Twisted Fate

by Ashley Jade

  Diego laughed as he turned toward Alex.

  “I know its her Alexandro. You really are one stupid mother fucker hermano. Did you forget who our father is? He's never going to go for it. I can't believe you went and caught feelings for the puta. Is her cunt really that good?" Diego asked, as I struggled against the rope.

  He soon turned his attention back to me. “Where is the money Puta?"

  I shook my head. I had no idea what the hell he was talking about.

  “I don't know what you mean Diego. I have like $100 bucks in my purse. Take it...just let me go, please. I don't know why you're doing this."

  I glanced over at Alex as he looked at the floor.

  “Estupido mentiroso!” he screamed, as he slapped me across the face.

  “Please, stop hurting me. I don't even know what that means,” I pleaded.

  “It means stupid liar puta!” he said as he put his hands around my throat.

  I struggled to breathe as the sound of a cell phone ringing filled the room.

  “It's Padre,” Diego said before he answered.

  Fear flashed across Alex's eyes as he communicated something to Diego with his hands.

  “Hello Padre, how are you?” Diego asked as he began to pace around the room.

  “Where is Alexandro? He's still in the states working on the delivery's. I spoke with him today though. He's actually on his way to Texas to meet up with me now. He wanted me to tell you that he has a big surprise for you," Diego said as he smiled at Alex.

  Alex gave him a look which I could only interpret as him pleading with Diego to be quiet.

  “Okay Padre, no problem. I'll tell him to call you when he arrives. We'll see you in a few days,” Diego said before he hung up the phone.

  Diego turned to look at Alex. “Padre said he wants a family meeting when we get home...now that all of his son's are accounted for.”

  Alex shook his head and laughed. “I guess we'll be holding it in the cellar because I'm sure he's keeping him there right now. I don't even know why he cares about him so much. His mother was nothing but a whore. She was just some mistress. He's not even a legitimate son."

  “Mira, stop. You're just upset that there's another person standing in line to take over the family business now. Don't worry hermano , I'll make you my right hand man when I take it over,” Diego said before he focused his attention back on me.

  “Now you better tell me where the money is or I'll be forced to make you talk by any means necessary.”

  “I really don't know what you're talking about Diego. I swear. I think this is all a big misunderstanding. Please, just let me go."

  “Okay Punta...you had your chance,” Diego sneered as he put the gun to my head with one hand and lowered his pants with the other.

  “What the fuck are you doing Diego? Are you loca? Para!” Alex screamed as he ran over to us.

  He wrestled Diego to the ground and punched him.

  Diego got up off the floor, pushed Alex and pointed his gun at him as he kept one eye on me.

  I struggled against the ropes even harder then.

  Diego turned to face me again. He tugged my shorts off as tears streamed down my face.

  “Tú eres la más hermosa venganza,” he sneered, as he began to rip off my panties.

  “I'm not your fucking gift,” I screamed as I kicked him in the groin.

  He doubled over in pain before he laughed.

  “Perra estupida,” he said as rose back up.

  I looked over at Alex...he appeared to be in agony.

  “Alex please. If you ever really loved me, please don't let him do this to me. Alex, I know you're a good person. You know I love you more then anything. Please don't let him do this," I pleaded through sobs.

  I saw something flash across his eyes as he ran over and untied one of my hands from the ropes.

  Diego lunged at him as I began untying my other hand.

  That's when I heard the sound of a gunshot go off.

  “No...fuck!” Diego shouted.

  I looked over at Alex as he slumped to the ground.

  “Oh my god Alex,” I yelled.

  “Para siempre,” he whispered before he closed his eyes.

  I looked down as Diego began sobbing violently over his body.

  That's when I noticed the gun by my feet.

  I picked the gun up and fired an entire round of bullets straight into Diego's head.

  Then I ran.

  Chapter 26

  “Dev wake up,” Tristan says as he shakes me.

  I shoot up in bed as sweat drips down my body.

  That was the worst flashback to date. I've never had a flashback about that night before.

  I exhale sharply as Tristan cradles me against his chest. “It was just a bad dream baby.”

  I wish it was just a bad dream.

  It was a fucking nightmare. A very real nightmare.

  I know I need to tell Tristan what happened.

  God...what would he think about me after he found out the truth?

  I murdered a man in cold blood, ran away, and never spoke about it again.

  I murdered the man who killed my first love- the only person I've ever loved...except for...

  No. He can't know.

  This could change everything. I could lose him forever.

  “I'm scared,” I gasp.

  It was the truth.

  “Look at me Dev. You have nothing to be scared of. You are mine...I will protect you from all the monsters in the world.”

  I take a deep breath as a swell of awareness surges through me. I feel the force of the impact break right through my soul and burrow itself there.

  It was at that exact moment that I realized- I was completely in love with Tristan Blake.

  He takes my hand and places it over his heart. “Do you feel that?”

  I nod my head softly before he continues. “I will never hurt you. This right here...it belongs to you. My heart beats with every single breath you take. I love you Devonna.”

  An influx of passionate need rushes to the surface as I wrap my arms around him.

  I move across his lap and tear off his shirt in a frenzy. “Make love to me Tristan.”

  He groans as he slips my nightgown over my head and floods my body with tender kisses.

  “You're the most beautiful thing I've ever laid my eyes on. You're the love of my life,” he whispers as we lock eyes and he begins to fill me.

  I moan as I raise my hips to meet his and we continue to submerge ourselves in one another.

  I shudder as I tighten my walls around him and a wave of emotion courses over me.

  “I love you Tristan. You make me happier then I ever thought I could be. Tú eres la más hermosa venganza,” I sigh as my orgasm pulses through me.

  Confusion flashes across Tristan's face as I feel the spurt of his release.

  He pushes himself off me as I watch his jaw clench.

  What was that about?

  I quickly sit up and look at him. “Tristan this is not the reaction I expected from you after I told you I loved you for the first time. What's wrong?”

  He sits frozen, his eyes boring into me. “I don't know Dev...I was about to ask you the same fucking question.”

  “I don't know what you mean. I told you I loved you and that you made me happy. I'm really confused...” I start to say.

  He folds his arms across his chest. “Yeah and that was amazing. But what you said after that...not so much,” he says bitterly.

  “I told you that you're the most beautiful gift and I meant it. Why did that upset you?”

  He tilts my chin to look at him. “Who the hell taught you Spanish Dev? That is not what that means.”

  “What does it mean then?”

  “It means 'You are the most beautiful revenge'.”

  I bite my lip and look down as I fight the pang of heartache.

  Even in his death Alex still managed to cause one more blow to my heart.

  The heart th
at belonged to Alex first. The heart that will always still love him...even after what he did.

  Even after Tristan took over my heart and caused an explosion that made me feel things that I never, ever thought possible.

  Things that I've never felt for another person.

  “Please talk to me Dev,” he says.

  Love means being honest with the person who captures your heart...no matter the cost.

  True love requires baring every single part of yourself and hoping that they accept all of you.

  Even the broken pieces.

  Here goes nothing...or everything.

  Here's hoping that Tristan loves me just as much as I love him.

  “When I was 16 I fell in love. I met him when I moved into my second foster home. I fell in love hard Tristan. He was my first love...he was my first everything. We spent 3 magical months together...and then something happened.”

  Tristan lets go of my chin and reaches for my hand then.

  “He lied to me. He wasn't honest with me.”

  “What happened?” he asks.

  “He turned 18 and we ran away together. We left our foster home in the middle of the night and headed for Texas...ironically enough. We met his older brother at some run down house and um..." My voice begins to crack. I swallow a gulp of air and close my eyes.

  “There was some kind of misunderstanding. I really don't know what happened. They think I had something of theirs...money, or something. I didn't understand it at the time and I still don't. It was some kind of set up, I guess. I overheard them talking about things that didn't make any sense to me...some kind of family stuff. They weren't specific...but I wasn't supposed to overhear their conversation nonetheless. I ended up finding out that they killed my foster mom. However, their plan was to bring me across the border and kill me.”

  “Jesus,” he whispers.

  “That's not the worst part though. This is really hard for me to talk about Tristan.”

  “Baby whatever happened, it doesn't change how I feel about you. I promise.”

  “Well, his brother tied me up in the basement...” I begin, as rage like I've never seen before flickers in Tristan's eyes.

  “Again, I tried telling him that it was all just a big misunderstanding. I even offered them all the cash I had on me. His brother wasn't convinced though. Even my boyfriend tried talking some sense into him, but he wouldn't back down. Anyway, his brother said that he was going to convince me to talk by any means necessary, and that's when he began pulling off my shorts as he held a gun to my head.”

  Tristan gets up and begins to pace around the room. He looks like he wants to punch something.

  “Tristan can you please sit down? It's hard enough to talk about this.”

  He reluctantly sits back down on the bed.

  “He didn't have a chance to rape me because my boyfriend stopped him. He untied me and tackled him to the ground. He was trying to do the right thing and set me free. Unfortunately, something terrible happened. During the struggle a gunshot went off and it ended up killing my boyfriend. It was obviously an accident, his brother didn't mean to kill him. However, he did kill him. He killed the boy that I loved...so I killed him. I picked up the gun off the floor and fired and entire round of bullets right into his head. The woman you love is a cold-blooded murderer Tristan,” I say, as a look of panic spreads across his face.

  I knew this was going to happen. I should have prepared myself better.

  I stood up and began getting dressed. “I'm sorry I waited so long to tell you Tristan. I've never told another soul before though. You can turn me in if you want. Hell, I probably deserve it. I'm sorry I'm not who you think...”

  He runs over to me and grabs me by my shoulders. “What the hell are you talking about? Dev, you have nothing to be sorry for. This doesn't change how I feel about you. I'm not turning you in, are you crazy? You aren't a cold-blooded murderer, it was self- defense. They tried to rape you and kill you. You were still a teenager for crying out loud. You were fooled and deceived by someone you thought you could trust...someone you loved. It's their fault. His fault...not yours.”

  I shake my head. “What my boyfriend did was wrong Tristan, but I know that he loved me. He proved that when he saved my life and risked his own. A part of me was so angry at him, but I know that he was a good person. He just made a really bad decision and it cost him his life.”

  He lets go of my shoulders and begins pacing around the room again. “Dev, you don't know what his real intentions were. You don't know if he really had a change of heart. Bottom line...he set you up!”

  He then pauses and looks down at the floor. “He lied to you from the very beginning.”

  “I know Tristan. I get where you're coming from and why you think that...but I know who he really was on the inside. Either way, it doesn't matter anymore...he's dead.”

  He sits down on the bed again and puts his head in his hands.

  I walk over to him.“Are you sure you don't hate me? Are you sure you can forgive me for lying to you?”

  He puts his hands around my waist and pulls me close to him.

  “I could never hate you Dev. I love you. It's not you who should be asking me for forgiveness...you've done nothing wrong.”

  I breathe a sigh of relief. Everything was going to be okay now.

  The hard part was over.

  He kisses my forehead and picks me up before he lays me down on the bed. “You should get some sleep baby. It's a big day for you tomorrow.”

  Crap, the art shows tomorrow. I almost forgot.

  He starts to walk out of the bedroom then. “Wait, where are you going Tristan? Come to bed.”

  “I will in a little while. I'll be in the office. I have some stuff to sort out. Rest baby...I love you.”

  He takes another step forward before he stops and turns to look at me. “All this happened when you were 16? You said they were going to take you across the border to Mexico...correct?” he asks.

  “Yeah. I mean, that's what they said.”

  He swears under his breath as he walks out the door.

  I shrug, roll over, and fall back to sleep.

  Maybe now the nightmares would end and the monsters would go away.

  Chapter 27

  I give myself one last glance in the mirror as I smooth over the long and elegant satin dress that I’m wearing.

  It’s the same blue hue of Tristan's eyes.

  I choose it on purpose.

  I turn around and smile as I see my naked back.

  It was low...dangerously low.

  It was the perfect combination of sultry, polished, and luxurious.

  For the first time since I met him...I feel like I actually look like I belong on Tristan's arm.

  I know Tristan will complain about how sexy the open back dress is...but I also know he won't be able to keep his hands off of me.

  Especially when he finds out that I’m not wearing any underwear.

  I sprint down the hallway of his apartment until I reach the door to his office.

  It was slightly ajar, so I decide to walk right in.

  His back is turned to me. He’s holding some kind of manila file in his hand.

  “Are you ready to go?” I ask.

  He turns around and looks startled.

  He quickly stuffs the file in a safe and locks it.

  Why would he have a file stashed in a safe?

  I thought safes were only for money, jewelry, and firearms?

  He walks over to me and flashes me a sexy smile. “Wow, you look absolutely breathtaking."

  I give him a wink. “You don't look so bad yourself there handsome.”

  As usual Tristan looked...perfect. Just like everything else about him.

  He appears uneasy then.

  Oh boy.

  “How would you feel about going on a trip?” he asks.

  I arch my brow. “A trip? Where? When?"

  “Someplace far away. We would leave tonight. After the art ga
llery showing.”

  “I have to finish packing the rest of my apartment up Tristan, remember? My lease ends in a week. How long would we be gone for?"

  He takes a deep breath. “I don't know. A week...a month. I can hire people to pack your apartment up Dev, it's really not a big deal. I will take care of everything."

  Something is off.

  “A month...what's going on Tristan? Talk to me.”

  “Nothing baby. I'm just really stressed with work and I could use the vacation. I love you and I just want to spend time with you."

  I take a step back. “I wouldn't even have time to pack if we left tonight though. This is all really sudden. Are you sure everything is okay?"

  He reaches for my hand and pulls me to him.

  “Yes, I promise. Don't worry about packing...I will take care of everything. I know it's sudden, but it's just something that needs to happen. Please don't fight with me about this Dev. I love you, so fucking much. Please, just go with me."

  “Okay, fine Tristan. I'll go, but I swear...if my favorite cozy robe isn't packed...there's going to be a serious issue," I say as I turn around and walk out the door.

  I hear him suck in a breath.

  “Dev...that dress. What are you doing to me? You know, maybe you should put that robe on right now. There won't be a single man in that room who will be able to take their eyes off of you."

  He follows me out of the room as I giggle. “That's kind of the point. Maybe one of them will even buy my painting."

  He shakes his head. “I'll buy the damn painting. Just put a jacket on or something. One wrong move and you'll be showing your panties to everyone."

  I twirl his fingers with mine as we walk to the elevator.

  We step in the elevator and I press the button.

  “Oh, you don't have to worry about that Tristan. I'm not wearing any panties.”

  “Jesus Christ you're killing me.”

  Chapter 28

  When we walk into the gallery Aaron and Nathaniel come over to us immediately.

  “Dev, something big has happened…something huge,” Aaron exclaims out of breath.