His Territory

25

- Cristian

I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails dug into my palms, drawing blood. All I could do was watch as they carried Lucia onto the plane, my helplessness fueling the anger that burned in my chest. A hand gripped my shoulder, and I turned to see Los standing beside me.

"There's another flight to New York leaving in twenty minutes. We can beat them there if we take it—only one layover," he said, his voice urgent.

I wiped the blood from my hand across my forehead, the dark red staining my skin. "Buy the tickets. Tell the guys to clear out before they get cuffed for the week." Los nodded, quickly tapping away on his phone, then grabbed my forearm and pulled me toward the terminal.

The flight attendant eyed me with a strange mix of sympathy and intrigue. I couldn't tell if she wanted to offer me a shoulder to cry on or something else entirely. I glared at her and flipped her off as we passed, but she came running after us, her heels clicking loudly on the tile.

"Wait!" she called, just shy of a shout. She caught up, placing a hand on my shoulder, trying to turn me to face her.

"I'm sorry your sister got taken away," she said, her tone almost condescending, "but you should let lovers be lovers." She gave me a slow smile, her eyes gleaming with something dark. My stomach twisted with revulsion at her implication.

She pressed her lips together, hesitating for a moment before speaking again. "If you ever want to... you know, let love be love, call me." She handed me her phone, opened to a blank contact page, her expression suggesting she thought she'd just made my day.

I raised my eyebrows, giving her a faint smirk as I took the phone. Without a second thought, I typed in "Mind Your Fucking Business" and added 911 as the number. I locked the phone and handed it back, letting my fingers brush against hers as I pulled her close, leaning down until my lips were near her ear.

"If you thought, even for a second, you could replace the love of my life, you're dead wrong." My voice was low, dangerous. She inhaled sharply, attempting to pull away, but I tightened my grip on her wrist.

"Go fuck yourself, miss," I hissed, releasing her and turning back to Los.

"That was harsh, man," he chuckled. "I thought she was about to faint."

I nodded, too focused on Lucia to care. She needed me, and I wasn't letting her slip away.

- Lucia 

Adrián had taken the seat beside me in business class, trapping me in the window seat. His eyes avoided mine as we prepared for take-off, but his hand remained on my knee, fingers pressing into my skin, a reminder of the power he thought he held over me.

"Sir, is this your assigned seat?" the stewardess asked, tapping his shoulder politely.

"Yes," he replied, his tone low and indifferent. "Do you need to see my ticket?"

"If you wouldn't mind," she said with a smile, her hand lingering a moment too long on his shoulder, feigning flirtation. I watched her, a pang of pity in my chest. She had no idea she was toying with a monster.

He handed her his paper ticket, a folded $100 bill discreetly tucked beneath it. She accepted the bill with a practiced, almost invisible motion, slipping it into her jacket sleeve.

"Ah yes, you're correct," she said, her tone overly pleasant. She leaned forward, pressing the ticket back into his hand, letting her cleavage brush past his face, but he remained unaffected, not even glancing at her.

Defeated, she backed away, moving briskly to the front of the plane.

Adrián turned to me, a smirk twisting his lips. "Mi cosita, no te preocupes. I only have eyes for you." His hand tightened on my knee, and I felt a surge of nausea.

"What do you want, Adrián?" I whispered, my voice laced with disgust.

He leaned in, his grip on my leg bruising, the pressure increasing as he spoke. "I'm taking you home. Our home." His fingers traveled up my thigh, hovering just below my waist, the menace in his touch clear.

I shifted in my seat, desperate to escape his hand, but he just grinned, resting his hand firmly at the top of my leg, pinning me in place.

"Sleep, mía," he murmured, the smirk never leaving his face. "You're going to need it."

I turned away, pressing my head against the window, closing my eyes, though sleep was impossible. I was leaving California, going back to his territory, where I knew no one would be able to save me.

I would belong to him once more.