Chapter 11 Chapter 11

I spent the next afternoon back in the warehouse. He didn’t tie me up

this time but he still sat watching me. After I uncovered his novice

tequila plan, he made no further advances on me, especially since I was

doing a fairly good job of appearing sober.

About an hour later, a man, practically a boy, came rushing through

with a phone in his hand.

"Sefior, es importante,” he said holding out the phone to Andrea.

"Watch her,” he ordered gesturing to me as he took the phone and left

the warehouse.

The boy nodded and stood bolt upright and motionless. He looked

tense and for whatever reason obviously desperate to please Andrea

"Who was on the phone?" I asked.

"Yo no hablo inglés," he replied.

I would guess that that meant something along the lines of 'l don't

speak English’.

"Quien...teléphone,” I said trying to repeat my previous question in

Spanish. As I've said before, my Spanish is ropey.

"Yo no puedo decir,” he replied.

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion and he brought his finger to his

lips and then shook his head as if to say 'l can't say"

Jesus Christ. What did Andrea do to deserve loyalty? Or maybe it wasn't

loyalty, maybe it was just fear.

Fifteen minutes later, Andrea returned and strode towards.

"I have something, I'd like you to do for me," he said tying a blindfold

over my eyes before he grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet.

"Come with me."

We were soon back in the car with Pedro driving and far enough away

from the warehouse for Andrea to remove my blindfold.

After my eyes had adjusted to the light again, he lifted his suit jacket

and withdrew a gun from his belt before pushing it across the back seat

of the car towards me.

I looked down at it with wide eyes and then up to Andrea.

"You're giving me a gun?" I asked. "I thought I was your prisoner?"

"Sweetheart you are," he said running the back of his forefinger along

my cheek. "Think of this as a test. If you pass, you will earn a little more

freedom. If you fail, you will receive punishment.”

"What do you want me to do?" I asked.

"Take this gun, go to this location,” he said giving me a slip of paper

and some coins. "And ask for José. Tell him that I sent you and he'll give

you something. Then go to the pay phone and call this number. Bring it

back to me before nightfall and I will not make you spend another

night in the warehouse.”

"Where will I spend the night?" I asked wondering if it was going to be

any better.

"I guess you'll just have to wait and find out," he said before roughly

pulling me onto his lap.

I let out a tiny gasp with the surprise of his sudden movement and once

again I felt the pain of being so close to a man that wasn't Leo.

"But I'm sure you have a pretty good idea,” he said kissing my chest.

"Oh, and if you fail or try to escape from me, I will have you hunted

down before killing you...after getting what I want from you, of course.

So let's do this the right way, yes?"

"And what if I don't like the sound of either option?" I asked with my

most flagellant smile.

I ran my fingers through his hair as his hands drifted from my waist to

my hips.

"You drive me insane, Blanca," he said kissing my neck. "But you can't

decline my offer.”

"So is it really an offer?" I asked brushing a thick strand of hair from his

eyes.

“It was until you said no,” he answered as I felt his hand slip up my

shorts.

I slapped it away and pulled my shorts back down

"Hands off,” I snapped. "You'll have to wait."

With an amused expression, he took his hands off me and held them

up with a grin plastered across his face.

"Is it even loaded?" I asked picking up the gun from the seat beside us

"Why would I give you an unloaded gun?"

"Why would you give me a loaded gun?" I countered. "You don't trust

me."

"What gives you that impression?” He asked twiddling my hair as I

remained straddling his lap.

"You cover my eyes and drag me around like a dog on a leash," I

replied. "I could do anything with a loaded gun. Shoot you, for

example,” I said holding the gun to his head.

"Well, you see, Blanca. That would only be suicidal," he said allowing me

to hold the gun there. "I offer you protection whilst I'm alive. As soon as

I am dead, there is nothing stopping the vultures swooping in,

Guillermo being the first.”

"Guess I won't kill you then..yet," I said.

I considered pulling the trigger anyway but I was 99% sure that there

was no bullet in there and even if there was and I could kill Andrea,

Pedro was still there and that would be almost certain death.

"Good girl," he replied.

"But why send me and not one of your loyal workers?" I asked.

"As I said, it is a test.”

"Why are you testing me?" I asked.

"To see how you will handle it."

"Why?"

"Because I think, despite what Pedro thinks, you would make a good

little worker," he replied. "The men in this business are dangerous but

even they wouldn't kill a pretty girl like you...not immediately anyway.

So you may pose a use over my more dispensable male employees.”

"You want me to work for you?" I asked.

"You don't have a choice. You will do as I say," he stated.

"..Or what?" I questioned and he raised an eyebrow.

"If you become just a dead weight, I will have to get rid of you...after

having my fun of course,” he said bringing the gun to my head. "Have I

made myself clear?"

"Crystal," I replied before he let me climb off him and we sat in quiet for

the rest of the journey.

Something was telling me there was more to this than he was letting

on. Something to do to with that importante phone call.

We eventually stopped on the edge of a different town. A strange

looking town.

"This is as far as we can go," he said reaching over me and opening the

car door as he thrust the gun and the address into my hand.

"Adios," I said in my best Spanish as I shuffled along towards the open

door.

"And Blanca," he said taking my hand and pulling me back into his lips

before kissing me for a few moments. "Just in case you don't make it

out alive."

He then ushered me out, closed the door and drove off.

I looked around at the desert around me and the gun in my hand.

What the fuck had I gotten myself into?

I began to make my way to the town.

A few minutes of walking later, I reached the phone box Andrea had

mentioned on the edge of the road. I took a 360 turn and couldn't see

a soul for miles. Everything was perfectly still and quiet. After

considering for a grand total of about three seconds, I hastily pushed

open the cracked, scratched door of the booth and picked up the

phone, which was coated in peeling red paint. There was a rusty slit just

below it where I shoved the money before I pressed each number of

Leo's mobile number into the stiff keypad.

He picked up after only a few seconds

"It's me,” I said. "I've really fucked up.”

"Luca said the exact same thing when he called me,” he replied. "I'm in

Mexico and he filled me in. Where are you?"

"Is Luca okay?" I asked.

"Except for the fact that I've almost murdered him many times, yes he's

fine," he said. "But tell me where you are?"

“I'm with a man called Andrea Martinez," I told him.

"I know, I know, but where?!" he replied. "I need a location.”

"I don't know, Leo!" I replied. "The middle of fucking nowhere! All I can

see is desert and cacti and this weird empty town with no signs!"

"Do you have anything that could help me find you?" he asked. "What

does Martinez look like?"

"He's nineteen, looks kinda young but not weak, wears a suit, dark hair,

dark eyes..." I listed. "And he took me to eat in a town. I didn't get the

name of it but it was full of other restaurants and people. There was a

man that worked named Eduardo who worked in a bar-like cafe with

ceiling fans and a big Mexican flag outside. He might be able to tell you

something. Or find Guillermo. Or a man called Richardo Garcia with a

shot wound in his shoulder or another man called Esteban Roderique. *

"Are you with him now?" he asked.

"No, he's sent me on some errand,” I replied. "I don't know what or why

but I'm alone right now."

"Does that mean you can get away from him?" he asked.

"Again, I'm in the middle of the fucking desert, Leo! Believe it or not,

I'm better off staying Andrea.”

"You don't know that, Ella. He's dangerous,” Leo warned.

"I can handle him," I said before pausing. "Trust me on this. He's young

and I've got him under control.”

"What does that mean?" he questioned his voice deepening.

"It doesn't matter. Just know that I'm fine for now," I said. "Come and

find me soon though, okay?"

"Yes of course. And I will kill that son of a bitch,” he growled.

There was a pause before I spoke again, "Leo?"

"Yes?"

"I love you," I whispered.

"I love you too," he replied in a much softer tone. "Do whatever you

have to do, I understand and I just want you to stay alive. Understood?"

I wiped a loose tear but before I could reply the money then ran out on

the phone and it hung up.

I gave myself a minute or two to pull myself together, straighten up and

remember that I'm a tough bitch before heading up the road into the

eerie town.