane mumbled, taking a step out of his arms.
Cade helped Bailey out before taking each of their arms to lead them to the house.
“Afraid your payday will get damaged?” Jane smarted off, instantly regretting it when his hand on her arm dropped away.
“I thought you may need some help.” Cade’s quiet voice had Jane feeling ashamed of herself, especially when he paused and reached back inside the truck to pull her backpack out from behind the seat, handing it to her. She didn’t know what it was about him that had her always snapping at him. Jane noticed he still maintained his grip on Bailey, who leaned farther into his side for support.