If I did as he demanded, I hoped he wouldn’t be as rough.
Except he didn’t touch me. He just tied me to the bed and left me lying here on the blanket. He even gave me a pillow, as though my comfort matters to him.
As though I’m not someone he ultimately plans to kill.
Another few minutes tick by with no sign of Lucas, and I decide that he did leave the house after all. It must be because of that text message he got. Is it work-related or personal? Does it have something to do with that mysterious girlfriend of his? She knows I’m here. She’s seen me sitting in his house naked. Could she have called Lucas to her because she suspects something’s going on between us? Because she doesn’t want her boyfriend toying with his captive like this?
Irrationally, the thought makes my insides twist. I don’t know why I care that Lucas has a girlfriend. We’re not in a relationship, at least not in a romantic sense. He brought me here to torment me, to make me pay for what I’ve done. If anyone has a claim on him, it would be that girl, not me.
I’m the other woman—the one he may want, but will never love.
Closing my eyes, I try to relax again. Exhaustion presses down on me like a layer of bricks, but for some reason, sleep refuses to come. The draft from the air-conditioning is cold on my bare skin, and my shoulders ache from having my arms extended up like that. As ridiculous as it is, a small part of me wishes that Lucas were here—that I were even now lying in his hard embrace.
The fantasy is so alluring that I give into it, like I did in that prison. In my dream, none of this is real. Lucas doesn’t hate me. There was no plane crash, and we’re not on opposing sides. He’s just holding me, kissing me... making love to me.
In my dream, he’s mine and I’m his—and there’s nothing keeping us apart.
25
Lucas
By the time I get to the guard tower, Diego and the others have strung up the trespasser in a small shed nearby. It’s pitch-black outside, and there’s no electricity in the shed, so I bring a battery-operated lantern with me to inspect the intruder.
As I shine the light on him, I see that he’s an average-looking Colombian man, likely in his early thirties. His clothes look cheap and rather dirty—though that could be from struggling with our guards. He’s also gagged, likely to prevent him from annoying the guards with his pleading.
I step back and turn to Diego. The young Mexican is sporting a mean black eye—a reminder of my earlier outburst over Yulia. For a moment, I consider apologizing more sincerely, but decide that now’s not the time. “Where did you find him?” I ask instead.
“He was by the river,” Diego says, keeping his tone low. “He had a boat, and he claims he was fishing.”
“But you don’t believe him.”
“No.” Diego glances at the guy. “His boat doesn’t have a scratch on it. It’s brand new.”
“I see.” Diego’s right to be suspicious. Few fishermen around these parts can afford a new boat. “All right. Ungag him, and let’s see what he says.”
#p#分页标题#e#
It’s two in the morning by the time the trespasser finally breaks. I don’t enjoy torture as much as Esguerra does, so I let the guards have a go at the guy first. They pummel him, breaking a few ribs, and then I ask him what he’s doing here. He tries to lie, claiming he came to the estate by accident, but after I do a few rounds with my switchblade, he begins to sing and tells us all about his employer, a powerful drug lord from Bogotá.
“Do these cabrons never learn?” Diego says in disgust when the man’s speech devolves into sobbing pleas for mercy. “You’d think they’d know better than to try this shit. Sending this joker to find holes in our security—could they be any stupider?”
“They could.” I step toward the blubbering man and slice my knife across his throat, putting him out of his misery. “They could try attacking us here.”
“True.” Diego steps back to avoid the spray of blood. “Do you want his body shipped to his patrón or taken to the incinerator?”
“The incinerator.” I wipe the switchblade on my shirt—it’s so bloody that an extra stain is nothing—and close the knife before putting it away. “Let his boss wonder.”
“Okay.” Diego motions to the two other guards, and they drag the body out of the shed. The place will need to be cleaned, but that’s a task for the next shift. I wait for the new guards to arrive and give them those instructions before heading out to my car.