Hard Brake (Wilkins Brothers Book 2)

Chapter 21

CAMILA

The minutes and hours ticked by as I laid in the same position on the bed. My hands were still cuffed to the headboard, but at least I was covered and no longer bare to the entire world. Not that it mattered any longer, Miguel’s men had taken away any remaining sense of pride that I had in myself. My entire body was aching in pain, my fingers were numb from the position that my hands were cuffed, and my heart was shattered to pieces. Every minute that went by I was losing hope of ever leaving this place, surviving this, seeing my kids again, or even seeing Gruff.

Every so often I would hear shuffling of footsteps down the hallway outside the bedroom and I said a small prayer that they would pass on by and not come in. I couldn’t take much more before I just gave up and begged for one of them to kill me. I don’t know why I even bothered praying, how could there be a God with the hell that I’ve been put through?

Even though I was so uncomfortable, I kept dozing off to sleep. I assumed it was my body’s way of just giving up and trying to protect itself from the pain I felt while awake. When the door to the bedroom opened once again, my first response was to try and pull my hands away from the headboard again, stupid girl thinking that I was going to be able to break these cuffs at all. “Camila, Camila...looks like somebody took pity on you.” Miguel’s voice was the last I wanted to hear. I could barely see him as he moved through the shadows, closer to the bed.

“Were they so disgusted by your body that they wanted to keep you covered?” In one quick movement, he pulled the comforter off my body, leaving me naked to the cool night air and unable to hide.

“Why are you doing this, Miguel? I’m begging you, please stop.” As much as my body wants to cry, I can no longer produce tears. 

“This is me teaching you a lesson, doll. You think you can turn our children against me? You think you can run away? You think you can whore yourself out to a man when you are married to me? I let the charade go on long enough and only because I believe that stupid mechanic when he said he didn’t remember you.”

He slowly pulls his belt off and I start to move away from him the best I can. “He thought he was so smart, keeping you hidden away, but I was smarter. Did you know that if you pay a private investigator enough money he’ll hack into traffic cams? It is especially useful when you tell him how scared you are that your precious wife has gone missing and the cops won’t look into it. I may have even cried, the best performance of my life.”

“You’re sick and disgusting!”

“Maybe, but I’m also in control. I must have given you too much freedom, but I won’t make that mistake again. From now on you’ll only do things when I say you’re allowed to. You won’t even so much as speak without permission. And if you disobey me...well let’s just say it’ll probably never happen again unless you would like all my men to visit you once again.”

“I hate you!” I seethe and then with all my strength spit at him the best that I can. My mouth is pretty dry, so I know there is barely anything, but it feels good to stand up for myself, even though I know it won’t come without a consequence.

Miguel wipes his chin off and then smiles sadistically. He snaps the belt that he removed and then flings his wrist down and the belt snaps on my outer thigh. I scream in pain, trying to bring my legs up to shield my body. The belt strikes me again on the other thigh. Over and over again he strikes any open skin that he can find. When he finally stops, my entire body is burning and I’ve gone completely limp. Finally, Miguel kneels over me and unlocks the handcuffs. My hands and arms are now free, but my body is beaten black and blue and my soul is crushed. I don’t even have an ounce of energy left in me to fight back.

“There are close on the chair for you to change into by the time I get back. Then we’re leaving and going back home.”

“Miguel, let me see the children, please,” I cry and beg of him.

At first, I hear what sounds like a small chuckle and then he turns around to face me, the look on his face is clear as day, this is no laughing matter. “You may as well consider yourself childless, doll. If you’re lucky, maybe I’ll let you see Anna before she is shipped off to her future husband so you can say your goodbyes. Nico though? Not until he earns the right to be called a Perez.”

The door shut again, but this time I was at least able to move. I could see the welts all over my body. They were already red and swollen, some had even burst open and were bleeding. There wasn’t a part on my body that didn’t hurt, but I knew if I wasn’t changed by the time Miguel came back that he’d punish me even more. The clothes left for me were not what I was wearing before, he had brought clothes from our home, the home I never wanted to return to. I changed into the basic blue dress and slipped on the tan flats. My feet may be the only part of my body without some proof of the abuse I had taken at the hands of Miguel and his men.

I looked over at the door to the bedroom and thought for just a moment that maybe he had made a mistake leaving me without the handcuffs, but when I turned the handle, it was clear right away that I was locked inside. Giving up all hope of an escape, I sat back on the foot of the bed and waited for my final fate.

Just as expected, the door finally opened, but Miguel was in much more of a panic than he had been the other times. He doesn’t speak, just grabs my arm, and starts dragging me out of the room and down the hallway. I try to get my footing better, but my body is in so much pain, that I can’t keep up with him.

“Hurry up, you stupid bitch!” He says as he pulls me back to my feet once again.

“I can’t! I can’t run Miguel, I hurt, everything hurts.”

“You’ll run or I will shoot Anna and make you watch!”

I cry out for help, knowing that it is pointless, but thinking about my sweet little girl garners me enough energy to pull to my feet and follow along with Miguel the best that I can. I see a line of cars in front of us, but before we can get to one of the SUV’s I hear bullets ring out in the background. I stop and try to run back to the building we just left.

“Nico! Anna!” I screamed for my children, not knowing if they were there. Miguel’s arm wrapped around my waist and shoved me into the SUV. I tried to open the door, but it was locked and I couldn’t from the inside. He ran around the front of the vehicle and then got into the SUV, starting the engine and putting it into drive. “You might want to buckle up if you don’t want to die.”

I struggle to pull the belt around my body, finally getting it secured. “Where are we going? What is happening?”

“Shut up so I can think!”

He turns around the building and drives off-road behind it. Every bump he hits causes extreme pain to my body. I’m begging for him to stop, but he can’t hear me. He starts to turn towards a clearing in the bushes and drives through them, hitting a paved road again. Right as he turns onto the road, he slams on his brakes. The seatbelt prevents me from being propelled forward, thankful that I listened to him when he told me to put it on. 

Ahead of us on the road is a line of police cars with lights. I see the barriers as well as at least a dozen officers standing behind the barricade with guns drawn. Miguel throws the car into reverse, but when he looks in the rearview mirror, he smacks his hand against the steering wheel and curses. “Fuck!” I check the side mirror and see police behind us as well. We’re trapped with no way out. I should be thankful, but when I see the look on Miguel’s face, I’m still just as fearful. He’s not a man that will give up without a fight and in this case, I’m right in the middle of his fight.

Miguel revs the engine a few times, he has no intention of going out without a bang. He presses on the gas and the g-force presses me against the back of my seat. He’s headed right for the line of police cars without hesitation. I tucked into a ball the best that I can and duck under the dash. The bullets begin to hit the windshield, at first they don’t do anything because of the bulletproof glass, but once they being to pierce the glass I tuck my head down into my lap and prepare myself for the end. Miguel has a death wish and he’s not going without me.