Chapter 3. River Run

Angelina

This was the kind of peace she was looking for. The tranquil waters and sunlight creating sparkling jewels like diamonds made her inner turmoil vanish.

But not her curiosity.

People around the compound were busy the whole day. Juanita referred to it as organized chaos. Even Ramon was up at dawn supervising the ranch hands. Odd to see them in vigorous exercise and training.

Like on a military drill. And gunshots resounded in the air. Her pulse throbbed with the sound. Exciting her.

She had wanted to join the group but she didn’t trust anyone to show this side of her personality. Better for them to get used to her sweet persona. Not the frenetic one urging her to fight or train or go on an adventure somewhere. She just felt so antsy lately.

How to pass the time until it was safe for her to go back to the villa?

Tia Juanita had warned her to stay away temporarily until El Patrón was made aware of her presence.

She snorted. They all placed him on a pedestal, and from what she had heard from the men and women, everyone was in awe of the illusive man.

Made her wonder what he was really like.

Angelina couldn’t control her desire to see him for herself anymore, she just needed to know.

Like any tomboy, her father and brother would be proud of, if she still had one, she climbed the highest ceiba tree she could find facing the mansion’s forecourt.

Any minute now.

Shielding her eyes from the sun’s glare, her attention on the convoy of impressive SUVs, disturbing the earth, and creating dusty gusts of wind, she waited.

The man she was looking for must be inside the car in the middle part of the procession. A leader. Heavily guarded. And she’d bet all her blonde hair they were heavily armed.

She was proven right. A buff man, all in black and eyes covered in sunglasses, riding shotgun, got out of the car first, looking around. And everyone else followed. Except for their leader.

A sense of déjà vu made her frown. She knew she had seen this type of very tight security supervision before, but where?

She held her breath when she noticed the buff guy reached out to open the car door for his boss and a man, tall, dramatically and broodingly handsome stepped out. Aloof, he watched Juanita and a woman who looked exactly like Tia embrace.

Tia was about to approach him, however, something must have held her back.

Angelina was sure it was because of El Patrón’s unapproachable air surrounding him. He said something, and with a grace of a stalking panther, he left everyone and walked inside the house. Not looking back. How rude. Was he not aware everyone was excited to see him?

There was no mistaking that he was the elusive owner of this magnificent place she was living. He looked arrogant and commanding.

She made a mental note to go back much, much later. Not wanting to put Tio and Tia in trouble.

In the back of her mind, she kept playing the scene she had witnessed. The man’s beautiful face invaded her thoughts. Why did he look so sad?

And he did not look old at all.

***

Juanita

“He hasn’t changed that much, huh?” She watched her sister’s eyes deemed from her question.

“No, hermana. And it had gotten worst upon his return from San Francisco.”

Juanita sighed. “I was hoping he had improved at least. He can’t go on punishing himself. His mamá, bless her soul, would be so sad to see him like this.”

Lucinda approached her and hugged her tightly. “I know. Gabriella had been a wonderful leader to all of us. She rescued us from a fate worse than death. Now, this is the only way to repay her. By treating her firstborn like he is our own. Don’t lose hope. He will come around.”

Her eyes grew misty. She could clearly remember how difficult life had been when they were teenagers. “I hoped so, hermana.”

“Okay. Enough of that. Let’s prepare his favorite dinner, and you must share this secret of yours. I am so curious.”

She smiled again, remembering the young beauty she took under her wing.

“Si. You will like this very much.” She had a feeling El Patrón would, too.

She had always believed in fate. And maybe, just maybe Angelina was the answer to their prayers.

Unbeknownst to the angelic beauty, two sisters were eagerly making plans for her and El Patrón.

***

Angelina

Oblivious to anything, she stayed at the cottage near the river, thinking. Making plans of her own. Trying very hard to remember her past. Anything.

Tio Ramon and Juanita had promised her monthly wages, and they did fulfill their end of the bargain. For when her memories came back, she would have the wherewithal to go back to where they found her, and perhaps she would be able to find her family.

The food she had brought with her was long gone, and it was nearing midnight. Her stomach grumbled.

It was time to go home. She had been hiding all day.

Since this was the countryside, people retired early. From experience, she was sure no one was about at this hour.

Though the cottage was cozy, it had no lights, and she hadn’t had the chance to clean the whole place yet. And she was afraid of what she would find under the bed. She hated creepy crawlers. She shuddered, thinking of spiders and cockroaches.

Hugging the darkness provided by bushes and trees she passed by, she crossed the distance from her hideout to the back of the villa, where her room was located. She had done this several times and arrived at her place with no mishaps.

She was right. Almost all of the lights were out, and no one was about.

Relieved, she entered her bedroom and took a much-needed shower. Her bath from the river earlier was soothing, but this was Mexico where most of the time it was hot and humid.

Moreover, she enjoyed the fresh feeling before going to sleep. Her spacious bedroom was air-conditioned, so she always had a restful sleep.

Dressed in her usual nightclothes, a silk warm teddy bought by Tia, slumped on her bed, she tried to sleep. She couldn’t.

Then her stomach rumbled once more, protesting.

“Fuck!” She punched her pillows, knowing she wouldn’t get enough sleep if she was hungry. Her room was the closest to the kitchen, she would grab a bite. Juanita would always leave something for her aware of her midnight snack preference.

Angelina was confident she would be back in five minutes.

Resigning to the inevitable, she retraced her steps through the darkened hallway, and this time she was in the kitchen looking for food.

Ice cream and cake would be an awesome companions in bed. And maybe there were leftover homemade nachos. Luckily, she knew where everything was, or she would be tipping all over her feet. There was no moon tonight. The room was almost pitch-black. And she couldn’t risk waking up anyone at this hour.

Grabbing a basket, she filled it with cheese, chips, and fruits, then she went to the fridge, wincing at the glare of light.

On tippy-toes, she read the flavors of the creamy goodness.

Hmmm, chocolate chip sounds nice. Or cookie dough?

“¿Quién diablos eres tú?¿Y qué haces en mi cocina?” (Who the fuck are you? What are you doing in my kitchen?) A voice growled behind her. Stunned, her eyes grew wide from the intensity of his anger. Her body trembled in fear. Goosebumps covered her skin.

Uh oh.

With her slender back facing the man, she tried to compose herself while she closed the fridge, bathing the kitchen again in darkness. Stupid mistake. Now, she couldn’t assess the man behind the voice properly. He must be one of the new guards who just came home from the city. So, most likely he didn’t know who she was.

Relaxing on the balls of her feet, she was about to turn around and introduce herself when she felt the air stir behind her, and he stupidly touched her bare arm.

No one was allowed to touch her without her permission. Instinct prodded her to defend herself.

Graceful as a ballerina, she twisted her body to the left, twisted his arm, and jabbed him on his nose with the heel of her palm, at the same time her knee connected with his crotch. Fuck! He was hard muscles all over. Doesn’t matter. Making sure, she punched him twice in his ribs. Ouch!

Though he was twice her size and weight, his hold on her slackened, and he doubled over and fell to the floor, groaning in pain. Oh, God!

She didn’t mean to hurt him.

Even through the darkness, she could see the blood on his nose. He grunted and wiped his face. She gulped. This was not the time to go tripping.

And the worst part was he was looking at her with venom in his eyes. He was ready to attack her back.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. I don’t want to hurt you,” she warned. Her body was once again on full alert.

“You already fucking did! Now, tell me who sent you before I kill you,” he answered. His dark eyes gleamed.

She felt like rolling her eyes in exasperation. All she wanted was her ice cream and then sleep.

This will be a long night.