Destroy For Her - R.B. Hilliard Page 0,5
his new boss. Sage believed him. Things were good after that . . . until the night she called home.
Carlos had taken her phone on their arrival in Mexico. He claimed it wouldn’t work and told her he would give her a replacement but never did. She was lonely. He never let her go anywhere. She missed Austin, missed the club, her friends, and Alex. If that life was over for her, then why couldn’t she let it go? One night, while Carlos was away on business, she snuck into his office and called home. The moment she heard Lucy’s voice, she started crying. Lucy, of course, freaked. Sage played it off as homesickness, but she knew that Lucy didn’t believe her. They talked about everything except for Alex. Lucy knew Sage had feelings for him. It wasn’t until Lucy said she had to go that Sage asked about him.
“Just tell me he’s okay.”
“You leaving with just a note tore him up, but to answer your question, yes, he’s good.” That was all Sage needed to hear. They hung up with the promise that she would call again.
Carlos arrived home early the next morning. The fact that he wasn’t due back for another day should have tipped her off.
“Hey, honey, you’re home early,” was all she got out before his fist slammed into her face. Sage screamed as his ring raked across the side of her eye, splitting it wide open.
Ignoring the blood streaming down her face, he asked, “Did you have a nice call last night?”
She should have known they were watching her. “I just called to talk to my friend,” she sputtered.
“Liar, you called to check on him.”
Sage’s heart stuttered inside her chest. “Who?”
“Your precious Alex.” At her shocked expression, he asked, “What? You think I didn’t know?”
She’d never mentioned her feelings for Alex, never once let on that he was anything more than a friend. “Alex is just a friend, Carlos. There’s nothing to know.”
“Liar,” he screamed, hitting her again.
That fight earned her five stitches from the creepy doctor and five days locked inside her room. Rosa took pity on her. Each time Carlos left the house, she snuck Petal in for a visit.
That time, when he offered his apologies and excuses, Sage knew better than to believe him.
“Estamos aquì, Miss Sage,” Alon whispered.
Sage jumped at the interruption. We’re here! “In Matamoros?” she asked.
“Sì. Silencio,” he replied, and motioned for them to cover up.
“What is it, Mommy?” Petal whispered as Sage pulled the blanket over their heads.
“Quiet, baby.”
Alon rolled down his window and they heard him speaking Spanish to someone. A minute passed before the rear door screeched open, causing them both to jump.
“Shhh,” Sage whispered in Petal’s ear.
What seemed like forever later, the door slammed shut, and they were once again on the move.
Not long after that, Sage felt the truck slow to a stop.
“Estamos aquì, Miss Sage,” Alon called out.
A gush of pent up air shot from Sage’s mouth as she gingerly pulled the blanket from their heads. The back door screeched open, and the glare of a flashlight spilled across them.
“Sorry,” a voice said, and the light quickly disappeared. Even though it was dark outside, Sage could still make out the man in the open doorway. He was wearing a t-shirt, jeans, and a baseball cap.
“Welcome, Sage and Petal. I’m Martin,” he announced in perfect English. Petal flinched back behind Sage.
“It’s okay, baby, Martin is going to drive us home,” Sage told her.
Alon urged them to hurry. “Come, come.”
Sage held out her uninjured hand and he latched onto it. Her muscles had tightened up from sitting for so long, making the pain close to unbearable. She was sweating by the time they got her out of the truck.
Martin took one look at her face and started drilling Alon in fluent Spanish. Sage noticed his jaw getting tighter and tighter during Alon’s very lengthy response.
Finally, the conversation ended, and they were ready to go. After saying their goodbyes to Alon, Martin helped get them settled into his Durango.
“What time is it?” Sage asked.
“A quarter ‘til eleven. How much pain are you in?”
“If we’re talking on a scale of one to ten, I’m at a fifteen.”
“I didn’t realize you were this hurt. Luca didn’t tell me. He said to bring pain medicine, but I didn’t realize—”
“Please,” she whispered, “just drive.”
He held up a pill bottle. “I have Ibuprofen.”
“Thanks, but no thanks,” she replied.
He shook the bottle. “It’s got codeine in it.”
“Gimme,” she said, grabbing the bottle