The Rosey Thorn

Chapter 19

El Toro snored beside me as I lay awake next to him thinking of all the ways to kill him.

I could slice his throat.

I could suffocate him with the pillow.

I could wrap the blanket around his neck and strangle him.

I could snap his neck.

I could do so many things, but I know I couldn’t. Not because I was scared, but because I am weak. I don’t have the strength to fight. Also, he has men posted outside my door. I could see their shadows constantly moving around. Any sound that El Toro makes, they can barge in and kill me without any thought. El Toro would lose his investment. I would not stand a chance against any of them.

El Toro always makes sure that I am weak. So weak that I cannot only fight back, but also too weak to even stand on my own. It’s to the point where I must lean against him for support, which I know he enjoys. If El Toro wasn’t holding me, then Bruno would take over, and I hated that even more. Because with Bruno it felt like he had ownership over me. His hand would clutch my waist and if any “suitor” was interested in me, he would growl to make them back off. He was possessive of me, and I knew he hated El Toro because I wore his mark. A mark that says I belong to the bull and no one else. It was El Toro who slept in my bed and no one else. He made sure everyone knew that. He even threatened anyone who tried to. Bruno hates it with a passion.

I know because when Bruno would sneak into my room and take me, he would always whisper it. About how much he hated El Toro. I would just ignore it because I hated all of them. I would slip into the back of my mind and imagine killing them all.

As El Toro slept, I got up and searched through his clothes. I always did to find anything useful. What am I looking for? I do not know. El Toro was always careful about what he had on him before visiting me.

I felt something small, hard, and round. I pulled it out and quietly gasped.

It was my engagement ring.

A simple silver band etched with intricate roses all around the band. My eyes started to water but I held back. So many memories of this ring. The laughs. The fights we had. The sadness we felt. Every emotion. The good. The bad. This ring held it.

Jake couldn’t afford a diamond, but I didn’t care. I loved it so much that I would never take it off and if I had to, I would put it on a chain and wear it all the time.

I scanned around the room looking for a spot to hide the ring. I had to be careful because El Toro searches my room periodically. Then I see it. A ripped hole in a white chair in the corner. The hole was on the inside near the seat cushion. It was so small that you could easily miss it if you weren’t looking for it. Luckily, it was big enough to slide the ring. I quickly and carefully pushed the ring, careful not to rip the material of the chair more.

I managed to slide the ring in and moved some of the foam around and in front of the ring to hide it.

Once it was good enough, I moved back to the bed and slowly moved back into position. I held my tears back again. I’m still a fool. Keep hoping that Jake will come. Keep hoping that he would burst into guns blazing coming to save me. What a fool I’ve been.