Punished (Calavera Hotels #1)

Chapter Thirty-Seven Mireya

I’m breathing deeply, trying to not hyperventilate under the cloth bag around my head. I listen as the driver throws my mother in the back seat next to me.

“Get this bag off me!” she screams.

I can’t see anything, but I can feel the commotion of a vehicle. She protests, and their arguing continues, before he throws her out of the vehicle. She’s probably disappointed she won’t have a hand in torturing me. When I hear the vehicle stop, I sit up. My door opens, and the hood is ripped off. Diana stands in front of me.

“Where the fuck is he?” she asks. I am not sure who she’s talking about, and she punches me in the face when I don’t answer quickly enough. I wince and pull on the ropes around my wrists. I kick her and she falls backward. Before I can take off, the man helping her grabs me and hauls me back toward the building. A large rusty sign hangs above the garage. Primos Auto Repair. The shop is vacant, and I look around to see there are not any visible houses or stores nearby.

Diana pulls herself up from the dirt.

“You fucking bitch. Where is Bryan?” I spit in her face. It’s a final attempt to let this bitch know I’m not going down that easily. She grabs me by the hair.

“Miss. She’s pregnant.” The driver hands her my pregnancy test, and she smirks. I’m not sure if the revelation will help or hurt my attempts to break free from her.

“She’s not pregnant in her face.” Another blow, and this time, she uses all her force, hitting me a few more times before she is satisfied.

“Your baby daddy took Bryan, so until he returns him to me, you are collateral.”

I’m floating in and out of consciousness; too tired to be fully awake, but too afraid to fall asleep. I had kicked and screamed while Diana and the man handcuffed me to the pole. My face hurts from the numerous blows I’ve taken. Diana had mocked me as she took pictures to send to Adrian.

When I open my eyes, I can tell it’s nighttime. The building is dark and smells like gasoline. I take in my surroundings. There are several empty lifts above me, air compressors, and tires surrounding the back wall. I look to the garage doors and see the stars outside the dusty windows. I don’t hear anything. No footsteps or voices. It’s safe to assume I’m alone for now.

I struggle against my restraints, wanting to wrap my arms around my stomach, wanting to comfort the life inside me. My baby. Adrian’s baby.

“Please,” I cry out and slide with the handcuffs up from the concrete floor. I pull on them hard, trying with every last bit of my strength to yank myself free. I exhaust myself in my attempts and slide back down to the floor and bring my knees up.

“Please just be okay,” I whisper to my unborn child. I hope Adrian finds me soon. Diana needs me alive if she plans to use me to get Bryan back, but I am not sure how long that will be. The toxic thoughts running through my head have me questioning if Adrian would even be willing to give up his revenge on Bryan in exchange for my life. I shut them down and focus on my breathing. I know from classes I took on Child Development that everything I feel, my baby can also feel.

My eyes look to the gold bracelet Adrian gave me, and to the red string bracelet with the metal Lady Reaper bead placed in the center.

“Please. Please, if you are willing, spare us this death,” I cry out to the angel of death.

I cry myself into a restless sleep. Visions of Adrian, the lady reaper, my friends, and my unborn child appear in my dreams. At some point, I feel a warm sensation wrap around me, the sound of a distant lullaby. Maybe death has come for me, after all.

I wake in a panic when I hear gunshots outside. A vehicle drives straight through the garage, and immediately I see a figure jump out and run toward me. I close my eyes, unsure of who is coming at me. There is a fearful part of me that worries Adrian refused to give up Bryan, or worse, that he had killed him. Diana would take her anger out on me. I push my legs to my stomach, taking in a deep breath as the figure comes closer.

My eyes open when I feel a gentle touch, and Thalia’s brown eyes meet mine.

“Mireya, we’ve got to work quick and get you out of here.” She looks around and moves to grab an anvil and a hammer. I look at the handcuffs and shake my head when I realize her plan.

“You’re going to have to trust me,” she says and moves my hands so the chain connected to the handcuffs sits on the anvil. My hands shake and I close my eyes. Before I can suck in a breath, she slams the hammer down and the chain breaks. I release a cry and move to embrace her.

“Adrian,” I manage to get out, and she pulls me forward.

“He was in the car behind me, but Julian had men running him down, so Axel and I came straight to you.”

I look over to see Axel pulling out of the garage and driving around so the passenger doors face us. I hold on to Thalia as she moves us toward the car. Her right arm wraps around my waist, and her left hand holds a pistol in front of us. We’re halfway there when I see more cars coming into view from the distance. Axel steps out and starts shooting at them with an assault rifle.

“GO BACK!” he screams, and Thalia drags me to the back of the shop. Gunshots continue to fire outside. Thalia pushes me behind a stack of tires and crouches down beside me, her gun pointed out in front of her.

The shots are becoming fewer and farther apart. I watch as Adrian steps in through the front door. He’s covered in dirt and his white tank top is splattered with blood. When our eyes meet, I run towards him. He lifts me up, and I wrap my legs around him, sobbing into his neck.

“Just in time for the family reunion,” I hear and look over Adrian’s shoulder to see Diana exiting the office on the left end of the repair shop. She’s holding a gun aimed at us. Thalia rushes toward her and she fires a shot, and Thalia drops to the floor.

Axel storms inside and fires a shot to Diana’s head, rushing to pick up Thalia.

“I’m okay. Just get them out of here.” Thalia stands and holds her bleeding arm.

“We’ve got to get out of here. I can’t find Julian.” Axel and Thalia rush forward. Adrian picks me up, and I wrap my legs around him as he carries me. We make our way out through the back of the building, when I see a figure moving in toward us. Julian appears from the corner of my eye, aiming his gun at Adrian’s back. I have no time to react. I reach for the gun in his waistband.

“ADRIAN!” I scream as the bullet rushes for us. Adrian drops us to the ground and another shot rings out. I watch as Julian’s brains splatter in front of his body. I readjust my eyes and fall into complete shock when I see the person holding the gun behind Julian’s lifeless body. My tia Vicky rushes toward me. I look to Adrian and cry out. He dropped in enough time to dodge the bullet Julian sent for us.

“Get her in the car now!” I watch as motorcycles fly down the hill toward us. Adrian throws us into the back seat and I cling to him. Axel and Thalia take the front seats as he speeds to the hospital.

“You’re okay. Everything’s okay.” Adrian peppers me with kisses and rubs my back. I cry into him. My eyes are heavy, and my body is exhausted. He’s okay. I almost lost him, but he’s okay. She heard me. La Santa Muerte heard me and spared his life. I close my eyes and let the tears flow freely in gratitude.

“Breathe, Mireya. You are here in this moment. You are safe, and you are cared for.”