At around 9:30 am the planes began to land, one after the other like the final scene from Die Hard. The vehicles rolled up to the main house unloading six more swarthy men than the last batch which visited on Monday. Eduardo and Ryanne stood at the door to greet them each. Marianna served coffee to the guests as they filed into the dining room to view the presentation on the large screen. Eduardo’s assistant was a whiz with PowerPoint and the presentation was slick, with the right graphics and tons of information. Copies of the data had been printed and each attendee was given a binder with the corresponding information.
The presentation ended just as Elizondo entered the room with a man in a cloak. Uncertain of what was happening, Ryanne’s eyes went to Eduardo, whose jaw was tense but his eyes gave nothing away. Question after question was fired at them while Eduardo and Ryanne patiently answered, explained, answered, explained and answered again.
Elizondo stood up. His hands in his pockets and his eyes filled with mischief. He spoke loudly as if the men in the room were hard of hearing, “I have a question, or rather allow me to play the Devil’s advocate,” he said to the group.
Miguelito swore under his breath, “Why play the advocate when you are the Devil himself?”
“I heard that old friend, but my question to you all is simple. What is to stop Dr. Dobbins from returning to the US and giving all of this information to the Justice Department? All of our eggs will be in her basket and we will be well...screwed,” he said loudly.
Ryanne was offended by his insinuation. “Señor, I’m sorry you missed most of the presentation, but the companies listed in this portfolio only include two North American brands, the rest are from South America, Germany, the UK and China.”
“And what is to stop you Dr. Dobbins from going to Germany, the UK or presenting this same plan to these companies so they can negotiate against us?” Elizondo asked.
The men in the room all turned to stare at her. Ryanne was confused when she asked, “I am not understanding the question Seňor Rentería. Are you questioning my loyalty to this cartel?”
The grin which covered his face and the frown which plastered itself upon Eduardo’s told her she had walked into a trap.
Elizondo addressed the group, “I think we should have a means in which Dr. Dobbins stays loyal to the cartel. We should make her one of our own. Tie her allegiance to the brand, so to speak.”
Ryanne’s eyes went to Eduardo whose face held no expression. Elizondo was thoroughly enjoying the discomfort of both his new victims as he put his idea to a vote. He asked, “All those in favor of joining Dr. Dobbins to the cartel?”
The hands raised in the room with the exception of Eduardo’s. “Oh that is right, you have no vote in this matter Seňor Delgado,” Elizondo said with pride.
Still addressing the group, “All those opposed?”
Ryanne’s hand went up along with her objection, “What have you all agreed to? I don’t know what’s going on, but I don’t agree.”
The man in the cloak entered the room. He removed the long covering to reveal a priest’s robe. “Oh hell naw,” Ryanne said as she made her way to the door. Eduardo rose and blocked her path.
Elizondo spoke up, “Dr. Dobbins, you can either take Eduardo as your husband or you can choose one of us. However, as you say in your country, that would make you a side piece, since we each are already married.”
She opened her mouth to speak but Eduardo gripped her arm so tightly that she knew there would be a bruise later. “Quiet. Let’s get this over with,” he said to her. “If you don’t agree to marry me, you will be loaded into one of their planes and taken with whichever one wins you.”
The priest stepped forward as the chairs in the room were turned to make a makeshift chapel. Julianna entered the room carrying a bouquet of flowers taken from the gardens of Las Tierras along with a makeshift veil.
Ryanne mumbled under her breath, “How the hell did she know about this?”
Her lover turned groom only pinched her arm and made her face forward. The priest actually began the ceremony with dearly beloved... as Ryanne’s knees became weak and her legs began to buckle. When it came time for the rings to be presented, Elizondo stepped forward.
“Please, allow me, as a gift to the bride and groom,” he told them as he gave two golden circles for each of their fingers. Ryanne’s hands were shaking as she slid the ring onto his hand. Amazingly, his were steady as he slid the gold band onto hers.
“I now pronounce you man and wife,” the priest said to the group.
Ryanne’s head was spinning as the men all rose and moved to the living room. Whatever was about to happen next she didn’t like it, not one bit as she turned to run. Eduardo grabbed the same exact spot on her arm, squeezing tight.
“Look at me Ryanne. Focus on what I am saying,” he told her.
Frantic eyes scanned his face. Her breathing was shallow and her heart was racing. His hands were firm upon her shoulders when he said the words which hit her like a blow to the chest.
“Do not embarrass me by crying. You will not cry do you understand me! Keep your eyes closed and I will do my best to make it quick,” he told her as he stood beside her. He held out his hand and hers was laid upon his as he walked her into the room full of men - Tonda included. The men had seated themselves around the couch. The reality of what was about to occur crumpled Ryanne’s knees. Her legs gave way under her. Eduardo’s grip helped to keep her upright.
The only saving grace was that her new husband did not lay her upon the couch but opted instead to consummate the marriage from a standing position behind the sofa. He said nothing as he raised the hem of her skirt. The cool air which blew through the door caused goose pimples to rise on her skin. She said nothing as his hand pulled her underwear to the side as his fingers wet with saliva touched her there. Her eyes remained closed as the sound of his zipper coming down echoed through the room.
This is actually happening to me.
This is actually happening.
I can’t believe this is actually happening.
Those fingers, which knew her body well, applied a rhythmic motion to the nub of flesh in her womanhood causing her body to react and prepare for his entry. Firm hands gripped her hips as he raised her leg slightly and with one swift upward thrust, he forced himself into her. Ryanne grunted at the vigor of his entry, her fingers digging into the fabric of the couch.
Don’t open your eyes.
Don’t open your eyes.
Her legs were wobbling as she held on for dear life to the back of the couch as Eduardo rammed into her with such force that the couch moved with each thrust of his hips. His nails bore into her skin. I know this touch. In his head he is Eduardo claiming the spoils of his victory. His hand came up to cup her right breast as he squeezed hard while biting into her shoulder. A primal groan was heard as he released his seed into her. A weary head leaned into her back as he disengaged himself, zipped his pants. Alarm bells went off in her head as she heard him take a step to the side, but did not lower the back of her skirt. Her eyes cracked a bit to see the feet of the priest coming towards her.
What kind of fresh Hell is this?
This is actually happening to me.
The priest came behind the couch to exam her to ensure Eduardo’s seed had been planted. She felt the man’s thick stubby fingers being inserted into her body. Ryanne gulped hard to swallow down the pool of bile bubbling up from her humiliation at such a transgression upon her person. A click of heels could be heard as she saw the red toe nails of Marianna who was handing the priest a wet napkin to wipe his fingers. With a nod of his head, the priest stepped away, allowing space for Eduardo to right Ryanne’s clothing.
The priest, who after confirming the consummation, stepped forward with the marriage certificate. Ryanne’s hands were shaking so badly, her signature looked like it had been written by a five year old, but she managed to sign it as Ryanne Dobbins Delgado. Eduardo’s boldly scripted signature rested on the line
next to hers. The certificate was also signed by 13 witnesses.
“Gentlemen, thank you for being here, but please, I need to be alone with my new wife. We will have final copies of the plan to you by the end of next week which will include your questions, concerns and adjustments,” Eduardo told the men. He said it as boldly as the day was long as if he had not forcibly had sex with her with 14 people watching.
He and Ryanne stood at the door, pretty much as they had when the men entered the home. Only this time, they stood hand in hand. Elizondo was the last to leave with the priest.
“It was beyond time for you to marry again nephew. I hope she brings you as much misery as your last wife,” he said with a gut busting villainous laugh. “You can’t kill this one though, her crazy ass sister and towel twirling Mama will come for you!” He roared with laughter as he walked off the porch.
Ryanne wasn’t certain where the gun came from that Eduardo had pointed at Elizondo’s head, but she grabbed it from him before the man turned around again to give them both a cheese eating grin. She held the weapon behind her back while the vehicles rolled away. He snatched the gun from her hand pulling her with him back into the house.
Once the doors closed, she turned, raising her hand to slap his face, but he caught it. “Don’t ever raise your hand to me woman!” he told her as he pushed her towards the stairs.
“You are lucky I didn’t use that gun and put a bullet in you,” she spat at him.
“Well, wife, you are stuck with me now,” he said to her with as much contempt as she had hurled at him.
“The hell you say. Marianna, fuel up that damned plane so I can take my black ass home,” she yelled.
“You are not going anywhere! You are now my wife,” he yelled back at her.
“I will get this farce annulled faster than you can whip out your gun or anything else.”
He was yelling at her. “And just how do you plan to do that Dr. Dobbins? The marriage was attended by 13 men with impeachable credentials. The consummation was verified by the priest. Again, 13 men witnessed you being made my wife!”
Before she realized it, her temper had gotten the better of her, she screamed at him, “Fuck you Eduardo Delgado!”
He slapped her so hard that her feet came out from under her as she hit the floor. Tears consumed her as her body convulsed while she feebly crawled up the stairs to her room. This was the last act of humiliation. Tonda tried to rush to her side by Eduardo stopped him and Marianna both from lending her any assistance. Once in her room, she flung herself across the bed soaking the pillow in tears of shame and embarrassment. The ring which adorned her left hand began to burn her skin as she pulled it off and hurled it across the room.
I am such a dumbass.
He knew something bad was coming, but this...that man’s hands inside of me...the marriage.
Oh God. I should have listened to Odessa.
Dallas, Texas
Big Sarge sat in the doctor’s office staring at the wall. For the third time he took out his phone to watch the red dot that indicated where his daughter was. The dot had not moved in three days. Suddenly, the red dot on his phone began to travel. It moved forward then back, back then forward, forward then back.
Dora looked at her husband, “What’s wrong?”
“Whatever it is, it is bad. Ryanne is pacing. That phone is in her hand and she wants to call me but she hasn’t,” he said to his wife.
“Are you going to call her?”
“No. Whatever it is, she is thinking it through. When she stops pacing she will have figured out an answer and a way to tell me something horrible,” he told Dora.
“Horrible like what?”
“I don’t know Dora! Odessa came back from a damned Mexican cruise married to a big white man who likes to shoot people and be naked. I have the feeling Ryanne is going to come back the same way,” he said.
“Well at least Odessa didn’t come back pregnant,” Dora said with a cheeky smile.
“I wish I could say the same for Ry...I know that shifty bastard is going to find a way to keep her in his life,” Big Sarge said softly. “If she is carrying his child, he will never let her go.”
Dora watched him watching the red dot. “Honey, what would you do if she brought home that man as her husband?”
“I would punch him in his shifty little face, what do you think I am going to do?” Big Sarge said with emphasis. “I owe the son of a bitch that much, if nothing else.”
Chapter 17. Listen to my heart...
I hit her.
I can’t believe I hit her.
I hit my beautiful, sweet Ryanne.
Eduardo paced in the barn as the groom prepared his horse for a ride. Tonda, who had witnessed it all, said nothing as he prepped his own horse to accompany his boss for an afternoon session of clearing his head. In ten years, he had learned that when something was bothering Jeffe, he would ride in the afternoon. They rode out of the barn down a back trail that was seldom used by anyone but him. Lonnie, the gardener, took special care to keep the pathway clear.
Tonda looked at his boss. “I can’t believe you hit her.”
“I can’t either,” he said in a low voice.
“You are going to have to do something very grand to win back her trust and respect,” Tonda told him.
“I know,” Eduardo said.
They rode in silence for nearly a mile before Tonda spoke again. “Jeffe, her reaction was rather mild considering she was married and forcibly raped in a room with 14 men watching. I mean 13, I turned my head because I could not stand seeing that sweet, gentle, loving woman humiliated like that,” the big man said.
Humiliated.
Raped.
“I didn’t rape her, she is my wife,” he said adamantly.
Tonda would not let it go. “She was forced to be your wife. You didn’t even bother to ask her. I think if you had asked, she probably would have said yes, you could have maybe made it easier on her if you would have explained the rest of it. The priest looking into her...you know, sticking his finger in her, you know... making sure you had...you know, that is a lot for any woman.”
Eduardo stopped his horse and looked at Tonda. He said, “I do not allow insubordination, not even from you.”
“I’m not being insubordinate, but if that were my sister or my daughter, I would want to kill you Jeffe,” he told him. “You have to make this right. She is a good person. What you do next will set the tone for your marriage.”
“I don’t recall asking for your advice Tonda,” he told the man with a firm tone.
“My job is to safe guard your life. That is what I am doing. You saw her disarm and take down a man three times her size who had a knife to her throat. That woman is not a person you want on your bad side. I don’t care if she is your wife. I do not stand guard at night over your bed. It is the quiet ones who kill you in your sleep,” Tonda told him.
Ryanne was completely packed and pulling her suitcase to the door when Eduardo came up the stairs. Her hair was disheveled, her eyes were red and puffy and the side of her face still bore his hand print. A sick feeling rolled through his stomach.
“Come into my room Ryanne,” he commanded.
“Or what? You going to hit me again tough guy?”
“I’m sorry I hit. It will never happen again,” he said to her.
“You damn straight it won’t happen again. My Daddy don’t hit me. You know for a fact what happened to the last son of biscuit maker who laid his hands on me! I put a bullet in his huevos!”
“Carina, I know you are upset, but can we simply talk for a minute?”
“Don’t Carina me! The only thing you are going to be talking to is my black ass as it walks out of this flippin’ house,” she yelled at him.
“Enough!” he said as he grabbed her by the arm and yanked her into his room and closed the door. It was as if he was expecting her to give him a lap dance with the ease in which he took a seat upon his couch.
“Ryanne, I l
ove you, but cursing me is not acceptable. I am willing to hear you out and find a workable compromise, but you will not use such language when in public or when we are alone. It is difficult to be Eduardo Delgado. As much as I want to always be your Eddie, I can’t...we would not survive this world,” he told her.
“Bullshit! I am black every day. I am Ryanne every day. I don’t get to vacillate between good Ryanne and bad Ryanne. I must survive everyday remembering to love myself because some man pretended to love me because you wrote him a monthly check. And now, here I am again, married to a man for his personal gain. I am stuck. Stuck like Chuck with another man who is planning to use me until he gets tired of me. Excuse me Eduardo Benicio Castanza De La Marta Delgado, but fuck you!” she said and hit a defensive stance ready for him to come at her.
Instead he remained seated on the sofa in his bedroom, his face contorted. “Who is this Chuck? Were you seeing someone in Texas named Chuck?”
“Oh for Pete’s Sake!”
He was teasing her and he could not help it, then tension had to be diffused before they could talk. “Oh you are seeing some hombre named Pete too? You do know that I will kill this Chuck and this Pete to death, no? I have boxes in my office that will hold both of these men’s heads.”
She didn’t want to laugh, but he intentionally put on the thick accent when he said it. She plopped down on the couch beside him, her face in her hands. The suitcase still sitting by the door with bits and pieces of her clothing hanging out of it from her half-hearted packing job.
Eduardo knew he had nothing in his arsenal other than the truth. If he was going to win back her trust, he would have to be honest. It was all he had. His arm went around her shoulder as he pulled her in close to his side.
“At the end of the day the man in me will come to bed to slumber next to the woman he loves. Yes, you are stuck with me and I am stuck with you and I have never been happier in my life. You climbing aboard that plane and leaving my world, leaving me, would have broken me. The sheer possibility of you not loving me enough to want to be my lifelong companion is nearly breaking me now. I am folding up inside because the idea of another woman torturing herself versus facing a lifetime with me is nearly too much for me to handle,” he told her with teary eyes.
Loving the Czar (The Blakemore Files Book 6) Page 10
