I scrambled toward him and wrapped my arms around his neck, “I can’t leave without you, Caleb. What if you never come back? I’ll be out there on my own and anything could happen. What if…what if he kills you? How will I live with myself?” Tears ran down my face as I struggled to find the words to convince him to leave with me and forget about his debt to Rafiq.

“I’m capable of taking care of myself, Kitten. No matter what, I can’t leave this unfinished. If we run, he’ll never stop looking for us. What then? I have no plans to live my life in hiding. I have to finish things one way or the other,” Caleb said. He stroked my hair and tried to be reassuring, but his words left me cold and numb.

“I won’t go,” I whispered.

“Felipe is having another party tomorrow. There will be lots of people and I’m hoping, plenty of distractions. You’re leaving, Pet. It’s the only way I can keep you safe.” Caleb hugged me so tightly I didn’t have breath to cry.

One more night – it was all we could have. I was determined to make the most of it. I pulled back from Caleb. I wanted to see his face. I wanted to memorize every curve, every eyelash. I looked into his Caribbean-blue eyes and the things I saw, stirred my soul, but broke my heart.

“Tell me you love me, Caleb,” I whispered.

He kissed me, refusing. “I wish I could, Kitten.”

***

I heard pounding, loud and frantic pounding. My eyes flashed open and the dark surrounding me only helped to exacerbate my panic. Caleb was already out of bed.

“Get down on the ground and don’t move,” he said in an urgent whisper. He went to the closet and flung it open.

I reached for the bedside lamp and turned it on. “What’s happening?” I asked. I threw the covers back and scrambled to the ground. Caleb threw something at me and it collided with my chest. He’d given me clothes.

“Put those on, now!” Caleb said. He was climbing into a pair of pants, buttoning them urgently. He fumbled with a box before he got it open. He removed his gun and cocked it.

Adrenaline pounded in my veins. Something bad was about to happen.

“Abra la puerta!” Celia shouted from the other side of the door. She was in a panic of her own and I didn’t know what to make of it.

Caleb rushed toward me and slid onto the floor, I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him close. His hands dug into my wrists as he pulled me away. Something cold and hard made its way into my hand. I looked down and saw Caleb’s gun.

“Get dressed, stay here. I’ll knock two times before I come in. If anyone else comes into this room, you fucking shoot to kill. Do you understand?” he said.

My panic made me deaf and blind. I didn’t understand. I had no idea what Caleb was trying to tell me. He stood and tried to walk away. I grabbed on to his leg, “Caleb! Don’t go, don’t leave.”

“Do what I tell you!” he shouted and pulled free with so much force I was afraid my arm had come out of its socket again. Caleb was at the door before I could catch him again. He held a big knife at his side and stood to one side of the door. He unlocked it slowly.

Celia burst into the room, but she didn’t have a chance to say anything before Caleb grabbed her around the neck with his arm and put the knife to her throat. She struggled, but Caleb subdued her quickly and held her still.

“What’s going on?” he snarled.

“I came to warn you,” she said, “Rafiq and his men are here. They’re downstairs with Felipe. They want to see you.” Celia’s hands held tightly to Caleb’s forearm around her throat. “Por favor,” she sobbed.

“Caleb, let her go,” I sobbed. “She came to warn us.”

Caleb squeezed Celia’s throat until even her sobs couldn’t escape, “We don’t know, Kitten. She could be here to separate us.”

“You’re going to kill her!” I urged. I didn’t believe Celia would sell me out, but I had no reason to believe she wouldn’t. I raised the gun in my hands, “Let her go, Caleb. I’ll keep her here.”

Caleb stared at me. His eyes weren’t his own and reminded me more of an animal than a man.

“Please, Caleb. Let her go,” I begged.

Slowly, Caleb’s arm around Celia’s throat loosened and she collapsed on the floor, sobbing as she held her throat. I looked up at Caleb and saw the horror in his eyes as he looked down at Celia.

“What’s the plan, Caleb?” I said to refocus his attention. As much as I liked Celia, I liked living even more.

Caleb nodded as he fisted a handful of hair at his nape, “I need to go meet them.”

“You can’t! What if they’re just waiting to kill you?!”

“If everything is as Celia says, then there’s no reason I shouldn’t go downstairs?” Caleb went down on one knee and held the knife to Celia’s throat.

“No,” Celia pleaded, “Felipe sent me to warn you.”

“Why would he warn me?!” Caleb insisted.

“Felipe knows what’s been happening between the two of you and hasn’t said a word to Rafiq. He doesn’t want to deal with the fallout. You’ve been here for months, instead of the few days, Rafiq, originally promised. The last thing he needs is bloodshed in the house,” Celia cried. She rubbed at her throat; it was red, but the damage seemed relatively benign. She could speak clearly and there weren’t any bruises.

Caleb stood, “You stay here with her until I get back.”

This was my worst nightmare come to life. Caleb was going to walk out the door and never come back. I just knew it. “Caleb, please don’t go. Let’s leave. Right now.”

“I’ll get her out if there’s trouble,” Celia suddenly offered. Caleb and I stared at her incredulously. “There are passages in the walls. Felipe had them built in case we needed to escape. I’ll get her out, I promise.”

“Why would you?” Caleb asked. He seemed to be coming around toward Celia.

“Not for you,” she spat. “I don’t want her to suffer.”

Caleb nodded, “Thank you, Celia. I’m in your debt.”

“If anything happens to Felipe, I’ll be sure to collect,” she said.

“Understood,” Caleb whispered. He grabbed a shirt from the closet and put it on. “The library?” he asked. Celia nodded and with that, Caleb left the room.

I wanted to scream. Caleb was gone and he’d left me to fend for myself. He’d panicked and perhaps threatened Celia when he didn’t have to.

“Why would you bang on the door?” I asked Celia. She sat on the floor, rubbing her throat and wiping tears from her eyes.

“I didn’t want them to come looking for you. Felipe barely stopped Rafiq from coming up here himself,” Celia said calmly.

I felt the gun, warm from my hand, and wet with sweat. “Caleb says Felipe’s been watching us. He said you’ve been watching us. Why would either of you help?”

“Felipe trusts no one, Kitten. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but Felipe means more to me than you. I love him, but he’s an opportunist,” she said.

My head was spinning, “Did you really come to warn us, Celia? Is Caleb walking into a trap right now?” I tried to sound contrite. I tried to appear like a friend, asking for another friend’s advice, but truthfully, I wondered if I had it in me to shoot Celia if I had to. The answer terrified me.

“I swear I came to warn you. As far as I know, Caleb is meeting his friends and nothing more. The worst thing you could do right now is panic,” she said.

I saw the pleading in her eyes and my instincts told me I could trust her. I wasn’t sure my instincts were worth a damn, but the alternative left me cold. Celia was right, I was panicking. If Rafiq had wanted us dead and nothing more, he could have gunned us down in our sleep.

“I believe you,” I whispered and set the gun down on the bed. Celia’s eyes cut to it, but she remained in place. I started to put on the clothes Caleb had left for me.

“What are you doing? Get undressed. If they come up here and find you wearing Caleb’s clothes they’ll know you were planning to escape,” Celia said.