Mason
I looked around the basement. Diesel and the others had been discussing the future of the GRMC at great length.
“I just think our only option is to break free from the Cartel,” one of the guys yelled, summing up the mood of the meeting.
Diesel shot a look at me. We both knew that this would be the smart thing to do. We carried on discussing, but by the time the meeting was over we had long since come to our decision. We would drop out of the Cartel.
“There’s bound to be a war when we do,” Diesel pointed out.
The men groaned, but we all knew that this was the route we would be going down.
So, we set up a plan to hit them with a pre-emptive strike at where it would hurt most – their human trafficking operations. Taking this down would disrupt their money flow.
We gathered all our weapons and decided how and when we were going to make this happen.
Throughout the preparations, I saw that Cassie was worried. I tried to reassure her that everything would be alright. Khloe also seemed hesitant, but she never spoke up.
Soon, we had our plans all set up and we were ready to roll.
I stood beside our bikes and I motioned for Cassie to come to me. I handed her a gun.
“For your protection,” I told her.
She raised an eyebrow.
“Do you think that’s wise?” she asked.
“I think I trust you. And, really, you might need it. Use it at your discretion.”
She nodded and slipped it into her purse.
I turned to Khloe.
“It’s going be weird not having you guys here,” she said.
“We’ll be back,” I replied.
She nodded and turned to Cassie. I could see her concern was mostly for Cassie.
“Good luck!” she said.
Cassie nodded. “Thanks!”
They hugged, then we mounted our motorcycles. I helped Cassie up behind me and looked one last time towards the brothel. Khloe waved as the train of motorcycles took off.
I could feel Cassie’s arms wrapped around me and her breath on my neck. I thought how amazing life would be if only things weren’t so complicated.
We drove for hours, until we could drive no more. We pulled up in a secluded area to camp.
Cassie was very quiet. I sensed how nervous she was.
“We’re going to be fine,” I told her. “You know that, right?”
She glanced at me.
“It’s not your job to make me feel better, but thanks. I believe you.”
We set up camp, which was mainly a blanket, and I went off to talk to the other men, leaving Cassie to ponder over where things were with us. I couldn’t read her thoughts, but I could be sure she still had bouts of confusion.
After I’d talked to the men and we’d confirmed our plans, I walked over and took a seat on the ground next to her. She looked cold but didn’t complain.
“Do you really think we’ll be alright?” she asked.
She looked up at me and it took every ounce of my being not to pull her to me and kiss her worries away.
“I know we’ll be alright.” I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her against my chest. I planted a soft kiss to the top of her head, as a way of reassuring her, then repeated the words.
“We’ll be just fine.”
I believed them, too. We were well protected, and nothing was going to keep us from getting through. I just knew it.
Khloe
It was two days after they’d rode away. I was nervously watching outside. Every time I heard a little sound, I felt like something horrible was about to happen.
Just when I let my guard down… that was the moment everything changed. There was a knock on the door and, before I could even get to answer it, they crashed into my brothel.
Ruiz led the way. Several other men, all heavily armed, followed in behind him.
I was terrified when I saw them, and I nervously looked around at the women gathered behind me.
“What do you want?” I asked.
Ruiz laughed.
“Where are they?” he asked, inching closer to me.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I replied.
I started to push past him, but he grabbed my arm and twisted it slightly. I met his gaze and he tilted his head, giving me a look that was intended to show me he wasn’t messing around.
“Give me answers. Where are they?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” I said.
Still holding onto my arm, he motioned with his head to his men, and I watched as they rounded my girls up.
As the girls were led past me, I caught his eyes.
“What are they doing?” I asked.
“You give me what I want, or people will get hurt.”
He yanked me towards the door and we left the brothel.
Once outside, he finally let me go and looked at me with a sneer. My heart was racing and I didn’t know how I was going to hold it together.
“This is how it works,” he said. “You tell me where Mason and Cassie are, and I leave. You don’t, and I start killing your bitches.”
He held up his gun and I heard a collective gasp.
I looked to where the women were lined up like criminals in a lineup. Each of them looked scared to death, and there was nothing that I could do.
“So, where are they?” he asked.
He pointed the gun to girl number one. I had to call his bluff.
“I don’t know,” I said.
He looked at me, then cocked his gun. A shot exploded and the girl went down. He didn’t even bat an eye.
I looked at the lifeless body and I felt pain. But I didn’t know what else to do. I had to protect Cassie and Mason.
“That’s quite a shame,” Ruiz said. “Do we want to try that again? Where are they?”
I could feel my body trembling as I caught the eye of girl number two.
“I don’t know,” I said.
Ruiz cocked the gun and shot the girl. She yelped once as she went down.
My mind froze. This couldn’t be happening. At some point he would stop.
But he didn’t. Not after girl number three or after girl number four.
I felt like cowering down and crying. It had never been my intention to get four people murdered. With just one more girl to go, I needed to do something.
“Fine! I’ll tell you.”
I gave him all the information I had. He listened as I explained their plan and, when it had all been told, I heaved a sigh. At least no one else would get murdered.
But I was wrong. As soon as I’d finished, he turned the gun on girl number five and, despite both our pleas, he shot her.
My jaw dropped.
“I told you where they were,” I said.
He laughed.
“Yeah, but only after you made me shoot four girls. The fifth was to teach you a lesson.” He nodded at the corpses. “Just remember, those bodies belong to me.”
He tipped his hat, and they got on their bikes and rode off.
I looked at the dead bodies still on my lawn and I couldn’t control the tears.
I was glad he was gone. But he had taken everything from me, and now he was on his way to find Mason and Cassie.
There was no way I could warn them. I could only pray for the best and hope that they’d make it.