Fat Louise (10 page)

Chapter 10
 

The house was in ruins, its furniture broken and strewn around the small room.
 

“What are we going to do now?” Bailey snapped, glaring at her sister as if she was to blame for the house being destroyed. “It’s not safe to stay here now.”
 

Jane glared back at her ungrateful sister, wishing she could turn back time and reconsider her decision to rescue her. Her conscience came into play, though, remembering those women she had freed. If one had escaped, it had all been worthwhile.
 

“Be quiet,” Cade ordered. “We’ll stay here.” He moved away, cautiously walking farther into the room and stepping over pieces of broken glass. “They’ve already searched here, so they have no reason to come back.”
 

“That’s what I’m thinking.” The man held his hand out. “How you been, Cade?”
 

“Doing well, Felix. You?”
 

Felix kicked a broken lamp toward a stone wall. “I’ve been better.”
 

Cade laughed. “I’ll make it up to you for your trouble.”
 

Felix stared at Bailey and Jane. “Pay’s good?”
 

“I’ve had worse paying jobs,” Cade acknowledged. “But I’ve had easier ones, too.”
 

“Too much to handle?”
 

“One’s a chore, two’s a bitch.” Jane had a feeling of which one he thought was the bitch.
 

Felix laughed. “You two hungry?”
 

“Yes,” Jane admitted.
 

“How can you be hungry at a time like this?” Bailey turned an aggravated glance at her.
 

“Why shouldn’t I be hungry? I wasn’t the one who had to run away in the middle of the
night from a husband who kidnaps and rapes women.”
 

“See what I mean?” Cade broke into the budding argument.
 

“Si, Amigo. I will feed them then find some whiskey for us.”
 

“I’d appreciate any help I can get.”
 

Jane almost snapped at him, but then decided not to confirm that she was the bitch. Instead, she found a broom in the kitchen and began sweeping up as Felix fixed the food.
 

“You don’t have to do that,” Felix protested.
 

“I don’t mind. I like keeping busy.” Jane straightened the room as best she could, piling the smaller, broken pieces into the trashcan and making a pile of the larger pieces in the corner. Then she threw the destroyed couch cushions down on the floor for them to sit on.
 

Once Felix handed her and Bailey a plate with a sandwich and chips, both women sank to the cushions to eat their meal. Jane watched as Cade fixed his own sandwich, standing at the window to eat as he kept watch on the outside.
 

“I can’t believe you stuck your nose in my business,” Bailey complained in a low whisper. “You never could mind your own business, Fat Louise.”
 

“Your mother is worried sick, and so is Dad. I couldn’t watch them worry about you.”
 

“Always eager to help. When are you going to learn that, unlike those loser friends of yours, I don’t need your help?”
 

“My friends are not losers,” Jane denied heatedly.
 

“Why don’t you two shut the fuck up? Your big mouths are going to drive me nuts.” Cade dropped a couple of blankets down next to where they were sitting before sitting on one. “Get some rest. We’ll leave in a couple of hours. I want to get to our next stop before it gets dark again.”
 

“A couple of hours?” Bailey asked, shocked.
 

“I don’t want to take a chance on them coming back.”
 

Bailey snapped her mouth closed, picking up a blanket for herself as she lay down. Jane curled her arms around her knees, leaning her forehead on them.
 

If Killyama were here, Bailey would be too afraid to mistreat me
, Jane thought.
And Cade would be nicer to me. He would see I’m really not that bad.
 

She missed her friends yet dreaded seeing them again. They were going to be furious with her for not telling them what she had planned.
 

She tried unsuccessfully to keep from sniffling, but Cade must have heard. He lowered the glass of whiskey Felix had given him.
 

“Come here.”
 

Jane shuffled to his side, and Cade scooted over, giving her enough room to lie down.
 

“It’s going to be all right,” he said in a low voice.
 

“No, it’s not. Javier or Carlos’s men are going to catch us and kill us, my sister hates me for making her leave her husband, and if I do survive, my friends are going to kill me for doing this without telling them.”
 

“We can make it to the border. This isn’t the first time I’ve done this. And your sister is a bitch.”
 

A loud snort came from Bailey at his words.
 

“And your friends will understand.”
 

“If you think I’m a bitch, wait until you meet her friends,” Bailey said snidely, rolling over to give them her back.
 

“Ignore her. Lie down and get some sleep.”
 

Jane took his advice, lying down next to him. The night was chilly, and she shivered before moving closer to Cade. He gave an aggravated sigh and rolled to his side, pulling her toward him then placing an arm around her waist. Jane relaxed against him and closed her eyes. It was the first time she had felt safe since she left Jamestown.
 

Cade stared down at Jane in the morning light, fighting back the surge of protectiveness he felt for the woman. She wasn’t what he had expected. He had anticipated a spoiled daddy’s girl; instead, he had found there wasn’t anything spoiled about her. She had been willing to sacrifice herself for those women being held captive, even giving them the only food they had. With no money, it hadn’t been a smart move on her part. She hadn’t known he planned to stop at Felix’s for supplies, but she had kept the candy bars for herself. He thought about that with a wry smile. He had noticed when they had been stuck in the hotel for two days that she had a sweet tooth.
 

In her picture, she had been sitting on a couch that hadn’t looked expensive, wearing jeans and a casual T-shirt, unlike the expensive dress her sister had worn. She shied away from any attention shown to her directly, probably the result of being overshadowed by her attention-seeking sister.
 

Her father was completely wrong about his daughters. Bailey was out for herself and would survive in shark-infested waters. Jane, on the other hand, would let the sharks have her if they were hungry.
 

Cade let the women sleep for a couple of hours, keeping alert for anyone approaching the house. He woke them around noon, Bailey grumbling and Jane drowsily going to the restroom.
 

He fixed each of them a bowl of cereal and coffee.
 

“Eat up. We need to go.” Cade pushed the bowl of cereal toward Bailey. Jane had already eaten half of hers.
 

“I don’t eat food like this,” Bailey complained.
 

“Right now, you can’t be choosy. We can’t exactly go in a store or restaurant, since there will most likely be a big reward posted for us. Anyone who catches sight of us could turn us in.” He shoved the bowl back toward her. “Eat.”
 

“I’ll eat it if you still don’t want it,” Jane offered.
 

Cade saw Bailey throw her sister a dirty look before picking up her spoon. A slight smile was on Jane’s lips as she finished her own. She had known how her sister would react. Bailey didn’t want Jane to have anything of hers.
 

“How much longer before we leave? I’m ready to go home. If we are stopped at any roadblocks, I’ll just tell them Raul is my husband. He can convince Javier to let you return to the States,” Bailey said between bites of her food. “I don’t know if he can help with Carlos, though. You might be on your own with him.”
 

“Thanks.” Cade really disliked this particular sister.
 

“You want to stay with him?” Jane’s disgusted question raised her sister’s fury.
 

“I shouldn’t have left in the first place without talking to him. Maybe there was a reason—”
 

“There was a reason, but you just don’t want to believe it,” snapped Jane.
 

Bailey’s lips tightened, and she grew quiet.
 

“I’m sorry, Bailey. I know you care about him, but I know what I saw.”
 

The sound of laughter outside the house had Jane peeking outside. A young man was playing with a toddler across the street. There were more people out than when they had arrived during the night.
 

“I’ll move your truck to the back of the house,” Felix offered, and Cade tossed him the keys.
 

“Why can’t we just drive to the airport and fly out?” Jane asked Cade the question that had
been bothering her since they had arrived at the house.
 

“I wish I’d have thought of that. Maybe because Javier and Carlos would think of the same thing and post roadblocks,” Cade replied caustically.
 

“There’s no need to be rude. I was just wondering.” Jane scooted her empty bowl away.
 

Cade felt guilty, and he didn’t want to feel that way. He wanted to get rid of the women and get back to Martina. He promised himself a week in bed with her for the trouble this job had cost him. With the money he would make, he would be able to pay for it.
 

Jane went to stand at the window, watching the child who was now playing with his older brothers and sisters. The mother had come outside and was carefully watching over her children. Jane waved and began playing peek-a-boo with a child who was staring at her through the window, each of them laughing.
 

“You like children,” Cade observed.
 

“My friend Sex Piston has a child that age. I also babysat her stepdaughter Star when she was younger.”
 

Cade could tell from the affection in her voice that she missed her friends. He had heard her refer to them several times in the same tone; however, when she had talked about her parents, the affection was missing.
 

Cade and Jane were both still standing in the window when the dark cars pulled up. Cade pushed her back, moving the curtain back in place.
 

“Who is it?”
 

“Carlos. He already knows we’re here.” Felix hadn’t returned with Cade’s truck, making it obvious who had turned them in to Carlos.
 

“I’m sorry.”
 

Cade turned to her in surprise.
 

“That your friend turned you in.”
 

“Felix isn’t a friend. I don’t have friends. Felix just went for the bigger payday.” Cade picked up the rifle he had brought in from the truck.
 

“Both of you go to the back door. When I tell you to run, fucking run like your lives depend on it. You understand me?”
 

Jane and Bailey nodded their heads. Jane tugged on her backpack as she went to the back door. Bailey stood by her sister, looking terrified.
 

Two men got out of each car, and Cade’s nerves tautened when they told the parents and children to get inside. They were preparing for a battle.
 

Jane and Bailey waited for his signal. As soon as the door closed behind the small family, Cade placed the rifle in position before taking his shot. One of Carlos’s men fell to the ground. Then Cade was able to bring down another one as the two edged closer to the door. Cade caught sight of one he hadn’t seen try to go around back and cut off their escape.
 

“Run!” yelled Cade.
 

Both Jane and Bailey took off. When they did, the soldier moving toward the back took aim to fire at them, but Cade managed to shoot him.
 

The sound of more cars screeching to a stop clenched his balls. They weren’t going to be able to fight off this many.
 

While the soldiers began filing out of the Jeeps, Cade managed to fire off another shot, wounding the last of the first four; however, he was trapped inside the house as the other soldiers ran forward. He was about to kiss his ass goodbye when he saw a flash of movement and an explosion sent the men flying in different directions. Cade looked in shock at Jane who was
standing out in the open. She had thrown another fucking grenade.
 

If he lived through this, he was going to fucking check her pockets.
 

When, instead of running, she reached into her pocket again, the men took off, running for their lives.
 

Cade also used the opportunity to run, taking down a few more men who had decided it was safer to face a bullet coming in the front door than being outside with Jane.
 

“Let’s go, Jane!” he yelled as he ran toward her, expecting to hear another explosion at any second.
 

He stopped when he saw Bailey struggling with one of Carlos’s men. Putting his sights on the man, a child’s cry had him turning. The parents had panicked and left their smallest child outside. Jane was running toward the child standing out in the open.
 

“Damn it to hell!”
 

A knife flashed as the soldier fighting Bailey decided he’d had enough of her struggles. Jane had a rifle pointed at her by another determined to bring her down. Cade only had a split second to make his decision on which one to save.
 

Pointing his rifle, he fired.