My father arrived early this morning, dressed in one of his tailored suits, while I was in bed. He hugged me then told me that he was going to try to reason with my mother to release me and let him take me home. He said he wasn’t sure she’d be so receptive since she hated us.
During the conversation, I just laid on my bed, silently screaming on the inside. It was the first time I realized that I was the scalpel he was wielding against my mother in his efforts to excise her will.
He was The Boss.
As Isabel entered the room with my breakfast, I could feel the disdain and seething disgust she held for him.
It was he who had ruined my life and my dreams. He was not the man I knew as my father. I wasn’t sure who he was.
After I had breakfast, Isabel helped me get ready and dressed me in a cute blue floral maxi skirt and white, fitted tank. It was warm here and the skirt was much easier with my cast. Around lunchtime, my father returned in khakis and a short-sleeve polo and asked if I would like to go for a stroll around my mother’s gardens, that it was a beautiful day. In the interest of hiding my opposition, I agreed and even managed to seem excited.
Once we were outside in the warm sunshine, he began to ask me questions. “Have you spoken to your mother much? Did she tell you why she kidnapped you and brought you here?”
“No,” I sighed. “She only comes to see me once a day and then we only talk about riding or how I’m feeling. I asked the first day but she didn’t answer me. She just got up and walked out. The next day she gave me a stupid letter explaining that she was sorry for having to do things this way but it was the only way. Still no explanation. Why is she doing this to me, Dad?” I asked as he pushed me along the slate walkway in my wheelchair.
He was quiet for a minute then stopped me near a bench, like the ones you see in a cemetery. “Emmery, I’m not sure why she has done any of this either. By now you know your mother’s family is into bad things,” he told me as he came around me and sat down on the bench. “Please know that I’ve done my best to keep you out of this mess she has created.”
“Did you talk to her about letting me go back home? I’m worried about Jane. I haven’t been able to call or check on her. I don’t even know if she’s alive after the car accident,” I said frantically.
“I’ve spoken with Jane—she’s okay. She asked me to come find you and bring you home. She is not a fan of your mother, and can’t say I blame her. The woman I fell in love with would never have resorted to kidnapping her own child,” he said as he hung his head and looked the lush green grass below his feet. I had to look away. I couldn’t bear to look at his fake sympathy or manufactured regrets. Instead, I looked at the beautifully manicured lawns and flowers, focusing in on a rose bush full of deep crimson blooms.
To say I was angry would be an understatement. I was furious. So furious I cried. To my father it seemed as if I was crying for my situation that my mother had created, so I allowed him to think that.
“Sweet pea, please don’t cry. I’ll talk to your mother again today and see if she will reconsider letting me take you home. Right now, I think she just wants to punish me. She wants a divorce and half of my estate,” he told me angrily. “I’ve busted my ass for years to get where I am and she wants to just take it away from me. I’ve earned it. Not her.”
Finally, he uttered a sliver of truth. While he intended the context to be one thing, I knew the truth.
The weight of it almost crushed me. I sobbed at the realization that my father really was the monster my mother claimed he was.
“Please, honey, don’t cry. I’ll make this all go away. I’ll go talk with your mother again. I think you’ve had enough sunshine for right now. Let’s get Isabel to clean you up, okay?” My dad stood and started pushing me back along the slated path toward the back of the house, opposite of the path we came. There was a set of large glass doors that led out of my room onto the veranda in the back courtyard, but they had been locked since I had been placed in my room. “I was able to convince your mother to unlock your patio doors so you could sit out here whenever you’d like. You could have lunch out here amongst the beautiful flowers.”
I’m sure you were able to convince mom. “Thank you, Dad. I’d like that. Could you please ask Isabel to come out here? I’m hungry.”
“Sure, Em. I’ll go find her,” he said as he leaned down and kissed the top of my head. As he did, I fought my body’s shudder.
Several minutes later, Isabel came out to the veranda with a plate of food in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. Gripping the chair’s wheels, I pushed myself over toward the table and carefully maneuvered myself under the edge of the table without bumping my leg. Isabel pulled a small medicine bottle from her pocket. “Medicine time.”
Opening the bottle, she tapped out a few pills and handed them to me, two ibuprofens and one pain pill. Taking the pills, I popped them in my mouth then opened the bottle of water and washed them down. The residue from the pain pill left a nasty taste in my mouth and numbed my tongue where it landed. “Ugh, that tastes disgusting.”
“Si. Lo siento,” she apologized. I knew the Spanish, but was impressed at how well she spoke English.
“Isabel, how long have you spoken English?” I wondered out loud. “You are fluent.”
“Gracias, mija. Your madre had a teacher come here when I told her I wanted to learn. That was two years ago,” she told me as she took the seat opposite of me at the small round glass-top table.
“That was nice. Do you like working here?” I asked as I took a bite of the sandwich.
“I do. Ms. Alejandra is good to me and the other staff. But Mr. Richard yells a lot,” she said softly as she ran her hands over the skirt of her uniform, flattening the creases. “You mustn’t trust your padre. He is trying to trick you. Mentiroso,” she said quietly. “I have a message from your friends. They will come for you soon.” She leaned in and held my gaze. “Shh,” she whispered. “We still must be quiet out here. I have spoken to your friend Kai. Mr. Brody and the others are planning to save you but I don’t know when yet.”
Hope flashed, tempered by fear. “When you talk to him, please tell him I’m okay and to please be careful. I don’t want any of them getting hurt,” I pleaded.
“I will, mija. Eat your lunch and I will help you back inside. Your mother sent out for a stick of fire for the television set. It is full of movies, she said. I want to see this American movie named Silence of the Lambs. I like to watch scary movies.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle when I realized she was referring to an Amazon Fire TV Stick. “I like scary movies too. Silence of the Lambs is one of my favorite movies of all times. Why don’t we go watch it now?”
“Your lunch,” she commented.
“I can eat in the bedroom. Besides, I’d like to get out of this wheelchair. It hurts my butt,” I explained, shifting in my seat.
“Whatever you would like,” she said as she wheeled me back inside.
We were halfway into the sequel, Hannibal, when my father and mother came in together. You could see the tension in the room like a black fog, sucking the air out of the room.
“Emmery, we are going to take a ride. Isabel, please help Emmery into her wheelchair,” my father ordered.
“We are going to meet your tio and primos. They are excited to meet you for the first time,” my mother said with a softness to her voice that reassured me. My father huffed then left the room. “Ignore him, mija. He’s upset with me.”
“Mom, before we leave can you please help me in the bathroom? I need to freshen up and pee.”
“Of course. Please excuse us, Isabel,” she said, taking control of the wheelchair and steering me toward the bathroom. Once safely inside with the door shut, she turned the water on at the sink. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, but—” I started.
“Mija, next time please don’t be so crass. You don’t need to tell anyone you need to pee, it’s not ladylike.”
“
Sorry.” I hung my head.
“Now, what do you need to speak to me about?”
“I wanted you to know that I believe you,” I revealed. “But I’m nervous about going somewhere with dad. He’s really angry. Earlier we were in the garden and he was ranting about how he’s worked so hard to get what he wants and he wasn’t going to let you take it from him.”
“So he told you he wants to take over?” she asked, confused, with a deep scowl on her wrinkle-free, flawless face. Even at fifty years old, she looked remarkable. She had traditional Venezuelan features: glossy, long black hair; model-like high cheekbones; deep olive skin that was impeccable and a toned, lithe body. I had no doubt why my father fell in love with her. She was just as beautiful when they met in their early twenties.
“No. He made it seem like he was upset that you wanted to take half of his estate in the divorce, but I knew better. He was so mad, Mom. I’ve never seen him like that. I didn’t even recognize him.”
“Your father has done a good job at keeping his monsters and demons at bay around you. But don’t worry about today. This meeting was called by Tio Juan Carlos at my request but your father doesn’t know that. He thinks Tio called it and we will let him think that. Tio is going to get us out of this and take care of your father.”
“What do you mean, Mom?” I cocked my head, alarmed by her choice of words and tone. “What is he going to do to Dad?”
“That is not for you to worry about, mija. Your father has made his bed, now he must lie in it. No one can stop what is coming. Not even me. Now, wash your hands so we can go.”
Okay, that was cold. I got that he deserved to be punished, but what she said didn’t sound like my Tio was going to hand my dad over to the police in the U.S.
I hopped from the toilet to the sink as she watched me. “Please try not to fret, dear. I promise to do everything in my power to keep Tio from physically harming your dad. I’m hoping he will just put the fear of God in him and he’ll leave us be.”
I released the breath I didn’t realize I was holding then there was a hard knock at the door. “What are you two doing in there?” My father’s irritated voice boomed through the wood.
With a roll of her eyes, my mother sighed and flung the door open as I rinsed the lavender soap from my hands. “She needed to use the restroom, Richard. I was simply trying to help our daughter. What would you have me do? Let her struggle and hurt herself further?”
I’m not sure how she managed to keep from tearing his eyes out. Meanwhile, my father clenched his jaw and pursed his lips before spinning on his heel and exiting the bathroom.
Mom pushed me out to the idling limo. Waiting in the courtyard for our arrival was Dad, Manny, Freddy, Diego and the same driver from before. Manny approached me without being prompted and hoisted me out of the wheelchair and carried me carefully to the car. As before, he got me situated on the back bench seat.
While I waited for everyone else to get in the car, I heard the trunk open and figured the wheelchair was being loaded. Freddy climbed in next and chose the seat directly next to me. My chest tightened and my blood ran cold at his proximity. I felt my skin recoil as goose pimples rippled through my body.
My father entered the car next and sat next to Freddy. “You need to move. Now. You stay away from my daughter. Do you hear me?” My father’s voice was quiet but harsh.
“I hear you,” Freddy acknowledged darkly with a sneer as he moved next to Manny.
“Are we all set?” the driver asked.
My mother looked about the car, silently seeking permission, or so it seemed.
“I’m ready,” I blurted out, all the while thinking that I was ready to get this over with. I couldn’t help but keep glancing at my father. I was terrified of who he had become, but I was also terrified of losing him.
I wasn’t stupid or naïve. I knew how people were dealt with in drug cartels. Especially those who stole from them. I just hoped my mother wasn’t lying when she said she’d ask her tio for a little leniency on my father’s behalf.
Silently, I prayed the entire car ride. No one uttered a word while we were on the road. More black fog. I couldn’t wait to get out of here.
After what seemed to be an hour of driving in silence, the car slowed and made its way down an uneven, bumpy path, jostling us all over the car. Once we came to a stop, the driver exited then came to open the door closest to my dad.
Dad exited first, followed by Manny and Freddy, leaving my mother and me in the car. Again, I heard the trunk lid pop open.
“Please remember your manners, Emmery. The familia is traditional and strict,” my mother told me as she slid down the leather bench toward me before crouching and crossing to the back bench then out the open door.
I was alone in the backseat and I looked out the window. Jungles of lush, green vegetation surrounded the car and little monkeys watched us from the tree canopies. Sun shone in thin rays into the thick tropical forest. Today was hot and humid, like most days here so far. I was not looking forward to leaving the cool, air-conditioned car, no matter who I was meeting.
Unless it was Brody. Then I would run through hot coals with a broken ankle if it meant I was running to him. I had never felt the kind of pull I had to him with anyone else before. There was this underlying current of electricity that seemed to crackle through my body when he was near.
“Do you need help?” Manny leaned through door and offered his large hand for support, which I accepted. I would like to think if I were to have ever had a brother, he’d be like Manny. Well, without the contract killer aspect. Maybe.
“Thank you,” I said, scooting toward him and the open door. As I got closer to the door, I could hear nearby voices talking about family.
As Manny picked me up, he quietly whispered, “No matter what happens today, I have your back, mamita. Just stay close.”
“What?” I froze in terror. What was going to happen?
“Shh. All will be okay,” Manny reassured me.
Chapter Twenty-five
~Brody~
While the guys formulated a plan, I tried to focus on what I could control instead of all of the things I couldn’t. Not easy by the way. I was almost ready to have Joselyn knock me out again.
Almost.
Finally, Marco texted Kai.
“They are in a jungle on the other side of the island. Good news is Emmery seems to be being protected by Manuel but the bad news is that Juan Carlos Varela, El Capo and his crew are there,” Kai relayed the message.
“Fuck, that is bad,” Damon muttered, voicing everyone’s thoughts.
Eyes flicked back and forth between us.
“Ask how many guys are there,” Drew ordered.
“On it,” Kai said as he tapped away on the screen of his phone.
“Kaci, pull up the satellite images and see if we can get a real-time image,” Ridge proposed. “Even if it’s a few minutes behind, we could check for a safe way in and out.”
“Good thinkin’,” Bear agreed with a hefty pat on his back.
“Kac, can you do that?” Jaxon left his stool at the window.
“Does a monkey throw shit?” She laughed. “Of course I can. It will take a few minutes and I’ll need to make a call.”
“Get on it,” Ridge demanded.
Kaci glared at him before picking up the phone and calling someone who answered to the name Boomer. After a few minutes on the phone she laughed, thanked them then hung up.
“Got the codes. Ridge, you owe Boomer a new thermal scope for his rifle. He said you’d know which one.”
Ridge turned to me. “You owe me three grand.”
“Consider it done. If this helps us rescue her, I’ll buy him two,” I vowed. I would have paid ten times that, but I kept that to myself.
After fifteen minutes of hatching a plan, we decided to go in with two vehicles. There was only one way in or out and the vegetation was dense. There wasn’t a clearing big enough to land the Black Hawk in that wasn’t at le
ast a mile and a half from where we saw their vehicles parked.
Kaci was able to pull up thermal imaging from the satellite so we had an accurate count. Eleven heat signatures. One had three people flanking it so we presumed that was El Capo. The others were spread out with only one larger heat signature close to the smallest, which we assumed was Emmery and her bodyguard, Manuel.
“It’s at least an hour to that location. We need to hit the road now and hope they don’t leave,” Jaxon pointed out. “Let’s load up, folks. Remember to take everything. As soon as we retrieve the package it’s wheels up and outta here. Leave no trace of our identities.”
“Already started wiping stuff down this morning,” Rosa chimed in.
“Marco said to text Isabel and she would come over and get everything out,” Joselyn informed us.
“Beds need to be trashed or given away,” Bear added. “If we put them in the alley out back, they will be gone within fifteen minutes. We can drop them on the way out.”
Everyone ran around grabbing up what they brought, stuffing clothes, toiletries, computers and surveillance equipment into their respective bags. Within five minutes we were ready to go.
***
The ride to the rendezvous point was eerily quiet. As I sat in the second of three rows, I looked around at the group of people that had traveled two thousand miles to save a woman I hadn’t even known a month but that I was pretty damn sure I’d die for. These men and women were putting their necks on the line for me and I hadn’t truly stopped to appreciate their loyalty or courage.
I hated to disturb anyone but I needed to say this before we got any closer. “Hey, I just want to thank everyone for dropping everything and coming down here with me.”
Not much was said, just a few chin lifts and muttered welcomes. Within a matter of seconds, everyone was back to their own thing and Jax was staring at a picture of Leila and Lillian on his phone. It prompted me to pull out my own phone and send a long email to Leila, asking her to please remember my wishes if anything were to happen to me and telling her that I understood now why things ended between us the way they did.
His Redemption Page 22
