Chapter 8

Another dead end!

Fuck, this day was supposed to be a good one, giving up some positive leads. If I didn’t find my dad’s killer and take revenge, I was a dead man.

Fuck, I could hear them already. He couldn’t even find his dad’s killer. He’s done. We should take him out.

Either way, I would be taken out.

Damned if I did; damned if I didn’t find the killer.

I disturbed Jose as I wiped the blood off my hand and heard the whimpers from Pete’s throat. He was one of the lookouts on the North side. He worked for whoever was paying the better price. He was one of those types who had no real loyalty and was only interested in green. No one would miss him, so I knew I could get information out of him, and if I didn’t, then I could dump him, and his spot would be replaced in a heartbeat by the Lopez family. They preferred hiring their own, so realistically I was doing them a favor. Pete wasn’t as sharp as he used to be. The man should have been out of the business a long time ago. He was hitting sixty, but still hit the strip clubs and brothels like a fucking teenager.

“Hospital or morgue?” Jose asked as he rubbed his bald head, and his eyes darted to mine, probably wondering if Pete would make the journey out of here. I had given him a good thrashing. I’d had a shit day, needed to take my frustration out on someone, and someone just happened to be Pete.

I shrugged. “Whatever.”

He patted me on the back and said, “Boss, don’t lose hope, I think Mario will come through for us.”

I sighed, thinking about it. The more dead ends I was coming to, the more I was convinced a woman had killed Pa. There was nothing worse than a woman scorned, and Pa’s attitude with women was a unique one. One I wasn’t proud of.

“Good news about the cop. We taught him a lesson. But the girl, the one who crashed into the back of your car…” He paused for a minute as he checked to see if Pete was still breathing. “Right. Taking this one to the hospital. And as for the girl, she’s got no insurance.”

I laughed. “Why would she have insurance for a beat-up Ford? Even the damn side mirrors were held up with tape.”

Out of breath as he held Pete’s lifeless body, he asked, “So, why did you want me to check up on her?”

I could have told him, confided in him, but there was a time and place for everything. He needed to get Pete to the hospital, so I asked him to check-up on Adrianna as I got to the restaurant and decided to get everything I could out of Pete. It kept Jose occupied while I did. He was a whiz on the computer and had access to most police systems and even the military’s, too. He could have gone to college to study to be some computer whiz, but he wanted to help out the family, unlike Juan. Jose loved being a part of this life. Sometimes, I called him in just to give Juan a hand, like I’d done today.

“Never mind,” I said quietly.

“Hey, Juan, help lift him. Don’t drag him or we’ll have to go to the morgue after getting to the hospital. I’m only making one trip today.”

Juan shrugged, the same as he did every time you tried to talk to him. He was the same height and had the same dark eyes as Jose, but you would think Jose was at least ten years older. He drank too much, smoked a little more, and didn’t eat well at all. He was what we would call in Mexico, friganismo. A person who eats like trash. Also, Jose loved to spend a little too much time in front of the computer, hacking and messing up systems just for the fun of it. He got a buzz out of it. Most people didn’t even realize he and Juan were twins because Juan looked younger and healthier. He tried to get his brother to change his ways, but sometimes there’s no helping some people.

“I’m gone. You guys do what you have to do,” I said, and Juan flung the body at the back of the truck as if it was a piece of meat. I shook my head after Jose made it clear they were taking him to the hospital. Jose checked him again and sighed, “Nice going, Juan. Now we have to take him to the morgue.”

Juan shrugged as I expected him to do. As fascinating as it was watching the two of them, I had more important business to take care of. I had been hoping Adrianna Smith wouldn’t have insurance, and I had been right. She could be what I need to take the edge off at the moment. I had craved her from the moment I saw her, and unfortunately Pete, who was now in the trunk, was reaping the proceeds of my frustration. She could be what I needed to put everything in place for a while.

A muse.

A toy.

A secret weapon.

I couldn’t decide on which one. I would once I got myself home then I would have a nice long shower, once done knock myself out for the night with a couple of shots. Everything would become clearer in the morning, it always did after I had a good night's sleep.

I had a hangover and was still in my ripped skirt, not the most attractive sight when the door buzzed. It was weird because usually, I would have to buzz them up to the apartment, unless Debbie forgot her key. She did sometimes, but if that’s what had happened, who’d let her into the building? Maybe someone had been coming out and she had been coming in. Either way, I stepped over Jen and headed to the door. My hair was a mess, I didn’t smell great, and I looked even worse.

I should have used the damn peephole.

With my head all screwed up, the only thing I could think about was opening the door, nothing more.

I swung the door open, and before me was Ricardo. The same one I smashed into, here on the other side of the door.

“Hello,” I whispered, trying to cover myself up. His emerald eyes flashed over my body. He was in a black suit, just like he had been yesterday. All dark and mysterious, but this time he had a bit of stubble, something I hadn’t noticed about him earlier.

He didn’t wait for me to invite him in, moving past me and entering the apartment.

“I see you have company.” His gaze darted to the floor, where Jen was attempting to crawl onto the sofa.

I dipped my head, feeling as if I was at his place and I had to tidy up quickly. I dashed to move the bottle from the floor, then the other which was on the glass table, and then put them in the closest, as if I’d been caught drinking and I was underage. It was a stupid move, the boxes from the Chinese takeout were on the sofa, Debbie would kill me. I quickly stood by the closet, eying everything else that needed tidying up.

“I’ll make it quick,” he blurted.

I tried to avoid looking at his green eyes, but they were like a magnet. I couldn’t get away from them, or from his olive skin and black suit, everything was black and then I got wondering if his boxers were black too, or if he had any on.

“You have no insurance. You don’t own this place, you merely rent it; just one room and you’re jobless. How will you pay for the damage to my car?”

Fuck! He did want me to pay, I had been hoping he would let it go. I was tempted to tell him he didn’t need the money from me; he could go get it from someone else, kill them for it. But then I didn’t want to give him any ideas, so I kept my mouth shut.

“You have two choices. Figure out how to pay, or give me payment in another form.”

There was nothing to figure out. I didn’t need to go online to figure out the damage to his car would cost more than the two hundred and fifty dollars I had in my account.

“Technically, you only have one choice. For sure, you don’t possess twenty-five thousand to repair the scratch on my Aston Martin. Neither can you afford to have your car shipped to the scrapyard because the garage it was sent to will not repair it. It’s damaged beyond repair. So, I had it shipped to the dump. I did you a favor.”

Did he want me to curtsy or get on my hands and knees and praise his kindness? He knew everything about me. I bet he knew what color underwear I was wearing now. Shit, he could see it. My skirt had ripped through, and he knew what I was doing as I looked down and tried to dignify myself. As he drew close, I could smell his woodsy cologne and the fresh mint scent was slowly putting me into a trance.

He didn’t give me a chance to do anything, as he growled, “You have no choice. You’ll have to come and stay with me for thirty days. My driver will come and pick you up in an hour.”

Then he backed away from me, I tried to regain my thoughts, told them to get out of the gutter. My panties were wet, maybe because I was scared or because he was turning me on. Either way, Jen moaned as if she was in the comfort of her bed as she laid on the sofa. She wasn’t a part of this conversation, she was in her own little world, one far away from here.

“What? I don’t understand.” I was brought to earth as I repeated the words that came out of his mouth inside my head.

No more was I aroused, but angry, every man just seemed to think I was ready to do sexual favors. This was different than it had been with Gold though. This one was probably a survival tactic. The meaning of life or death.

“Because for the next thirty days” —he came closer to me again and I tried to move away, but then I was against the kitchen counter— “you’ll be the price for repairing my car. I’ll own you. Possess you. Be ready in an hour. Don’t keep my driver waiting.”

Then he moved away from me and shut the door behind him. I stood in confusion for a full minute, head reeling. I didn’t know what it was about this man. I should have been scared after what he said to me, but I wasn’t because my panties were dripping wet.

“I think I sobered up in all of five minutes. Was that him?”

I nodded, and Jen held on to me as she tried to straighten up. I think my encounter with him sobered her up as fast as it had done with me.

“He’s hot. So hot. Gee, if you won’t go for thirty days, I’ll go for thirty months in your place,” Jen said as she scrolled through the few pictures of him on her phone.

I shook my head. “You’re not going anywhere. You’re soon to be a married woman.” I led her to the bar stool in the kitchen and she happily sat down as I looked at the digital clock in the kitchen, thinking I had exactly forty-five minutes to get ready before his driver got here.

“He’s hot. Like super-hot. Imagine, for thirty days he’ll be taking you out shopping, treating you like a princess. How many times have we watched '365 Days'?”

I laughed. “Enough to know it’ll more probably end up like Stephen King’s 'Misery' and I’ll be locked in a room, fed by him, and treated like a prisoner.”

Damn, the idea of it was still making me wet. What the heck was wrong with me?

“You need to have a long shower and tell roommate dearest you’re moving out. Get your shit together, or even better burn it and then we’re out of here.”

She started to get off the stool.

“Where are you going?”

She laughed. “Home to pack. You need someone to watch your back.”

I repeated, “Not you, you’re getting married!”

She insisted, “Not in thirty days I’m not.”

I knew she was kidding, but the idea of her coming with me, as if to say, hey, Ricardo you have two for the price of one was absurd. I didn’t think that was what he meant when he said to be ready in an hour. Shit, forty-four minutes.

“Time is ticking and you’re playing games. He’s not the type to play games with.”

I dipped my head, thinking she was right, I had to get ready; realistically, I had no choice but to go. As he said, I had one of two options; then he said, oh, wait, you only have one!

“I’ll go through your closet while you’re showering and sort out what you need, then the rest of your stuff I’ll have sent to mine. Okay?”

I shook my head, “Why? You think he’s going to kill me?”

She said, “Don’t be silly, if he was going to kill you, he would have done it by now. No, Ricardo wants you for other reasons; he has the hots for you. I’m sure of, otherwise, he wouldn’t be sending his driver, or want you at his convenience for thirty days. He wouldn’t be making the offer if he didn’t; so it’s all good.”

I still wasn’t convinced as we moved from the kitchen to my room.

“Think of Beauty and the Beast. He kept Belle locked up and look at the result.”

I laughed. “My life’s not a fairy tale, and I need to take out these damn contacts.”

She sighed as she held on to my face, “No one’s life is a fairytale, but you need to be realistic. He wants you in his house for thirty days, and to do what? Clean dishes?

During that time, you won’t be able to pay rent or anything, and you need time to look for a job. So, in the meantime, I’ll keep your stuff at my place and you can give Debbie notice. Better still, I’ll do it for you. You don’t have long. It’ll all work out.”

Then she hugged me and gave me a light kiss on the cheek. I turned and walked towards the bathroom, ready to take a much-needed shower. Ricardo didn’t want to kill me now, so it was all good. All I needed to do was keep him happy for thirty days, so he wouldn’t kill me by the end of it. Then again, if I kept him too happy, he may decide he wanted me for a lot longer than thirty days.

Jen was my voice of reason, I just had to get ready to leave. Thinking about my predicament wasn’t really an option. Options were lost the moment I crashed into the back of the Mexican mob boss’s car.

Jen had a shower and changed into my sweats. Everything seemed to be going according to plan until the buzzer rang, and I knew it was my time to leave.

"Don't look so nervous, and you'll be fine."

I dipped my head like a child being sent to school for the first time. Worried, unsure about the whole day, and even more scared about being alone. I always worked so hard; I never surrounded myself with friends. Even as a kid. Mom always complained about me being alone all the time, she would say it's not healthy, you need to make friends sometimes. I didn't take after either mom or my sisters; they all had an influx of friends. I enjoyed my alone time a lot more than I enjoyed being around people; until I became friends with Jen. I didn't know what I would do without her.

I took a deep breath as we both stood behind the door and I opened it. I was shocked by his driver. I expected some old guy, ex-army or some goon, tall and big looking and especially scary to be standing on the other side. Instead, I was greeted by someone who didn't even look old enough to drive, and he was wearing a T-shirt and jeans. He had enough tattoos to make Justin Bieber appear to be tattooless, and the more I thought about it, if his hair was a little longer and lighter, he could easily have been Bieber's twin.

"Hey, you're Adrianna, right?" he asked, chewing gum.

I dipped my head and even Jen was speechless.

"Cool, cuz said you had dark hair, but he didn't give me much to go on. Anyway, you reds?"

I assumed he meant ready, so once again I nodded and turned to kiss and face Jen.

She whispered, "See, it's not all bad. He sent a kid to pick you up."

Yeah, I may have dramatized the situation in my head, I had ideas about some army guy coming to pick me up and threatening me with a gun to my head or even telling me to get in the car by knocking us out. He would drag my lifeless body to the car, and I’d wake up to find out I'd been chained to the bed. Yeah, Jen was right; we'd been watching too much 'CSI,' 'NCIS,' 'The Sopranos,' and all the movies which painted a different picture than the one I was facing right now.

"If I were you, I wouldn't even bother taking this much. I'm sure Ric will be buying you new stuff."

I smiled, as Justin's twin taking my suitcase out. He was strong; he wasn't even using the rollers and he was holding it as if it was a feather.

"See, told you. Enjoy and once you've finished living in the land of luxury, then I'll be waiting for you."

It was nice to know someone would wait for me. I'd packed the phone she bought me and promised to text her every night. I started to get teary, like I did when I left home, but for the same reason. I wasn't upset about leaving my sisters, the town or the house, which I used to call home. No, it was all about Mom. I hated not being there when she'd finished her night shift and was so tired. She would sit in the kitchen while I made her breakfast, then I'd help her to bed and kiss her good night before going to school. My first worry when I left home was she wouldn't get any more kisses before going to bed. I worried if she'd even have a meal before hitting the sack. I found out at the funeral I was right to worry; she didn't get any of those things once I left.

"Stop it, or you'll get me started. You'll be back." Jen smiled at me reassuringly.

"I know, but I'm so used to seeing your face every day."

She laughed. "If it makes you feel better, video call me at night."

I nodded. "I will."

Then I let go of her and decided she was right. I had no job to come back to, so it made no sense to stay in this apartment. I hated the idea of being her roommate when she was going to be married in six months, because she'd move into her new house. They were in the process of buying, so I had nothing to feel guilty about. I hated the idea of being forced to do something when I was always in control.

"The elevator doors are waiting for you to jump in."

I ran to the doors, thinking the longer I dragged leaving, the more I would cry and regret agreeing to it all. Even if I didn't have a choice in the matter. I wore my black shift dress, but I kept my stomach in, otherwise, it would be clear it didn't fit, and I'd squeezed into it. It hugged my breasts in a bit, and anyone who said black made you look a slimmer wasn’t lying. This dress made me feel a lot lighter, as it hugged me in all the right places.

"I thought you had changed your mind," the driver laughed as he held on to the button. As soon as I entered the elevator, I replied, "I thought I had no choice but to go."

All of a sudden, he didn't look cute anymore as his once bright eyes, all of a sudden turned dark as he agreed, "True, if Ric tells you to come, then you come. If you want to stay alive."

A cold shiver ran down my spine as I deliberated about the idea I’d had before he came. A gun being held to my head and being dragged to the car. The idea this was all some romantic gesture made me feel stupid. Sometimes, I needed to grow up and see life for what it was. It wasn't a big fairytale. This was my reality, as Jen said. I had to survive the next thirty days and get out. My escape plan would be to leave Chicago, the city I'd grown to love. I couldn't stay here after my time was up; I could only hope I survived this ordeal and had a choice in my decisions once again after it was all over.

"My name's Diego, by the way. But you can call me, D. Most folks do."

I dipped my head, but I was speechless. In the space of a few minutes, he'd told me indirectly, if I didn't go with him, Ricardo would kill me, and had then moved to exchanging names.

"I'll be taking you to the main house, which is a ride out of the city. So, if you want to make a pit stop or get something to eat, shout."

I nodded as he took my case, and I clutched my purse. I didn't know why I was doing it, maybe nerves. It wasn't as if D would steal it.

"I'm not sure if Ric's coming to the house tonight, maybe not. But I can't wait around. I've got things to do," he said casually as we walked through the lobby. He was chatty, which should have put my mind at ease, but for some reason it did the complete opposite. My mind was racing in all directions as I was thinking about my escape plans.

"Okay."

He stopped as we reached the doors, as if he was studying me, and it made me feel anxious.

"I'll give you a few pointers. Ric is not like me at all. But what he doesn't like is the feeling everyone's scared of him. I'm as laid back as anyone else in our circle and it's why he sent me. If he wanted to intimidate you, then he would have sent Juan. If he wanted to take you out, Jose. Me, I'm the guy if he sends to make you feel at home. It's not often he wants that, but if he does, then the person's kind of special to him. You get me?"

I dipped my head as his eyes moved to the purse I was clutching as if my life depended on it. My knees were shaking and I was wondering if he could hear my teeth chatter, too. Most people in this building worked, so I didn't have the embarrassment of someone passing and seeing me nearly pee my pants. No, Diego would be the only one to have the pleasure and as I dipped my head and tried to remember to breathe, I followed him out of the building and into the limo parked outside.

"Wow, we're going there in style."

He smiled, "That's better, a little bit of excitement. Seriously, I know some guys and even women have worked for Ric for like ten years, they've never been to the main house, so you've definitely made an impression, a good one. There's nothing to worry about."

He was right, I hadn't been threatened, if anything I would have to agree with Jen, I had been given the star treatment. I didn't have a job and until I did, it made sense to leave the apartment. When I called Debbie to tell her I was moving out, I had asked her for a refund on the remainder of this month. She'd hung up saying good, which meant, she planned to rent the place out. She wasn't going to be living there long, which is why she was never there. It made sense; I'd seen Jen do the same thing with Ben; they start dating and slowly but surely, one of the two apartments became practically empty. Diego opened the door and I climbed in, and as I sat down I ran my fingers over the white leather seats.

"Oh my," I purred as the back opened and Diego stuffed my case in the trunk. I felt like a little girl being left alone in a toy store, able to play with as many things as I could get my hands on. I opened the bar and saw the range of drinks from water and soda to alcohol. There were even a few snacks, chips, and nuts. It was like being in first-class on a plane. Not that I'd ever had the luxury, but if I had, I was pretty sure it would feel like this.

"Help yourself to anything in the bar. As I said, if you want to stop and do some lady stuff, or go somewhere on the way, then your wish is my command," Diego said as he rolled down the window dividing us both.

I smiled and said, "Let's get this show on the road."

The limo pulled out, and I poured myself a glass of chardonnay. It was amazing seeing the city from a different point of view. The way all rich people did when they sat at the back of the limo with darkened windows. They saw everything and people like me, normal people, didn't get to see them. The shoe would be on the other foot, and I intended to sit back and enjoy the ride.

"Jefe, how long we going to Italy for?" Juan’s question disturbed my thoughts as I looked out of the window.

"One night."

It was all it would take, one night to find the woman I needed to help me finish my quest.

Juan buckled up and put his head back. "Okay." Then he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. He deserved it. It was going to be a long ride, and I should be catching some z's too, but I was too wound up. In an ideal world, I would have had Adrianna sent to the house, had her prepped and the next day, been with her, but Pa's death was a mystery I had to get some outside help with.

I couldn't get it in Chicago, certainly not in Mexico because as much as I loved my people, but they had big mouths. Someone, somewhere would blab. I had never felt like this before, unsure, unclear of the future and it was making me fucking nervous. I hadn't thought I could feel this way about anything until now.

"Would you like a drink, Señor Ruiz, from the bar?"

I shook my head as the dark-haired air stewardess tried to offer me a drink, but as I turned and my eyes danced on her chest, I could tell she was offering me a lot more than something to drink. Half of the buttons on her uniform were undone, and her breasts were on display.

"No."

She looked disappointed, not only by what I said, but the fact I turned my head and continued to stare out of the window. I couldn't look at her, as memories about the last time I was on Dad's private jet assailed me. He had sat right where Juan was sitting right now. It felt like only yesterday that Pa was there snoring like a pig, not three months ago.

"The youth are completely lost," Pa had smiled at me. At the time I thought he was referring to me, but as he continued to speak, I knew exactly who and what he meant.

“Look at Diego. His mom was a nurse and he’s been in this business long enough to know we’re not in the habit of fixing things, but taking what we need and moving on.”

I sighed. “Pa, he’s not that bad.”

He shook his head. “He’s got everything mixed up and upside down. His focus is all over the place, and I worry….”

It was as if he was struggling for words, and curiosity got the better of me as I asked the question.

“Qué?”

He stared at me for a brief second as if I’d woken him up from a deep sleep.

“When he breaks, it’ll be nasty.”

I still didn’t get it so I repeated, my question, “Que?”

“He’ll be more ruthless and deadly than both of us combined, mark my words. This is why youth like him have to be trained, to be tamed. They have to be shown the right way, so they know they can’t make up their own rules.”

“Pa, don’t worry. I’ll train him.”

I remembered thinking at the time about the friendly, happy-go-lucky side of Diego and the loyalty part, too. I couldn’t see him turning into something dark, but I wasn’t a fortune teller, and I must admit dad was better at judging personalities than I was, so I made it my duty to keep an eye on him, seeing as how it was his mother who had been wrongfully killed when a turf war started. When the driver told her to get out of the car and run, she was taken out because she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t leave someone who was a patient; she was a nurse. She’d died as the Pastors gunned her down. They said that it was her fault innocents always got caught in the crossfire. Pa said that even if she had run, it wouldn’t have made a difference. Either way, he made the family pay for their mistaken identity error.

“You’re a good leader, Hijo!”

He’d smacked my knee in a friendly gesture as if to make me feel like I had a chance, but realistically I knew from this talk, it was out of my hand. Pa didn't want to tell me the truth, but I was on a mission to prove him wrong.

As I deliberated his statement about me being a good leader, a tear welled up in my eye. I had to get my head out of the clouds while thinking about the past, and only move forward. If all went well, not only would the woman in Italy be helping me, but Adrianna would be too, so once and for all I could put my Pa to rest and bury him. Until that, day, I would keep him on ice because I had a job to do. Nothing could be put to rest until it was done.

I shut my eyes for what felt like a few seconds, but must have been a lot longer because once again we were on land. I loved Sicily. I'd been here a few times, Pa had some good contacts here, and we came here whenever we wanted discretion, and we were never disappointed about the speed and the quality of the work done.

Besides, I needed to get out of the city for a few days. I felt as if I'd swam out too far and I was drowning in the ocean. I had barely slept or eaten since I'd seen his body; it still haunted me, the idea of him suffering so much.

"Buongiorno," the pilot said as he stood by my side, and I realized not only were we on land, but we'd come to a complete stop.

"I hope the flight was to your satisfaction."

I dipped my head. “It was."

"Jefe? We're here," Juan said, as if he'd been woken from a nightmare.

"Yeah, we're here."

I took in a deep breath, unbuckled my seatbelt, and attempted to get out of my seat. I collapsed back into it, struggling to get up. I was exhausted, and the idea of having a conversation, then jumping back on the plane was too much.

"Juan, book us a hotel for the night. I need to lie down."

He smiled and said, "About time. You need to rest. Your eyes are red, you’re slow in talking, slower than me. You need to rest, Jefe. Just take one night off.”

As we settled into a taxi bound for the hotel, I opened the file on Adrianna. Even after nearly two years of living in the city, Adrianna didn't have many friends, only her best friend Jen. The file on her was clear, she worked and had no social life outside of that. She was from a small town in Iowa, but even then her mom became pregnant at a young age and married the boy whose parents owned the local diner. Her mom had decided to study nursing, and for some reason she'd done all the work, whereas her husband sat back and did nothing. Then, his parents died, leaving him the money from the diner, he ran off and left her with not one kid, but three.

Her dad resided in California. He had a new wife, and kid. A new family. Also, he had a brother, and they weren’t in touch. As for her mom's family, they seemed to be a complete mystery. They left town when she married Adrianna's dad, and disappeared, which most likely meant they were killed. Maybe an accident, maybe they got caught up in something they couldn't handle. No one disappears like that, especially people from Iowa who were not involved in any illegal activity.

There were no photos of Adrianna going back home on her social media, which was strange in this day and age. Especially seeing as she had three sisters. One of whom seemed to love working in strip clubs in Vegas, and had a nasty drug addict. Another was a reporter in NY. The other was happily married with twins. None of them had anything on their social media about Adrianna, or even the other sisters. It's as if they were all only children. The crazy part is Alice, the one who loved working in strip clubs, was on her social media profile day and night. It's as if she wanted someone to find out where she was and what she was doing, twenty-four/seven.

You could tell so much about someone by looking up their Facebook or Instagram page. The latest seemed to be TikTok, but Adrianna didn't have an account. Adrianna's holidays consisted of only one trip to Vegas. Her job with Gold was a result of a chance meeting.

Everything would change, including Adrianna. She would be taken care of, and I would tell Diego to see to it. Most importantly the woman I was meeting would have to wait. I didn't feel well; it was as if my stomach was in knots and I knew it was a mix of drinking and not eating and having all the weight of the world on my shoulders. I could feel the heat as the jet doors opened, and it made me feel even more tired. I could have had a coffee or something to keep me awake, but I wanted to sleep. I needed to rest, so I could do things with a clear mind, and not a frustrated one.

I was alone in the room, with no one to talk to, so I quickly shuffled through my purse. Dropping it, I took out my phone and called Jen. I didn't check the time to make sure it was okay to call her. I just had to see her friendly face, so I decided not only to call her, but to FaceTime her instead.

"Hey, you okay?" she asked as she picked up the call.

"Yeah, the room I've been given is nearly the size of my apartment. No, my old apartment," I said as I moved the phone around, so she could see the double-sized closest at the back of the room, the Turkish rug, the double doors leading to the balcony so I could sit outside when the weather was nicer and face the ground, and an amazing bathroom. It had a walk-in shower, an antique tub at the corner, and a splash of both a modern and antique feel to it. It was nice.

"You seen him yet?"

"No. Diego said…you know the driver who picked me up…" I laid on the bed, thinking I would fill her in about my ride and the trail of events until this moment.

"Okay, that's his name."

"Yeah, he said most likely I wouldn't see him until Friday at this rate or sometime over the weekend, so it's all a guessing game at the moment," I said, repeating what Diego told me as he introduced me to Lourdes, the housekeeper who then showed me to my room. It was clear, I wasn't going to see Diego again. Well, not for now, he left the house repeating I would be okay and Lourdes would take care of me.

"Well, it's not such a bad thing, you can relax a bit, and…"

"Do what?" I sighed, noticing she was all dressed up and ready to go out. It was a Wednesday night, her date night with Ben. I could tell by the way she was waving her hand, she had to go, but didn't want to leave me, not when I was looking so down.

I sat up and put a smile on my face. “You should get going. Date night, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah, but you look so sad, even underneath the fake smile."

She knew me too well, part of me loved her for it, but it made me feel guilty, knowing I was stopping her from enjoying herself.

"So, where are you going tonight?"

She smiled. “It's a surprise; not sure yet."

I loved that about Ben, he knew how to keep the romance going. I hoped once they were married he would keep giving her the element of surprise. Well, it worked both ways. She did the same for him in the bedroom department with her constant visits to the sex shop. I went with her a few times because it always amused me how open they were about sex. Something that had been a closed topic in my family. We never openly talked about sex, and I believed it was normal. Mom never asked if I was a virgin, and I never asked her what to do if I met a guy.

"Well, I know you'll surprise him back." I winked at her, reminding her about the sexy lingerie she bought last weekend.

She laughed, and I knew we could spend all night on the call, but she had a date. I had to let her go.

"Have a good time, and I have a book I need to catch up on. I'll be fine. I'm in a mansion, with a housekeeper. What more could a girl ask for?"

She agreed, and we hung up. I was right, I hadn't eaten and I was feeling a little hungry, so I would try to find Lourdes and snoop a bit. Maybe there were other people in this house and I didn't know where they were, and they didn't know I was here, either.

Diego did say I should feel as if I was Ricardo's guest and not his prisoner, and I intended to do just that as I jumped off the bed and put on my shoes to go and explore the house.

I woke up and I felt as if I'd been asleep for only a couple of hours. I checked the time to realize it was nearly lunchtime. I had been exhausted, and the silk sheets and king-size bed had knocked me out. As well as the shot of sherry I had before hitting the sack. I felt alive, more alive than I'd felt in weeks. I didn't feel as if the world was on my shoulders as I stretched and got out of bed.

Shit, I wish I could spend one more night here, just to feel like myself one more time. Maybe it was the stress of being at home that had stopped me from sleeping, and not the grief.

I headed to the shower in my birthday suit. I always slept in the nude, but didn't even bother drawing the blinds as I headed there. I clicked on the light as I went. My memory was good, but not good enough to remember what direction I was headed in. One thing I hated was showering with the light on. There was something about bathing in the dark which felt natural to me. I turned on the tap and instantly, the steam formed. Damn, it was quick.

I stepped in and the water was too hot, so I adjusted the temperature and felt even better as the water fell over my skin, the light in the room just enough for me to find the sponge Juan must have put in here ready for me to start my day. Not only was he loyal, but he knew my creature habits. I liked to get up and have a shower with everything ready for me in the morning. I didn't want to have to worry about finding the soap and such, and it was that little attention to detail he always took care of, which made me always travel with him.

Juan didn't have anyone but his brother. Both his parents were dead, and he'd never found love. I did wonder if he played for the other team, so I asked him about his love life and he said he'd loved once, and it was enough for any man to have one love of his life. I didn't ask what happened to her, and he never told me. Some things didn't need to be said, and broken hearts were a topic most men avoided talking about like the plague.

As soon as I was done in the bathroom, it was time for breakfast, and as expected, my expresso and a slice of toast were waiting for me. I didn't eat much in the morning and at times I would skip the toast and opt for only fruit. But I hadn't eaten last night and had hardly anything the day before, so both the toast and the fruit basket in front of me were welcome.

Now, it was time to draw the blinds and see the view I was told last night by reception rented this room for $600 per night. So, it better be fucking good. As the blinds lifted, I had to agree it was worth every penny. There was a beautiful blue clear sky with a few clouds hanging as if they were magically painted there. The deep blue sea and the apartment and office buildings looked as if they were stacked next to each other and not on top of each other like in Chicago. The hunger I once felt, soon went away as I opened the window and took in the fresh air. I didn't smell pollution, only the Mediterranean Sea breeze. Then I looked to my right to see the cliff and debated staying one more night. Maybe I would go for a hike to the top and see the island from a different angle, a beauty I couldn't resist. All I had seen and felt recently was ugliness; this could be my proof that life wasn't full of darkness.

I lifted my coffee, unable to pull myself away from the view, and somewhere in the midst of my thoughts, Adrianna crossed my mind. I had her at home waiting for me, and I didn't want to return there. I needed to stay here. It was as if the thought was repeating in my mind, but men like me didn't take vacations; no, I had a job to do. I couldn't fucking take a break when there was a reason why I was here, and I needed Adrianna. Not only to satisfy my needs, but to get the job done.

I stopped daydreaming, finished my expresso, took a couple of bites of a banana and decided to get ready to meet her. The one who would help me put an end to it all and catch Pa's killer.

I hated tardiness, it was one thing Pa would say didn't make me a Mexican. If I had to wait on someone I would complain they weren't on time.

"Hijo, you're Mexican. Act like it," he would say while I would wince about the time.

I'd been sitting here in the hotel bar, as nice as it was, for the last thirty minutes, and I'd flown a long way for this meeting. I didn't expect to be kept waiting. I didn't even know who I was waiting for.

She knew who I was because I had a white rose in my lapel pocket. I felt as if I was on some cheap blind date, the typical bar setting, sipping on a glass of wine, even though it was a little early in the day for drinking it.

With the sea breeze and the atmosphere, I couldn't help but indulge myself in the beauty of it all.

I even gave Juan some time to enjoy himself. He looked a little lost as I suggested he go do something, but then he grabbed his bag a few minutes later and it was clear he was heading to the gym. I would have joined him, if she'd turned up to the meeting on time.

I hadn't come all this way to be stood up.

I was about to get up when the waitress who served me as I had come in, and had spent most of her time observing me, came back with another glass of red wine.

"I didn't order another one. I'm leaving."

She shook her head, "No, sir. Try this one, it's much better than the last one."

They were supposed to bring the bottle and then pour the glass in front of you. I'd been to Italy and Spain enough times to know they had the same customs in bars and restaurants. I was about to complain when I noticed there was a piece of paper underneath the glass. She wasn't only my waitress, but she was the one I was meeting. I smiled at her, and dipped my head discreetly, ready for her to leave the table. Then I looked around and then read her note.

Go to the back in twenty minutes!

I felt naive as if this was my first gig. I should have known it was the waitress. I'd completely let all my guards and senses down. From the moment I stepped in here, she'd been looking at me, as if she knew me. I assumed it was this red suit. Juan did say it was a little too bright. It was suede and besides, just because the sun was out, didn't mean it wasn't cold, so I brought my one suit I could wear while sitting outside and not feel as if my balls were about to drop off.

She gave me a drink, without me ordering.

She'd only waited on my table.

Fuck, no wonder I couldn't find Pa's killer, I'd lost all sense of intuition, even when it came to basic things like meeting people and figuring out who they were, instead of the other way around.

I watched my Rolex attentively, while sipping on the wine, waiting eagerly for the twenty minutes to be up. As soon as the time ticked eighteen minutes, I didn't hesitate in getting up, after calculating it would take me two minutes to get to the back. I hesitated as I had the last sip of wine and agreed it had tasted a lot better than the first one, but I hadn't flown thousands of miles to taste the wine.

As I reached the back, she was standing there. No more did she have long dark black hair, or wear square-framed glasses, with the black shirt and pants all the servers wore. Now, she had blonde hair with sunglasses. She kind of reminded me of a female version of Brad Pitt in Fight Club. She was smoking and tapping her feet as if I'd been late. I didn't say a word until I strode up to her, taking my time and trying to keep my annoyance at having to wait so long for her to introduce herself. It'd been close to thirty minutes from our original appointment time.

"Are you Vedova Nera?" I asked, but I knew it was a stupid question. She was the Black Widow. The one I needed to help find Pa's killer.

She nodded her head and said, "Now tell me what you need, and I'll see if I can help you."