Chapter 12

Trapped

Carlos watched Arya's eyes grow vacant. She stopped struggling against him and lay motionless on the bed. When he was finished with her, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her into the bathroom.

She returned to her surroundings but would not look at him. Carlos bathed her and dressed her in a lavender nightgown. He gently placed Arya in the bed under the covers, and Carlos lay down beside her. "It's good to have you back mi amour." he murmured.

Carlos fell asleep with his arm possessively over Arya. She struggled not to cry, but she felt as though she was suffocating. Carlos moved so that he was practically on top of her, and Arya could not breathe. Arya was trapped beneath him and it seemed like she would never be able to get away. e H

As dawn was approaching, Arya fell asleep. Carlos woke up feeling the warmth of her body beside him, right where she should be. He knew from the moment he laid eyes on her that Arya was the only one for him.

With her lustrous, dark hair strewn across the pillow, Arya was the most beautiful woman Carlos had ever seen. He liked to watch her sleep because her usually guarded face was relaxed and peaceful. She rubbed her cheek into the soft pillow; a habit which Carlos found endearing, almost childlike. He wondered what she dreamed about, but then her brow furrowed and she began to cry. Now he knew for certain that she dreamed of him.

Arya rubbed her eyes as she woke up and realized that they were wet with tears. She turned away from Carlos as he kissed her good morning. Carlos went into the shower, and Arya slipped out of the room.

She ran down the stairs as quickly as her sore muscles could take her and finally reached the basement. Arya saw Miguel standing outside one of the doors holding a tray of food. He started towards her but stopped himself.

"Lo siento." he said, his voice full of guilt. "¿Qué puedo hacer para ayudarte?"

(I'm sorry. What can I do to help you?)

"Nadie se puede ayudarme." (Nobody can help me.) Arya said bitterly. "Just open the door."

Arya needed to make Miguel feel even guiltier than he already did so that he would help her.

Miguel unlocked the door. He handed Arya the tray of food and shut the door behind her. Annie was seated at a table with her hands cuffed in front of her.

"We don't have a lot of time." she said quickly, placing the food on the table. "Carlos will be down any minute now, but I want you to know that help is on the way. The CIA is tracking us. We found out the neighborhood that Carlos is living in from a friend of his, and I gave them a description of what the house should look like based on the other houses of his that I lived in. Hopefully it will be enough for them to find us."

"Arya," said Annie slowly. "We can't wait to be rescued. We need to get out of here now. Once Carlos drugs me and finds out the classified information I know, he won't need me anymore. I have been talking to Manuel, and I think that I can get him to help us escape. We need to leave as soon as possible, or Carlos is going to kill me."

Annie did not want to scare Arya, but Arya had to understand the situation. Annie was going to need Arya to be brave for them to both make it out alive.

"If we run away now, the instant that Carlos finds out that we are gone he will burn any incriminating information about his business. He will disappear and restart his empire somewhere else. We can't let that happen. We need to wait for the CIA to come, so that Carlos won't be prepared. Then, he will be caught red handed with records of his drug and weapons purchases. This is the only way that Carlos will go to jail."

Arya deliberately used the word "we" to make Annie feel a sense of companionship. As much as Arya wanted to protect Annie, Arya needed to persuade her to stay for a few more days in order to bring down Carlos's criminal empire.

"I swear that I won't let Carlos hurt you." said Arya resolutely. "He is always open to negotiation, and if I agree to do . . . certain things then he will hold up his end of the deal. I promise that I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe until the DPD finds us."

Arya meant every word. She would be willing to sacrifice her body and her dignity for Annie's safety because Arya was the one putting Annie in further danger by persuading her to stay longer.

"You shouldn't have to do anything like that for me." said Annie softly. "I don't want this to be any worse for you than it already is. I am so sorry for everything that he is doing to you, and I want him to pay."

"Make him pay. Give the CIA two days." pleaded Arya. "If the DPD doesn't come in two days than we run."

"Two days." sighed Annie. She could last for two more days if it meant that Arya would be given some closure once Carlos was caught for good.

"I thought I would find you here." said Carlos, opening the door. "Say your goodbyes now. There isn't anything you can do to save your friend."

Arya knew Carlos well enough to know where he was heading.

"What do you want?" asked Arya wearily.

Carlos smiled wolfishly. He slowly strode towards Arya and pulled her to him. His dark, brown eyes met her gray-green ones. "I want you to stay with me, keep eye contact the entire time instead of you drifting off where you can't feel me."

Carlos pressed his lips to the hollow at the base of Arya's throat as he inhaled her intoxicating scent. "I want to hear you say my name." he breathed, his voice husky with desire. "I want to have you forever."