Page 3 of Unchained

“You tired, kiddo?” I ask, wondering if I can at least get a nod.

“I’m sure he is,” Shayla answers for him. I look up and she’s signaling me with her eyes, apologizing for his lack of communication, but there is nothing for her to apologize for. My sister is the last person I’d ever blame for this. If anyone’s at fault, it’s me. I’m the one who brought that fucker into our lives and destroyed everything. I’m the one who’s going to go to my grave with that guilt hanging over my tombstone. If I could go back in time and choose one thing to do different, I never would’ve made the deal with the devil.

“Let’s get you changed, Kai. Then we’ll go lie down on that couch and get some rest.”

My sister takes out a flashlight from her bag and leads him into the kitchen area to get him dried and ready for bed. I go dust off the sofa as much as I can. Using a torn piece of curtain that was lying on the ground, I wipe the dust off the old leather sofa. It’s not The Ritz-Carlton, but it sure beats prison. At least I’ll get to go to sleep with both eyes closed tonight, along with the comfort of knowing my sister is out from under that killer’s roof. When she told me what Rodriguez said, I knew we were running on borrowed time. And if I didn’t get her out of there fast, I’d be left in this world without my best friend.

They come walking back into the room. My nephew in a pair of baseball pajamas and her in a pair of sweats. I’d told Shay not to pack anything because I didn’t want to set off any alarm bells for her husband, but I’m glad she didn’t listen to me. She’s been a mom for eleven years and knows that when you’re traveling with a kid, you need to be prepared.

“Here. These should fit.” She hands me a pair of men’s flannel pants and a white undershirt. I’m guessing they belong to that bastard of a husband she was forced into marrying. “I only brought us one outfit each, some granola bars, and a few bottles of water. It was all I could sneak out without him knowing.”

“Thanks, sis. As soon as my buddy comes through with everything, we’ll be good to go.” I take the clothes from her, praying that Diego will get us what we need and fast. “You two go get settled on the sofa. I’m going to go do one more check around the outer perimeter and then change.”

I step outside, doing a lap around the rickety porch. The weather still hasn’t let up, which is a good thing. The neighborhood is quiet. Nothing but the sound of the rain can be heard for miles. Not a single police siren is going off. Nor is there a single flashing light coming from anywhere in the distance. We should definitely be okay here for a few days. No one’s going to be bothering us at this dilapidated house.

When I finally make my way back into the living room, I hear the soft sound of a snore. Kai’s lying across the sofa. His head on my sister’s legs, totally conked out. I take a seat on the other end, lifting his feet gently and laying them across my thighs, trying not to wake him. When the sun rises, I’ll come up with a plan. Figure out how to get us more food and water. But for now, I’m going to close my eyes and get some rest. It’s been one hell of a day.

“If he finds us, he’s going to kill me.” My sister’s hushed whisper has me opening my eyes. The fear is radiating in her voice.

“I’m not going to let anything happen to you, Shay. As soon as my buddy pulls through, we’re going to pick some place where Rodriguez won’t even think to look.” We’ll move to Kansas or Missouri or some small Southern town. Some place where there’s a little league team for my nephew, and a bunko group for my sister. I want them to have some normalcy in their lives. I want them to feel safe and to not have to look over their shoulders everywhere they go.

“You know he told me that he was going to take Kai from me and ship him to Cuba. He warned me that if I ever went to the cops, I’d never see my son again. He can’t find us, Trevor.” The panic starts rising in her hushed voice. “We can’t let him find us.”

“He won’t, Shay. We’re almost an hour from his house. He doesn’t even know where to begin to look for us. And most likely, he’ll think that we crossed state lines. By the time he realizes you’re gone in the morning, he’ll think you’re eight hours up the road.”

She nods her head, looking back down at her son and stroking his hair gently. She’s a good mom. The kind of mom every kid wishes for. The kind of mom I wish I’d had. Our mom spent her days working and her nights regretting that she’d ever had kids. So, I’ve never known a mother’s love. But my sister loves Kai more than anything in this world.

“He doesn’t speak, Trev. He hasn’t spoken in three years.” The hell? She never mentioned that before. In all the times we spoke on the phone, she never once told me my nephew stopped talking.

“How come?” The tension rolls through my shoulders, stiffening my nerves. That’s a pretty hefty piece of information that should’ve been shared.

“Kai came running into the house one day.” She looks back down at her snoring boy. “He was so excited he’d found a kitten out in the yard, and he begged me to keep it. Of course, I said yes, but told him we’d have to ask Rodriguez first.” She shakes her head, running her hand gently over his sleeping head. “I should’ve just told him no. He would’ve been better off if I had.”

My jaw clenches, as I anticipate what’s coming next. You don’t ask that man for anything; otherwise, he expects your life in return.

“He rushed into Rodriguez’s office and begged him to keep the kitten. God, he was so happy and excited. He couldn’t contain himself.” Her voice sounds clogged with sadness now, and I wish I could ease her pain. “The monster ended the call he was on and then went ballistic. Screaming that if Kai ever made a peep or bothered him again, he’d kill him. And to prove his point, he took the kitten from him and snapped its neck.”

Murderous rage slithers over me, tightening my gut. I’m going to kill him. I’m going to do it nice and slow, make him feel every slice of pain as I cut him from limb to limb. I’m going to laugh in his face as he begs for mercy and remind him of all the things he deserves to suffer for. All his heinous crimes. And when I’m done, I’m going to burn his body and watch the evil monster turn to ash right before my very eyes. He’s going to pay.

“Kai hasn’t said a word since that day. Not even at school.” Can’t say I blame him. The kid was afraid for his life. He was protecting himself.

“How come you never told me, Shay?” She only ever told me about all the horrible things Rodriguez said to her. The threats he made if she were to ever leave him. The details of all the things he did with other women. Shit that made my blood boil. But never once did she tell me this.

“Because I know you, Trev. You would’ve been drowning in guilt, thinking that somehow it was your fault.”

“Yeah, well, it is.”

“No,” she states with adamance. “You have to stop blaming yourself. We all made choices. I’m the one who chose to marry the man.”

She may think she had a choice, but she didn’t. He would’ve forced her down the aisle, kicking and screaming. Rodriguez takes what he wants one way or another, and Shayla was going to be his no matter what.

“If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t even know him.”

She shakes her head. “You need to stop taking credit for other people’s mistakes. You tried to warn me, but I refused to listen. So please stop blaming yourself.”

I realized after the fact that there’s no way he would’ve let her go. He’d rather bury her underground then allow her freedom. So even if she’d listened to my warning, she was never going to get away from that man.

“You’ll never have to think of the bastard again.” Because I’m going to ensure he’s no longer breathing.