I was in and out of consciousness. Fucking Barchek had let Franco kick the crap out of me while I couldn’t defend myself. This, of course, was Franco’s favorite pastime: beating up people who couldn’t fight back. But reports of my demise were premature. I was alive, and dumbass Franco hadn’t done any permanent damage though I supposed my face looked like a hamburger right now. My eyes were nearly swollen shut.

But I was hanging on for one reason. I had no idea what they meant to do with Marilyn. I knew the plan for me. They’d started the ball rolling with Petra; they’d take the video of me beating Barchek and the waiter, and probably Franco. Franco would cry that I’d done this or that to him and lead them to my body, self-defense or some such bullshit would be his claim. Franco would get off and I’d be dead. The Maldonados had enough power and dough to make any holes in the story go away.

All of it would suck, but who cared? No one, maybe Petra, probably Marilyn, sure my half-brothers when they heard about it if they heard about it. It was a short list.

But none of that sad story mattered to me. What did was Marilyn. She was in this hotel somewhere, at their mercy, without me. I wondered if Petra had gotten her security in place. I wondered if they were still questioning whether she had anything to do with Franco’s disappearance. I was wondering all these things and wondering if the pipe might have a weak juncture somewhere when the light turned on and I had to squint. Shit, that was bright.

Franco burst in and there she was, and it was the best and worst thing I’d ever seen. Franco had a grip on her arm and pushed her into the storage room I’d called home for what? A day? Two?

It took her a second to see me in the corner and when she did, she wrenched free of Franco and rushed forward.

“Lincoln!” Marilyn slid down to the floor where I was and kissed my forehead, my cheeks, my eyes.

“Hey, doll.” My voice sounded hoarse to me. I hadn’t had food or anything to drink since they’d brought me down here. Unconsciousness really messes up your internal clock.

“What did they do to you?” I must have really looked bad because her face was the picture of worry.

“I’m fine, are you okay?” I said it quietly. I knew Franco was enjoying this little reunion.

“I’m okay. They’re after me… OW!” Franco grabbed her by the hair and pulled her up to a standing position again.

“So romantic.” He had a vice grip on her arm again and she squirmed as far away as she could but didn’t try to get free of him. I could see her looking at me and trying to figure what to do.

“Both of you keep your mouths shut for a minute.” Franco fumbled with his phone.

“Yeah, it was a real surprise catch.” I had no doubt he was talking to Barchek.

Having Marilyn down here didn’t seem like the plan Barchek had laid out. She looked very improvised which was the recipe for trouble and snap decisions. I actually hoped Barchek would get down here too.

Keeping Franco on a leash had to be someone’s job; if Dom wasn’t doing it, that meant Barchek needed to. I had no idea what Barchek was going to do with Marilyn in the mix. I knew they were framing me up, but where did she fit?

“I like that. Much better, right? I actually solved a problem with this catch. Yeah yeah, I’ll wait. But get here soon. I’m getting bored.” He hung up. What worked better? That comment had me very worried.

“Lorenz is going to be angry if he finds out you’ve got both of us down here.” Marilyn was going to try to talk sense to Franco.

“Oh, she speaks? When in our time together was that in your job description?” Franco spat the words right in her face.

“Your father and brothers think you’re dead or missing. Why would you let them be so worried?” Marilyn didn’t understand Franco one bit. He was a stupid sadistic son of a bitch and Dom or Antonio’s feelings didn’t exist to him.

“Listen up. Lincoln here needs to make a money transfer for Barchek. Don’t you, Lincoln?”

“Whatever you say.” I wasn’t going to argue with him while a chunk of Marilyn’s hair was in his hands.

“Okay, as soon as Barchek gets here you’ll do some banking. And actually, this little find is perfect. Sit over there.” He pushed Marilyn to a corner between two shelves that were stacked high with restaurant supplies. She did what he instructed and sunk in, almost trying to disappear.

“What I say is this.” Franco walked closer to me, almost whispering. “Now that I have little miss girlfriend over there, it’s going to be a murder-suicide deal. You’re going to kill her and then yourself. If you can’t have her, no one can right? True love.”

 Shit. It really was believable. I’d shown I was obsessed with her already. They’d get rid of both of us and Franco and Barchek could say whatever they wanted about me once I was gone. Once she was gone.

I yanked at the cuffs holding my wrists to the pipe. I kicked at Franco. It was useless. Franco laughed in my face and then backhanded my jaw. He could keep doing it as long as he forgot that Marilyn was back there. Maybe she’d get the idea to run if I could keep Franco’s attention.

Franco was getting a hell of a lot of enjoyment out of punching and kicking me and I was giving him a good show back. I wanted him to think this was the best entertainment going. Shit, I hoped she got the idea to get out. I spit in his face and a fairly pink color indicated the blood now in my mouth from Franco’s assault. Keep it coming, boy. That’s all I could think. Keep it coming. A cut above my eye was seeping into it but I taunted Franco.

“This is fun. I can do it all day, little man.” I bet on the fact that he was obsessed with being the least competent of the three brothers.

“Yeah, it’s fun for me too.” And I felt a kick to my ribs. Nothing cracked, yet, but another good kick and it would leave a mark. I didn’t care. He was forgetting about Marilyn at that moment and maybe it bought her time.

Franco was winding up to kick me in the head I figured. Stupid really, this sure wouldn’t look like a suicide if I was all beaten up, but Franco had forgotten that and was just enjoying himself. I imagined this is what the waiter got too. Poor kid. I could take it. I was twice Franco’s size. But that skinny waiter…

I braced myself for another kick to the ribs, but instead of landing the kick he’d loaded up for me, Franco stood straight up and his eyes popped wide open. Franco turned with his back to me.

“What did you do, you little bitch?” I could barely see around him though a small dot of red was spreading from right around his kidney. Bitch? Did he say bitch? Oh shit. Marilyn!

I leaned over and before I could tell her to run Franco lunged at Marilyn, who I could now see held a large steak knife. Shit. She’d paid attention to where we were and found a fucking steak knife.

She’d stabbed Franco to save me and now he was going to kill her. I pulled as hard as I could and I could feel the pipe shake but hold.

Franco and Marilyn tumbled to the concrete. Was the knife still in her hand? I couldn’t tell.

“Franco, get the fuck off her!” I heard Marilyn shriek and could see her squirm. Oh God, oh God. I pulled on the chains again and could feel a little more give. I started nearly hanging on them like a chimpanzee or something. But just as quickly as it started, the struggle between them seemed over.

“Marilyn!” No answer. “Franco, get the fuck off her!”

Who was moving, him? Her? There was no way she could overpower Franco in rage. The room was weirdly quiet and they were both still. I was the only one involved in a struggle, with the damn cuffs.

“Leslie. You answer me right now.” Dammit, what had happened?

“I’m okay. Lincoln, I’m okay.” Thank God. Thank you, God. She answered.

“I can’t get free.” I pulled again at the pipe.

“I’m stuck under Franco. He’s bleeding on…” Then the door to the storage room opened again. Shit, Donny Barchek?

But it wasn’t. It was Lorenz. Lorenz Maldonado walked into the bloody scene.

“Jesus.” He rushed to Franco and turned him over. It was clear he was dead. Marilyn had stabbed him once in the kidney and once in the throat when he’d lunged at her.

“Lorenz. I just, he was killing Lincoln. I had to. I had to.” Lorenz helped her slide out from under Franco. The oldest Maldonado brother stood in the center of the room looking at Marilyn and then me, chained to the wall. Then I started talking. Lorenz had to see the situation my way or we were just as dead as if Franco had his way.

“Donny Barchek was in on this with your brother. He’s on the way. Barchek’s been covering up Franco’s more violent hobbies. Kind of a payback for cash he owed to the hotel. Gambling debts. Franco was about to kill both of us and make it look like a murder-suicide. They were going pin all Franco’s crap on me.”

Lorenz put his hands up to his face and rubbed it up and down. He looked to Marilyn as she struggled to stand and then offered her a hand. He looked around the room. He grabbed two kitchen smocks. He put one on Marilyn, covering up the stained and crumpled dress she wore. He was helping her, protecting her; maybe he’d get her out of here. I decided to try to play on that.

“Leave me to rot down here, I don’t care. But you need to get her out of here.”

“No. Lorenz, if you leave him down here Dom will find him and kill him.” Marilyn pulled the smock closer to herself. She was now lobbying for me.

“Listen to me, both of you. I’m going to help you out of here. I know Franco is, was, every bad thing a person could be. But Donny Barchek is the least of your worries. My father will kill you both.” He looked at me, still chained to the damn pipe. “Any idea where the key to the cuffs is?” Lorenz asked me.

“Check Franco’s pocket.” Lorenz looked down at his lifeless brother and hesitated. The thought of going through his pockets stopped him. Marilyn stepped in. She took over and searched Franco’s pockets.

“Got it.” She ran over to me and started working the cuffs. My wrists were bloodied just like my face. The throb of feeling rushed to them as she released one then the other.

She clung to my neck as I stood upright for the first time in days. Lorenz handed me the other smock. Marilyn stepped back as I put it on.

We looked like two very strange members of the kitchen staff, but at least, you couldn’t see our bloodied clothes.

“Lorenz I’m sorry, I know he was your brother. I just, he was…”

“Look, here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to pay you in full, got it. You’re going to need the money because the two of you need to get out of here right now. You need to disappear fast and far. I cannot stop my father or probably Dom for that matter.” Lorenz seemed to be running some scenarios in his head.

“What are you going to do with Franco? Tell ‘em I did it, not her, that’s, at least, a plan,” I offered.

“Let me worry about it. You worry about getting out of here.” Lorenz reached into his pocket and grabbed a wad of cash. It had to be two grand or so.

“Full payment is going to be in your account. I’d get it out of there fast, so you’re not leaving an electronic trail. Got it?” Lorenz told Marilyn, and she listened.

“What are you going to say?” Marilyn asked, looking down at Franco.

“I’m going to play dumb, maybe pin it on Barchek. But you need to go now.” Lorenz answered her. He reached for his phone, I didn’t know or care who he was calling. He was right. We needed to go.

“Which way out?” I asked him. I’d been dead to the world when they brought me down here.

“Long hall, take a right, then two more, go out the large bay shipping and receiving doors. It’s dark out. You should be able to sneak out if you’re lucky without anyone seeing you.”

“Got it. Thank you.” Marilyn stood in the middle of the room with the cash in her hand. Some of the last few minutes beginning maybe to sink in, she looked paler than normal, and a tremor was gaining strength in the hand that held the money. I needed to get her moving while I still could.

I was about to take her hand when she looked up at Lorenz. She stepped forward and reached toward him. He hugged her and then she leaned up to kiss him. It was not a friendly kiss. It was not a client kiss. It was something more. She had feelings for him and him for her. I could see it and it made my blood colder than watching Franco die in front of us.

But maybe it was because of those feelings that Lorenz had saved our lives. She’d just killed a Maldonado Brother, which was as good as signing your own death warrant. He was right. We needed to disappear fast.

I wanted to break up the kiss but didn’t.

“Good luck, honey.” Lorenz smoothed her hair.

“Thank you. Goodbye Lorenz. I’m sorry I killed your brother.” She said it with a wide-eyed sincerity.

“Don’t be. Someone had to do it.” With that, he looked over the top of her head and at me.

“We’re out of here.” I was done being at the mercy of Lorenz or any of the damn family. I gently took Marilyn’s arm and we headed for the door. I watched as she looked back at the mess in the store room.

“We need to look where we’re going, Marilyn.” She could have time later to process. Right now, I needed to get to my truck. I racked my brains. The truck was parked in a garage on Fremont Street. We’d have to take a bus there. I was planning. Moving.

“Leslie,” she whispered as I tugged her forward slowly.

“What?” I asked.

“Leslie. Marilyn’s dead, okay?” She said. The reality of the situation was maybe starting to sink in and she was also shaking off the last chaotic few minutes.

“Okay. Leslie. We need to haul ass.” I started lengthening my stride to the first right turn. We needed to move.

My fast walk was her jog. She kept up. She’d need to. We had a lot of distance to cover if we were going to outrun the trouble we were in.