Katie woke to the pleasant aroma of pancakes and coffee. She thought for a moment that she was back home in the United States, tucked into her childhood bed, smelling a home cooked breakfast prepared by mom. Then she stretched and the soft blanket slid along bare skin, touching the wounds Roman had inflicted the night before. Katie flinched and curled into herself as memories of the night before flooded through her. The chill darkness of the cellar he had her strung up in, the fiery heat of his angry gaze licking over her exposed flesh and the painful strike of the whip biting into her while he forced her to count out her own punishment. The deep ache between her legs reminded her that Roman’s brand of torture was both erotic and terrifying.
“Hola, miss,” said a quiet but cheerful feminine voice behind her. The woman spoke in soft Spanish as she approached the bed, “If you are ready to get up I have some breakfast here for you and then we can see to your wounds.”
Katie decided she had no choice but to open her eyes and face this day. And whatever further horrors Roman had in store for her. She sat up slowly, mindful of the stretch and ache in each part of her body. She held the light hand-woven white blanket up to her chest as she turned slowly on the mattress and faced the woman who’d been sent to care for her.
“My name is Lana. I’m the wife of Jorje, Mr. Valdez’s second-in-command. I will be your companion while you stay in the hacienda,” said the woman, her eyes taking Katie in curiously. She was probably somewhere in her forties, short and full-figured with a head full of glossy black hair and gorgeous round eyes. She was wearing a pretty pink chiffon dress that looked a little too formal given the occasion. Her expression was friendly though, so Katie held out her hand.
“Katie Pullman,” Katie said with a smile. “International art thief and two-time kidnap victim of Roman Valdez. Nice to meet you.”
Lana’s mouth opened slightly. Then she took Katie’s hand in hers and gave it a squeeze, the corners of her lips twitching up. She studied the beautiful blond with a critical eye. Even tousled from sleep she was stunning. Cleaned up and dressed to kill, she would be irresistible. It was easy to see what had kept Roman Valdez in the United States for all those years and away from the local girls this past year. His heart clearly belonged to this one. If they wished to keep his insane blood-thirst reigned (a trait inherited from his crazy papa), then they’d best keep his precious treasure safe under lock and key. Lana would have to have a conversation with Jorje about ensuring security around this one. Sometimes women’s minds worked a little differently than men’s.
“Come, niña,” she said softly, clicking her tongue in sympathy when Katie stepped away from the bed still clutching the blanket and Lana caught sight of a red stripe across her back. “Let’s get you fed and bathed. You must be starving after your ordeal yesterday.”
“Oh, yes,” Katie moaned as she approached the breakfast tray that Lana had set on the vanity table. She sat in the chair and began eating as fast as she could get the bites in her mouth. Between her usual nerves at doing a job and Roman’s punishment, she eaten almost nothing the day before.
Lana drew a bath for her while Katie ate and gulped down the delicious coffee prepared just how she liked it. She eyed a small crystal bowl of strawberries with longing. She knew Roman had added them because he knew how much she loved them. What next, popcorn? The bastard knew the way to her heart was through her stomach. She briefly considered not eating the strawberries. But the childish gesture would harm no one but herself. So, she took the bowl and pushed the tray aside, keeping them for a snack. She would savour them at her leisure.
Lana encouraged Katie to drop the protective barrier of the blanket when she entered the washroom. She left for a moment so Katie could have some privacy, which Katie was very grateful for. She wasn’t used to having anyone in her space, though she had to admit she was happy for the company this morning. She didn’t want to be alone with her confused thoughts and emotions. She didn’t want to have to think at all if she could help it. Not about how Ivan had so cold-heartedly handed her over to Roman. Or how Roman’s love for her had turned into such a twisted, bitter thing that he’d gone and restarted a long dead cartel just to get her back. Nor did she want to think about how her body betrayed her into responding to a man that had beaten her so viciously…
“Katie, niña, are you okay in there?” Lana’s voice drifted worriedly through the partially cracked door.
Katie flicked away the tear she hadn’t even realized had fallen and called back, “Yes, I’m fine, thank you.”
She stepped into the warm water and sat down in the big ceramic tub, hissing in pain as the water enveloped her abused body. The painful reminder of Roman’s anger brought a fresh bout of tears to the surface. Her sound of distress drew Lana quickly through the door. The older woman was quick to sit on the edge of the tub and take Katie’s face in her hands. Anger flickered in the dark depths of her beautiful eyes as she looked over Katie’s naked body. As always, Katie felt self-conscious when she was exposed to anyone. It was not her old scars, however, that drew Lana’s wrath.
“That man loves you very much, but this is too much I think,” Lana said shaking her head. She gently wiped a tear from Katie’s cheek. “Ah, poor niñita, you miss your people?”
Katie nodded, more tears spilling from her eyes as she thought about her family and friends back home. Would she ever see them again? Or would Roman keep her locked up in the hacienda forever, punishing her over and over for daring to leave him?
“Come, come, there is nothing to be done for now. Perhaps he will relent in time,” Lana said gently. “Let us wash your lovely hair and then we will soothe the pain of your marks.”
They spent the next few hours getting to know each other as Lana took care of Katie much the same as her mother would have if Katie had been sick or having a really bad day. Lana blow dried and brushed out Katie’s hair until it shone pale golden in the light filtering through the bars of the window. Then, she insisted Katie take her robe off and lay back on the bed where she applied a soothing cream to each welt. The only ones that had actually cut into her skin were on each thigh. The last two. She sucked in her breath as Lana applied the cream to them.
She waited for Lana to ask about the old white scars littering her skin, but she never said a word. Katie wondered if Roman had warned her not to. It didn’t seem like him to discuss something so private. He was very possessive when it came to Katie. But then, he also seemed somewhat able to set that possessiveness aside when it came to her ultimate welfare.
“Thank you,” she whispered when Lana finished and helped Katie back into a lightweight robe.
Lana gave her a genuine smile and said, “You are welcome, my dear. Most of your wounds probably feel much worse than they actually are, I am relieved to say. You must be one brave chica. I think I would have fainted at the first sight of that whip before it even touched my skin.”
Katie shuddered as she remembered the bite of the whip against her flesh. She smiled weakly and admitted, “It’s definitely not something I want to experience again. Lana, I’m still very tired. Do you think I could take a nap? Or… or is R-Roman expecting me soon?”
She could barely say his name. A flood of emotions hit her when she thought of seeing him again. Excitement, fear, anxiety. Fear. Lana must have read some of the crazy going on in her head, because she checked her phone discreetly, looking at the time, before turning back to Katie with a kind smile. “Yes, of course. I will come wake you when it is time.”
Katie chose not to ask the obvious follow up question. She was a firm believer in ‘what you don't know can’t kill you.’ Instead, she lay down, stretching out on her back, which hurt less than her front, though the cream helped sooth away most of the pain. She watched through eyes that were already closing with fatigue as Lana knocked on the door. It was opened for her and she was escorted out by a burly guard before the surprisingly heavy sounding door slammed shut and a lock engaged. Wow, these people were serious about keeping her locked in.
Well, lucky I’m a master escape artist, she thought as she drifted off.
Just as she said she would, Lana woke Katie after letting her rest for a few hours. The older woman was standing over her with a garment bag and a smile on her face. Confused, Katie sat up and shoved hair off her face. She blinked sleepily at the woman and asked, “Are you wearing more make-up than before? And jewelry, you’re wearing earrings and bracelets.”
“Si niña, I have dressed up for the occasion. Now it is your turn to get that beautiful butt out of bed and get yourself ready,” Lana said with a laugh.
Katie closed her eyes and pressed the heel of her hand against her eyebrow for a moment before opening her eyes and giving Lana her best glare. It was hard because she genuinely liked this woman, despite knowing her for less than a day. She was beginning to think there was a conspiracy going on within the household, with all this ‘let’s take care of Katie after torturing her first’ bullshit. Nope. She wasn’t having it. Time to ask the question.
“And what occasion would that be exactly, Lana?”
The other woman gave her a big, bright smile.
“Why your wedding of course!”